Offenbach / Strauss II / Suppe: Famous Operetta Overtures

Featuring

Martin Sieghart
Czecho-Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra
Johann Strauss II (Jr.)
Franz von Suppé
Carl Binder

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Composer Biography

Franz von Suppe, born in Dalmatia, was christened Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo and studied music in Vienna with Ignaz von Seyfried, a pupil of Mozart.

Composition History

Offenbach's operetta, Orpheus in the Underworld, which made his name, was a parody of Gluck's famous opera and premiered in 1858.

Composition History

True Viennese operetta was created through the influence of Jacques Offenbach, with an early example being Franz von Suppe's Das Pensionat in 1860.

Composer Biography

Johann Strauss Jr., known as the 'Waltz King', turned to theatre relatively late in his career, partly influenced by his second wife and Franz von Suppe.

Historical Context

Operetta, a form of music-theatre, developed in the second half of the nineteenth century, originating in Paris.

Notable Performances

Johann Strauss Jr.'s operetta The Gypsy Baron was met with tumultuous applause at its 1885 Vienna premiere, with so many encores that the operetta was extended to three times its length.

Composer Biography

Jacques Offenbach, a German Jewish composer, began his career as a cellist, playing in a trio with his siblings and later with the orchestra of the Opera-Comique in Paris.