STRADELLA, written when Flotow was only twenty.five (in 1837) was first brought out as a Lyric Drama. Then the Composer adapted it as a Grand Opera, and it was produced first at Hamburg and then at Drury Lane.
The Overture shows Flotow's best quality— the capacity to write flowing melody. Thera is a gently moving Introduction, and then the main body of the Overture begins with a declamatory phrase, goingon to a jovial, dancing theme. From this material the Overture is brightly built'up, and a sonorous Coda brings it to a conclusion.