# Famous Orchestral Moments for each Instrument



## userfume (Nov 21, 2012)

Pretty self explanatory. Obviously this means works like symphonies, not concertos (for that particular instrument).
There are two which I'm pretty sure about
Bassoon: Rite of Spring Beginning
Violin: Solo in Scheherazade (Beginning of The Story of the Kalender Prince)


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## OboeKnight (Jan 25, 2013)

Oboe solo in movement 2 of Tchaikovsky's 4th


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## rrudolph (Sep 15, 2011)

Timpani in the Finale of the Carter Variations for Orchestra.


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

the Trumpet in Scriabin's "Le Poeme de l'Extase"

the snare drum in the last movement (Tocsin) of Shostakovich Eleventh Symphony

Cymbals in Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain"

the piano in Charles Ives Fourth Symphony! 

/ptr


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## Feathers (Feb 18, 2013)

French horn in the second movement of Tchaikovsky's 5th.


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

The whole Beethoven's 5th piano concerto.
If i remember right its the first piano concerto were the pianist starts with a solo before the orchestra starts to play. ( I might be wrong, please correct me if i am.)


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Violin in Ravel's "Jardin feerique" (final movement of Ma mere l'oye, the orchestral version, of course):


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Trumpet: Opening of Mahler 5th
Cello: Slow movement of Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2


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## TudorMihai (Feb 20, 2013)

My personal favorite is the trumpet solo from Gershwin's An American in Paris.


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Liszt's Piano Concerto #1 - triangle


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Huge, wooden, blunt hammer: now, what was that piece again..?


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

Horn: Opening of Malher 3

Trombone: Later in the first movement of Mahler 3 there is an extended solo

Timpani: the dueling timpanis from Nielsen 4

Bass drum: The end of Shostakovich 5. Also, the Dies Irae from Verdi's Requiem

Tam tam: Most people think of this instrument as being used solely to provide a huge crash at climactic points in the music, but my favorite use of this instrument is actually at a quiet section toward the end of Tchaikovsky 6. The way it just kind of blossoms out of the texture always gives me goose bumps.

Clarinet: The beginning of Gershwin' Rhapsody in Blue with the glissando

String bass: There are 3 I can think of: The famous solo in Mahler 1 (the Frere Jacques theme), the Elephant from Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals, and the Romance from Prokofiev's Lt. Kije

Viola: Berlioz's Harold in Italy (I know some people consider this like a viola concerto though so maybe it doesn't count). Also, the solo from Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis.

A few relatively obscure instruments with important parts:
Euphonium: Has a prominent solo in Mars, Bringer of War from Holsts' The Planets
Post Horn or Flugelhorn: Mahler 3 again; there's an extended solo that is played from offstage in the Scherzo movement
Ondes Martenot: Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

SuperTonic said:


> Tam tam: Most people think of this instrument as being used solely to provide a huge crash at climactic points in the music, but my favorite use of this instrument is actually at a quiet section toward the end of Tchaikovsky 6. The way it just kind of blossoms out of the texture always gives me goose bumps.


Only people who don't know Mahler or 20th century music very well. The tam tam is beautiful, and deserves to be used for more than just a bigger cymbal crash effect (for that matter, cymbals should be used for more than just big crashes).

Messiaen made great use of the tam tam and other orchestral gongs, often for subtle harmonic effects.

Another less common instrument:
Alto flute: used prominently in The Rite of Spring.


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## userfume (Nov 21, 2012)

Celesta: End of Shostakovich 5 1st movement


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## Eschbeg (Jul 25, 2012)

jani said:


> The whole Beethoven's 5th piano concerto.
> If i remember right its the first piano concerto were the pianist starts with a solo before the orchestra starts to play. ( I might be wrong, please correct me if i am.)


Yes and no. If by "solo" you mean an extended, cadenza-like passage, then yes, Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto more or less begins with a piano solo, but strictly speaking it doesn't happen before the orchestra starts to play; the orchestra opens the piece with a single chord before the piano enters.

Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto begins with totally unaccompanied piano before the orchestra begins, but it's not a "solo" in the above sense of the word; it's just a few measures.

