January 31, 2008

Something must be said of a little known score, _Struensee_, which was written for a drama which

Something must be said of a little known score, _Struensee_, which was written for a drama which was so weak that it prevented the Mp3 Music gaining the success it deserved. The composer showed himself in this more artistic than in anything else he did. It should have been heard at the Odeon with another piece written by Jules Barbier on the same subject. The overture used to appear in the concerts as did the polonnaise, but like the overture to _Guillaume Tell_, they have disappeared. These overtures are not negligible. The overture to _Guillaume Tell_ is notable for the unusual invention of the five violoncellos and its storm with its original beginning, to say nothing of its pretty pastoral. The fine depth of tone in the exordium of _Struensee_ and the fugue development in the main theme are also not to be despised. But all that, we are told, is lacking in elevation and depth. Possibly; but it is not always necessary to descend to Hell and go up to Heaven. There is certainly more Mp3 Music in these overtures than in Grieg"s _Peer Gynt_ which has been dinned into our ears so much.

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