# Most exhilarating beginning to an orchestral work



## Pyotr

We recently had a thread where we discussed the “most epic endings,” but what about your favorite starts to an orchestral work? “Most epic beginnings” doesn’t sound right, so I used the above term (exhilarating beginnings). By “beginnings” I mean (for the purposes of this thread) the first five minutes or less to the start of an orchestral work; by “exhilarating” I mean one that immediately gets your attention, or chills your spine, or drops your jaw, or floats your boat, or even brings tears to your eyes, etc. 

Ballets and operas are OK, but no overtures please. 

Here’s a couple of mine:

Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto No. 1 
Paganini’s violin concerto No. 4


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## Jeffrey Smith

Brahms PC 1
Bach Christmas Oratorio


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## Becca

The 'sneeze' at the start of Zoltan Kodaly's Hary Janos Suite :lol:


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## Pugg

Mahler's second symphony, the drama is starting immediately.
Rachmaninov second piano concerto also very interesting :tiphat:


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## helenora

*R. Strauss "Also sprach Zarathustra"*


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## techniquest

Great thread topic 
Here are a few I can think of immediately:
Prokofiev's 3rd Symphony - frightens the life out of you, especially if you have the volume set rather high; Khachaturians 2nd symphony does exactly the same thing.
Khachaturian's 3rd Symphony - that long crescendo at the very start really makes an impact.
Mahler's 1st symphony - we can listen to this now and appreciate with a sense of wonder at the massive and monumental amount of symphonic writing over 9 (or 10) huge symphonies that this opening few minutes heralds; back in the day one can only imagine what this strange and mysterious sound meant to audiences in a world so used to Brahms, Schumann and Beethoven.


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## Animal the Drummer

Some good suggestions already. My contribution: Elgar's "In The South".


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## Strange Magic

The pounding drum at the beginning of the Brahms Symphony #1. I second the motion for the opening of the Brahms Piano Concerto #1 and the Tchaikovsky, too. Bach Clavier Concerto # 1, Prokofiev Piano Concerto #1. Lotta evidence here that many composers want to start out first symphonies, concertos, etc. with a bang.


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## elgar's ghost

Bruckner's 5th - I wasn't expecting anything like that.


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## manyene

The starts of the Rachmaninov and Saint-Saens First Piano Concertos.


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## dgee

Well, Don Juan is the nice easy the answer! How about this tho:


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## Richannes Wrahms

Schumann's Symphony No. 3 with its catchy theme (everything after the canon with the woodwinds kinda blurs in my memory under 'ah yes, Schumann, that guy')


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## kartikeys

I enjoy several of the beginnings of Johann Georg Pisendel


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## TxllxT




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## maestro267

One of my favourite openings is A Sea Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams. A brass fanfare, then the choir declare, fortissimo: "BEHOOOOOLD....THE *SEEEEEEA* itself!" On "sea", the full orchestra (including organ) comes crashing in, and we're on our way.


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## Art Rock

Mendelssohn's italian symphony.


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## Stavrogin

Ravel's piano concerto in G

The whip and the rush 
And then the calm


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## starthrower

Stravinsky's Petrushka


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## Pyotr

helenora said:


> *R. Strauss "Also sprach Zarathustra"*


And how! An epic one indeed! Great choice.

I also like the beginning of Mozart's 25th symphony. What I like about the submissions so far, is it gets me to check out a work without spending all day.


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## hpowders

For me, it's the opening march of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 4.


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## Mahlerian

techniquest said:


> Mahler's 1st symphony - we can listen to this now and appreciate with a sense of wonder at the massive and monumental amount of symphonic writing over 9 (or 10) huge symphonies that this opening few minutes heralds; back in the day one can only imagine what this strange and mysterious sound meant to audiences in a world so used to Brahms, Schumann and Beethoven.


Eduard Hanslick said that the piece wasn't music at all.

