Overtures in Relation to Their Operas

Don Fatale said:

La Forza Del Destino's overture is, for me, the best part of the opera by far!

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You wouldn't have liked the recent Calixto Bieito version at ENO then.

It opened with the original 1862 prelude, rather than the overture for the 1869 revision.

The Makropulos Case. Fantastic overture :


Turgid, tuneless opera.

Pugg said:

The overture is fine, after that, waiting for hours to come to " Merce, Dilette Amiche"

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The thing I'd be waiting for is "In braccio alle dovizie." I love that aria.

Mefistofele, Mefistofele, Mefistofele (It wouldn't allow me to put it in once!)

nina foresti said:

Mefistofele, Mefistofele, Mefistofele (It wouldn't allow me to put it in once!)

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Look away Don. F

nina foresti said:

Mefistofele, Mefistofele, Mefistofele (It wouldn't allow me to put it in once!)

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Beautiful opera, lots of drama ( my humble opinion)

Wagner's Overture to Die Meistersinger is the greatest opera overture ever written. Not only can it stand alone as an orchestral masterpiece (with a tagged on ending)but is completely related to musical themes that follow in the opera.

Brilliant, Herr Wagner!!!

By and large (with some exceptions) Rossini's overtures are better than his operas, to my mind.

gardibolt said:

By and large (with some exceptions) Rossini's overtures are better than his operas, to my mind.

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I think the problem with Rossini's operas is that they're seldom (!) integrated art works in the French or Wagnerian manner; the operas are vehicles for music. Take, say, Bianca e Falliero; the quartet in the second act is sublime - Stendhal thought it one of the best things Rossini ever wrote - but the opera is very long and very static. It doesn't have enough content to justify the length, and a lot of the music is average Rossini.

hpowders said:

Wagner's Overture to Die Meistersinger is the greatest opera overture ever written. Not only can it stand alone as an orchestral masterpiece (with a tagged on ending)but is completely related to musical themes that follow in the opera.

Brilliant, Herr Wagner!!!

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I agree completely. Usually I prefer when the operas goes straight to the action but the overture to Die Meistersinger is just great.

hpowders said:

Wagner's Overture to Die Meistersinger is the greatest opera overture ever written. Not only can it stand alone as an orchestral masterpiece (with a tagged on ending)but is completely related to musical themes that follow in the opera.

Brilliant, Herr Wagner!!!

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And how wonderfully natural, yet delightfully surprising, the way it morphs at curtain rise into a Lutheran chorale worthy of Bach. Notice that the opening phrase of the chorale is essentially the same as the opening phrase of the overture. The whole score is Wagner's assertion that he is not only a musical innovator but also a worthy successor to the "Deutsche Meister" to whom the whole opera is a tribute. Tradition and revolution together: a great message for any artist who aspires to be the next new thing.

Sloe said:

I agree completely. Usually I prefer when the operas goes straight to the action but the overture to Die Meistersinger is just great.

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Yes and as Herr Woodduck writes, it is absolutely striking how the overture ends and morphs right into the Lutheran Hymn that begins the opera. Much more striking than the disappointing tagged on concert ending found at orchestral concerts.

I grew up listening to the concert overture. I was shocked, but delighted to hear the overture for the first time, some years ago, "in its natural habitat." Now I don't want to hear it without Act One of the opera following it.

Then there are also the beautiful preludes to acts one of Tristan and Parsifal; the latter always seems to put me into a metaphysical trance.

For me the prelude to act one of Parsifal perfectly sets the mood for the great noble Act One monolog of Gurnemanz soon to follow, the latter, which just so happens to be my favorite moment of Parsifal.

Same here. The Vorspiel is absolutely mesmerizing. I just finished listening to Solti's version.

The great Prelude to Act One of Parsifal sets the mood for this magical moment from Act One.

^^^ Such sublime music.

People who feel that they've died and come back have spoken of moving toward a light. I'd like to think that if that light could be heard, it would sound like this.

Woodduck said:

^^^ Such sublime music.

People who feel that they've died and come back have spoken of moving toward a light. I'd like to think that if that light could be heard, it would sound like this.

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Yes. And how disappointing it is when one doesn't hear a Gurnemanz worthy of the music.

My favorite is Kurt Moll on the Karajan set.

Woodduck said:

^^^ Such sublime music.

People who feel that they've died and come back have spoken of moving toward a light. I'd like to think that if that light could be heard, it would sound like this.

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Yes, yes, I feel the same way.
Beautifully expressed.