# Favorite Tone Poem for Orchestra



## Truckload

Lots of threads about symphonies. What about the tone poem? I should have titled the thread "Favorite Tone Poems (plural) for Orchestra" because who could like only one?

In particular, Tone Poems that may not get the attention they deserve.

Please share your favorites. Here are two of my favorites.

Dvorak, the Water Goblin






Rimsky-Korsakov, Sadko


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## QuietGuy

I have liked C T Griffes' _The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan_ since the very first time I heard it.





I also like his piano piece _The White Peacock_ in Griffes' own orchestral transcription of it.

Another wonderful piece is William Lloyd Webber's [father of Andrew and Julian] tone poem _Aurora_.


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## Strange Magic

Put me down for just about every tone poem of Sibelius, with special emphasis on Pohjola's Daughter and En Saga. On to Adventure!


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## Becca

Where to begin...?

Sibelius has already been mentioned so I can leave those unsaid.
Nielsen -_ Imaginary Journey to the Faroes, Saga Drom_
Riisager - _Qarrtsiluni_
Lilburn - _Aotearoa, Song of Islands_
Borodin - _In the Steppes of Central Asia_
Glinka - _Kamarinskaya_
Rachmaninoff - _Isle of the Dead_
Bax - _Tintagel_
etc., etc.!


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## DeepR

Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy & Prometheus: Poem of Fire
Then everything else.


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## Woodduck

Rachmaninoff: _Isle of the Dead_

Also Sibelius: _Tapiola_ and _The Swan of Tuonela_


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## Ukko

Also Sprach Zarathustra.


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## Animal the Drummer

Kalinnikov's "The Cedar and the Palm".


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## TxllxT

Sibelius: Lemminkainen's Return


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## Pugg

Strauss, R: Ein Heldenleben and also Tod und Verklärung:tiphat:


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## helenora

*Strauss Ein Heldenleben and Don Juan*


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## Art Rock

Glad to see Lilburn and Bax mentioned (Bax wrote a large number of beautiful tone poems) in addition to the usual suspects. Respighi should also be in the mix.

Off the beaten path, and well worth exploring, are the tone poems by Mieczysław Karłowicz (available on two Naxos discs).


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## Strange Magic

U


Art Rock said:


> Respighi should also be in the mix.


I could not agree more. Respighi is sometimes regarded as a musical lightweight, especially by enthusiasts for vast and portentous musical utterances (there is a place for everything). But he was a complete master of the chief form for which he is best known, the musical evocations of art and place and atmosphere and mood that best express his genius. Roman Festivals, the Pines, The Fountains, Trittico Botticelliano, Church Windows, Brazilian Impressions. Talk about orchestral color and mastery; yet another stunning product of the tutelage of Rimsky-Korsakov. Three cheers for Ottorino Respighi!


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## Orfeo

*Glazunov*: Stenka Razin.
*Glazunov*: The Sea (really a Symphonic Fantasy).
*Glazunov*: The Forest (also a Symphonic Fantasy).
*Tchaikovsky*: Francesca da Rimini.
*Boris Tchaikovsky*: The Wind of Siberia.
*Rachmaninoff*: The Isle of the Dead.
*Sir Arnold Bax*: Christmas Eve.
*Bartok*: Kossuth.
*Chausson*: Viviane.
*Smetana*: Ma Vlast (a cycle of tone poems, with Šárka being my personal favorite).
*Atterberg*: Alven ("The River").
*Oskar Lindberg*: From the Great Forests.
*Dvorak*: The Noon Witch.
*Sibelius*: Tapiola.
*Janis Ivanovs*: Rainbow.
*Janis Medins*: The Mysterious Forest.
*Richard Strauss*: Don Quixote.
*Frank Bridge*: Enter Spring.
*Frank Bridge*: Isabella.
*Novak*: In the Tatra Mountains.
*Novak*: Eternal Longing.
*Novak*: De profundis.
*Elgar*: In the South.
*Suk*: Ripening.
*Svetlanov*: Siberian Fantasy.
*Sainton*: The Island.


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## Balthazar

*Liszt:* _Mazeppa_, _Les Préludes_, and _Hamlet_.


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## TwoPhotons

My two favourites are Rachmaninoff's _Isle of the Dead_ and R. Strauss' _Also Sprach Zarathustra_.


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## techniquest

Off the top of my head, here's a small list of my faves:

Respighi - the Rome trilogy
Ravel - La Valse
Borodin - In the Steppes of Central Asia
Strauss - Ein Alpensinfonie (is it a tone poem rather than a symphony? If so...that one!)
Hovhaness - Fra Angelico
Scriabin - The Poem of Ecstacy
Sibelius - The Swan of Tuonela
Honeggar - Pacific 231


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## Mal

I greatly enjoyed the following disk of Bax's tone poems recently:


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## Avey

_*Alassio*!_

One of my favorite pieces. Puts me immediately in a certain place, time, feeling. So impressing.

I would post a video, but the available recordings on the YT are awful. Also, little has been written about this work, other than the alleged inspiration. One site (http://www.musicweb-international.com/Programme_Notes/elgar_alassio.htm) wrote this introduction for several of his stand-alone orchestral pieces, and I truly appreciate the comment:

_Part of Elgar's magic is his facility with music on both the grandest scale and the most intimate. At one end are nobility and profound spirituality, at the other melodic felicity and disarming good humour. Bridging - and blurring - the boundary between the two is his consummate craftsmanship, bestowed equally on works both great and small. _

All other discussions re _In the South_ concern Strauss, horn-heavy Romanticism, or comps to his other more renown orchestrations. That is frustrating and trite and naive.

_In the South_, alone and without context, is invigorating, passionate, enthralling music. For the *Elgar *fan. Or maybe it is all just personal.


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## elgar's ghost

Of those by R. Strauss my fave is _Don Quixote_ - it also gets bonus points from me for being in variation form. There are many others I like but honorary mentions must go to Balakirev's _Tamara_, Saint-Saëns's _Danse macabre_ and Smetana's _Vltava_ (if only for that drop-dead gorgeous melody).

First prize for best name must go to Eric Whiteacre's _Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!_ - I must listen to that sometime even if it is a p***-take.


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## Richannes Wrahms

I feel like the tone poem was, in the end, a failed concept.

I'll go with the Oceanides, it's kida cute and got very nice rhythms, I guess it's not easy to perform.


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## KenOC

I think the tone poem is a great genre. I'll go with one of the first, Beethoven's Coriolan Overture (can't really draw the line between a tone poem and a concert overture, especially where the latter is programmatic).

I'll add a later one, Shostakovich's October, Op. 131, his only tone poem and a lucky opus number to boot.


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## Fat Bob

I suppose a tone poem should be for full orchestra which is a shame because that rules out the *Tallis Fantasia, Metamorphosen* and *Verklarte Nacht*, 3 of my favourites.

I love virtually all of Sibelius's output with a special affection for this disc:









A gorgeous *Luonnotar* with *The Bard* as one of the lesser performed works also well worth a listen. Another Sibelius favourite is *Night Ride And Sunrise* and you cannot go wrong with this set:









There's obviously duplication with the Gibson single disc but both are well worth having.

Some of my other favourites have already been mentioned (Isle of the Dead, Alpine Symphony, Also Sprach) but for something more off the wall how about *An American In Paris*?


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## Strange Magic

Ferde Grofe's _Grand Canyon Suite_ does very well, at least for the first four movements; the Sunrise segment especially effective and right up there with Grieg, Sibelius IMHO. The final thunderstorm, not so much--Beethoven is The Man here. Overall, a delightful piece of evocative music.