Anyway, kind of cheating, because it's not really orchestral, but I'd choose Stravinsky's Les Noces for having one of the most striking openings of any piece.

After that,

Bach's Sixth Brandenburg Concerto
Beethoven's Symphony No. 5
Debussy's La Mer
Mahler's Symphony No. 7
Mozart's Prague Symphony
Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 1


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## DavidA

helenora said:


> *R. Strauss "Also sprach Zarathustra"*


The opening of Zarathustra is tremendous. Pity about what follows!


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## DavidA

Beethoven piano concerto 5

the Mozart Piano concerto K466 is also terrific. "It begins and ends with a shudder"

And, of course, Beethoven symphony 5


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## EarthBoundRules

Schumann - Piano Concerto 1
Tchaikovsky - Piano Concerto 1


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## brotagonist

Mahler's Eighth Symphony, part 2


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## hpowders

Respighi's Pines of Rome comes to mind in addition to the Shostakovich Fourth Symphony.


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## Chronochromie

Lutoslawski - Symphony No. 3
Messiaen - Turangalila Symphonie; Chronochromie; Éclairs sur l'au-delà...
Prokofiev - Symphony No. 2
Nielsen - Symphony No. 6
Sibelius - Symphonies Nos. 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7
Debussy - Trois Nocturnes; Images
Xenakis - Jonchaies; Eridanos
Dutilleux - Timbres, espace, mouvement
Bartók - Piano Concerto Nos. 2 and No. 3
Berg - Violin Concerto; Three Pieces for Orchestra
Schoenberg - Piano Concerto; Five Pieces for Orchestra
Berwald - Symphony No. 3
Sciarrino - Autoritratto nella notte
Murail - Gondwana; L'esprit des dunes
Gubaidulina - Stimmen...verstummen
Saariaho - Verblendungen; Du cristal

Ok I'll better stop...


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## Stavrogin

Totentanz deserves a mention here.

TAWN-TAWN-TAWN-TAWN
TAWN-TAWN-TAWN-TAWN
TAWN-TAWN-TAWN-TAWN
TAWN-TAWN-TAWN-TAWN
TAWN-TAWN-TAWN-TAWN
TAWN-TAWN-TAWN-TAWN
TAWN-TAWN-TAWN-TAWN
TAWN-TAWN-TAWN-TAWN
TAWN-TAWN-TAWN-TAWN
TAWN-TAWN-TA..................


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## Xaltotun

I think Mahler is the master of exhilarating beginnings. Also, it seems that a lot of "old warhorses" have, for some reason or another, very exciting beginnings. Beethoven symphonies 3 and 5, anyone? Several others, too.


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## Manxfeeder

The opening to Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin always pulls me in. It's like he went to the fifth floor of a New York building and hung out a microphone over the street.


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## techniquest

Manxfeeder said:


> The opening to Bartok's Miraculous Mandarin always pulls me in. It's like he went to the fifth floor of a New York building and hung out a microphone over the street.


Oh yes, that's a really good opening - great choice.

Someone mentioned RVW's Sea Symphony; such a fantastic, powerful opening page or two, but for me everything that follows in that work is waffle.

The opening of Mahler's 5th always impressed me, from the solo trumpet to the big major chords, and then somehow the orchestra is dragged down to the darkest depths of gloom. Again, such a pity that the rest of it fails to do anything for me


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## KenOC

Listened to Borodin's 2nd Symphony yesterday. Great opening!


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## dsphipps100

I'm glad to see that somebody mentioned Respighi, but I can't believe that nobody has mentioned "Circuses", the opening from Respighi's Feste Romane ("Roman Festivals"). You get a full orchestra at full blast from Bar 1, plus you also have offstage brass, and then within about 3 minutes, we also add an organ into the mix. Even Also Sprach Zarathustra doesn't have offstage brass in its opening.


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## starthrower

Mussorgsky-Night On Bald Mountain


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## SeptimalTritone

Mahlerian said:


> Anyway, kind of cheating, because it's not really orchestral, but I'd choose Stravinsky's Les Noces for having one of the most striking openings of any piece.


