Favorite overtures

[KingPin 201]

Just out of curiosity, I'm interested to know everyone's favorite overtures. So if you would, please share your picks. It can be from any musical genre - opera, ballet, film score, musical theatre, or a stand-alone piece (e.g., 1812 Overture) - whatever you decide. The only rule is that they must include the word "overture" in the title so that there is no debate over whether or not the piece is an actual overture.

My personal favorites:

Mancini - Overture to a Pops Concert

Bernstein - Overture to Candide

Shostakovich - Festive Overture (Op. 96)

Williams - The Cowboys Overture, Fitzwilly Overture

Mozart - Overture to The Marriage of Figaro

Mendelsohn - Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream

Rossini - Overture to The Italian in Algiers, William Tell Overture

Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture

[nightscape94 965]

Hebrides

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Bernstein - Overture to Candide

Williams - The Cowboys Overture, Fitzwilly Overture

Mozart - Overture to The Marriage of Figaro

Mendelsohn - Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream

These are all great. For Mozart, add Don Giovanni, for Mendelssohn Die erste Walpurgisnacht and Paulus.

Some more:

Wagner: Der fliegende Holländer, Lohengrin, Das Rheingold, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Weber: Der Freischütz

And several of the Beethovens are quite cool as well.

[QMM 4]

10538 Overture-Electric Light Orchestra

But seriously

American Overture for Band - John Wilcox Jenkins

Barber of Seville-Overture - Rossini

Jane Eyre Overture-Williams

[TheTennisBallKid 17]

A Homeward Bound Overture is a lot of fun...

ttbk

[MusicHunta131 0]

Hebrides

Tragic Overture - Brahms

[JoeinAR 1,949]

Twilight Zone Overture.

[Romão 2,274]

Tanhauser and the Flying Duthcham (don't know how to write it in German)

[crocodile 8,020]

At the moment my favourite overture is Supergirl 9even f this is in fact end credits).

Twilight Zone Overture.

I haven't yet opportunity to hear this score. But many claim it's good, so I might check it soon.

Karol

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

Overture from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.

[ChrisAfonso 186]

Barber - Overture to the School for Scandal...

many of those you already mentioned...

and I'd loce to hear Elfman's new "Overeager Overture" a.k.a. "Overture to a nonexistent musical"

oh, and Tchaikovsky's concert overture "Romeo and Juliet", although technically it's more of a tone poem than an overture (and quite long)

[Mr. Breathmask 555]

The overture from the Nutcrackersuite is quite nice too.

[Beowulf 4]

American Overture for Band - John Wilcox Jenkins

Just gotta love the opening French Horn rip on that piece.

As for me, I really love Dvorak's Carnival Overture....just so full of energy.

[Unlucky Bastard 7,782]

"Stargate Overture".

[QMM 4]

American Overture for Band - John Wilcox Jenkins

Just gotta love the opening French Horn rip on that piece.

Also a great piece to just show off French Horns, great themes.

[MrScratch 294]

Rozsa - Ben-Hur

Jeff

[fommes 153]

Does Sunset Boulevard Prelude count?

[superman 0]

If someone here mentions Spartacus (Alex North) then all hope is lost. A bigger barrage of noise and structural mess is hard to come by. Come to think of it that's a pretty accurate general description of Alex North's music.

Current favorite of mine: http://www.immediatemusic.com/musicsource/...fm?FNAME=012_45

[robthehand 3]

If someone here mentions Spartacus (Alex North) then all hope is lost. A bigger barrage of noise and structural mess is hard to come by. Come to think of it that's a pretty accurate general description of Alex North's music.

Spartacus doesn't have an overture, does it? If North wrote one, it's not in the film, anyway. If you mean the main title, then I think it's brilliant.

[crocodile 8,020]

A bigger barrage of noise and structural mess is hard to come by. Come to think of it that's a pretty accurate general description of Alex North's music.

I think that X3 (and parts of Sky Captain) would perfectly fit that description.