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## dsphipps100

For me, it's pretty close between Sibelius' _En Saga_ and Strauss' _Eine Alpensinfonie_.


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## maestro267

I'll just mention one that hasn't been said so far: Thalaba the Destroyer by Sir Granville Bantock. A brooding epic in the heroic style (B minor, heavy brass prominent) of 27 minutes' duration.


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## arpeggio

The attack of the band junkie (I know the OP only wants orchestral works. )

I am going to mention some band tone poems I am partial too.

Morton Gould: _Jerico_.
William Schuman: _George Washington Bridge_. A work about a president's dental work.
David Maslanka: _A Child Garden of Dreams_. My favorite Maslanka work.
Mark Camphouse: _Watchman Tell Us of the Night_.


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## arpeggio

elgars ghost said:


> First prize for best name must go to Eric Whiteacre's _Godzilla Eats Las Vegas!_ - I must listen to that sometime even if it is a p***-take.


I have played it twice. Fun work. :lol:


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## Manxfeeder

I don't like tone poems that much, but I like Schoenberg's Transfigured Night. Tapiola is also great. I also like Zarathustra since I got the score and marked it up so I don't miss all the details of the story as they fly by.


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## Avey

Strange Magic said:


> Ferde Grofe's _Grand Canyon Suite_ does very well, at least for the first four movements; the Sunrise segment especially effective and right up there with Grieg, Sibelius IMHO. The final thunderstorm, not so much--Beethoven is The Man here. ...


1. I have never acknowledged *Grofe's* Suite. I fail to see why this is a renown piece of music or consistently played on classical radio. With maybe a dozen listens or more, still, I am dumbfounded. I do not critique those who enjoy it. But I do question why I have to hear it every single day between 12 - 3 PM, on the orchestral channel(?!?).

2. Grieg is relevant why?

3. So, Beethoven's one thunderstorm beats all other dissonant, _ffffffffff_, timpani-dense music?


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## Truckload

maestro267 said:


> I'll just mention one that hasn't been said so far: Thalaba the Destroyer by Sir Granville Bantock. A brooding epic in the heroic style (B minor, heavy brass prominent) of 27 minutes' duration.


Wow! What an interesting composer. And I never heard of this guy. Thank you.


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## Mal

R Strauss Death and Transfiguration (Szell/Cleveland)
Debussy Nocturnes, La Mer,...
Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
Troika from Sergei Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé suite

That got me thinking about the difference between a tone poem and a suite. Wikipedia: " A symphonic poem may stand on its own, (as do those of Richard Strauss), or it can be part of a series combined into a symphonic suite or cycle. For example, The Swan of Tuonela (1895) is a tone poem from Jean Sibelius's Lemminkäinen Suite."

So is any suite that evokes a non-musical situation a tone poem (or series of tone poems?) Is the Swan Lake suite a tone poem? Are any ballet extracts, played by orchestra, with no dancers, tone poems? Is a piece of film music a tone poem? Is a programmatic symphony a series of tone poems? Mahler is famous for giving his symphonies programmes, then deleting the programmes. So can a piece be a tone poem, and then not a tone poem, based on the composers whim? Is there such thing as a tone poem for those who think all instrumental music is absolute?


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## Mal

KenOC said:


> I think the tone poem is a great genre. I'll go with one of the first, Beethoven's Coriolan Overture (can't really draw the line between a tone poem and a concert overture, especially where the latter is programmatic).


Neither can the Oxford English Dictionary of Music It states that Liszt originated the term, so can you call anything pre-Liszt a "tone poem"? Elgar confused matter still further by calling his tone poems concert overtures.


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## Mahlerian

Mal said:


> Mahler is famous for giving his symphonies programmes, then deleting the programmes. So can a piece be a tone poem, and then not a tone poem, based on the composers whim? Is there such thing as a tone poem for those who think all instrumental music is absolute?


The tone poem is usually defined as a stand-alone work where the form and musical development are determined by the details of the program or by its concept. Sure, someone not knowing anything about the program could (possibly?) come to the conclusion that Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra and Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche are loosely composed sets of variations on a theme or two, but while that may have been a background model for Strauss, it didn't determine the finer points of structure.

The only piece Mahler wrote that he ever called a tone poem was the Totenfeier, the original version of the first movement of the Second Symphony. It is still different from most other works called tone poems by hewing closely to traditional sonata form, and developing all of its material in traditional symphonic fashion.

More frequently, Mahler conceived a work without a program in mind, worked it out musically, and then came up with a program after the fact to try to help "explain" it to others. No such programs exist for any symphony after the Fourth, either.


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## Strange Magic

Avey said:


> 1. I have never acknowledged *Grofe's* Suite. I fail to see why this is a renown piece of music or consistently played on classical radio. With maybe a dozen listens or more, still, I am dumbfounded. I do not critique those who enjoy it. But I do question why I have to hear it every single day between 12 - 3 PM, on the orchestral channel(?!?).
> 
> 2. Grieg is relevant why?
> 
> 3. So, Beethoven's one thunderstorm beats all other dissonant, _ffffffffff_, timpani-dense music?


I only noticed this post today; presumably it is in response to my endorsement of Ferde Grofe's _Grand Canyon Suite_. I will attempt to help with the questions posed---

1). I do not know why you must hear it every single day between 12-3 PM. Try turning the bloody thing off is my only suggestion.

2). Peer Gynt: _Morning Mood_

3). Question is unclear. Please try again.

:tiphat:


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## manyene

Prefect miniatures by Liadov: *Kikimora, The Enchanted Lake*


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## Lyricus

Surprised no one has mentioned Ravel's _Boléro_ yet.


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## geralmar

Bersa: Sunny Fields


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## DeepR

DeepR said:


> Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy & Prometheus: Poem of Fire
> Then everything else.


Others I like very much:
Rachmaninoff - Isle of the Dead
Liadov - The Enchanted Lake
Roslavets - In the Hours of the New Moon
Roslavets - Komsomoliya (the recording on youtube seems to be the only one in existence, I really wish this piece was recorded in good quality)


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## hpowders

Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben.

I use its beginning as entrance music whenever I come back to the house after a tough morning of supermarket shopping.


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## Polyphemus

A few I like :-

Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade
Rachmaninov Isle Of The Dead
Sibelius Karelia Suite
Gershwin An American In Paris
Barber Knoxville 1915
Copland Appalacian Spring
Walton Portsmouth Point


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## hpowders

^^^^Isle of the Dead? Sounds like the Tampa/St. Petersburg Bay area.


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## omega

*Sibelius* - _Lemminkäinen_
*Scriabin* - _Poem of Ecstacy_
*Rachmaninov* - _Isle of the Deads_
*Smetana* - _Visehrad_ and _Vltava_


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## Polyphemus

hpowders said:


> ^^^^Isle of the Dead? Sounds like the Tampa/St. Petersburg Bay area.


Worth including for the title alone.

It could also refer to the Dublin Docklands prior to its yupification.


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## Oliver

Sibelius - The Bard

Truly underrated.


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## Gordontrek

Ehh...too many good ones. The ones that grabbed me the most:
Strauss- Till Eulenspiegel
Sibelius: Finlandia, Tapiola
Debussy- Prelude to the afternoon of a faun
Tchaikovsky- Romeo and Juliet

Cookie cutter stuff.