Ah yes, Stravinsky had really striking openings for freaking all of his major compositions, from Petrushka and Rite of Spring to Symphony of Psalms to Agon and Threni.



Mahlerian said:


> Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony No. 1


AHHHHHH my pants!!! I love the slow cheeky resolution of the quartal chord to F major, the towering fourths of the french horn afterwards, the fast triplet theme in the cello, and how it all gets transformed and recapitulated throughout the entire piece.

For thread duty: I'd say the opening of Webern's symphony op 21 is very striking for its Klangfarben beginning: brass, strings, clarinet.


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## tortkis

The opening of Dvorák's Slavonic Dances, Op.46 No.1 in C major is intense and exhilarating. I was shocked when I first heard it. (Rafael Kubelik & Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks)


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## helenora

DavidA said:


> The opening of Zarathustra is tremendous. Pity about what follows!


I think I must agree.....it happens to almost all prophets .....such is their fate. Tremendous beginning, but the continuation or the end is less tremendous indeed


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## dsphipps100

DavidA said:


> The opening of Zarathustra is tremendous. Pity about what follows!


Try the Sinopoli-New York Philharmonic recording. It was the first time that "what follows" ever held my attention _more_ than the "Sunrise" beginning. I might not ever bother listening to Karajan's version again....


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## Chordalrock

Penderecki 7th symphony ('Seven Gates of Jerusalem').


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## techniquest

dsphipps100 said:


> I'm glad to see that somebody mentioned Respighi, but I can't believe that nobody has mentioned "Circuses", the opening from Respighi's Feste Romane ("Roman Festivals"). You get a full orchestra at full blast from Bar 1, plus you also have offstage brass, and then within about 3 minutes, we also add an organ into the mix. Even Also Sprach Zarathustra doesn't have offstage brass in its opening.


I'm so pleased that someone else enjoys the Respighi Rome poems. Feste Romane is the one that gets played least - probably because it is the most expensive to put on and the least immediately accessible and tuneful. I agree with you, it certainly has an epic opening few minutes and I thank you for reminding me to give another listen


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## Guest

Prokofiev's Piano Concerto #3. That gets your attention! 
Mahler's Symphony #6


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## jim prideaux

Nielsen-2nd Symphony...in the new Jarvi/Frankfurt recording it practically jumps out of the speakers!


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## Jeff W

I'm quite partial to the opening of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 myself (and everything else that follows!).


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## TwoPhotons

Brian - Gothic Symphony
Mahler - Resurrection Symphony, 5th movement
R. Strauss - Elektra (it's technically an opera but you can imagine it as the opening to an orchestral work)
Schoenberg - Peripetie
Stravinsky - Petruschka
Ravel - Daphnis et Chloe


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## Purfling

Elgar Cello Concerto
Enescu Symphony 2
Bartok Piano Concerto 1
Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue
Dvorak's 9th symphony
Saint-Saens Carnival of the Animals
Respighi Pines of Rome
Debussy Afternoon of a Faun

I could probably spend all day making a list...


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## drnlaw

Janáček's opera Věc Makropulos.
Leoni's opera l'oracolo


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## mmsbls

I will add Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol. It starts with a short explosion of fun. There is no build up but rather an immediate blast of excitement.


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## Dawood

The beginning of Beethoven's 7th
and Brahms's 3rd
also CPE Bach's Symphony in E Flat Minor


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## geralmar

Nielsen Symphony #3.


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## ShadowRaz

Prokofiev - Dance of the Knights
This legend though


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## jegreenwood

Agree with many works listed. Let me add Janacek's _Sinfonietta_


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## DeepR

Scriabin 3, the entire first 5-6 minutes or so is possibly my favorite opening to any orchestral piece. 
The rest of the symphony can get rather tedious depending on my mood. It's a really problematic piece and I always find something I don't like about a performance and/or recording. The only recording that works for me is the one from the Ashkenazy set. That made me hear what a wonderful piece it is.
It doesn't need to be slow, super heavy and over the top, it works better when it's just a little lighter and more upbeat.