Karol

[superman 0]

Robthehand, there's absolutely NOTHING brilliant about the OVERTURE (yes it has one) in Spartacus. You'd have to be completely tone deaf to enjoy something like that. It's completely devoid of all the basic necessities in enjoyable music (form, structure, melody, sensible harmonic progression, dynamics etc.), and as an overture it fails completely by definition. It's just a meaningless and relentless sonic tirade of junk. There's simply no argument against this. It's an incontrovertible fact, as is your case of tone deafness How anyone can sit through that overture is beyond me.

[crocodile 8,020]

So I am tone deaf? If that's the case I'm proud of it!

Karol

[Romão 2,274]

I love the main title of Spartacus, as I do the rest of the score.

[robthehand 3]

Robthehand, there's absolutely NOTHING brilliant about the OVERTURE (yes it has one) in Spartacus. You'd have to be completely tone deaf to enjoy something like that. It's completely devoid of all the basic necessities in enjoyable music (form, structure, melody, sensible harmonic progression, dynamics etc.), and as an overture it fails completely by definition. It's just a meaningless and relentless sonic tirade of junk. There's simply no argument against this. It's an incontrovertible fact, as is your case of tone deafness How anyone can sit through that overture is beyond me.

Yes, my opinion is clearly wrong. How stupid of me, thinking I could make up my own mind about this sort of thing. :roll:

And your idea that enjoyable music needs "melody, sensible harmonic progression, dynamics" is completely wrong. Are you saying that percussion-dominated cues (i.e. without melody) aren't proper music? What about atonal music? And as for dynamics... organ music doesn't have much in the way of that, are you saying that's not proper music?

I've seen the film a many times (5+ times on TV) and twice theatrically, and none of them have had an overture - it just goes straight into the opening credits. Is there an overture on the DVD? Or is this piece on the CD only?

[superman 0]

A bigger barrage of noise and structural mess is hard to come by. Come to think of it that's a pretty accurate general description of Alex North's music.

I think that X3 (and parts of Sky Captain) would perfectly fit that description.

Karol

I'm inclined to agree somewhat on the account of X3, but Sky Captain is far from it. There's intelligent thematic and motivic development with a musical aim and distinct direction, whereas Spartacus feels like someone set the orchestra on fire and everyone's running frantically around hoping to put it out somehow. By the time the overture (finally) ends you're so sick and tired of the random noise you're just gonna want to switch off the TV and go read a book.

[robthehand 3]

whereas Spartacus feels like someone set the orchestra on fire and everyone's running frantically around hoping to put it out somehow. By the time the overture (finally) ends you're so sick and tired of the random noise you're just gonna want to switch off the TV and go read a book.

Funny, I felt the exact opposite. It's attention-grabbing and interesting (to me), which is exactly what a main title or overture should be. (I presume you're talking about the main title, since no TV prints have an overture.) How is it that anyone who disagrees with you is wrong, all of a sudden? I suppose all Alex North fans are tone-deaf morons as well?

[superman 0]

There was an overture on the DVD. I'll never forget the torment... I simply couldn't believe my ears when I heard it. It's among the absolute worst pieces of orchestral music I've heard from that musical era. Oh well, some people will buy anything. (Btw, I didn't mean to offend anyone really.. just take my comments with a grain of salt (if you're not already doing so . Church organs of today are dynamic to a large extent. No, I do not regard percussion/rhythm alone as music, and no, atonality is not something I listen to with great pleasure (although these are all subjective opinions, they happen to reflect those of the majority).

[Shoes 0]

superman wrote:

there's absolutely NOTHING brilliant about the OVERTURE (yes it has one) in Spartacus. You'd have to be completely tone deaf to enjoy something like that. It's completely devoid of all the basic necessities in enjoyable music (form, structure, melody, sensible harmonic progression, dynamics etc.), and as an overture it fails completely by definition. It's just a meaningless and relentless sonic tirade of junk. There's simply no argument against this. It's an incontrovertible fact, as is your case of tone deafness

I don't even think I know what "tone" means... This is just one of those cases I mentioned where sometimes the musically-trained tend to look down their noses at those of us who aren't, even though we're all just trying to enjoy music for what it is: a pleasure.

