Favorite Overture

[listener]

HÉROLD:  Zampa

[Brian]

Top 13. Alphabetical.

Berlioz - Benvenuto Cellini
Berlioz - Les francs-juges
Berlioz - Le corsaire
Borodin/Glazunov - Prince Igor
Elgar - Cockaigne
Mozart - Die Schauspieldirektor
Reznicek - Donna Diana
Rimsky-Korsakov - Russian Easter
Smetana - The Bartered Bride
Strauss Jr. - Die Fledermaus
Suppe - Pique Dame
Suppe - Morning, Noon, and Night in Vienna
Wagner - Die Meistersinger

[EigenUser]

Strauss Jr. - Die Fledermaus

Good! J. Strauss Jr. seems to be hated here, from what I can gather. I'm not terribly well acquainted with his output, but I actually like it. Sure, it isn't deep music, but it is fun.

I played the DF overture at my university (as an "ad" for the chamber ensemble's later show of the whole opera). Our conductor told us to make the slow, sad sounding part in the middle of the overture exaggerated "drama queen" crying -- like, not real sadness, but superficial sadness. That always made me laugh.