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## Cheyenne

Bartók's The Miraculous Mandarin is quite something, but to me the most powerful has always been Shostakvich's 4th too. Also Brahms' 4th! If we count the entire 'piece', the first of Schönberg's five pieces for orchestra is irreplaceable.


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## JosefinaHW

helenora said:


> I think I must agree.....it happens to almost all prophets .....such is their fate. Tremendous beginning, but the continuation or the end is less tremendous indeed


I see the wink but that is a very interesting explanation for why the rest of the piece falls so short IMO. TY


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## hpowders

I love the opening hushed brass fanfare of the Schumann Second Symphony.


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## helenora

JosefinaHW said:


> I see the wink but that is a very interesting explanation for why the rest of the piece falls so short IMO. TY


I'll listen to it again to refresh my memory. Haven't listened to it for quite a while, hope this time it will sound less homiletic than before :lol:

well, done. What to say? Incredible! A work that was undervalued by me.The continuation is nothing less than the opening, instead it's quite logical continuation of this gorgeous "Einleitung".
Wonderful mosaic-like composition, sometimes perhaps kaleidoscopic , but nonetheless it's not shallow as I thought before and what people often think of R. Strauss's music. It's beautiful and inspiring , inspiring as almost all works by Strauss. ( G. Solti with Chicago orchestra)


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## Ukko

Beethoven's 5th Symphony - heavily influenced by knowing what follows.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT

Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony - you're running in bright sunshine from the outset. Irresistible!


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## Becca

helenora said:


> I'll listen to it again to refresh my memory. Haven't listened to it for quite a while, hope this time it will sound less homiletic than before :lol:
> 
> well, done. What to say? Incredible! A work that was undervalued by me.The continuation is nothing less than the opening, instead it's quite logical continuation of this gorgeous "Einleitung".
> Wonderful mosaic-like composition, sometimes perhaps kaleidoscopic , but nonetheless it's not shallow as I thought before and what people often think of R. Strauss's music. It's beautiful and inspiring , inspiring as almost all works by Strauss. ( G. Solti with Chicago orchestra)


Many works can survive the caprices of the conductor but Zarathustra is definitely not one of them. I have certainly heard a number of versions which seem to go nowhere after the first few minutes, and then I encounter one such as Andris Nelsons with the Berlin Philharmonic which are riveting for the entire piece. I think that AlpenSinfonie is another such work.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony - you're running in bright sunshine from the outset. Irresistible!


Sorry to quote myself, but it's only just occurred to me that the opening of the "Italian" Symphony might have been the precursor to the opening chorus of _Les Troyens_ ("Italie! Italie!"... as they sing later in the opera), and even the opening aria of _Tannhäuser_ Act II ("Dich, teure Halle").

Coincidence, or did the great composer/conductors Berlioz and Wagner draw inspiration from Mendelssohn's symphony? They'd surely both have been familiar with it, if not performed it themselves.


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## Adair

The Brahms Fourth.


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## Tristan

In my obsession with endings, I sometimes neglect great beginnings--but one that stands out to me is the opening bars of Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 1. If that doesn't draw you into a piece, I don't know what will.


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## njk345

Also sprach zarathustra's certainly got an epic beginning (perhaps it would be better if they played the whole thing backwards

But on a more traditionally symphonic scale:
-Mahler 5, 6, and 8 --> ESPECIALLY the 8th (it's the symphony of a thousand after all)
-shostakovich 7 and festive overture
-tchaikovsky piano concerto 1, 4th symphony (blistering brass fanfare)
-beethoven 5 obviously


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## tahnak

It has to be the two fortississimo attacks at the beginning of Eroica Symphony


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## DavidA

tahnak said:


> It has to be the two fortississimo attacks at the beginning of Eroica Symphony


The four notes at the beginning of the fifth get the attention as well!


