Zampa: Overture

The three-act opéra comique Zampa, ou La fiancée de marbre (Zampa, or the Marble Bride) was written in 1831, and is one of Ferdinand Hérold’s (1791-1833) most popular works during the 19th century. It premiered on May 3, 1831, at the Opéra-Comique, and over 500 performances were to follow between then and 1877, though its popularity faded going into the 20th century. The plot is another take on the Don Juan story, with Zampa as the treacherous lover turned pirate, while the statue is now a woman named Alice who died of a broken heart after Zampa seduced and deserted her. Zampa forcibly marries the young beauty Camille in exchange for her father’s life only to be dragged to Hell by Alice’s statue on their wedding night. The overture to this opera is among the best known of Hérold’s works and has remained a staple of the Orchestra repertoire. Instrumentation: 1+Picc.2.2.2: 4.2.3.1: Timp.Perc(2-3): Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set).