Franz von Suppé (1819-1895) was an Austrian composer and conductor, best known for operetta and light orchestral music. Born in Dalmatia, he became active in Vienna’s theatre world.

His stage works include Poet and Peasant, Light Cavalry, Boccaccio and many other operettas and theatre pieces. Their overtures became favourites in concert and recording programmes.

Suppé’s music is tuneful, theatrical and rhythmically brisk, with a strong feeling for comic timing and orchestral sparkle. It belongs to the same entertainment world as the Strauss family, but with its own stage-driven flair.

Though the operettas themselves are rarely staged today, the overtures have kept his name alive. Suppé knew how to send a curtain up before the curtain had even moved.