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## Xaltotun

njk345 said:


> Also sprach zarathustra's certainly got an epic beginning (perhaps it would be better if they played the whole thing backwards
> 
> But on a more traditionally symphonic scale:
> -Mahler 5, 6, and 8 --> ESPECIALLY the 8th (it's the symphony of a thousand after all)
> -shostakovich 7 and festive overture
> -tchaikovsky piano concerto 1, 4th symphony (blistering brass fanfare)
> -beethoven 5 obviously


The beginning of Mahler 8th is one of my favourite Mahler moments. Hard to restrain myself from screaming "VENI, CREATOR SPIRITUS!". And impossible to restrain from smiling widely like an idiot!


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## waldvogel

Brahms Double Concerto. Short, majestic, intense, and leading to a passionate solo from the cello. 

Mozart Piano Concerto in E flat, K. 482. Sure catches your attention, and it doesn't sound like it's going to be a concerto at all.

If we can bring in an overture-less opera into the conversation, it's hard to beat Boris Godunov.


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## brucknerian

For me, nothing beats the beginning of Hans Rott Symphony 1.


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## anshuman

Janacek's Sinfonietta


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## hansklein

The beginning of Mahler's 6th makes me want to pick up a bayonet and start attacking the opposing force. And I'm basically a pacifist!


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## R3PL4Y

Vaughan Williams 4th definitely gets your attention.


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## Xenakiboy

Just discovered him myself, fantastic composer. Very small output too!


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## Varick

There are some great mentions already, so no need to repeat. I'm just surprised that no one has mentioned this gem of an opening:

Copeland: Fanfare For the Common Man. Has a solo instrument (I'm referring to the horn, not the percussion) ever made such a dramatic entrance?

V


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## premont

geralmar said:


> Nielsen Symphony #3.


This is my choice too.


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## TwoPhotons

The beginning of the the second part of Prefatory Action by Scriabin/Nemtin is quite exhilirating in a "knock-your-socks-off" kind of way!


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## Forss

I recently stumbled upon Schoenberg's _Suite for Orchestra in G_ and found the opening bars of the _Overture_ to be quite remarkable. They immediately set the tone for the whole piece, and one can really feel the air of a _new world_ blowing (despite its rather contradictory subtitle, "Suite im alten Stile"). The opening theme kind of resembles a symphony from the heroic period, but with a completely different Titan, as it were.


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## Meyerbeer Smith

The openings of the overtures to Wagner's _Liebesverbot_, Herold's _Zampa_, and Glinka's _Ruslan & Lyudmila_.


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## Totenfeier

Since my good TC fellows have already covered Mahler well, I'll skew toward the other Gustav and put forth the opening of "Mars" from _The Planets_.

Hell, throw in "Jupiter" for good measure.


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## Robert Gamble

I realize this post was over a year ago, but I'll second this... It may not be my most exhilarating beginning from my admittedly limited experience so far (I probably would vote for Nielsen's 3rd Symphony or Strauss's "Also Spach Zarathustra". But since I knew nothing about "A Sea Symphony" that choir caught me completely off guard!



maestro267 said:


> One of my favourite openings is A Sea Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams. A brass fanfare, then the choir declare, fortissimo: "BEHOOOOOLD....THE *SEEEEEEA* itself!" On "sea", the full orchestra (including organ) comes crashing in, and we're on our way.


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## jegreenwood

Perhaps, because I associate it with the bicyclists in "Breaking Away," but the first piece of music that came to mind was Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony.


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## Tchaikov6

Opening to Petrouchka (I don't know if it's been mentioned or not) is the first piece that comes to mind...


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## fireflyinjuly

maestro267 said:


> One of my favourite openings is A Sea Symphony by Ralph Vaughan Williams. A brass fanfare, then the choir declare, fortissimo: "BEHOOOOOLD....THE *SEEEEEEA* itself!" On "sea", the full orchestra (including organ) comes crashing in, and we're on our way.


