Benvenuto Cellini Overture
This overture opens Berlioz's two-act opera about the life of the 16th-century Florentine sculptor and goldsmith. Set in Rome, the opera explores certain episodes of Cellini's life, as recorded in his own memoirs. The first performance took place in Paris in 1838 but was a shambolic failure. Despite being revised during Berlioz's lifetime, it was not until nineteen years after his death that the opera was finally performed to acclaim at Dresden. Sadly, performances of the complete opera are now rare, but the buoyant overture has survived as a popular concert item.
This new arrangement was made at the request of Dr Robert Childs and the Buy As You View Cory Band, and can be heard on their CD Brass Band Classics - Vol. II (DOYCD155).