Beatrice et Benedict: Overture

Hector Berlioz' (1803-1869) op?ra comique in two acts, B?atrice et B?n?dict, was completed in 1862. The French libretto was completed by Berlioz, after a subplot from Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. The opera follows the two titular characters, both of whom dislikes the other, and their friends' schemes to convince each that the other loves them until they both agree to a sudden marriage, singing "today a truce is signed, we'll be enemies again tomorrow." The overture, which is performed more often than the opera, references several parts of the full opera score without becoming a pot-pourri of themes. Instrumentation: 1+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2+Crnt.3.0: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set).