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## Eva Yojimbo

One of the earliest, and still one of the best (probably my favorite) is Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture:


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## Pat Fairlea

Good to see Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead mentioned frequently. I would put in a word for Sibelius Night Ride and Sunrise. Oh, and Luonnotar, if that counts as a tone poem with a modal mezzo driving it along. And Holst' s Egdon Heath.


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## hpowders

Respighi's The Pines of Rome.


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## StDior

Janacek: Sinfonietta
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherezade
Liszt: Les Preludes
Wagner: Siegfried Idyll 
Richard Strauss: Ein Heldenleben


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## gardibolt

Also sprach Zarathustra
Don Juan
Les preludes

Is Rimsky's Scheherezade a tone poem? Then toss that in too.


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## Lukecash12

Liszt's Mazeppa and Dante Symphony.


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## DeepR

I just listened to this one and I like it very much: Reinhold Glière - The Sirens: Symphonic Poem in F minor, Op. 33 (1908)


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## Pat Fairlea

Pat Fairlea said:


> Good to see Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead mentioned frequently. I would put in a word for Sibelius Night Ride and Sunrise. Oh, and Luonnotar, if that counts as a tone poem with a modal mezzo driving it along. And Holst' s Egdon Heath.


PS sorry, I forgot to mention Borodin's In the Steppes of Central Asia. Fascinating, atmospheric piece of Russian Orientalism. Fine tone poem.


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## Alfacharger

Michael Kamen's "The New Moon in the Old Moon's Arms".

The first four sections.


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## Brahmsian Colors

Wagner: Siegfried Idyll. Favorite interpretations (not in order of preference): Klemperer/Philharmonia, Walter/Columbia, Monteux/San Francisco, Marriner/Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.


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## Merl

Two great recordings of my favourite tone poems:

Pines of Rome










Nature's Realm (from a great disc)


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## techniquest

That Reiner/Chicago recording is a real powerhouse!


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## helenora

it´s very difficult for me to choose, perhaps Strauss "Tod und Verklarung", before I thought about "Don Juan"...


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## Marsilius

Another vote here for Liszt's _Les preludes_, or, as it's known to those of us of a certain age, "the _Flash Gordon_ music".


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## Brahmsian Colors

Somehow, I completely forgot to mention one of the most wonderfully sensitive pieces I have ever heard: Grieg's Elegiac Melody #2, "The Last Spring".


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## schigolch

Of course, I like many of the music already mentioned. I'm missing however one of my favorites: Karl Amadeus Hartmann's _Miserae_, written in 1934, to protest against the establishment of the concentration camp of Dachau:


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## Isiah Thanu

Strange Magic said:


> U
> 
> I could not agree more. Respighi is sometimes regarded as a musical lightweight, especially by enthusiasts for vast and portentous musical utterances (there is a place for everything). But he was a complete master of the chief form for which he is best known, the musical evocations of art and place and atmosphere and mood that best express his genius. Roman Festivals, the Pines, The Fountains, Trittico Botticelliano, Church Windows, Brazilian Impressions. Talk about orchestral color and mastery; yet another stunning product of the tutelage of Rimsky-Korsakov. Three cheers for Ottorino Respighi!


I so agree. One of the greatest orchestrators . I need to explore his best recordings. Recommendations?


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## Isiah Thanu

techniquest said:


> That Reiner/Chicago recording is a real powerhouse!


But try the Mercury living presence recording if you can get it. Antal Dorati and the Minneapolis S.O.
Imho, it blows this away.

On YouTube search for Pines of Rome - Dorati. The first one,which also mentions Brazilian Impressions is the one I think.


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## Heck148

for me, probably one of Richard Strauss' opuses...

Don Juan
Ein Heldeleben
Till Eulenspiegel
Tod und Verklarung
Also Sprach Zarathustra


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## sbmonty

Marsilius said:


> Another vote here for Liszt's _Les preludes_, or, as it's known to those of us of a certain age, "the _Flash Gordon_ music".


I am pre Flash Gordon but listening as a result of your post. Thank you. Which part is the FG theme?


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## KenOC

sbmonty said:


> I am pre Flash Gordon but listening as a result of your post. Thank you. Which part is the FG theme?


Bumm da-da bum bum bum bum TAA-TA-DA-DAA. That part. :lol:


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## Pugg

Don Juan on this moment.


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## KenOC

sbmonty said:


> I am pre Flash Gordon but listening as a result of your post. Thank you. Which part is the FG theme?


My mistake. There should be six bum's, not four. Apologies all around!


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## Ignatius Holland

Not sure if it necessarily counts, but I am in love with Debussy's La Mer.


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## PeterKC

Not sure these fit in to the classification, but since they are almost now always presented as concert works, I will call them tone poems.

El Sombrero de Tres Picos
El Amor Brujo
Pictures at an Exhibition
Samuel Barber's Three Essays for Orchestra
Britten's Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes


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## Bettina

Great thread! Lots of my favorites have already been mentioned. Here's one that hasn't come up yet: Caucasian Sketches, by Ippolitov-Ivanov.


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## sbmonty

I love the artistic challenge of this genre. The composer and artists must try to convey a specific concept or impression. And the listener is challenged to know two works of art, the piece being represented and the representation. It's as though a painter must paint their representation of a symphony for example. Has that ever been done?


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## Rhinotop

I don't want to mention the best known, I put these:

Bartók - Kossuth
Penderecki - The Dream of Jacob
Ciurlionis - The Forest (very straussian)
Sibelius - The Wood Nymph
Casella - Italia
Melartin - Traumgesicht
Atterberg - The River
Dvorák - The Water Goblin, The Golden Spinning-Wheel, The Noon Witch
Glière - The Sirens
Rangström - Song of the Sea
Magnard - Hymne à Venus
Franck - Le Chasseur Maudit, Les Eolides, Les Djinns


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## R3PL4Y

Sibelius: The Bard
Gershwin: An American in Paris
Rachmaninoff: Isle of the Dead
Liszt: Les Preludes


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## Tchaikov6

Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
Elgar: In the South
Respighi: Pines of Rome
Tchaikovsky: Hamlet, the Tempest


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## Brahmsian Colors

sbmonty said:


> I am pre Flash Gordon but listening as a result of your post. Thank you. Which part is the FG theme?


The closing passage/climax would play in various portions of the soundtrack at different times, and during the beginning or ending titles I believe.


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## hpowders

This is one area of classical music I find very dull. Never took to orchestral tone poems.

I tried to think of one good one, but alas, I could not.


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## Pugg

Heck148 said:


> for me, probably one of Richard Strauss' opuses...
> 
> Don Juan
> Ein Heldeleben
> Till Eulenspiegel
> Tod und Verklarung
> Also Sprach Zarathustra


All outstanding good works!


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## Ralphus

I adore Sibelius, so nice (but not really surprising) to see many of his works mentioned. I love En Saga and Night Ride and Sunrise. Lots of other great pieces mentioned, too. I'm listening to someone's suggestion of "Sunny Fields" by Blasgoje Bersa, a composer I had not heard of. It's attractive music; not a bad thing, but at any given moment it reminds me of a whole slew of other composers: Panufnik, Dvorak, Mendelssohn and so on. 

Some others that come to mind for me are: Barber - Overture to the School for Scandal; Nielsen - Helios Overture; Mosolov - The Iron Foundry; Finzi - A Severn Rhapsody; Faure - Pavane.


