11 Great Overtures

Overtures are most often short pieces that introduce a larger piece, such as an opera, ballet, or play. Overtures can also be stand-alone pieces, also known as concert overtures. I have selected 11 great overtures that I highly recommend for the classical music listener.

1. Mozart – Overture from The Marriage of Figaro

• The overture to Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro. 
  

2. Beethoven – Leonore Overture No. 3

• This is one of four versions of an overture originally intended for Beethoven's opera Fidelio.

3. Beethoven – Egmont

• Composed for a production of Goethe's play Egmont. 
  

4. Mendelssohn – Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream

• Composed as a stand-alone concert overture, inspired by Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream.

5. Mendelssohn – The Hebrides

• A concert overture inspired by Mendelssohn's visit to Scotland. 
  

6. Wagner – Overture to The Flying Dutchman

• The overture to Wagner's opera The Flying Dutchman . 
  

7. Wagner – Overture to Tannhäuser

• The overture to Wagner's opera Tannhäuser.

8. Tchaikovsky – Romeo and Juliet 

• A concert overture inspired by Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.

9. Rimsky-Korsakov – Russian Easter Festival Overture

• A concert overture inspired by sights and sounds of the Russian Orthodox Church's Easter service. 
  

10. Nielsen – Helios Overture

• A concert overture depicting the rising and setting of the sun over the Aegean Sea. 
  

11. Leonard Bernstein – Overture to Candide 

• An overture to Bernstein's operetta Candide.

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10 Great Ballet Scores

Ballet tells a story through dance, accompanied by music. Many composers have composed music for the dance stage, and I have selected 10 great ballet scores that I recommend to all classical music listeners. These ballet scores not only help to tell the story of each ballet, but also stand alone as great pieces of music, even without the ballet.

1. Tchaikovsky – Swan Lake

• Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake is one of the most performed ballets in the world.

2. Tchaikovsky – Sleeping Beauty

3. Tchaikovsky – The Nutcracker

• The Nutcracker is performed each year at Christmas time by many ballet companies throughout the world.

4. Stravinsky – The Firebird 

5. Stravinsky – Petrushka 

6. Stravinsky – The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du printemps )

• The shocking choreography and music of the ballet caused an uproar in the audience during the premiere of The Rite of Spring.

7. Ravel – Daphnis et Chloe

8. Prokofiev – Romeo and Juliet

9. Aaron Copland – Rodeo  

10. Aaron Copland – Appalachian Spring

Related Articles: 11 Great Overtures, The Best Symphonies