Either way, there is precedent for such a thing in at least one piece I can think of: Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9, which begins with orchestra and piano sharing the beginning of the exposition right off the bat.


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

Eschbeg said:


> Yes and no. If by "solo" you mean an extended, cadenza-like passage, then yes, Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto more or less begins with a piano solo, but it doesn't happen before the orchestra starts to play; the orchestra opens the piece with a single chord before the piano enters.
> 
> *Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto begins with totally unaccompanied piano before the orchestra begins, but it's not a "solo" in the above sense of the word; it's just a few measures.*
> 
> Either way, there is precedent for such a thing in at least one piece I can think of: Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9, which begins with orchestra and piano sharing the beginning of the exposition right off the bat.


But very famous, since it was not normal with piano intro at the time.


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## Eschbeg (Jul 25, 2012)

typewriter: Satie's _Parade_


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Anvils in "Das Rheingold?" Or was it "Die Walküre?" No, I think the former. Very cool effect.

Another great horn (no longer French) moment: The opening to Holst's Venus.

A completely different horn treatment: The horn ensemble gallop in Dvorak's 9th - Schrezo 3rd movement? Anyway, it's a cool galloping effect. I think there are strings playing too, but the horns are what makes it.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Weston said:


> Anvils in "Das Rheingold?" Or was it "Die Walküre?" No, I think the former. Very cool effect.


Das Rheingold and Siegfried both, but not Walkure.

E-flat clarinet: Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, final movement.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Eschbeg said:


> typewriter: Satie's _Parade_


Metronome: Ligeti's....


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## Eschbeg (Jul 25, 2012)

science said:


> Metronome: Ligeti's....


car horn: Ligeti's _Grand macabre_


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## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

The *clarinet solo *on the second movement of the Unfinished symphony, where there is a feeling that the clarinet is floating above the orchestra.

The opening theme played by the *two horns *in the first movement of Schubert's Great C Major symphony. The theme was then repeated by the whole orchestra at the end of the movement. *Powerful stuff.*






The contributions of the *three trombones* on the Great C major symphony. The use of the trombones is very innovative because it is featured prominently like never before in the symphonic literature and is used for melodic development.



> One only has to look at Schubert's trombone writing, the bible that every composer should look to when studying trombone writing.
> 
> *Jay Friedman, Principal Trombonist, Chicago Symphony Orchestra*


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## Toddlertoddy (Sep 17, 2011)

Flute: Daphnis et Chloe, Brigg Fair
Alto Flute: Rite
Oboe: Concerto for Orchestra 4th mvt, Swan Lake Suite
Clarinet: Enigma (romanza)
Bassoon: Rite, Figaro overture (not really a solo but famous)
Cor anglais: Rite
E-flat Clarinet: Rite
Trumpet: Pictures (Promenade)
Sax: Pictures (Castle)
Euphonium: Pictures (Bydlo)
Contrabassoon: Ma mere l'oye, Piano Concerto for the Left Hand (Ravel)


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## Llyranor (Dec 20, 2010)

userfume said:


> not concertos (for that particular instrument).


The beautiful oboe at the start of the 2nd movement in Barber's violin concerto. Mesmerizing.





The flute that breaks the orchestral silence spell cast by the piano solo in the 2nd movement of Ravel's piano concerto in G (occurs past the 3min mark)


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## TudorMihai (Feb 20, 2013)

Bassoon: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Trombones: Night on Bald Mountain
Flute: Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
Clarinet: The intro of Rhapsody in Blue


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Two obvious timpani defining moments:

Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Scherzo.
Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra opening


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Flute / French horn - 1st movement Shostakovich 5
French Horns (off-stage) - Strauss Alpine Symphony
Double Bass - 3rd movement Mahler 1
Rasping glissando trombone - 4th movement Bartok Concerto for Orchestra
Trombone - 1st movement Mahler 3
Wood Block - 2nd & 4th movements Prokofiev 5
Tam-Tam (loud) - 1st movement Shostakovich 13 orchestral climax and coda
Tam-Tam (quiet) - 3rd movement Shostakovich 10
Cor Anglais - 1st movement Shostakovich 8 / 2nd movement Dvorak 9
Timpani - Nielsen 5 throughout really, but especially 4th movement.
Bass drum (loud) - 4th movement Khachaturian 1
Bass drum (quiet) - 1st movement Mahler 3
Tam-tam and tubular bell glissando - Ruders Concerto in Pieces
Wind machine - Vaughan Williams Sinfonia Antarctica / Strauss Alpine Symphony
Organ - 3rd movement Vaughan Williams Sinfonia Antarctica
Flexatone - Khachaturian Piano Concerto
Harp - Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio Espagnol
Snare Drum - 1st movements Shostakovich 7 / Nielsen 5


