# A real challenge ...



## Beesquito (May 31, 2010)

I'm looking for help finding a piece of music, and all I can offer is the vaguest of hints regarding it's title.

My wife heard this work somewhere between 1 and 2 years ago, possibly on NPR (really, this is the best kind of detail she can provide.) She believes that it's title was probably not in English, but the word was easily identifiable with it's English translation. Pretty sure it was a one word title, maybe with "the" at the beginning. She also thinks the word implied energy of some sort. Something like "Electrik" or "Fantastik". It may have been related to dance, like a tarantella.

She is almost sure it had no vocal parts. It was fairly short, and she thinks it was a more modern piece (last century), although it could be older. Probably not before the 19th century. The composer's name, and possibly the song title as well, sounded Russian or Eastern European. Potentially German. 

Clearly we're not talking about something so common as Beethoven's 9th, but she doesn't think the work is all that obscure. She has really fond memories of this being a beautiful piece of music, and is desperate for any clues or suggestions or wild guesses you can offer. Dig deep people, if we find it it will make her day! 

One final caveat: any of the guides given here are just "senses" she has from her memory, so the real answer might not fit into some of what I've said. If you can think of something that might be the right title, but the composer is American, or it's from the 17th century or whatever, please post it.

Thanks.


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## ToneDeaf&Senile (May 20, 2010)

Beesquito said:


> I'm looking for help finding a piece of music, and all I can offer is the vaguest of hints regarding it's title.
> <snip>
> Thanks.


Your clues are indeed vague! Was it for full orchestra? A chamber work? Solo (unaccompanied) instrumental? How long is fairly short? Was it a one movement work? If not, how many movements? Or was it one moment from a multi-movement piece? Slow? Fast? Moderate? Fiery or relaxing?

Here's a really off-the-wall guess, based on *some* of your criteria - the second movement, "Un bal", from Hector Berlioz' "Symphonie Fantastique". At roughly six minutes it's short by classical music standards. It is both dance-like and melodic (beautiful?). "Fantastique" sounds something like "Fantastik". Un bal by itself seems an odd choice for a radio station to air, but NPR's "Performance Today" might do so as an orchestra concert excerpt. Again, this is a shot in the dark, and prolly not close to the mark.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Here is a list of my guesses for candidates. I tried to stick with one word titles or words seemingly about energy or fantasy. They may not be close, but I enjoyed compiling them anyway.

*Ralph Vaughan-Williams* - _Wasps_ (I thought they were saying "Rafe von Williams" when I first heard it.)





*Claude Debussy* - _Syrinx_





*Paul Dukas* -_ La Péri_





*Edvard Grieg* -_ Tanz_ (or _Peer Gynt Suite 1 - 3. Anitras Tanz_)





*Gustav Holst* - _The Planets_.
Maybe she heard an excerpt. Try Venus:




or Jupiter:




or one of the other five.

*Carl Neilsen* - _Helios Overture_





*Sergei Rachmaninoff* - _The Rock_





*Erik Satie* - _Gymnopedie No. ?_ (There are several of these and they are all exactly alike.)




or perhaps one of the _Gnossiennes_ (also all exactly alike. )





*Robert Schumann* - _Fantasiestucke, Op. 12_ 





Almost done, I promise.

*Jean Sibelius* - _Finlandia_




or _Presto_




or perhaps _The Oceanides_





*Igor Stravinsky* - _The Firebird _(excerpt)





I ruled out Richard Strauses _Elektra_ because there is no overture. It jumps right into operatic singing and is not what I would think of as particularly beautiful.

I ruled out Edgard Varese's _Arcana_ on the grounds that it too is not what most people would consider beautiful (though some do).


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

If possible, try to specify the instruments / character of the ensemble. There are many possibilities, the "Gymnopedies" by SATIE are candidates, very popular in both piano and orchestral versions.
He also wrote a work called "Parade" and a "Musique d´Ameublement", to mention just a few others.

The Polish-Baltic composer Vytautas BACEVICIUS (1905-1970) has written orchestral works by the names of
"Poeme Electrique" f.Orchestra (1932)
"Graphique" f.Orchestra (1964),
and his 6th Symphony has the name "Cosmique" (1960). He also wrote another orchestral work which I´m not sure has been recorded (the others have), "Poeme Cosmique" f. 188 instruments (1927)

The Czech composer Jaroslav JEZEK has written a ballet with orchestral music called "Nerves" (1928), which has likewise been recorded.