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## Barelytenor

Delius: On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring
Delius: Brigg Fair
Delius: Over the Hills and Far Away
Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht
Many of the Sibelius and Debussy pieces already mentioned


:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## perempe

Danse macabre (Saint-Saëns)
A Night on Bald Mountain (Mussorgsky)


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## Brahmsian Colors

Eva Yojimbo said:


> One of the earliest, and still one of the best (probably my favorite) is Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture:


Just about the most atmospheric tone poem I've ever heard, and a favorite of mine too. The first time I ever heard portions of it was when I was about seven years old. It was in a movie theater, and was played as some serial's opening titles drifted skyward in the style of Star Wars. I especially like the performances by Peter Maag/London Symphony and Fritz Reiner/Chicago Symphony.


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## chill782002

I know a few have already mentioned it but Sibelius' "Tapiola" gets me every time. Perfectly reflects the subject matter, music to dream to...


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## chalkpie

I love seeing Sibelius getting so many nods here - no complaints from me as he is an absolute favorite. 

Sibelius:
En Saga
Tapiola
Lemminkainen
Pohjola's Daughter
The Wood Nymph
Spring Song (especially the early version; sublime)
The Bard
Nightride and Sunrise

Ives:
Holidays Symphony (these are sometimes considered tone poems when performed individually)

Debussy:
La Mer
Nocturnes
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Resphigi:
Pini di Roma
Fontane di Roma 

Schoenberg:
Verklärte Nacht
Pelleas und Melisande

Webern:
Im Sommerwind

Strauss:
Ein Heidenleben
Don Juan
Tod und Verklärung
Eine Alpensinfonie
Also sprach Zarathustra


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## gouts

I'll go with the Alpine "Symphony"!


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## Paul T McGraw

Here are two I didn't see mentioned:

Paul Dukas - The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Josef Suk - Fantastic Scherzo


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## Tchaikov6

Paul T McGraw said:


> Here are two I didn't see mentioned:
> 
> Paul Dukas - The Sorcerer's Apprentice
> Josef Suk - Fantastic Scherzo


Yes, I completely forgot about the The Sorcerer's Apprentice. I feel that sometimes it is made out to be a silly and insignificant work because of the use of it in _Fantasia_. I personally love it. As for the Fantastic Scherzo, I have yet to explore that in detail.


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## Rhinotop

I recently listened to Prague, A Fairy's Tale and A Summer's Tale by Suk. They are interesting too.


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## Pugg

gouts said:


> I'll go with the Alpine "Symphony"!


Good choice ans welcome to TalkCalssical.


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## Pugg

Paul T McGraw said:


> Here are two I didn't see mentioned:
> 
> Paul Dukas - The Sorcerer's Apprentice
> Josef Suk - Fantastic Scherzo


Goes without seeing for you also: welcome to TalkClassical.


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## pcnog11

Ukko said:


> Also Sprach Zarathustra.


This is an iconic piece. Nothing can come close! Intensity, dynamic, great chord progression....very difficult for one to control the crescendo. You can loose the orchestra if not careful.


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## bestellen

The Sirens: Symphonic Poem in F minor, Op. 33 (1908)


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## Pugg

bestellen said:


> The Sirens: Symphonic Poem in F minor, Op. 33 (1908)


Very good choice.


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## Strange Magic

I've always been partial to Glazunov's _Stenka Razin_. The Volga without being in any way vulgar.


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## DeepR

/thread


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## techniquest

^^ That was such a superb performance (BBC Proms, 20.8.2010)  

By the way (and forgive me if this isn't allowed), but the subject of today's BBC Radio 3 'Building A Library' series is Sibelius' 'Tapiola'. Might be of interest for contributors to this thread.


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## TodorYankov




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## JAS

I have never heard of Douglas Lilburn before, but based on some early posts in this thread sought out a couple of his works on youtube. And now I find that I have to buy the CDs. Reading TalkClassical keeps showing me new things . . . but it is beginning to get rather expensive, and to put a burden on my increasingly limited shelf space. (And no, I am not inclined just yet to fall into the trap of downloads. I want the physical product. Downloads are just a scheme to, eventually, charge us every time we listen to something.)


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## Bass

Definitely not underplayed or underrated, but Scriabin's Prometheus is one of my favourites!


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## Pugg

Bass said:


> Definitely not underplayed or underrated, but Scriabin's Prometheus is one of my favourites!


Lost of people like that piece, welcome to Talk Classical by the way.


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## millionrainbows

As a form, I imprinted on Liszt's "Mazeppa," "Mephisto Waltz" and "Battle of the Huns" conducted by Zubin Mehta on a London LP (still waiting for those specific recordings on CD). Thus, I have always seen the form as concerning some sort of epic theme.

I see the form as modern. I like all of R. Strauss' efforts: Alpinesinfionie, Zarathustra, Don Juan, etc.

Respighi, too. Debussy, La Mer, and Afternoon of a faun. There is a nice reduced version I like even more.

Of course, Schoenberg's "Pelleas und Mellisande. There is a CD of this theme:


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## DeepR

Bass said:


> Definitely not underplayed or underrated, but Scriabin's Prometheus is one of my favourites!


Sometimes I think it's slightly greater than the Poem of Ecstasy, sometimes I think it's slightly less great. 
The only recording I really, really like is Muti's. It's the most transparant and dynamic to my ears. Actually many other versions I've heard are messy in comparison. Or maybe I've just heard it too many times.


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## Barelytenor

*Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade*

Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade is one of my favorites.

Here's Valery Gergiev conducting the Vienna Philharmonic in Salzburg 2005:






Enjoy!

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## nightscape

I would not categorize Scheherazade as a tone poem, but glad you enjoy it!

I would go with _The Golden Spinning Wheel_ by Dvorak or, with much unoriginality in the selection, _Also sprach Zarathustra_ by Strauss.


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## Barelytenor

*Mily Balakirev, "Tamara" Tone Poem*

This is a great piece by this Russian composer, the leader of The Five, aka The Mighty Handful or могучая кучка, as they were known, along with César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Alexander Borodin, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.






:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Klassik

millionrainbows said:


> As a form, I imprinted on Liszt's "Mazeppa," "Mephisto Waltz" and "Battle of the Huns" conducted by Zubin Mehta on a London LP (still waiting for those specific recordings on CD). Thus, I have always seen the form as concerning some sort of epic theme.
> 
> I see the form as modern. I like all of R. Strauss' efforts: Alpinesinfionie, Zarathustra, Don Juan, etc.
> 
> Respighi, too...


There's so many great ones to choose from that it's hard to pick just one or even a handful of them. When I think of tone poems, I do think of Liszt first though. Battle of the Huns is a great pick and I believe that the music does truly symbolize the painting that inspired the music. I have that mono recording by Ansermet on CD. Dante's Divine Comedy is another great pick. I have that on a Profil/Haenssler CD by Yuri Ahronovitch where it is joined by another great choice mentioned earlier, Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy.

As far as Strauss goes, I'm not as big of a fan of some of the famous Strauss tone poems as some others are. Maybe I ought to give them another chance. There's a Mehta CD on Decca Eloquence which contains the _Alpinesinfionie_ and others that I've had my eye on if anyone has any experience with that. I have _Also Sprach..._ and _Don Juan_ by Reiner on CD already. I do like the _Symphonia Domestica_ though which I know is a bit of an oddball to like as a favorite.

I agree with the Respighi love. His work is tremendous.


