program notes by composition > C > Colas Breugnon Overture
Colas Breugnon Overture
Dmitri Kabalevsky/trans. Walter Beeler
Colas Breugnon Overture, a brisk, brilliant and high-spirited piece written as the curtain raiser for the opera based on Romain Rolland’s lusty novel of life in French Burgundy during the sixteenth century. The hero of the story has something in him of both Robin Hood and François Villon (a French lyric poet who was banished from Paris in 1463). The music admirably fits the character.
Dimitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987) was a Russian Soviet composer. He wrote for all genres and his pieces were faithful to the ideals of Soviet realism. In Russia he is known for his vocal songs, cantatas and operas, and for his efforts to connect children to music. Overseas he is known for his orchestral music.
Last updated on July 17, 2013 by Palatine Concert Band