# Favourite stand-alone overtures (not a poll)



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I thought it may have been too obvious to ask for overtures or prologues that start off a longer work, so I'd be interested to hear about any of your stand-alone favourites. I appreciate that in some cases the demarcation lines between i.e. 'overture', 'fantasy' and 'symphonic/tone poem' can be fuzzy, but feel free to bend the rules a little if you need to.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Tough to beat Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture imo.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Well, not really a "stand-alone" but it does *not* start out a longer work normally -- LvB's Leonore #3. I think it's usually played before Act III. And for 99% of us, it's usually heard stand-alone.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

Why is this in the new-members introduction sub-forum??


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Burroughs said:


> Why is this in the new-members introduction sub-forum??


That was my lack of concentration, I'm afraid! If any of our kind mods are looking in could you move it to somewhere relevant?


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## Ondine (Aug 24, 2012)

Each one of Mozart's. I edited a CD with just the Overtures of his Operas from the first one down to the last one. I specially love that of La nozze di Figaro. Also, Rossini's are excellent ones, too.


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

1812 is a great one by PETER TCHAIKOVSKY & carnival overture by DVORAK are great.


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Egmont...........


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

From the top of my head: Romeo & Juliet overture by Tchaikovsky. It was my favorite piece this time one year ago.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Ondine said:


> Each one of Mozart's. I edited a CD with just the Overtures of his Operas from the first one down to the last one. I specially love that of La nozze di Figaro. Also, Rossini's are excellent ones, too.


They are not "stand alone" --"stand alone" is alone and not attached.

Like Elgar's "In the South" or Sullivan's "Il Ballo".


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

Here are some here i do not have just one favorite overture.DVORAK carnival ,GRIEG in autumn & ELGAR cockaigne.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

*Mendelssohn *The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave)
*Brahms* Academic Festival & Tragic overtures
*Walton* Portsmouth Point & Scapino
*Suppe* Light Cavalry Overture (it was "attached" but no longer - the operetta itself is lost!)
*Malcolm Arnold *A Grand, Grand Overture (with vacuum cleaner, floor polishers, etc)
*Arthur Benjamin *Overture to an Italian Comedy



elgars ghost said:


> ... I appreciate that in some cases the demarcation lines between i.e. 'overture', 'fantasy' and 'symphonic/tone poem' can be fuzzy, ....


& add to that the fact that before about 1800 symphonies where often referred to as overtures. The two terms appear to be interchangeable in the Classical Era and before. In the Baroque, even concertos where sometimes referred to as overtures or suites. Of course this is because the genres where evolving. So I won't include my favourite Haydn symphonies in this list!


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