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## Pugg

Barelytenor said:


> This is a great piece by this Russian composer, the leader of The Five, aka The Mighty Handful or могучая кучка, as they were known, along with César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky, Alexander Borodin, and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> George


Good one Gorge.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

Well, already 8 pages in and all my favorites have already been mentioned. But here is one I came across lately that is very enjoyable. Granville Bantock - The Witch of Atlas


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## Barelytenor

*More on Granville Bantock*

^ Very nice! Granville Bantock was not a composer I'm familiar with, although the tone poem above is accessible but not, well, deep. _Not that there's anything wrong with that! _Some of the orchestration is quite lovely. I actually like a lot of Sibelius's music for just the same reasons. Tuneful, flowing melody, skillfully voiced orchestra, sometimes a program (loosely attached) ...

I was encouraged to find out more about Granville Bantock and came across this piece in The Guardian (although, harrumph, I don't consider 78 years old to be a "long life"), about pieces played at The Proms back in 2013:



I think I'll give his Celtic Symphony a try (less than 18 mins.) on this lazy Saturday afternoon ...






:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Barelytenor

*Sir Granville Bantock-Hebridean Symphony*

Well I listened to the Celtic Symphony but liked this one better, the Hebridean Symphony, a series of loosely connected tone poems that form a symphonic suite. Or something. There are no rigid distinctions in this late Romantic stuff, we're certainly not talking sonata-form symphonies or anything.

Anyway.

I loved this! Give it a try.






Kind regards,

:tiphat:

George


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

^^
This is the CD I have that includes all the works above. Highly recommended.


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## Vaneyes

Nice day, *Pastorale d'ete*. Overcast or worse, *The Isle of the Dead*.


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## PlaySalieri

I would go with La Mer.

I am not a Debussy fan - but this tone poem is a little masterpiece supreme. Has to be heard live.


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## Tchaikov6

stomanek said:


> I would go with La Mer.
> 
> I am not a Debussy fan - but this tone poem is a little masterpiece supreme. Has to be heard live.


Exactly my thoughts! I wasn't a huge Debussy fan until I heard this piece and I started to like Debussy a lot more. La Mer's still my favorite.


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## laurie

stomanek said:


> I would go with La Mer.
> 
> I am not a Debussy fan - but this tone poem is a little masterpiece supreme. *Has to be heard live*.


I agree! La Mer is one of my very favorite pieces. And this weekend I'm going to hear it performed at the Oregon Symphony, along with Mendelssohn's tone poem the Hebrides (& two other pieces; it's a sea-themed program). Then, the _next _evening, I'll be hearing Respighi's Pines of Rome at our local symphony! I'm _really_ looking forward to this weekend!


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## Klassik

laurie said:


> I agree! La Mer is one of my very favorite pieces. And this weekend I'm going to hear it performed at the Oregon Symphony, along with Mendelssohn's tone poem the Hebrides (& two other pieces; it's a sea-themed program). Then, the _next _evening, I'll be hearing Respighi's Pines of Rome at our local symphony! I'm _really_ looking forward to this weekend!


Sounds like a lot of fun, enjoy. It's clearly pine pollination season as Vasily Petrenko will be in town here in Houston this weekend conducting the Pines of Rome along with the Fountains of Rome.


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## laurie

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet; it is one of my very favorites -

Manuel de Falla's "Noches en los jardines de España" - Nights in the Gardens of Spain.

While not officially called a tone poem; de Falla himself said it was "a symphonic impression" meant to "evoke places, sensations & feelings". It certainly achieves that; it's atmospheric, mysterious, sensual ..... I love this piece!


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## GAJ

Huge fan of the tone poem and realised how many I love going through the huge number listed in this thread.

I have to go with the greatest exponent who provided the most profound symphonic tone poems in the repertoire.
Sibelius does it for me and I simply can't choose between Pohjola's daughter (an amazing impressionistic example of a one movement symphony a la no.7) and Tapiola - a monothematic masterpiece (the ultimate in creating something out of nothing!).


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## DeepR

This video is a must to everyone who likes Scriabin and Prometheus.






Tempo is a little slower than usual but he truly brings out every detail and nuance of this piece. This is the performance and sound that the piece deserves, phenomenal!!


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## Tchaikov6

laurie said:


> I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet; it is one of my very favorites -
> 
> Manuel de Falla's "Noches en los jardines de España" - Nights in the Gardens of Spain.
> 
> While not officially called a tone poem; de Falla himself said it was "a symphonic impression" meant to "evoke places, sensations & feelings". It certainly achieves that; it's atmospheric, mysterious, sensual ..... I love this piece!


I enjoy this piece too, but consider it more of a Programmatic Piano Concerto than a tone poem...


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## nature

Sibelius' The Swan of Tuonela just is incredibly beautiful. Sounds like pure magic to me.


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## DeepR

DeepR said:


> Roslavets - In the Hours of the New Moon
> Roslavets - Komsomoliya (the recording on youtube seems to be the only one in existence, I really wish this piece was recorded in good quality)


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## DeepR

Wooosshhh. I've said it before but, my god, Komsomoliya, that piece is just wickedly awesome.


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## Anankasmo

My favourites are certainly:

Saint-Saens: Danse macabre
Saint-Saens: Phaeton (great work, really really good and sadly overlooked.....)
Strauss: Alpensinfonie
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra
Sibelius: Swan of Tuonela


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## MusicSybarite

A narrow list for beginning (seven for now):

Glière: The Sirens (wow!)
Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra
Bantock: Thalaba the Destroyer
Tchaikovsky: The Voyevode (so wild!)
Sibelius: The Wood Nymph (a neglected masterpiece)
Novák: Toman and the Wood Nymph (another mythical being  ) (lush post-romantic music)
Bax: The Garden of Fand


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## Roger Knox

techniquest said:


> Strauss - Ein Alpensinfonie (is it a tone poem rather than a symphony? If so...that one!)


According to the program notes of the superb Bychkov/BBC Symphony Proms recording it is a tone poem, and it's one of my favourites too!


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## Roger Knox

John Ireland hasn't been mentioned yet. In order of preference:

The Forgotten Rite
A London Overture
Mai-Dun Symphonic Rhapsody


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## MusicSybarite

Roger Knox said:


> According to the program notes of the superb Bychkov/BBC Symphony Proms recording it is a tone poem, *and it's one of my favourites too!*


I completely agree


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## Steve1087

Copland:-
Quiet City
Our Town
Lincoln Portrait


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## Taplow

Strange Magic said:


> Ferde Grofe's _Grand Canyon Suite_ does very well, at least for the first four movements; the Sunrise segment especially effective and right up there with Grieg, Sibelius IMHO. The final thunderstorm, not so much--Beethoven is The Man here. Overall, a delightful piece of evocative music.


Agreed! I was going to mention this as a rather populist choice, but despite its mainstream appeal Grofé's ability to paint pictures through orchestration is remarkable. I've never been to the Arizona desert, but when I play this piece I am instantly transported there.


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## Tchaikov6

Anankasmo said:


> My favourites are certainly:
> 
> Saint-Saens: Danse macabre
> *Saint-Saens: Phaeton (great work, really really good and sadly overlooked.....)*
> Strauss: Alpensinfonie
> Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra
> Sibelius: Swan of Tuonela


Phaeton's great!


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## SONDEK

As far as firm favourites go, my vote for best TONE POEM goes to LISZT Les Préludes.

Here's my current favourite version...









(You just gotta LOVE that brass section when it enters the fray...)


