The concert overture, "Ruler of the Spirits" ("Beherrscher der Geister), is also known as the "Rübezahl" Overture. In 1804 Weber revised the overture he had intended for his unfinished opera Rübezahl (1804-5) as a work to be performed independent of the stage work. The overture stands out for its immediate communication of drama already present in the driving rhythm at the opening of the work. In addition, passages for solo instruments provide a constant shift of color and texture, which evokes the supernatural images found in the opera. Weber increases the drama of the overture by using contrapuntal passages that create waves of sound intensify the mood. The brief lyrical passages that occur in the overture provide enough contrast to underscore the more dramatic gestures that Weber used to open and conclude the work. In its revised version the overture is known properly by the title "Beherrscher der Geister," rather than through its original association with the opera Rübezahl.



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