Best Overtures

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 11:40pm

Wanted to download some new ones. Any suggestions?

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 11:51pm

HIGH SPIRITS (Not available digitally but amazing nonetheless)
LITTLE ME
HAZEL FLAGG
ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER
SUGAR
STEEL PIER
NO NO NANETTE
OH KAY (from he '96 Studio Cast)
THE BOYS FROM SYRACUSE
DEAR WORLD
WISH YOU WERE HERE

Those are perhaps some lesser-acclaimed ones if you're looking for something outside of the usual FUNNY GIRL / GYSPY suggestions.

[Fantod]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 11:51pm

Gypsy, The King and I, The Threepenny Opera, Show Boat, Carousel, My Fair Lady, and Porgy and Bess are all necessities.
Personally I also love Dear World, Chicago (though you need All That Jazz after it to properly appreciate it), and Little Mary Sunshine.
I can also recommend the entr'acte for Cabaret, which sounds like an overture, and though it's not for a show, the overture to Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall is exhilarating.

Updated On: 11/13/14 at 11:51 PM

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 11:55pm

Some of my favorites are: Gypsy, South Pacific, The King and I, and Follies.

[Fantod]

Posted: 11/13/14 at 11:59pm

Are you talking about the Prologue or the Overture for Follies? I personally prefer the Prologue because of how grand it feels.

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 12:00am

I referring to both, but especially the Prologue. They go hand in hand.

[Musical Master]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 12:06am

CANDIDE's overture is some of the best overtures ever written by Leonard Bernstein. The overtures to THE KING AND I, SOUTH PACIFIC, FOLLIES, CAROUSEL, SHOW BOAT, PORGY AND BESS etc are amazing as well.

Updated On: 11/14/14 at 12:06 AM

[RENT_is_Wicked2]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 12:06am

Young Frankenstein, The Producers, 42nd Street.

[JoseLee_]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 3:36am

Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Gypsy
Anything Goes
The Addams Family
Thoroughly Modern Millie
Chicago
Annie
Beautiful
Funny Girl
Peter Pan
The Wizard of Oz
Porgy and Bess
Cinderella
The Phantom of the Opera
The Producers
Show Boat
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Sweet Charity
South Pacific
The Light in the Piazza
My Fair Lady
Miss Saigon
Shrek
Sunset Boulevard
Mamma Mia
Titanic

[fyeahmaria]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 5:17am

Merrily We Roll Along, one of my all time favorites

[FrontRowCenter2]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 6:17am

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Superman

(one of my favorite scores as well!)

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 7:24am

Darling of the Day, Fanny, Man of La Mancha and Finian's Rainbow are some of my favorites.

Updated On: 11/14/14 at 07:24 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 8:15am

The Judy Garland Show overture, conducted by Mort Lindsay. Also, in this clip, a thrilling example of early 1960s television camerawork.

[CurtainsUpat8]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 8:17am

I would also add "Camelot" and especially "1776"

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 8:23am

It's also fun watching Leonard Bernstein himself conduct the overture to Candide--or, rather, dance to it!

[tazber]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 8:31am

Nine
Gypsy
Mack and Mabel
Sugar
Merrily We Roll Along
On the Twentieth Century
La Cage Aux Folles

[goldenboy]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 9:35am

MINNIE'S BOYS is fabulous and the perfect Broadway Overture.

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 9:53am

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG..
GYPSY...
THE ROAR OF THE GREASEPAINT THE SMELL OF THE CROWD...

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 9:59am

TENDERLOIN

[RSrichie]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 10:17am

The Rothschilds and The King & I ate my favs!

[dreaming]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 10:29am

South Pacific and The King and I

[OlBlueEyes]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 11:06am

Nothing very original comes to mind on short notice.

Although not strictly an overture, the Carousel Waltz, which took over permanent residence in my brain from when my mother played the OBC so frequently.

South Pacific. It begins with the instantly recognizable first three notes of Bali Ha'i, one of the most unique and haunting of Broadway songs.

Candide, which makes me wish desperately that Bernstein had made room for another one or two musicals.

Not strictly an overture, but Robert Russell Bennett's Porgy and Bess suite, always one of my favorite orchestral pieces.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 11:35am

With a few exceptions, all of the above.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 1:57pm

Oklahoma
Brigadoon
Carousel
The King & I
Candide
Wonderful Town
Goldilocks
Irma La Douce
Gypsy
First Impressions
Wildcat
Do Re Mi
110 in the Shade
The Canterbury Tales
Bye Bye Birdie
Sweet Charity
Subways are for Sleeping
It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman!
Man of La Mancha
Chicago
The Rothschilds
Annie
Nine
42nd Street
Merrily We Roll Along
Anything Goes (1985)
Me and My Girl
On the Twentieth Century
Mack and Mabel
City of Angels
Crazy For You
Urinetown
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Love Never Dies (hate the show, but that waltz is gorgeous)

[RaisedOnMusicals]

Posted: 11/14/14 at 2:15pm

Pal Joey, what a great video and thanks for posting it. And what a great piece of music. I knew the overture well, but had never seen this clip. I actually think that Lenny was holding back significantly knowing that he was being filmed. And by the way, spectacular direction. He knew exactly when to cut to various sections or musicians.