# Evocative pieces



## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Post some of the most evocative pieces you can think. By evocative I mean pieces whose main intention is to evoke images, moods, objets, etc, and they succeed in that.

-Ravel's "Miroirs" suite (some of the movements here):

"Sad Birds"











(Ravel playing)

"Une Barque sur l'Ocean"






"La Valée de Cloches"


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## jalex (Aug 21, 2011)




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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe - Daybreak






(I know, i'm a Ravel freak)


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## jalex (Aug 21, 2011)

Lots of Ravel, Debussy and even Messiaen will qualify here. Something not French, maybe?

Szymanowski's first violin concerto sounds evocative, though I'm not really sure what I think it's evocative of. A sort of fragmented, dream-like state I'd say:


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

jalex said:


> Lots of Ravel, Debussy and even Messiaen will qualify here. Something not French, maybe?
> 
> Szymanowski's first violin concerto sounds evocative, though I'm not really sure what I think it's evocative of. A sort of fragmented, dream-like state I'd say:


yeah, a very dream-like piece.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

Chopin's nocturnes, especially Op. 9, which succeed phenomenally at evoking "night" for me.


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

There is an orchestral triptych by Albert Roussel which is actually called "Evocations", and 
it certainly lives up to its title ! This obscure but marvelous work was inspired by the composer's visit to the great ancient temples of Indochina . The third part features 
a chorus and vocal soloists singing the praises of the ancient temples and the Gods .
Roussel's orchestration is filled with the most dazzling kaleidascopic colors you could ever imagine , and when you hear this work, you'll wonder where it's been all your life .
I have the Supraphon recording with the late Zdenek Kosler and the Czech Philharmonic , and it's coupled with the suite from the ballet "The Spider's Feast", another highly evocative work which depicts how a spider in a garden preys on the various insects .
I'm puzzled by the total neglect of "Evocations" in the concert hall. The only other recording of it I know of is on EMI with Michel Plasson and the Toulouse orchestra , but I haven't heard it. Check arkivmusic.com to see if either of these recordings is available. This is by far the best place on the internet if you're looking for hard to find classical CDs.


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## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)




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## Tapkaara (Apr 18, 2006)

Anything by Sibelius.


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## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)




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## PavelC (Oct 6, 2012)

Good day everyone, I need some help. Recently we had this polemic with one of my language teachers, she says that Vivaldi's seasons are a good example of emotions in music, whereas I said, that his music is more related to images?
Was either of us right or where we both wrong. I would like to hear any opinions. 

P.S. This is my first post in this, quite interesting forum, cheers everyone!


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## etkearne (Sep 28, 2012)

Honestly, most of the composers that I listen to are very good at evoking unusual moods in me. That is one thing that gets me "hooked" on a composer. For example, Bartok, who all of you know that I love dearly (except "The Wooden Prince"!!), has the ability to literally induce emotions in my mind which I have never ever experienced outside of listening to his music or a handful of other modernists (it was him that I heard first, though, so I give him the credit). The emotion is a strange mix of paranoia, nostalgia, euphoria, and a general altered state of consciousness. Rather hard to really describe.


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

I'm not really a big Pärt guy, but I bought his Litany on ECM years ago, and one of the two 'filler' pieces instantly gave me very strong associations to something like dark gray clouds over Eastern European rural grass plains, a certain 'quiet before the storm' thing, but not in the sense that there's excitement or anticipation. Something that's bleak, but in a kind of beautiful way; pleasant, cool winds etc. I find it interesting how the image was/is so clear and 'external', and less about inner states like sadness etc.


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

* nevermind


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

In addition to the Frenchies (and we may as well mention Saint-Saens too), Rimsky-Korsakov belongs on this thread for Scheherezade, Russian Easter, Capriccio Espangol to name a few.

Mendelsohn had his moments too, the opening of The Hebrides Overture comes to mind. 

And of course Richard Strauss: Alpine Symphony, etc...


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

I don't normally tend to see anything when listening to music but the first movement of van Beethoven's sixth symphony has always conjured up fantastic scenes for me.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

Rimsky, Mussorgsky, Strauss, Ravel, Debussy, Tchaikovsky and Wagner.


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## drpraetorus (Aug 9, 2012)

Hovanes, Mysterious Mountain


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## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)

This movement, brilliantly depicting the scene in the bible where Jesus calms the storm, followed by music that is supposed to 'evoke' images of a rainbow.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Debussy. La Cathedrale Engloutie ( The Submerged Cathedral)
Liszt. St.Francis of Assisi Preaching To the Birds.

Dvorak. The Cypresses for String Quartet.

Thomas Greene Bethune. The Battle of Manassas . Organ.

Dvorak. The Water Goblin,Symphonic Poem.
Sousa. Gliding Girl Tango.
Turina. Sinfonia Sevillana.
Ibert. Escales (Ports of Call)
Villa-Lobos. Uriapuru.

Messiaen. Reveil des Oiseaux. (Awakening Of the Birds) For piano and orchestra.


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

kv466 said:


> I don't normally tend to see anything when listening to music but the first movement of van Beethoven's sixth symphony has always conjured up fantastic scenes for me.


Beethovens 6th sounds so green&yellow.


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## bigshot (Nov 22, 2011)

It's a shame that the Pastoral inspired such banal imagery to Walt Disney.


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

Geirr Tveitt is often evocative (at least to me). His most famous piece is the folk tone arrangement 'Velkomne med æra' (Welcome with honour - first piece in the video) It gives me associations to something like a moonlit winter's night somewhere in rural Norway.


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

charles ives - in the night






it started at 5:49 approximately. A brief but really beautiful piece of music.


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