I agree - also the opening to his London Symphony.


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## MarkW

Overture to Benvenuto Cellini
Don Juan
Act Two of Der Rosenkavalier
Bach Magnificat


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## Bettina

Beethoven's Emperor Concerto. It begins with a huge chord played by the orchestra, and then the pianist jumps right in with an outburst of arpeggios. It's like the pianist is so eager to play that he can't even wait his turn! Such a thrilling sense of urgency. It reminds me a bit of the premature horn entrance in the Eroica's recapitulation...that feeling of being overcome by impatience and excitement!


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## Pugg

The first cords of Mahler 2 been mentioned yet?
You can feel the suspense right away.


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## Pugg

Bettina said:


> Beethoven's Emperor Concerto. It begins with a huge chord played by the orchestra, and then the pianist jumps right in with an outburst of arpeggios. It's like the pianist is so eager to play that he can't even wait his turn! Such a thrilling sense of urgency. It reminds me a bit of the premature horn entrance in the Eroica's recapitulation...that feeling of being overcome by impatience and excitement!


We have ( roughly) the same intriguing fascination with this work, it's amazing.


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## Azol

Pugg said:


> Mahler's second symphony, the drama is starting immediately.
> Rachmaninov second piano concerto also very interesting :tiphat:





Pugg said:


> The first cords of Mahler 2 been mentioned yet?


You bet! :lol:

Plus:
Bach - Christmas Oratorio
Mahler 8


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## Pugg

Azol said:


> You bet! :lol:
> 
> Plus:
> Bach - Christmas Oratorio
> Mahler 8


Al least one us was _awake_ and I am being consistent.


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## AfterHours

Symphony No. 9 in D Minor "Choral" - Ludwig van Beethoven (1824) 
Symphony No. 5 in C Minor - Ludwig van Beethoven (1808) 
Symphony No. 41 in C Major - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1788) 
Symphony No. 5 - Gustav Mahler (1902) 
Symphony No. 3 in F Major - Johannes Brahms (1883) 
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major "Eroica" - Ludwig van Beethoven (1804) 
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major "Emperor" - Ludwig van Beethoven (1811) 
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1875) 

...Just some that immediately come to mind ... They've probably all been mentioned already and there's plenty more to add if I thought about it for more than 15 seconds, but that would've made my choices less exhilarating and I wanted to listen to the OP


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## hpowders

Exhilaration means different things to different people, it would seem.

I don't need orchestral bombast to feel exhilarated.

The beautiful clarinet solo at the beginning of Prokofiev's Third Piano Concerto serves as a more quiet exhilaration for me.

The beautiful, poetic, quiet openings of Appalachian Spring and Daphnis et Chloé exhilarate me.

I've moved beyond superficial orchestral blasts to provide me with great pleasure. Instead of exhilaration, they usually give me a headache instead.

For those who do get exhilaration from orchestral allegros, the beginning of Christopher Rouse's Symphony No. 4 may provide you with such.


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## premont

geralmar said:


> Nielsen Symphony #3.


My choice too, long before I saw this post.


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## Pat Fairlea

Hpowders makes the good point that 'exhilarating' need not mean loud and/or bombastic.

So, allow me please to nominate Beethoven's 4th piano concerto. For a piece written in 1805-6 to begin with a gentle, simple chord,a pause, then some thoughtful noodling around that chord was quite extraordinary and rather wonderful.

On the other hand, if you want brisk, dynamic exhilaration, not much tops Glinka's Russlan & Ludmilla Overture. Hellova piece!


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## Gordontrek

Tchaikovsky's 4th, Also Sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan (Strauss), Cuban Overture by Gershwin, Fireworks by Stravinsky......best I can think of off the top of my head at 1 am.


