Offenbach: Overtute to La belle Hélène

Description

Jacques Offenbach's (1819-1880) opéra bouffe in three acts, La belle Hélène (The Beautiful Helen) parodies the Greek myth of Helen and Paris' elopement, which set off the Trojan War according to Homer's Iliad. Premiered at the Théâtre des Variétés in Paris on December 17th, 1864, the opera proved popular then and has remained a part of the repertoire, receiving regular revivals.

The Overture to the opera was newly arranged by Eduard Haensch for the Austrian premiere in 1865, and it is this version that remains one of the favorites for orchestral programming.

Instrumentation: 1+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2.3.0: Timp.Perc(3): Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set).