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## DrKilroy (Sep 29, 2012)

Eschbeg said:


> car horn: Ligeti's _Grand macabre_


Disagree. Wouldn't it be Gershwin's American in Paris? 

Best regards, Dr


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## Bone (Jan 19, 2013)

Bass trombone - Miraculous Mandarin
Tenor trombone - Tannhauser
Alto trombone - Schumann "Rhenish"
Bass trumpet - Rite
Trumpet - everything (just ask them....)
Piccolo trumpet - Pictures at an Exhibition marvelous version!


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## OboeKnight (Jan 25, 2013)

I think just about every instrument gets a defining moment in Rite of Spring lol.

Clarinet, Oboe, Piccolo, Violin, and Trumpet in Danzon No. 2 by Marquez


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Woodblocks - _every_ mid-20th to 21st centrury orchestral composition.


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## TudorMihai (Feb 20, 2013)

Weston said:


> Two obvious timpani defining moments:
> 
> Beethoven Symphony No. 9 Scherzo.
> Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra opening


I would also add the third movement of Sibelius' First Symphony.



Weston said:


> Woodblocks - _every_ mid-20th to 21st centrury orchestral composition.


For woodblocks, Josef Strauss' Moulinet Polka


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

Bassoon: First movement, Beethoven's 4th
Oboe: slow movement Brahms Violin Concerto
Horn: Til Eulenspiegel; scherzo of Mahler's 5th; finale coda Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony
Tombone: end of the fourth variation, finale, Vaughan Williams' 5th
Bass: trio, Beethoven's 5th
Cello: slow movement, Brahms' B-flat piano concerto
Flute: near beginning of finale of reconstructed Mahler 10th; slow variation, finale, Brahms' 4th
Violin: Benedictus of Missa Solemnis
Bass Tuba: "Knight's Dance" from Romeo and Juliet
Saxopohone: Il Vecchio Castello from Ravel's orchestration of Pictures at an Exhibition
Organ: finale of Saint-Saens' 3rd
Timpani: climax of Baccanale from Samson et Delilah
Snare Drum: Finale of Nielsen 5th


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

> Snare Drum: Finale of Nielsen 5th


There isn't a snare drum in the finale, I think you mean the 1st movement.


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## GGluek (Dec 11, 2011)

techniquest said:


> There isn't a snare drum in the finale, I think you mean the 1st movement.


You're right. My bad.


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## OboeKnight (Jan 25, 2013)

Oboe solo in the beginning of Saint-Saens' Bacchanale.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Eschbeg said:


> car horn: Ligeti's _Grand macabre_


lol, good one!: 



.


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## clavichorder (May 2, 2011)

Well, for French Horn Til Eulenspiegel by R. Strauss and to a lesser extent, the clarinet part in that piece strikes me as prominent.


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## OboeKnight (Jan 25, 2013)

Clarinet, oboe, flute, harp, and violin in Capriccio Espagnol. Those clarinet solos are killer haha. I played principal oboe on that piece in my youth orchestra and man, did the woodwinds get a workout haha.


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## Ramako (Apr 28, 2012)

Oboe: *Beethoven's 5th*

(if you haven't seen PDQ Bach's version then you should have)


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

Clarinet in the closing section of Daphnis et Chloe


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Bassoon fart joke in the slow movement of Haydn's Symphony #93.

George Szell got this right. Devastatingly funny!


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## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

The trio of the 3rd movement of Beethoven's 8th.

French horn, clarinet and double bass. What a great combo!


