# Favourite opera overture



## confuoco (Feb 8, 2008)

I wonder why thread like this is missing here.

*So what is your favourite opera overture/prelude? *

Please _don't discuss about your favourite operas in this thread, but really about opera overtures_. It can be considered as a separate work and often is performed in this manner. Excellent overture can introduce poor opera and and excellent opera can starts with poor overture.

My favourites are:

Marriage of Figaro
Oberon
Ruslan and Ludmilla
Meistersinger
La forza del destino (there are two versions I think)
Carmen
Pelleas et Melisande
The Cunning Little Vixen


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Haha, these I'm more familiar with, if only slightly so...

Oberon
Russlan and Ludmilla
Der Freischutz

And after that I draw a blank... but still, better than my list of favorite operas which still numbers precisely one!


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

Tannhauser is my absolute favorite. Karajan is good with this, as is Tennstedt.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Anything by Rossini (Barber of Seville, Thieving Magpie, William Tell)
Beethoven's Fidelo/Leonora overtures
Mozart (The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni)


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## Rondo (Jul 11, 2007)

Der Freischütz
The Force of Destiny
Light Cavalry 
Fidelio
The Flying Dutchman

The above overtures are great, but I'm really a bigger fan of concert overtures.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Tannhauser
Der Fliegende Hollander
Der Rosenkavalier
Capriccio
Le Nozze di Figaro 
Die Zauberflote
Carmen
Fidelio
Candide
Ruslan and Ludmilla
La Forza del Destino
Die Fledermaus
...and about half a dozen of Rossini's overtures.


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

Oooh, Carmen is another good one. Love it, love it!


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## Yagan Kiely (Feb 6, 2008)

Tristan und Isolde


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## katdad (Jan 1, 2009)

Rigoletto because of its short, brutal, no-nonsense introduction to the terrible events to unfold.

Le Nozze di Figaro for its high spirit and great lyric range. It tells you that some fun is soon to appear.

Don Giovanni because it sets us up for some drama yet tempers that with a lighter less tragic tone. It also starts the opera right away without any wasted time.


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## Atabey (Oct 8, 2008)

Tapkaara said:


> Tannhauser is my absolute favorite. Karajan is good with this, as is Tennstedt.


It is my favourite too.I recommend Haitink and Klemperer for the recordings.As you said Tennstedt is also very good.


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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

Atabey said:


> It is my favourite too.I recommend Haitink and Klemperer for the recordings.As you said Tennstedt is also very good.


Hmm, I've not heard either of these. I'm sure the Klemperer is very good.


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## JoeGreen (Nov 17, 2008)

My favourites are:

Tannhauser ( Original and Paris Version with Ballet attached)
La Forza del Destino
Parsifal
Die Fledermaus
Prelude to Eugene Onegin ( not technically an overture)
Nabucco
Aida (Overture, not Prelude)


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## Rachovsky (Jan 5, 2008)

My few favorites would be:

Egmont (If that can count)
The Thieving Magpie
The Marriage of Figaro
Candide


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Yagan Kiely said:


> Tristan und Isolde


Great overture to an at least equally great opera.


Rachovsky said:


> The Thieving Magpie


Yeah! That's another good call- and one I didn't think of instantly! 
[Edit- I just saw that *Sid* entered this one earlier!]

The ones I _did_ think of instantly were: 
*Beethoven*: Leonore #3
*Wagner*: 
Tannhäuser Overture & Venusberg Music
Die Meistersinger
Prelude Act III/Lohengrin
and, of course, Dutchman, Tristan und Isolde, Parsifal, Rienzi, hel... pretty much all of them (even Das Liebesverbot!)

And in the "warhorses" category...
Hérold's _Zampa_
Thomas- _Mignon_
Suppé's _Boccaccio_


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## LvB (Nov 21, 2008)

Oooh, good question-- and hard to answer with a limited list. 

But here goes (not in any particular order)....

1) Beethoven: Lenore #3
2) Janacek: Jealousy
3) Rubinstein: Dmitri Donskoi
4) Reznicek: Donna Diana
5) Wagner: Tristan and Isolde
6) Wagner: The Flying Dutchman
7) Rossini: The Barber of Seville
8) Rossini: William Tell
9) Rossini: Cinderella
10) Kabalevsky: Colas Breugnon


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## theclassicalguy (Jan 21, 2009)

Wow, this is hard!