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## KJ von NNJ

Bantock - Fifine at the Fair, Dante and Beatrice. His symphonies are like tone poems. Great stuff.
Sibelius - Nightride and Sunrise, En Saga
Smetana - Hakon Jarl and Ma Vlast, Wallington's Camp
Dvorak - The Water Goblin,The Golden Spinning Wheel, The Wood Dove
Strauss - ASZ, DQ, EH, D&T, TEMP, Alpine Symphony. More like a tone poem. Gotta mention it. DJ, Metamorphosen.
Respighi - Church Windows and The Roman Trilogy
Liszt - Les Preludes, Mazeppa, Battle of the Huns, Tasso
Balakirev - Tamara
Nielsen - Saga Drom, Pan and Syrinx, Journey to the Faroe Islands
Novak - Eternal Longing, In the Tatras, Czech Suite (gotta mention this too!) A suite more like a tone poem in parts.
Schoenberg - Transfigured Night
Lilburn - Forest, A Song of Islands
Tchaikovsky - Francesca da Rimini
Zemlinsky - The Mermaid (a three movement mega tone poem)
Elgar - In the South (Alassio) I know it's an 'Overture', but it's more like a tone poem to me. A favorite.
Holst - Hammersmith, Egdon Heath
Revueltas - Sensemaya
Estevez - Noon on the Plain (Mediodia en el Llano)
Castellanos - Holy Cross of Pacairigua 
De Falla - Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Albeniz - Iberia

More, more, more!


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## Becca

KJ von NNJ said:


> Respighi - Church Windows and The Roman Trilogy * ...and Brazilian Impressions*
> Lilburn - Forest, A Song of Islands *... and Aotearoa*
> 
> More, more, more!


OK, then ...

Bax - Tintagel, Christmas Eve
Peter Maxwell Davies - Orkney Wedding with Sunrise


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## KJ von NNJ

I forgot about Delius and Magnard. I want to narrow my list down to ten but it won't be easy. The definition of tone poem or symphonic poem being a rule. No overtures, suites and the like. This will help.


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## KJ von NNJ

Becca said:


> OK, then ...
> 
> Bax - Tintagel, Christmas Eve
> Peter Maxwell Davies - Orkney Wedding with Sunrise


I have to listen to the Bax tone poems again. It has been a while. I have the first four symphonies on Naxos. These four discs also include five Bax tone poems in total. Tintagel is not among them. I will go to u-tube a bit later on and give it a listen.
I love the Aotearoa Overture! I would have mentioned it, but it is not a tone poem. Lilburn could have called it a tone poem and no-one would have argued with him! Thanks for mentioning the Maxwell Davies piece. I would like to give that one a listen too.


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## marshanp

KJ von NNJ said:


> I love the Aotearoa Overture!


Then (if you haven't already) you really should hear the Drysdale Overture (oh! what a wonderful tune!), the Second Symphony and the delightful 10-minute song cycle, Sings Harry.

None of which is a tone poem, oops... OK, then... I'll add Mirage by John Foulds. The chord progression at about 6 minutes in is worth the price of admission on its own.

Oh, and Dionysiaques by Florent Schmitt. For a *big* French wind band. Wow... there is oomph galore. I promise you won't miss the strings.

But if you think they should have a turn too... Sommernacht by Othmar Schoeck. Lovely.


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## R3PL4Y

I recently started to listen to some of Villa-Lobos' tone poems. These are not as well known as some of his other pieces, but they are all very colorful pieces that are worth listening to.


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## KJ von NNJ

marshanp said:


> Then (if you haven't already) you really should hear the Drysdale Overture (oh! what a wonderful tune!), the Second Symphony and the delightful 10-minute song cycle, Sings Harry.
> The Naxos disc of Lilburn orchestral works conducted by James Judd contains the Drysdale Overture. I have it and enjoy every work on it. I have heard his three symphonies but not Sings Harry.
> I'm having a go at naming my favorite ten symphonic poems. It's really impossible to do so without leaving other favorites out.
> I'm just going with pieces that are given the title of Symphonic Poem or Tone Poem. This should make my folly a bit less difficult.
> I actually was not sure if Respighi had given the Roman Trilogy that distinction. However after a brief look at booklet notes I was happy to read that he did. I'm afraid my list so far, does not contain any big surprises. Thank you for mentioning the pieces by Foulds, Schmitt and Schoeck. I find Mirage (Foulds) very much to my liking.


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## KJ von NNJ

marshanp said:


> Then (if you haven't already) you really should hear the Drysdale Overture (oh! what a wonderful tune!), the Second Symphony and the delightful 10-minute song cycle, Sings Harry.
> The Naxos disc of Lilburn orchestral works conducted by James Judd contains the Drysdale Overture. I have it and enjoy every work on it. I have heard his three symphonies but not Sings Harry.
> I'm having a go at naming my favorite ten symphonic poems. It's really impossible to do so without leaving other favorites out.
> I'm just going with pieces that are given the title of Symphonic Poem or Tone Poem. This should make my folly a bit less difficult.
> I actually was not sure if Respighi had given the Roman Trilogy that distinction. However after a brief look at booklet notes I was happy to read that he did. I'm afraid my list so far, does not contain any big surprises. Thank you for mentioning the pieces by Foulds, Schmitt and Schoeck. I find Mirage (Foulds) very much to my liking.


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## SONDEK

I'm not sure by definition, whether these pieces qualify as TONE POEMS, but this DELIUS album is full of some of the best orchestral music around...
(Magnificently played and recorded here, I might add...)









I'd like to add that this music is so very accessible, I can imagine that those who are entirely new to the CLASSICAL genre - yes, and even some detractors - would find it very hard not to enjoy 90% of the music on this album.

One for the EVANGELISTS then...!

:angel: :angel: :angel:


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## Merl

SONDEK said:


> I'm not sure by definition, whether these pieces qualify as TONE POEMS, but this DELIUS album is full of some of the best orchestral music around...
> (Magnificently played and recorded here, I might add...)
> 
> View attachment 98992
> 
> 
> I'd like to add that this music is so very accessible, I can imagine that those who are entirely new to the CLASSICAL genre - yes, and even some detractors - would find it very hard not to enjoy 90% of the music on this album.
> 
> One for the EVANGELISTS then...!
> 
> :angel: :angel: :angel:


Good shout SONDEK. I have this one and it's even more lovely.


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## MusicSybarite

SONDEK said:


> I'm not sure by definition, whether these pieces qualify as TONE POEMS, but this DELIUS album is full of some of the best orchestral music around...
> (Magnificently played and recorded here, I might add...)
> 
> View attachment 98992
> 
> 
> I'd like to add that this music is so very accessible, I can imagine that those who are entirely new to the CLASSICAL genre - yes, and even some detractors - would find it very hard not to enjoy 90% of the music on this album.
> 
> One for the EVANGELISTS then...!
> 
> :angel: :angel: :angel:


Oh yes!! I especially like the _Florida Suite_. There are no enough words to describe such a beauty of music.


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## SONDEK

Merl

Thanks for the tip-off.

I'm fortunate enough to already own this version on both CD and sumptuous German vinyl LP.









There is simply no question over the CHANDOS sound quality of this era. Absolutely superb!

In fact, I am a huge VERNON HANDLEY fan too and consider his VAUGHAN WILLIAMS readings as some of the best ever.

In the DELIUS Florida Suite, I find that I still return to the NAXOS LLOYD-JONES/ENP reading, for ultimate satisfaction. I find it's very similar to the very famous BEECHAM/RPO account- except in a modern recorded version.