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## Whistler Fred (Feb 6, 2014)

A lot of the ones I thought of are already listed here, so I'll add a few more:

Various solo instruments, with particular mention of the bassoon, saxophones, and trombone in Ravel's Bolero. I also love the horn/celesta/two piccolos (in two keys) combination, which sounds like a single rich-sounding instrument in Ravel's masterful orchestration.

On the subject of horns, the solo that opens the finale of Stravinsky's Firebird.

And again not really a solo, but a very colorful use of wind instruments in a soloistic manner: the "Game of Pairs" from Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra.


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## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

Car horns: Gershwin's An American in Paris
Offstage brass: Mahler 2, finale
Timpani (x2): Nielsen 4, finale
Organ: RVW Sinfonia antartica, III
Bass clarinet: Shostakovich 11, IV
Antiphonal percussion: Daugherty's Metropolis Symphony. (I: Referee's whistles, II: fire bells, IV: flexatones and whips, V: Crash cymbals)


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## Symphonical (Mar 15, 2013)

There is the mysterious and dark German Tenorhorn/Baritone horn solo in the climactic 1st movement of Mahler's 7th Symphony. This symphony is also peppered with interesting cameos from the double bass, violin and cow-bell. In the more serene 4th movement, there is a lovely horn solo above guitar and mandolin and the timpani plays an important part in the riotous and dramatic 5th movement. I believe Mahler was really experimenting with new sounds and textures in this symphony, given the maverick and original orchestration.


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## Jobis (Jun 13, 2013)

contrabasson in ravel's ma mere l'oye


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## Richannes Wrahms (Jan 6, 2014)




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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Cello solo, third movement, Brahms second piano concerto.


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## JakeBloch (Mar 27, 2014)

Has NOBODY mentioned the cellos at the start of the 4th movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony?

Those are cellos, right? Not double basses?


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## pileofsticks (Mar 25, 2014)

As a bassoonist, I would have to say:

1) Mozart - Marriage of Figaro
2) Stravinsky - Rite of Spring
3) Tchaikovsky - Symphony no. 4
4) Profokiev - Peter and the Wolf
5) Rimsky-Korsakov - Scheherazade
6) Dukas - The Sorcerer's Apprentice
7) Ravel - Mother Goose Suite
8) Stravinsky - Firebird
9) Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique


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## musicrom (Dec 29, 2013)

The viola solo near the beginning of the Elgar Cello Concerto.


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## Classical Saxophonist (Oct 11, 2013)

Here are my top 10 favorite saxophone solos in orchestra music:

1.) Ravel - Pictures at an Exhibition 
2.) Rachmaninoff - Symphonic Dances 
3.) Ravel - Bolero 
4.) Bizet - L'Arlésienne 
5.) Shostakovich - Suite for variety orchestra
6.) Milhaud - La création du monde 
7.) Prokofiev - Romeo and Juliet 
8.) Vaughan Williams - Symphony 6
9.) Adams - City Noir 
10.) Britten - Sinfonia da Requiem


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

All the best moments for all the instruments happen all the time in Bartok's Concerto for orchestra.


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## mtmailey (Oct 21, 2011)

BEETHOVEN & MENDELSSOHN violin concertos final movements.DVORAK & ELGAR cello concertos final movements.Dvorak & ELGAR piano concertos final movements.BEETHOVEN piano 5 concerto last movement.TCHAIKOVSKY piano concerto 1 & violin concertos final movements.
View attachment 38247


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

A few more obvious (famous?) ones...
Cor Anglais: Dvorak 9th (2nd movement); Shostakovich 8 (1st movement)
Contrabassoon fart: Nielsen 6th (final note)
Organ: Strauss "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (opening)
Recording of a Nightingale: Respighi "Pines of Rome"
Bass drum: Copland "El Salon Mexico"


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## schuberkovich (Apr 7, 2013)

Oboe: 2nd movements of Brahms and Barber violin concertos; 1st movement Brahms 1st symphony


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Classical Saxophonist said:


> Here are my top 10 favorite saxophone solos in orchestra music:
> 
> 1.) Ravel - Pictures at an Exhibition
> 2.) Rachmaninoff - Symphonic Dances
> ...


I'd like to see a list like this for clarinet. Anyone able to do that for me?


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

> I'd like to see a list like this for clarinet. Anyone able to do that for me?


