Premiered on September 30, 1791 in Vienna, conducted by the composer, The Overture to The Magic Flute is one of the supreme orchestral works of the 18th century. Rich in sonority, concise in construction, profligate in melodic invention and masterful in harmonic surety, it balances the seemingly polar opposites of the opera '' profundity and comedy '' with surpassing ease and conviction. The slow introduction opens with the triple chords associated with the solemn ceremonies of the priests, the Overture''s only thematic borrowing from the opera. The Allegro is built on a tune of opera buffa jocularity treated, most remarkably, as a fugue. The complementary theme, is characterized by its sensuous ascending chromatic scales. The balance of the Overture follows the traditional sonata-allegro form, with the triple chords of the priests reiterated to mark the beginning of the development section.
- ISMN: 9790570524686 (M570524686)