Just don't see the point in ever telling someone that they're flat-out wrong when it comes to something as simple as musical taste.

By the way, my favorite overtures:

The Cowboys -- (luckily JW has played this 3 out of the 6 times I've seen him perform with the Chicago Symphony)

Does the Superman main titles count??

Or how about Thomas Newman's Oscar and Lucinda titles??

[superman 0]

Heh heh, well I certainly went overboard here Of course I have no business telling people what in my opinion is good and bad. I find it extremely curious that people truly are enjoying the Spartacus overture, though. Perhaps even fascinating.. I certainly would have fired him on the spot if that was my movie.

[robthehand 3]

I certainly would have fired him on the spot if that was my movie.

Sure, YOU might fire him, but this is Stanley Kubrick we're talking about. He wouldn't fire a great composer like Alex North.

[superman 0]

Bah! If there's anything Stanley Kubrick is known for it's his exceptionally poor taste in music, evident throughout his movie output.

[robthehand 3]

Bah! If there's anything Stanley Kubrick is known for it's his exceptionally poor taste in music, evident throughout his movie output.

(a) You clearly didn't get my point.

(B) I couldn't disagree more. Are you saying that - for example - "We'll Meet Again" doesn't work in Dr. Strangelove?

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Since it doesn't seem to be clear... are the Spartacus overture and main title two different cues? If not: I remember a fugue in the main title - so the "no form" argument dies right there.

Tanhauser and the Flying Duthcham (don't know how to write it in German)

You can't write it in English either, it seems. (Sorry)

[robthehand 3]

Since it doesn't seem to be clear... are the Spartacus overture and main title two different cues?

The overture (as I just found out) was composed and recorded, but not used in any prints of the film. The main title is the one that is, and the one that's on the official album.

The "overture" is on the Tsunami CD (which I don't have yet).

[Henry B 50]

Oklahoma! - Richard Rodgers

West Side Story - Leonard Bernstein

El Cid - Miklos Rozsa

[Trumpeteer 302]

"West Side Story"

"Dancer in the Dark"

[Hitch 57]

Mozart, W.A.: Overture from "The Marriage of Figaro"

Dvorak, A: "Carnival" Overture

Bernstein, L: "Candide" Overture

Jarre, M: "Lawrence of Arabia" Overture.

Horner, J: "Titanic" Overture.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Mancini - Overture to a Pops Concert  

This is great, I saw it performed in Boston...know of any recordings it can be found on?

Ray Barnsbury

[Hitch 57]

http://www.amazon.com/Premier-Pops-Henry-M...i/dp/B000008I2M

[Ollie 1,059]

Alex North was a great composer.

[Romão 2,274]

Since it doesn't seem to be clear... are the Spartacus overture and main title two different cues? If not: I remember a fugue in the main title - so the "no form" argument dies right there.

Tanhauser and the Flying Duthcham (don't know how to write it in German)

You can't write it in English either, it seems. (Sorry)

8O Nice one Marian

[pixie_twinkle 48]

Wagner: Overture to act 1 of Lohengrin

It's beautiful haunting music. The first few minutes of it was used in Chaplin's The Great Dictator, for the scene where he dances with the balloon (globe).

[ChrisAfonso 186]

I've just seen/heard this live 2 weeks ago, it was quite stunning. 8O

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Wagner: Overture to act 1 of Lohengrin

And of course, the orchestral interlude in Act 3, while not an overture, kicks ass.

American Journey

[pixie_twinkle 48]

The prelude to act 3 is I think the inspiration for the main title to Clash of the Titans. It's not the same, just... similar.

[Marian Schedenig 8,211]

Well, the prelude is the orchestral version of the wedding march, but I was talking about the orchestral piece somewhere in the middle of the act. I haven't heard Clash of the Titans.

[Richard Penna 3,696]

Ernest Gold; Exodus overture

J.W.; Cowboys overture

J.W; Jane Eyre overture (I actually prefer the structure of Theme from Jane Eyre but I'm listing it anyway because the theme's great)

Silvestri; Back to the Future overture

Mancina; Haunted Mansion overture

Zigman; The Notebook overture