Longest opera overtures

[Slrdsyj]

Which are the longest opera overtures ever composed?

[Stephen Jay-Taylor]

Bound to be something by Franz Schreker, either "Die Gezeichneten" or "Der
Ferne Klang", one of which clocks in at about 18 minutes ( and is actually
rather wonderful, but by that time who even remembers they're in an opera
house ? ) SJT

[donpaolo]

Haven't actually clocked it, but Semiramide seems to go on for quite a
time....

DonP.

Post by Slrdsyj
Which are the longest opera overtures ever composed?

[Terry Simmons]

Post by donpaolo
Haven't actually clocked it, but Semiramide seems to go on for quite a
time....

Not sure whether the original poster meant by the term "longest". Number of
bars? Number of minutes? Parsifal prelude usually runs to about 14 minutes or
so. Semiramide is certainly long, usually about 12 minutes. Some of those
Leonoras of Beethoven are very long -- 14 minutes or so, except if they're
conducted by Bernstein, in which case you can settle back for a good 15 minutes.
It's not surprising that Beethoven dropped them (Bernstein reintroduces No. 3 in
the second act of Fidelio in his recording on DGG.)

Don't forget the magnificent Mr. Handel. Some of his overture-suites run to 20
minutes or so -- probably longer, if extempore improvised movements are
included, as they certainly were in his time.

[Lyle K. Neff]

Post by Slrdsyj
Which are the longest opera overtures ever composed?

Not to avoid answering the question, but a corollary question would be:
what operas have an overture (or instrumental prelude/introduction) that
is/seems disproportately long compared to the rest of the work? One
candidate is Rimsky-Korsakov's "Noblewoman Vera Sheloga", which can be
performed as a work on its own instead of on the same bill with its
continuance, "Maid of Pskov," which has its own overture as well.

[Alan Watkins]

Post by Slrdsyj
Which are the longest opera overtures ever composed?

I do not know which is the longest but Rossini: William Tell goes on for a while.

As does the opera that follows the overture.

Kind regards,
Alan M. Watkins