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OVERTURE TO EURYANTHE, Opus 81
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THIS IS CARL VON WEBER'S 2ND OPERA, COMPOSED IN 1823 WHILE IN REHEARSALS FOR THE PREMIERE PERFORMANCE. THE OPERA WAS INITIALLY A SUCCESS, BUT WAS CLOSED AFTER ONLY 20 PERFORMANCES. HOWEVER THE OVERTURE HAS FOUND SUCCESS AS A POPULAR WORK FOR CONCERTS
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Contemporary band compositions, classical music arrangements, marches, jazz, symphonies, overtures. A collection from bands that I have played in throughout hi
Hello and welcome! "Symphonic Band Performances" is a compilation of recordings from several high school and college bands that I played in including the TMEA (Texas) All State Band, the TMEA Region X All Region Band, the Interlochen Arts Academy National Music Camp, the Cal Poly Tech Band, San Luis Obispo, the USAF Golden West Band, and recordings from my h.s. band, Beaumont H.S. and a few band recordings that were passed down to me. Also included are various All State groups and college and university bands. I participated and played in the large majority of these recordings. There are no professional recordings here and every recording is Public Domain. Most are available for free download. Each song has been converted from the original analog or digital source and edited with Audacity or Dak software. In the majority of these recordings, I play the tenor sax or alto sax, b flat or e flat clarinet, or directing. I was drum major for 2 years in high school, I have a BA from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, where I studied music ed, composition and theory. I had about 500 more recordings I was planning to digitize and upload, but this past Nov. 20th, my home was completely destroyed by fire, and all the contents, including all my music and instruments. So, this is it. Please feel free to post a comment here or on my member page. If you like, please become a fan by clicking "I'm a fan" below.
Song Info
Genre
Classical • Opera
Peak in subgenre #9
Author
Carl Maria von Weber - 1823
Rights
public domain
Uploaded
November 14, 2009
Track Files
MP3
MP3 11.4 MB • 192 kbps • 8:18
Story behind the song
This was performed by the outstanding University of Michigan Symphonic Band on 1-14-65, conducted by the famed director, Dr. William D. Revelli. Dr. Revelli directed the band from 1935-1971. Carl Von Weber (1786 - 1826) Like so many great pieces of the orchestral canon, Carl Maria von Webers second opera, Eurythane, was not completed in a very timely fashion. Originally contracted to be finished by the fall of 1822, Weber was not able to finish the bulk of the work until the May of 1823. The overture was composed even later; Weber wrote the overture while already in rehearsals for the premiere performance in Vienna! A gifted conductor, critic, composer, writer, and pianist, Weber was seemingly comfortable with what contemporary audiences might term multi-tasking. The opera was initially a success, but Weber was something of a victim of his own stardom - Eurythane was a markedly different opera than his previous operatic effort, the famous and very popular Der Freischtz. The production was shut down after only twenty performances ( a short run by late 19th century Viennese standards), and never quite became a mainstay of the repertoire. The overture, however, has found much success as a popular work for orchestral concerts. The story of the opera centers one the nobleman Alodar and his bethrothed Eurythane, who are the targets of a nefarious plot by the jealous duo Eglantine and Lysiart. Through various machinations of deceit, Eglantine and Lysiart implicate Eurythane in the death of Alodars sister, Emma. The King is moved by Eurythanes plea of her innocence, and the plot is uncovered. Near the end, Lysiart stabs Eglantine to death, and he is arrested, allowing Eurythane and Alodar to be reunited and Emmas soul to rest peacefully. A recurring theme in the opera is the so-called ghost music, which functions as a kind of pre-Wagnerian leitmotiv. It occurs several times in the opera and most notably functions to haunt the treacherous Eglantine. It appears in the middle section of the overture, and also at the end of the opera. The overture begins with a bombast of climbing strings, cultivating an air a particular kind of 19th century German heroism. The music drives until the timpanis thunderous solo serves as a transition to the second theme of the opening section. Lyrical, beautiful, and song-like, this second theme is actually the melody for Alodars loving tribute to Eurythane in his first scene aria. This music eventually gives way to the middle section of the overture, where we are introduced to the ghost music. The slow, shimmering ghost music is first heard in the strings. Weber actually indicates a much smaller string group here to create an thin, ethereal sound world. That is, instead of all the strings in the section playing, only a few play, creating a sense of distance and other-worldliness. This is prime example of Webers ingenuity in writing for the orchestra, which had a profound effect on the likes of Wagner, Schumann, and Liszt. One can almost see, even feel Emmas ghost haunting the villains bent on destroying her brothers life. The ghost music transitions back to a repeat of the first section, where we once again hear the opening music and Alodars aria. In typical overture fashion, Weber pulls out all of the dramatic stops and gives us a rousing ending worthy of raising the curtain in any opera house, in any century. --Anthony Suter Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (18 - 19 November 1786 - June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, guitarist and critic, one of the first significant composers of the Romantic school. Weber's works, especially his operas Der Freischtz, Euryanthe and Oberon greatly influenced the development of the Romantic opera in Germany. He was also an innovative composer of instrumental music. His compositions for the clarinet, which include two concertos, a concertino, a quintet and a duo concertante, are regularly performed. Weber's contributio
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