I'd have to say Thieving Magpie, Tannhauser, Don Giovanni, Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, Carmen, Rigoletto (I totally agree with Katdad), and Tancredi.

Can I include the prelude to Die Walkure?


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Mine would have to be all the *Beethoven Fidelio / Leonore* overtures as mentioned numerously above (Yay!) and also the fantastic *Handel* opera overtures which are more like concerti grossi - can't think of the names other than *Giulio Cesare *at the moment. Does *Alexander's Feast *count? Maybe that was an oratorio.

Also *Monteverdi's Orfeo*, but I don't remember if that had an overture or if a suite was made from it.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Anyone heard of Hungarian nineteenth century composer Ferenc Erkel? Two of his operas I know have pretty good overtures:

Bank Ban
Laszlo Hunyadi

He was influenced by Wagner and Verdi but has a style which is unique, as it incorportates Hungarian folk elements, including the csardas and the verbunkos.


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## Yagan Kiely (Feb 6, 2008)

My (unpurchased, unstolen, unkidnapped, unbribed) girlfriend is from the Philippines!


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## JoeGreen (Nov 17, 2008)

^
so what does that have to do with the thread?

oh, in addition to the pieces I mentioned in the above post, _Prelude to Das Rhinegold_


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## Yagan Kiely (Feb 6, 2008)

The spam post has been deleted.... making my post look silly...

It was something to do with girls in the Philippines.


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## maestrowick (Feb 23, 2009)

Meistersinger I would have to say is my favorite.


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## JoeGreen (Nov 17, 2008)

Yagan Kiely said:


> The spam post has been deleted.... making my post look silly...
> 
> It was something to do with girls in the Philippines.


Oh, okay I see, yeah because your post seemed to just come out of nowhere


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## confuoco (Feb 8, 2008)

I'm just curious...does anybody know better interpretation of *Meistersinger* ouverture than one by *Solti* with WP? I guess this one is unbeatable.


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## JoeGreen (Nov 17, 2008)

the rendition of Die Meistersinger's Overture by Mariss Jansons and the Oslo Philharmonic on this CD is quite good.


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## Rossini (Feb 2, 2009)

overture means Rossini to me:
Guillaume Tell, La Cenerentola, Il Barbiere ... everyone of them!


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## Freidank (Apr 29, 2009)

If I had to pick but one, it would have to be the Vorspiel to _Tristan und Isolde_. Other worthy candidates would be - surprise, surprise, it's more _Wagner_! - _Tannhäuser_, _Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Parsifal _and - not sure about the legitimacy of this one - _Das Rheingold's _drone prelude.

Non-Wagner: _Pelléas et Mélisande_, _Don Giovanni..._ I guess I'm actually more of a _musikdrama_ afficionado, than an opera fanatic, so to speak.


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## Rasa (Apr 23, 2009)

La muette de portici, by Auber

It kind of bores musically, but the whole history of the Belgian revolution gives it that spark


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## Bach (Jun 2, 2008)

Freidank said:


> _Wagner!_


A good title for a broadway production of The Ring..


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## Herzeleide (Feb 25, 2008)

Prelude to Tristan, no doubt about it.


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## JSK (Dec 31, 2008)

Well, I don't know too many opera overtures, but here goes:

In no particular order:

Glinka: Ruslan and Lyudmila
Mozart: Magic Flute
Beethoven: Leonore No. 3
Borodin/Glazunov: Prince Igor
Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel
Rimsky-Korsakov: Sadko (if that counts)
Elfrida Andree: Fritiof
Kodaly: Hary Janos (adapted into the "Theater Overture")
I'm probably forgetting something...

And then there are all of those concert overtures not attached to any operas....


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## bdelykleon (May 21, 2009)

Some of my favorite:
Rossini: La Gazza Ladra (The thieving Magpie for english-speakers)
Gluck: Iphigénie en Aulide (the other Iphigénie is much better as opera, but this overture is fantastic)
Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Prelude to the Die Walküre and Das Rheingold.
Glinka: Ruslan and Lyudmila
Mozart: Idomeneo and Don Giovanni
Beethoven: Leonore III (if it counts)
Bellini: Norma


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## Herkku (Apr 18, 2010)

The overture of Verdi's La Traviata is very beautiful, although so sad. I tried to read the previous messages through, but I don't think anybody has mentioned it yet.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Herkku said:


> The overture of Verdi's La Traviata is very beautiful, although so sad. I tried to read the previous messages through, but I don't think anybody has mentioned it yet.


