Joseph Martin Kraus - Soliman II - Ouverture

Joseph Martin Kraus Soliman II, eller De tre Sultaninnorna, a Gustavian turkish opera in three acts, first performance 15 May, 1788, Stockholm. Libretto: Johan Gabriel Oxenstierna after Charles Simon Favart. Ouverture Orchestra: Orchestra of The Royal Opera of Sweden Conductor: Philip Brunelle The ouverture, in D major, is cast in a sonata-ritornello form. The main theme in the opening bars counterbalances the raucous Turkish secondary theme while simultaneously serving as the core material for the developmental episodes. It is transposed, augmented, ornamented, and fragmented in a mercurial fashion reminiscent of Roxelane's ever-changing personality. The secondary theme, based upon a short motive with full percussion, represents Soliman in its stable pomp and circumstance. At first the two themes clash against each other, but in the coda they are combined, the meetings of the two contrary personalities, east and west. At the end, the abrupt cadential chords allow the soft shimmer of the Turkish crescent to die away on its own, an aftertaste of the conflict and an introduction into the world of the harem. It is advanced compositional writing in which presentiments of Rossini can be heard.