[Ottmar Gerster] Festive Overture 1948 (Score-Video)
Performers:
Horst Stein / Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Festive Overture 1948 for large orchestra by Ottmar Gerster was composed in 1948 as a work commissioned by the cultural department of the Thuringia regional executive of the SED to commemorate the centenary of the revolution of 1848 and at the same time as a song of praise for the development of socialism in the Soviet occupation zone, which was to lead to the founding of the GDR the following year. Musically, Gerster traces the emergence of socialism by using various musical quotations from battle songs. He begins his festive overture with the Internationale. According to Marx's materialist dialectic, however, no socialist state can emerge without going through the previous forms of society. Gerster quotes the Marseillaise as a symbol of the transition from feudal to capitalist society. Other songs quoted include “Смело, товарищи, в ногу” and the Russian funeral march “You Fell Victim to a Fateful Struggle”.
The Festive Overture was premiered at the Berlin State Opera as part of the SED's 1st Cultural Conference from May 5 to 7, 1948. The performance lasts around seven to ten minutes.
(Source from https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festouvert%C... Translated with DeepL)
——————
I do not own neither the score, nor the recordings used in this video. This is only for educational purposes. If you have any complaints regarding copyright issues, please write to me directly at asorabji20(at)gmail(dot)com before submitting a report to YouTube and I will remove the video as soon as possible.