Light Cavalry (Leichte Kavallerie): Overture: Full Orchestra, Ensemble Works

The two-act operetta Leichte Kavallerie (Light Cavalry) was written by Franz von Suppè (1819-1895) in 1866 and is set in a 19th-century Austrian village where love intrigues and other relationships intersect with the arrival of a regiment of hussars (a class of light cavalry). While the operetta itself is obscure and very rarely staged, the Overture has taken on a life of its own, practically divorced from the original dramatic work, becoming arguably the best-known composition by von Suppè and a standard work in the orchestral repertoire, quoted in numerous other medias, including cartoons. This arrangement for a small "theater" orchestra was completed by Charles J. Roberts in 1912. Instrumentation: 1.1.2.1: 2.2.1.0: Perc(2): Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set).