The Dane Knudaage RIISAGER wrote in a quite accessible style, including the ballets "Benzin" (=Petrol)
(1930), "Archeopteryx" and "Quartsiluni", recorded. Carl NIELSEN´s 4th Symphony has the subtitle "The Inextinguishable".

HONEGGER a well-known symphonic poem about a locomotive, "Pacific 231".


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## Beesquito (May 31, 2010)

So many good guesses! I'm really impressed with what you guys came up with. Unfortunately, none of these were "the one." Still, I got to hear some great music that I had not encountered before. Special recognition goes to joen_cph for the BACEVICIUS. The titles, era and geography; everything fit perfectly!

I was able to get a little more detail from my wife as we listened to these selections. More vague hints to follow. She's fairly sure that the piece is either full orchestra or ensemble with some instrument being featured, very possibly piano. Works like Dukas - _La Péri_ were "too brassy" while Sibelius - _Presto_ was "too stringy." She feels that it was very melodic, faster tempo than Neilsen's _Helios Overture_ or the _Gymnopedie_'s, that it does not start out "right in your face" but that it doesn't build too slowly. She also says it was a bit "sad."

Also, to clarify, the title is one of the things she's most sure about. Guesses like "Graphique", "Gymnopedie" and "The Oceanides" were great. As she was grasping for the word she ranged from things like "Fireworks" to "Tarantella." There's energy in the title, and she says that carries over to the song. Finally, she felt that she could rule out a number of possibilities just by the composer. She said she would remember if it were "Strauss, Debussy or someone as famous as that." But she does not think the piece is super obscure. She heard the piece on the radio, and later heard an interview with a composer (or conductor maybe?) who listed it as their one of their favorites.

Thanks again for your help everyone. Even if the search ends here, it has been a lot of fun looking around for it. With a few more great suggestions like we've had, I'm sure someone will hit on it!


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Im just going to throw this in here as it seems possible:

Shostakovich - Waltz


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Tough one ... A few more, though, mostly of the piano concerto kind, and then I´ll stop ...:

Pärt: Tabula Rasa
Liapunov: Ukranian Fantasy
Poulenc: Aubade
Saint-Saens: Wedding Cake Caprice; 5th Concerto, The Egyptian; Africa Fantasy
Silvestrov: Metamusik; Postludium
Lehar: Il Guado f. Piano & Orchestra
Martinu: 4th Piano Concerto, Incantation; Fresques de Piero della Francesca
Martin: Ballade
Bartok: Scherzo for Piano & Orchestra; Rhapsody
Strauss: Panathenäenzug; Burlesque
Liszt: Malediction, Totentanz
Scriabin: Prometheus
Stravinsky: Scherzo Fantastique (for Orchestra only); Capriccio for Piano & Orchestra; Movements; Fireworks
Janacek: Capriccio; Concertino
Rachmaninov: Paganini Rhapsody
Arensky: Ryabinin Fantasy
Paderewski: Polish Fantasy
Lutoslawski: Paganini Variations (also a version for piano & orchestra)
Malawski: Symphonic Etudes
Blacher: Concerto in Variablen Metern
Henze: Tristan
Kelemen: Mirabilia
Shostakovich: Scherzo for Piano & Orchestra
Casella: Scarlattiana
Britten: Diversions
Litolff: Scherzo and Concertos Symphoniques ....

and French Baroque: Rebel: Les Elemens


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## Beesquito (May 31, 2010)

The answer has been found! The winner is: *SUK* - _Scherzo Fantastique_ As soon as she saw Stravinsky's Scherzo Fantastique in joen_cph's post she said, "That's it! That's the title!" But as we listened to the piece she could tell it was not the one she had heard. However, the search also brought up Suk's piece with the same title. We checked it out, and she immediately knew it was the right one. I must admit that it fits in with all her clues pretty well, and that it has a very catchy melody.

Thanks again to everyone for your help. We had a lot of fun listening to your suggestions, and we definitely would not have found it without your help. Special thanks to joen_cph for making the suggestion that led us down the right path, and also for introducing us to tons of great new music in the process. I enjoyed this immensely. The search was the best part!


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I like Stravinsky's Scherzo Fantastique! It's a very early work by him, so it sounds kind of like the older Russian school. Good for him!


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I do like the Suk composition. I was not familiar with it and could never have guessed it, but would like to add it to my collection now after hearing it on YouTube. 

So, Beesquito and family, you have given much in return.


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