(If only I could get the NAXOS on vinyl LP too!!!)


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## cougarjuno

Butterworth's A Shropshire Lad is a favorite of mine -- simply wonderful


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## KJ von NNJ

Smetana - Ma Vlast
Dvorak - The Water Goblin
Dvorak - The Golden Spinning Wheel
Liszt - Les Preludes
Strauss - Ein Heldenleben
Strauss - Death and Transfiguration
Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra
Sibelius - Nightride and Sunrise
Respighi - The Roman Trilogy
Bantock - Fifine at the Fair

Of course there are many more. So many mentioned by others on this thread are wonderful. Others I am not familiar with. By no means a 'greatest' list, my little 'top ten' merely reflects my current feelings on the subject. All the ones that I have mentioned tend to find their way into my players fairly regularly. I think frequency and familiarity have much to do with my choices.
It may change considerably over time!


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## Becca

A few others (hoping that I haven't repeated previous mentions) ... (and to be honest, I don't quite know where some overtures leave off and tone poems start ... or even some works written for dance)...

Honegger - Pacific 231
Blomdahl - Sisyphos
Janacek - Taras Bulba (which I consider to be a set of 3 tone poems)
Dvorak - The Noon Witch
Riisager - Qarrtsiluni
Schuman - New England Triptych
Sibelius - The Wood Nymph
Brian - Tinker's Wedding
Elgar - Falstaff (is 'symphonic study' another way of saying 'tone poem'?)
Franck - Le Chasseur maudit
Harty - With the Wild Geese
Martinu - Les Fresques de Pietro Della Francesca (if Respighi's Church Windows is, then...)


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## DeepR

Becca said:


> Honegger - Pacific 231


Just listened to this. Fun piece!


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## Reichstag aus LICHT

DeepR said:


> Just listened to this. Fun piece!


Check out Honegger's _Rugby_, too, in which he depicts the hurly-burly of a rugby match. Not quite as fun as _Pacific 231_, perhaps, but a fine tone-poem nonetheless.


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## Becca

Becca said:


> Honegger - Pacific 231





DeepR said:


> Just listened to this. Fun piece!


Trivia dept. - The name of this piece is redundant and, if you didn't already know it, the name would tell you that Honegger was not British or American!


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## Donna Elvira

Tone poem is not usually my favorite genre, usually in orchestral music I prefer more purely abstract---BUT--- one can hardly do better than Sibelius's	Swan of Tuonela.


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## GAJ

Nearly all Sibelius tone poems do it for me. Tapiola, Oceanides, Pohjola's Daughter and The Swan ofTuonela regularly jostle for the No.1 spot.


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## cougarjuno

Taras Bulba -- Janacek


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## Michael Diemer

When I think of Tone Poems, I do tend to think of Sibelius. Several fine choices there. Tapiola is probably the best, with Pohjolas' Daughter a close second. Someone mentioned Night Ride And Sunrise. Now there's an underappreciated work. The sunrise toward the end is quite sublime. The Oceanides is another great one, and I've always loved the primitive evocativeness (word?) of En Saga.

Someone mentioned Delius. I agree, the Florida Suite is truly wonderful. Another real Impressionist. Almost makes me want to move there. But the Florida he was portraying no longer really exists. 

Also, RVW was mentioned. I especially like the Norfolk Raphsody and In The Fen Country. And Dvorak, a composer I never heard anything from I didn't like. All of his. How about Nilesen's Saga Drom? A truly magical piece, rarely heard. I was introduced to it when I bought his fifth symphony, with Horenstein conducting.


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## MusicSybarite

Recently I've listened to a couple of splendid tone poems: _Tamara_ by Balakirev and _Hashish_ by Lyapunov. You can't go wrong with these ones: they have an Oriental flavour utterly delightful!! Many of you will find some similarities with Rimsky-Korsakov's _Scheherazade_. Highly recommended!


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## Michael Diemer

MusicSybarite said:


> Recently I've listened to a couple of splendid tone poems: _Tamara_ by Balakirev and _Hashish_ by Lyapunov. You can't go wrong with these ones: they have an Oriental flavour utterly delightful!! Many of you will find some similarities with Rimsky-Korsakov's _Scheherazade_. Highly recommended!


I'll have to check these out. Scheherazade is one of my absolute favorite pieces. I think it qualifies as a multi-movement tone poem. You could study it, and nothing else, for orchestration, and be in pretty good shape. I like what I've heard of Balakirev. Wasn't he one of the Five? Haven't heard of Lyapunov, but the tiltle sounds interesting!


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## Michael Diemer

More Sibelius (not sure if anyone has mentioned these): Luonnatar. Also, how about the Four Legends From The Kalevala? Actually, "Swan" was mentioned, but the other movements are also nice. I especially like Lemmenkainnen's Homeward Journey. Very rousing! (Not sure about spelling, I just threw in some xtra m&n's to be on the safe side).


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## Becca

Glinka's - Jota Aragonesa & Summer Nights in Madrid

P.S. Add Glinka to the 'great' orchestrators!


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## cougarjuno

I don't know if these qualify as tone poems or concert works but both Quiet City by Copland and Khrimian Hairig by Hovhaness are simply beautiful.


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## Roger Knox

I love listening to Friedreich Gernsheim's symphonies and his tone poem _Zu einem Drama_ in C Minor, Op. 81 (1910) is, in my opinion, a gem.


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## Flamme

This one blows my mind every time i listen...:devil:


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## Josquin13

For me (and evidently others here too!), Sibelius is the master of the tone poem--Tapiola, The Swan of Tuonela & Lemminkäinen Suite, Pohjola's Daughter, The Oceanides, En Saga, The Wood Nymph, etc.

Although I suppose Liszt should be credited for inventing the "symphonic poem" (and for simultaneously influencing Wagner's orchestral style). My favorite Liszt tone poems are Les Préludes, Orpheus, Tasso, and Festklänge. Perhaps Mendelssohn should be given some credit too--if we can consider The Hebrides (Fingal's Cave) and Midsummer Night's Dream overtures as tone poems? (He certainly influenced Liszt & Wagner.)

I don't think of Debussy as generally composing tone poems. The Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun is a ballet, as are Jeux and Khamma. While La Mer and Nocturnes are three movement works, and therefore closer to symphonies than symphonic poems. (Although maybe they can be considered as groupings of tone poems?) I also see Ravel's shorter orchestral works as suites from his ballets, such as Daphnis et Chloe, and Ma Mére L'Oye; along with Roussel's Suite No. 2 from his ballet, Bacchus et Ariane. Faure's Pelleas et Melisande is likewise a multi-movement suite. (Nor would I consider Ravel or Faure's Pavanes as tone poems, either.)

The Russian composers come to mind, and more overtures--such as Tchaikovsky's 1812 and Romeo and Juliet Overtures, if we can consider them tone poems. Francesca di Rimini is certainly a symphonic poem (along with his Hamlet and Tempest fantasias), and should be mentioned. Scriabin's Poeme of Ecstasy, Gliere's The Sirens, and Lyadov's The Enchanted Lake as well.

In addition, my mind turns to the UK--to Delius: On hearing the first Cuckoo of Spring, Brigg Fair, Over the Hills and Far Away, A Song of Summer, etc.; to Bax: The Garden of Fand, Tintagel, November Woods, In the Faëry Hills, etc.; to Vaughan Williams: In the Fen Country (especially the Boult recording), and if they count as tone poems: The Lark Ascending, & Thomas Tallis Fantasia, and to Elgar's haunting Sospiri, or "Sighs" (especially the Barbirolli recording):

Closer to home, does Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings count as a symphonic poem? or his Overture to The School for Scandal?--both are favorites. I also occasionally will listen to Charles Tomlinson Griffes, The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan, and his more tranquil, French-influenced, The White Peacock.

