Overture in Bb

Samuel Arnold (1740-1802) was the most popular composer for the London stage of the late 18th-century. Among his greatest successes were The Castle of Andalusia (1782), an early gothic fantasy, and Inkle and Yarico (1787), the first anti-slavery opera. Arnold’s six overtures were undoubtedly written for Marylebone Gardens and were performed at Vauxhall as well. His brand of symphonic writing - a spirited homophonic idiom with fast tempos, pleasing tunefulness, striking tutti style and colourful contrasts - had resonances with gardens’ audiences; the style is recognisably English even if the idioms are derived from Mannheim or the symphonies of J. C. Bach.