Jacques-Fromental Halévy

La Juive: Overture

La Juive: Overture was composed in 1834-1835 by Jacques-François-Fromental Halévy (1799-1862) as the orchestral introduction to his grand opera La Juive, a monumental work of the Paris Opéra tradition. The opera, set during the Council of Constance in 1414, tells the tragic story of the Jewish goldsmith Éléazar and his adopted daughter Rachel, whose forbidden love and hidden identities lead to betrayal, religious persecution, and catastrophic sacrifice. LA JUIVE premiered on February 23, 1835, at the Paris Opéra, achieving enormous success and becoming one of the defining examples of French grand opera. Today, the Overture is performed occasionally in concert as a powerful standalone work, valued both as a representative of 19th-century French operatic style and as a gateway to one of the era's most significant -- and recently reexamined -- operatic achievements. Instrumentation: 2+1(Picc).2.2.2: 4.4.3.1(Ophcld): Timp.Perc(3): Str (9.8.7.6.5 in set). Reprint edition.