Other tone poems I've liked include: Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, Strauss' Death and Transfiguration, Franck's Psyché (if it counts), Nielsen's Pan and Syrinx, Rachmaninov's Isle of the Dead (after the painting by Böcklin), Mussorgsky's Night on Bare Mountain, Respighi's Roman Trilogy, Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht (though I prefer the chamber version), Smetana's cycle of six symphonic poems, Má vlast (My Homeland), and Igor Stravinsky's symphonic adaptation (from his opera Le Rossignol), Le Chant du Rossignol (or The Song of the Nightingale).


----------



## Pugg

Sergei Bortkiewicz Symphonic Poems "Othello", Op. 19

A friend of mine send me this recently, interesting piece.


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## cougarjuno

Butterworth's A Shropshire Lad comes to mind. It's a sublime and beautiful piece and even though it's called a rhapsody, to my ears this is what a tone poem sounds like. Bax is a favorite also.


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## Totenfeier

By definition, not a tone poem, but since that hasn't really stopped anyone I'll put in a vote for Copland's _Appalachian Spring._


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## tgdb9

George Chadwick's _Tam O'Shanter_ is a pretty cool piece.


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## MusicSybarite

Malcolm Arnold also wrote a piece based on Tam O'Shanter. A hilarious depiction with crazy moments.


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## DSCHLargo

Can't believe I haven't seen Danse Macabre in here yet. That one really depicts its poem well with the whole "zig, zig, zig..."

Also, this doesn't really count as a tone poem, but it is from Shakespeare, so what about Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights?


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## Alfacharger

Totenfeier said:


> By definition, not a tone poem, but since that hasn't really stopped anyone I'll put in a vote for Copland's _Appalachian Spring._


I consider film score end titles as little mini tone poems and I love Jerry Goldsmith's "Sand Volcano and End Titles" from the film "The Mummy".


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## MusicSybarite

Lately, I've discovered some intriguing and well-deserved tone/symphonic poems or akin works:

Zdenek Fibich - Zaboj, Slavoj and Ludek; Toman and the Wood Nymph
Siegmund von Hausegger - Wieland der Schmied, Barbarossa
Josef Suk - Fairy Tale (practically a 4-movement tone poem)
Havergal Brian - In Memoriam
Ernest Pingoud - Le Chant de l'Espace
William Lloyd Webber - Aurora
Frederick Converse - The Mystic Trumpeter
Adolf Wiklund - Summer Night and Sunrise
Eugeniusz Morawski - Nevermore
Emil Hartmann - Hakon Jarl
Adolphe Biarent - Trenmor
Victor Herbert - Hero and Leander
Svetlanov - Siberian Fantasy
Heino Eller - Phantoms
Edward German - Welsh Rhapsody
Uuno Klami - Northern Lights
Gerhard Schjelderup - Brand
Joseph Holbrooke - The Viking
Arthur Meulemans - Pliny's Fountain
Bohuslav Martinu - Vanishing Midnight


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## geralmar

Never seen it described as a tone poem; but Weber, "Invitation to the Dance" in the orchestral transcription by Berlioz, Ormandy, and anyone else.


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## Roger Knox

Robert Fuchs - Des Meeres und des Lebens Wellen
Hugo Wolf - Pentheselia
Siegfried Wagner - Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel waere
Egon Wellesz - Die Seejungfrau


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## Roger Knox

*Corrections to Post #173*, and *New List* of favourite German and Austrian symphonic poems/tone poems that haven't been mentioned on this thread:

_Corrections_ - Oh-Oh! Above is what happens when you try to wing it:
Fuchs - an overture (distinguishing symphonic/tone poem from concert overture, other types of orchestral works)
Wolf - spelled _Penthesilea_
S. Wagner - a scherzo or fantasy for orchestra
"Wellesz" - _Die Seejungfrau_ is by Alexander von Zemlinsky

_New List_ - ten favourite German and Austrian symphonic poems/tone poems:

Ludvig Philipp Scharwenka - Fruehlingswogen
Hugo Wolf - Penthesilea
Felix Weingartner - King Lear
Felix Weingartner - Das Gefilde der Seeligen
Felix Weingartner - Fruehling
Siegfried Wagner - Gluck
Alexander von Zemlinsky - Die Seejungfrau
Paul Graener - Turmwaechterlied
Max Reger - Four Tone Poems after Arnold Boecklin
Ernst Boehe - Taormina
Egon Wellesz - Vorfruehling


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## NjaP

I'll have to go with Scriabin's "Prometheus". It is so....epic (I hate that word).


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## Minor Sixthist

I'm a sucker for Sibelius' _Finlandia _and Smetana's _Ma Vlast_. Some more cases of brass bias, maybe. But no worse a reason than any.


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## cougarjuno

Cyril Scott's Neptune is a darn good symphonic poem. Brilliant orchestration


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## chalkpie

nature said:


> Sibelius' The Swan of Tuonela just is incredibly beautiful. Sounds like pure magic to me.


Right on. One of my fav pieces by anybody EVER.


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## Ravel

I recently got to play Strauss' Don Quixote in orchestra as 2nd horn. First of all, Strauss writes horn parts that are just damn hard. secondly, the way that this piece captures the story is unlike anything else - the very opening theme feels like opening a book, and the variations have you peering through chapters and reliving adventures. You come to feel Don Quixote's thirst for long lost acts of chivalry and courage. Besides assigning instruments to characters, Strauss uses the themes and variations to bring the story to life; from sheep sound effects, to Sancho Pancho's donkey to Don Quixote's very last breath. One of the most amazing moments of music that this piece contains is during the last variation - Duel with the knight of the bright moon. There's a sudden tempo change with the entrance of the brass - with an ominous fanfare they announce the faster pace, and as they are joined by the winds they culminate in a cadence carrying the 3 note motif - F D F, except the final note is played only by Don Quixote himself - the solo Cello.


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## kyjo

Ravel said:


> I recently got to play Strauss' Don Quixote in orchestra as 2nd horn. First of all, Strauss writes horn parts that are just damn hard. secondly, the way that this piece captures the story is unlike anything else - the very opening theme feels like opening a book, and the variations have you peering through chapters and reliving adventures. You come to feel Don Quixote's thirst for long lost acts of chivalry and courage. Besides assigning instruments to characters, Strauss uses the themes and variations to bring the story to life; from sheep sound effects, to Sancho Pancho's donkey to Don Quixote's very last breath. One of the most amazing moments of music that this piece contains is during the last variation - Duel with the knight of the bright moon. There's a sudden tempo change with the entrance of the brass - with an ominous fanfare they announce the faster pace, and as they are joined by the winds they culminate in a cadence carrying the 3 note motif - F D F, except the final note is played only by Don Quixote himself - the solo Cello.
> View attachment 106006
> 
> View attachment 106007


I recently played Don Quixote (section cello) as well! It really grew on me as I played it more, and it's now probably my favorite Strauss tone poem. I agree with everything you say - Strauss proves himself to be a master of motivic manipulation in this work. While playing it, it was revelatory to discover all the different permutations of the different characters' motives throughout the score. I agree with you about that passage in the final variation - the solo cello "screaming" that high F is such a great moment!


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