I can't do 10, but I can have a try at some...

1. Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue (opening)
2. Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique (Eb clarinet in last movement)
3. Prokofiev - Peter and the Wolf (the cat)
4. Ravel - Bolero
5. Nielsen - Symphony No.5 (1st movement)
6. Rimsky-Korsakov - Capriccio Espagnol (opening)
7. Shostakovich - Symphony No.7 (Bass Clarinet - 2nd movement, towards the end)


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

FJ Haydn, Symphony #93.

Toward the end of the second movement, Largo cantabile, there is a brilliant musical joke played by a solo bassoon-one vulgar note which sounds like a fart and that's exactly what it's supposed to be.

If you wish to hear a perfect representation of it, check out George Szell leading the Cleveland orchestra: vulgarly perfect!


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## schuberkovich (Apr 7, 2013)

I love the clarinet solo in Brahms symphony 3 1st movement


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

The cor anglais in absolutely anything, but especially Sibelius' _Swan of Tuonela_ (gives me the shivers just thinking about it) and Wagner's _Tristan_ (shudders instead of shivers).


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

Clarinet solo to begin Sibelius First Symphony
Piano in Shostakovich First Symphony
Harps in Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique Second Movement
Violin one tone higher in Mahler's Fourth Symphony second movement. The concertmaster has two different violins for this piece.
English Horn solo in Dvorak Ninth Second Movement


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## MagneticGhost (Apr 7, 2013)

If I remember correctly there is a lovely moment for solo cello in Sibelius' Swan of Tuonela
Short timpani solo in Panufnik's Sinfonia Sacra

Beautiful horn solo in Weber's Der Freischutz Overture

Cello section solo at start of 1812 Overture and Rossini's William Tell Overture.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The lovely oboe solos that begin:

Mahler's 3rd Symphony, movement two.

Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony, movement two.


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## ScipioAfricanus (Jan 7, 2010)

GreenMamba said:


> Liszt's Piano Concerto #1 - triangle


that's quite vulgar. well the whole concerto is vulgar.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The best triangle music by the way happens to be in Haydn's Military Symphony #100.


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## spradlig (Jul 25, 2012)

Under "viola", don't forget "Flos Campi", also by Vaughn Williams



SuperTonic said:


> Horn: Opening of Malher 3
> 
> Trombone: Later in the first movement of Mahler 3 there is an extended solo
> 
> ...


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Alto Trombone: 
...Mozart ~ Requiem.

Crotales (antique cymbals):
...Debussy, L'apres midi d'un faun
...Stravinsky ~ Le Sacre du printemps
...Ravel ~ Daphnis et Chloe
...John Adams ~ Dharma at Big Sur

Cymbal:
...Debussy ~ La Mer
...Poulenc ~ Dialogues des carmélites
Celeste: 
...Tchaikovsky ~ Nutcracker
...Bartok ~ Music for stringed instruments, percussion and celesta
...Shostakovich ~ Symphony No. 5

Wind Machine:
...Ravel ~ Daphnis et Chloe
...Rameau ~ Les Boréades (les vents

Wordless (mixed) Chorus:
...Ravel ~ Daphnis et Chloe
...Bartok ~ The Miraculous Mandarin
Wordless (female) Chorus
...Debussy ~ Trois Nocturnes; III Sirenes


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Oh, and...

Mandolin: Mahler ~ Das Lied von der Erde; Der Abschied.


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

Not sure if mentioned:

Triangle: Brahms 4
Guitar: Mahler 7
Saxophone: Mussorgsky, _Pictures_ (orch. Ravel)


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## User in F minor (Feb 5, 2014)

Anything for contrabass clarinet or contrabass trombone? (I'm aware of Schoenberg's "Vorgefühle" but the cb clarinet isn't that prominent really)


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## randomnese (Nov 30, 2013)

Xaltotun said:


> Huge, wooden, blunt hammer: now, what was that piece again..?


