THE WIRELESS MILITARY BAND, conducted by B. WALTON O'DONNELL
GREGORY STROUD (Baritone)
THE name of Francesco Ezechiele Ermengildo Cavaliere Suppe Demelli gives uncertain clues to this composer's nationality. He was of Belgian descent, but his family had lived for many years in Italy. Ultimately, he settled in Vienna and was thenceforth known as Franz von Suppe.
Operettas and farces with music were his speciality. He turned out in all about a couple of hundred such pieces. Nowadays, we in this country know very few of his works, but these Overtures are among the most familiar items in wireless programmes. That to Poet and Peasant has been arranged (and deranged) for nearly sixty different combinations of instruments.