# Your Favourite Tarantellas



## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I don't know about anyone else, but when it comes to big-C Classical and Romantic music, I'm a big sucker for the tarantella dance form, even if a particular piece in question was written with the form but without the intention of it actually being danced.

For example, here's one of my all-time favourites:






Obviously, that's a single movement in a piano sonata, but it doesn't matter; I'm not looking for stand-alone works. So can anyone recommend me some wonderful tarantellas?! 

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From _Wikipedia_



> In the region of Taranto in Italy, the bite of a locally common type of wolf spider (named "tarantula" after the region), was popularly believed to be highly poisonous and to lead to a hysterical condition known as tarantism. The stated belief in the 16th and 17th centuries was that victims needed to engage in frenzied dancing to prevent death from tarantism using a very rhythmic and fast music. The particular type of dance and the music played became known as Tarantella.
> 
> The term Tarantella groups a number of different Italian couple folk dances characterized by a fast upbeat tempo, usually in 6/8 time (sometimes 18/8 or 4/4), accompanied by tambourines. It is among the most recognized of traditional Italian music.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

My all-time favorite!!! 




I'm sorry there wasn't a better video, unfortunately there's a huge error between the piano and orchestra around the 4-5th minute, they're at completely wrong places. But I sympathize with the performers, the music is still wonderful. Get a real recording!


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

Clearly:


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)




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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

This probably isn't really what the OP had in mind when he started this thread, but its not off topic so I thought I'd share it. This is John Corigliano's contemporary deconstruction of a tarantella from his 1st Symphony. Each movement of this symphony is dedicated to someone who the composer knew who died of AIDS. The person the Tarantella movement is dedicated to went insane from AIDS related dementia before he passed away. (This isn't a great performance, but it was all I could find on YouTube.


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## Couchie (Dec 9, 2010)

@Air I was going to post that one, one of my earliest, _earliest_, way back there, favourite piano pieces.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)




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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Sorry, best quality video I could find


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

From my travels, I bring you more Italianesque gifts:


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

emiellucifuge said:


> Sorry, best quality video I could find


That was my post! That video's better actually.


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