It's Mahler 6! (4th movement)

Piccolo: Tchaikovsky 4 Scherzo
Flute/Trumpet: Shostakovich 11 throughout
Snare drum: Bolero (overrated but whatever) / Shostakovich 11 2nd/4th movement
Celeste: Shostakovich 15 opening
Clarinet: Capriccio Espagnol
Piano (orchestral): Turangalîla-Symphonie
Violin/Cello: Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto no. 2 2nd movement
Timpani: Polovtsian Dances / Beethoven Violin Concerto cadenza / Nielsen 4
Horn: Brahms 1 4th movement
Oboe: Tchaikovsky 4 2nd movement
Viola: Harold en Italie


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

randomnese said:


> It's Mahler 6! (4th movement)


Could also be Berg's Three Orchestral Pieces...but I doubt that's what Xaltotun had in mind.


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## R3PL4Y (Jan 21, 2016)

PetrB said:


> Alto Trombone: Mozart ~ Requiem.


Do you mean the solo in the tuba mirum? Because that is a tenor trombone.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

So freakin' many!

One that I play over and over in my head:

The great bass clarinet solo in the final movement of the Shostakovich 8th Symphony.

Sounds like an accompaniment for a dancing elephant.

Love it!


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Where's the harp???
Examples:


Nosyrev's Ballet "The Triumphant of Love"
Glazunov's Ballet "Raymonda"
Rimsky-Korsakov's Opera-Ballet "Mlada"
Suk's Symphonic Poem "A Summer's Tale"


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## QuietGuy (Mar 1, 2014)

Flute solo in Part 3 of _Daphnis et Chloe_

Oboe solo in Movement II of _Escales_


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## TwoPhotons (Feb 13, 2015)

Xylophone - "Gothic" Symphony, near the end of the 3rd movement (by Havergal Brian)


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

There's a beautiful clarinet solo in Respighi's Pines of Rome just before the recorded birds begin to tweet.
Always has been one of my favorite musical moments.


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## TwoPhotons (Feb 13, 2015)

hpowders said:


> There's a beautiful clarinet solo in Respighi's Pines of Rome just before the recorded birds begin to tweet.
> Always has been one of my favorite musical moments.


Which reminds me, the piano entrance to the third movement of Pines of Rome is stunning as well.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

senza sordino said:


> English Horn solo in Dvorak Ninth Second Movement


That may be the most beautiful wind melody of the 19th century! William Schuman's 4th symphony opens with a beautiful clarinet melody. And Karl Hartmann's 2nd symphony features a baritone sax solo.

I just heard the mighty organ feature in RVW's Sinfonia Antartica. Great symphony!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I can't leave out the beautiful cello obligato from the Brahms Second Piano Concerto, Movement 3.


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Clarinet: Rachmaninov 2nd symphony, slow (3rd) movement. Strings swirl in with that lush ritornello figure then a lonely, wistful solo clarinet quietly sings to itself. Lump in the throat every time.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

I'm sure many of these have been named earlier, but I will compile them together. Flute solos:

1. Debussy _Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun_, beginning solo
2. Ravel _Daphnis et Chloe_, main solo, plus the "Giant Flute" solo which involves all 4 players trading off a continuous idea.
3. Faure _Pelleas et Melisande_, Sicilienne
4. Brahms Symphony 1 IV and Brahms Symphony 4 IV solos
5. Stravinsky _Petrushka_, multiple moments but particularly the very beginning, and later the solo all alone
6. Bach Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor (entirety lol)
7. Dvorak Symphony No. 8 IV solo
8. Bizet solos from _Carmen _Entracte and _L'arlesienne_ Menuet (which have striking similarities, not to mention both in E flat major)
9. Hindemith _Symphonic Metamorphosis:_ III Andantino, ending solo
10. Rimsky-Korsakov _Capriccio Espagnol_ and _Russian Easter Overture_ solos
11. Prokofiev _Peter and the Wolf_, bird's solo
12. Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3, ending solo (though there is good beginning one too)
13. Tchaikovsky _Nutcracker _Dance of the Toy Flutes, solo
14. Richard Strauss solo from _Salome _Dance of the Seven Veils
15. Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, many solos throughout the whole symphony, hard to tell which is my favorite even

There are tons more, some I've forgotten in the moment, and others of lesser importance. Yeah, I know a lot :lol: I've _learned _all these solos myself, as orchestral excerpts or actually have performed them.