But it's not an overture, it's prelude.


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## Edward Elgar (Mar 22, 2006)

Mozart: Magic Flute
Mozart: Don Giovanni
Shostakovich: Cheryomushki
Wagner: Prelude to Tristan und Isolde (not an overture but it needs recognition).


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## Herkku (Apr 18, 2010)

Aramis said:


> But it's not an overture, it's prelude.


Yeah, my mistake to call it an overture. At least the original question was overture/prelude.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

*La forza del destino* - haunting with prediction of tragedy in store
*Un giorno di regno* - reminds me of "The Sun Has Got Its Hat On" 
*Rigoletto* - same reason as katdad (short & brutal)
*Carmen* - can't articulate why - it's so familiar I feel as though I was born loving this music
*Don Pasquale* - invitingly includes a few bars from some of the main arias


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## thatperson (Mar 1, 2010)

I really love overtures to La forza del destino, Die Fledermaus, Rienzi, Der fliegende Hollander, and the magic flute.
I don't know if one could count Britten's four sea interludes for Peter Grimes as a collection of "overtures," but if it is, then that would be first on my top list


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## classidaho (May 5, 2009)

+1 for 'La Triviata' (beautiful), +1 for 'anything Rossini', lively


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## Il Seraglio (Sep 14, 2009)

If this includes preludes...

Tristan und Isolde Act I
Das Rheingold
Parsifal Act I
Don Giovanni
The Magic Flute
Les Troyens


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## Brahmsipoo (May 24, 2010)

Tapkaara said:


> Tannhauser is my absolute favorite. Karajan is good with this, as is Tennstedt.


Ah, yes! An absolutely amazing overture. Hopefully you've heard Solti's take on it with the Chicago Symphony. I see it as the best out there. If you haven't:






I think there are a lot of good overtures out there, as long as their are not by Rossini. Taking it a step further, I enjoy only those operas by Rossini that do not have overtures, _Mosé in Eggito_ being a good example.


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## starry (Jun 2, 2009)

What I just don't get when I listen to that, or even more the overture to Die Meistersinger, is how people then blithely say this is specifically 'teutonic' music, specifically continental, a world away from England/Britain. Then when people look at Elgar and they say he is specifically stiff upper lip English/British with patriotic noble overtones of empire, totally separate to the continent. People are so enthusiastic building up the walls that they can't even see the similarities.


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

Nozze. I love that it's all original and not reused from the opera at all. The entire overture is just one big smile in musical form, can't help but be in a good mood as soon as I hear the opening notes


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## BalloinMaschera (Apr 4, 2011)

for me, i guess it's pretty much any wagner overture/prelude

for an overture of the upbeat kind- Nicolai's Lustige Weiber von Windsor

and ofcourse the Overture to Mozart's Nozze di Figaro is in many ways unbeatable.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Most Wagner and Rossini overtures are amazing. Mozart's Nozze is of course spectacular. I love the overture to La Traviata, and since others here have quoted intermezzi, I love the intermezzo for Cavalleria Rusticana, as well as Thaïs' Meditation.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

I love all of Mozart's overtures, and of course, Beethoven's "_Fidelio_" and "_Leonore_" III overtures. It's hard to resist the overtures to "_Carmen_" and "_Il Barbiere di Siviglia_" (even if the latter always makes me think of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd). I would also have to agree that the one to "_La Traviata_" is very touching and beautiful.


