Overture Zampa

Hector Berlioz once described Hérold’s opera Zampa as “bogus, vulgar and commonplace.” But not everyone in Paris shared his lofty ideals or his indignation that – just because its piratical central figure meets his fate at the hands of a stone statue – it was so unworthily compared to Mozart’s Don Giovanni. The audience at the Opéra-Comique, where Zampa was first performed in 1831, just loved it and couldn’t get enough of it. Although, after decades, it eventually fell out of favour in the opera house, the overture never lost its place in the orchestral repertoire. It has has been so effective, indeed, in preserving Hérold’s reputation as a composer of good tunes that the Opéra-Comique will be mounting a revival of Zampa, under the musical direction of William Christie, in March this year.

Yes, it’s true that, if you are looking for vulgarity, the tune with which the overture begins is about as dignified as an Offenbach can-can and that the dramatically ominous intervention of heavy brass and tremolando strings is bordering on the absurd. But then there is a sweetly melodious chorale for woodwind and not much later – after a crescendo and acceleration on the can-can tune, a spirited military cavalcade and another ominous brass intervention – the tempo slows down again for a poignantly expressive clarinet solo. Violins abruptly change the subject to a charming little dance tune which is itself displaced by a fanfare and a Rossini-style crescendo leading to a brilliant ending. It’s a bit of a rag bag perhaps but, given half a dozen entertaining tunes in not many more minutes, what more do you want – symphonic construction and elevated sentiment?