Maybe I'll do piccolo list later!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The First Movement of Shostakovich's Eighth Symphony, about 2/3 of the way through, there is a profound 3 1/2 minute English Horn Solo accompanied by tremolo strings. Memorable!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The English Horn is a favorite wind instrument of mine.

I already mentioned the great solo in movement one of the Shostakovich Symphony No. 8.

Other well-known favorite solos are the largo solo from the New World Symphony by Dvorak and the third movement dialog between English horn and oboe in the third movement of the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The memorable violin solo in Mahler's Symphony No. 4, Second Movement is a favorite of mine.


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## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

Speaking as a former amateur (school) bassoonist, isn't "that" passage in the fourth movement of Beethoven's Fourth supposed to give bassoonists nightmares?


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

The clarinet in the beginning of act 2 Tannhäuser.

And a honourable mention to the piano by Chopin : Rondo à la Krakowiak
Try to play it.....:tiphat:


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## Johnhanks (Feb 21, 2016)

Totenfeier said:


> Speaking as a former amateur (school) bassoonist, isn't "that" passage in the fourth movement of Beethoven's Fourth supposed to give bassoonists nightmares?


As a former amateur (geriatric) bassoonist, I can endorse this. Thankfully, none of the bands I played in ever tried Beethoven 4; then again, as bassoon 2 I could just have sat back and watched my principal sweat as the beginning of the recapitulation got closer...


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## Dedalus (Jun 27, 2014)

Skilmarilion said:


> Not sure if mentioned:
> 
> Triangle: Brahms 4
> Guitar: Mahler 7
> Saxophone: Mussorgsky, _Pictures_ (orch. Ravel)


I'm glad somebody mentioned the guitar in Mahler's 7th, even if the part is excruciatingly simple. It's nice to see the guitar getting some love in a major symphonic work. The only other major(ish) piece i know that heavily features guitar is le Marteau Sans Maitre, and i like that guitar part much better. Is actually seems the it has somewhat equal heft in the piece while in the Mahler piece it's only one movement and seems mostly ornamental to me.

Anyone know of any other cool classical pieces featuring guitar?


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Dedalus said:


> I'm glad somebody mentioned the guitar in Mahler's 7th, even if the part is excruciatingly simple. It's nice to see the guitar getting some love in a major symphonic work. The only other major(ish) piece i know that heavily features guitar is le Marteau Sans Maitre, and i like that guitar part much better. Is actually seems the it has somewhat equal heft in the piece while in the Mahler piece it's only one movement and seems mostly ornamental to me.
> 
> Anyone know of any other cool classical pieces featuring guitar?


Schoenberg's Serenade, op. 24 and Takemitsu's Toward the Sea come to mind. I realize that both of them are chamber music, rather than orchestral (so is Le marteau), but guitar isn't used much in orchestral music for the simple reason that it's not a particularly loud instrument.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Saxophone - Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances, 1st movement; never has a saxophone sounded more beautiful.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Rattle (the percussion instrument, not Sir Simon) - Respighi, Pines of Rome
Piccolo - Shostakovich, Symphony No.8
Trumpet - Scriabin, Poem of Ecstacy
Cimbalon - Kodaly, Hary Janos


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I love the opening clarinet solo of Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto, becoming a duet for 2 clarinets, then finally dissolving as the violins take over. Memorable.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Wagner tuba - Bruckner 7, Adagio
Organ - RVW 7, Landscape
Organ - Khatchaturian 3
Timpani - Berlioz Requiem, Tuba mirum


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Solo violin - Rimsky Korsakov, Scheherazade; Vaughan Williams, The Lark Ascending
Tam-tam - Respighi, Pines of Rome (unless you get one of those recordings that somehow doesn't mic the tam-tam)
Anvils - Wagner, Das Rheingold


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

--The gorgeous *OBOE* solo that opens the second movement of Barber Symphony No. 1

--Trumpet solo at the beginning of Pictures at an Exhibition - Mussorgsky/Ravel


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Weston said:


> Woodblocks - _every_ mid-20th to 21st centrury orchestral composition.


thinking of Adams: Short Ride in a Fast Machine! TONS of woodblock!


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