Luigi Cherubini: Overture to Anacreon (1803)

Описание: Description by Rita Laurance [-]

As Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power in France, work for composer Luigi Cherubini seemed to dry up. Napoleon found Cherubini's music "too noisy," and thought that it contained too many notes. The composer he most loved was Paisiello. Napoleon took a personal dislike to Cherubini, who responded by becoming a concert promoter, starting a publishing business, and tending to his plants. Although Cherubini composed little in the years 1801-1802, he did bring out a two-act opera in 1803. Anacreon premiered at the Grand Opera of Paris on October 4 of that year. The libretto was by Mendouza and St. Aignan. Partly because of those composers bitter against musicians associated with the Conservatoire, and because of prejudice against "German" composers, or those composers who were thought to compose in too "learned" a style, the opera was an abysmal failure. It was hissed at and booed, and the libretto pronounced abysmal. There was outright laughter at some of the scenes. The overture is full of Cherubini's melodic genius, however, and contains much brilliant and dramatic orchestral writing. It is one of the many overtures by Cherubini to have stood the test of time, and was much admired in its day as an instrumental masterpiece. The choruses are excessively fine; these include a Bacchanalian chorus and the chorus "Pere d'Orphee." The airs and vocal ensembles also exhibit exquisite beauty and grace. And to connoisseurs of opera, the storm scene at the end of the first act was considered to be one of the finest in the history of opera.

Source: Allmusic.

West German Radio Symphony Orchestra & Günter Wand, 2005.