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## befstrat (Apr 21, 2011)

My favorites:
Barber of Seville
La forza del destino
Nozze di Figaro


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## dandylion (Dec 9, 2010)

Mine have all been mentioned but I want to give them a thumbs up.
As said before, any of the Wagner overtures/preludes in particular Parsifal and Das (Der Die, can never remember) Rheingold. Don Giovanni and Egmont


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## Il_Penseroso (Nov 20, 2010)

Rossini: Il signor Bruschino 

Rossini: La scala di seta

Rossini: L'italiana in Algeri 

Rossini: Il barbiere di Siviglia 

Rossini: La gazza ladra

Verdi: Nabucco

Verdi: I Vepresi Siciliani

Verdi: Un ballo in maschera

Nocolai: Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor 

Wagner: Rienzi

Wagner: Tannhäuser

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde

Johann Strauss: Die Fledermaus

Suppé: Die Leichte Kavallerie

Smetana: Prodaná Nevesta (The bartered bride)

Lalo: Le roi d'Ys

Borodin : Prince Igor (composed by Glazunov)

Moussorgsky : Khovanshchina (Rimsky Korsakov Version) 


from the modern repertory :

Kabalevsky: Colas Breugnon


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Perhaps Die Meistersingers... it sort of shows the beauty that is inherent in the structure itself. And I'm normally not a fan of that sort of thing, but Wagner pulls it off amazingly here.


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## CaptainAzure (May 2, 2011)

Die Fledermaus
Le nozze di Figaro


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## Siedler (Aug 3, 2011)

Aida
Carmen
La Traviata
Le Nozze di Figaro
Lohengrin (one of the most beautiful ones, in my opinion)
Tristan und Isolde


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)

Khovanshchina
Semyon Kotko
Das Rheingold
Cavalleria Rusticana


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

_Parsifal_... vision blurs... almost have an out-of-body experience...


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## waldvogel (Jul 10, 2011)

A few that haven't been mentioned, or at least mentioned often:

Rossini: Semiramide
Weber: Oberon
Weber: Euryanthe
Weber: Der Freischutz
Nicolai: The Merry Wives of Windsor
Glinka: Ruslan and Ludmilla
Mozart: Idomeneo 
Mozart: Der Schauspieldirektor


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## Ludders (Jun 17, 2011)

The Tristan Prelude. (and Liebestod)

Pure gold. I first heard it about 3yrs ago, and i still haven't gotten over it. It's lost none of it's power and allure.

Silver medalist would be Lohengrin. And Parsifal takes the bronze.

Runner up:- Das Rheingold.


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## amfortas (Jun 15, 2011)

Ludders said:


> The Tristan Prelude. (and Liebestod)
> 
> Pure gold. I first heard it about 3yrs ago, and i still haven't gotten over it. It's lost none of it's power and allure.
> 
> ...


But how do you *really* feel about Wagner?


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## SonjiaWeber (Aug 7, 2011)

Don Giovanni
Le nozzi de figaro
Lenore III
Carmen

My 4 Fabs


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

I'm with my boy Sid James all the way...anything Rossini is good by me! Also many of Mozart's: Die Zauberflote, Don Gio, The Overture at the beggining of Lawrence of Arabia (jk) and, well...Marriage of Figaro Overture just has to be there...


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## rsmithor (Jun 30, 2011)

Bellini's Norma
It stops me in my tracks every time i hear it... heady stuff


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

1. Russlan and Ludmila - Glinka
2. Tsar's bride - Rimsky-Korsakov
3. Tcherevichky - Tchaikovsky
4. Voyevoda - Tchaikovsky
5. Lohengrin - Wagner
6. Tannhauser - Wagner
7. Colas Breugnon - Kabalevsky
8. Tristan und Isolde - Wagner...
9. Rossini all of them
10. Le nozze di Figaro - Mozart

and many more...


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Sometimes any overture annoys me - I want to shout "just get on with it". That's why I love Falstaff's overture.


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

This is not an overture...it is not long enough...The very beginnin of Katerina Ismailova or Izmailova. Awesome.

Martin


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

Beethoven's _Leonare/Fidelio_ is interesting. He wrote four versions, which makes interesting symphonic listening.


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## Yashin (Jul 22, 2011)

Mine would be:

Rossini - Il Barbiere and La Cenerentola

Wagner - Parsifal and Tristan

Mozart - Le Nozze, Don Giovanni and Die Zauberflote

Donizetti - Don Pasquale

Bellini - Norma

Verdi - La Forza and Nabucco

Handel - Giulio Cesare


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## myaskovsky2002 (Oct 3, 2010)

Janaček overtures are great. E.g. Věc Makropulos.

Martin


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