Neeme Järvi, the conductor on this album, is the longest-serving chief conductor of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra and is currently its Honorary Artistic Director for Life.
Historical Context
Auber's opera 'La Muette de Portici' is historically significant for sparking the Belgian Revolution in August 1830, leading to the country's independence in 1839.
Critical Reception
Some critics, like Percy Scholes, viewed the French pot-pourri opera overture as a 'cheap but not always ineffective type' that was little more than a string of tunes from the work.
Compositional Technique
Nineteenth-century French opera overtures, unlike earlier forms, generally avoided fugues, canons, and counterpoint.
Performer Biography
Neeme Järvi has an extensive discography of nearly 500 recordings and has championed less widely known composers, including those from his native Estonia like Rudolf Tobias and Arvo Pärt.
Compositional Technique
The opening of Auber's 'La Muette de Portici' notably uses dissonant diminished sevenths, a chord nicknamed 'the Clapham Junction chord' by composer Herbert Howells due to its indecisive character.
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