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- Dmitri Kabalevsky
Colas Breugnon, Overture (for orchestra), Op. 24a (1937)
- Le Chant Du Monde (World excluding USA, Canada, Austria, United Kingdom, Russia+CIS, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Israel, Iceland, Scandinavia, Netherlands, Poland and Turkey)
G Schirmer Inc (USA, Canada and Mexico only)
Le Chant du Monde is the publisher of the work in the world excl. USA, Canada, Austria, Great Britain, Russia+CIS, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Israel, Iceland, Scandinavia, Netherlands, Poland & Turkey. G Schirmer is the publisher of the work in the USA, Canada and Mexico only
- 3.3.3.3/4.3.3.1/timp.perc.xyl/hp/str
- 5 min
- 25th April 2027, Legacy Hall RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, Columbus, GA, United States of America
Programme Note
The Colas Breugnon Overture is drawn from Dmitry Kabalevsky’s opera Colas Breugnon, based on the 1919 novel by Romain Rolland. The opera tells the story of a sixteenth-century Burgundian peasant reflecting on a life marked by mischief, resilience, and enjoyment. Although Kabalevsky continued revising the opera for decades, eventually presenting a new version in 1970, the overture remained unchanged from its original 1938 form.
Despite the relative rarity of the opera outside Russia, the overture has enjoyed an independent life in the concert hall. It serves as a musical portrait of the title character, capturing his irrepressible spirit through lively rhythms, strong accents, and an atmosphere of good humor.
The work opens with a brilliant flourish before launching into an energetic principal theme. A more deliberate secondary idea provides contrast, followed by a somewhat more serious central section. Near the conclusion, a brief country-dance episode appears before the overture drives toward its bright and exuberant coda.
