''The Gadfly Suite'', Op. 97a, is a
suite for
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
arranged by
Levon Atovmyan Levon may refer to:
Music
* "Levon" (song), a song by Elton John and Bernie Taupin
* Levon & the Hawks, an original alternative name for The Band
*Love for Levon, a concert held on October 3, 2012 in New Jersey as a tribute to the late drummer/sing ...
from
Dmitri Shostakovich's score for the 1955
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
film ''
The Gadfly
''The Gadfly'' is a novel by Irish-born British writer Ethel Voynich, published in 1897 (United States, June; Great Britain, September of the same year), set in 1840s Italy under the dominance of Austria, a time of tumultuous revolt and upris ...
'', based on the
novel of the same name by
Ethel Lilian Voynich
Ethel Lilian Voynich, ''née'' Boole (11 May 1864 – 27 July 1960) was an Irish-born British novelist and musician, and a supporter of several revolutionary causes. She was born in Cork (city), Cork, but grew up in Lancashire, England. Voynich ...
. Atovmyan's suite differs markedly from the original: the orchestration is more colorful and economic, certain sections have been transposed harmonically, and he inserted newly composed connecting passages.
Movements
The following are the movements of the Suite Op. 97a as arranged by Atovmian.
#Overture 03:05
#Contredanse 02:37
#Folk Feast (National Holiday) 02:44
#Interlude 02:38
#Barrel Organ Waltz 02:01
#Galop 02:03
#Introduction (Prelude) 06:18
#Romance 05:54
#Intermezzo 05:49
#Nocturne 04:13
#Scene 03:18
#Finale 03:13
The "Romance" section from the suite, with its solo violin melody, is known to Western TV audiences as the theme music for the
Euston Films
Euston Films is a British film and television production company. It was originally a subsidiary company of Thames Television, and operated from 1971 to 1994, producing various series for Thames, which were screened nationally on the ITV network. ...
mini-series ''
Reilly, Ace of Spies
''Reilly, Ace of Spies'' is a 1983 British television programme dramatizing the life of Sidney Reilly, a Russian-born adventurer who became one of the greatest spies ever to work for the United Kingdom and the British Empire. Among his exploits, ...
'', about Russian adventurer
Sidney Reilly
Sidney George Reilly (; – 5 November 1925)—known as "Ace of Spies"—was a Russian-born adventurer and secret agent employed by Scotland Yard's Special Branch and later by the Foreign Section of the British Secret Service Bureau, the pre ...
.
The finale part of the suite can be heard on the classic music radio of the 2012 video game ''
Sleeping Dogs''. It can also be heard in the 2011 video game ''
LittleBigPlanet 2
''LittleBigPlanet 2'' is a puzzle-platform game that features user-generated content. The game is developed by Media Molecule, published by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3. It was released in January 2011. The game was released in ...
'' during the final battle.
See also
*
*
References
{{Classical-composition-stub
Suites by Dmitri Shostakovich
Films scored by Dmitri Shostakovich