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## Omicron9

Shostakovich 4
Brahms 1


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## Tchaikov6

Omicron9 said:


> Shostakovich 4
> *Brahms 1*


The opening of this symphony actually kind of bores me...


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## Brahmsian Colors

After so many tallies for Richard Strauss' Zarathustra, it's time Ein Heldenleben was invited to the party.


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## njk345

Gershwin Piano Concerto


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## BehnStrople

Brahms Symphony No.1 (the pounding drum as Strange Magic mentioned), Mahler's Symphony No.9's slow pace is so wonderfully melancholic and that build-up! Borodin's 2nd Symphony is pure rock and roll! and of course Beethoven's Eroica, even though I've heard it so many times it can still catch me off guard if I forgot how I set the volume haha.


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## Don Fatale

Tchaikovsky, in this neglected piece is at his most Wagnerian! The delayed gratification as he cranks up the tension with the inserted bars before the repeat is sheer genius. You just need to listen to the first 3 minutes. I promise it's worth it.

The Voyevoda Symphonic Ballad (the vid is labelled wrongly).


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## gprengel

My favourite slow introductions are from Beethovens overture op. 124 consecration of the house and from Schubert's 9th symphony ... both full of beauty and dignity


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## hpowders

The Pines of Rome by Respighi.


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## Wunderhorn

The third movement of Schnittke's piano concerto (1960) starts off particularly spectacular! Rhythmically interesting and with a killer theme kicking in.
Gets me excited every time!


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## Harrison Clark

Wunderhorn said:


> The third movement of Schnittke's piano concerto (1960) starts off particularly spectacular! Rhythmically interesting and with a killer theme kicking in.
> Gets me excited every time!


Very good concerto, I agree


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## Animal the Drummer

For slow, atmospheric introductions I'd nominate the Brahms B flat concerto and one from the Russian repertoire, namely Balakirev's First Symphony:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrEvR2-frg0


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## Joe B

For me it's a toss up between Richard Strauss' "Don Juan" and Erich Korngold's "The Sea Hawk". Both pieces come out of the gate fiery and strong.


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## Meyerbeer Smith

One of these three:


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## David9

Ditto Haydn 67 

Ein Heldenleben!


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## R3PL4Y

Vaughan Williams 4 and 6
Beethoven 5 of course
Das Lied von Der Erde, Mahler 8
Nielsen 4
Prokofiev 3
Schumann 3


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## geralmar

Orff, Carmina Burana


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## Michael Diemer

For me, a somewhat obscure work, except for Sibelius fanatics: Pohjola's Daughter. The way he builds in typical fashion, with gathering excitement, dynamic intensity and rhythmic quickening, is for me overwhelming. It also features one of his best themes, on the oboe. Nobody captures the feeling of motion like Sibelius, and this opening may be his finest.


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## Score reader

Beethoven's 7th for me.


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## Beet131

Richard Strauss - Don Juan


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## kyjo

These come to mind as "exhilarating" (as in powerful, gripping, loud, etc.):

*Atterberg - Symphony no. 5:* Alarming and gripping, with great use of the orchestral piano.

*Elgar - Symphony no. 2 and In the South:* A life-affirming surge of energy and passion.

*Honegger - Symphony no. 3:* Threatening and preparing the listener for the violence about to unfold.

*Khachaturian - Symphony no. 2:* Brazen and clangorous, this opening sets the tone for this wartime symphony.

*Korngold - Symphony in F sharp:* Jagged, dissonant, and percussive, this frightening opening will come as a shock to anyone expecting Korngold's typical Romantic lushness.

*Roussel - Symphony no. 3 and Bacchus et Ariane:* Raw, rhythmic energy - very "un-French" openings!

*Shostakovich - Symphony no. 4:* A pounding, militaristic march that immediately grabs the listener by the throat.

Also, some quieter openings that are not necessarily "exhilarating" but are great all the same:

*Atterberg - Symphony no. 2:* It's like the sun shining in your window on a gorgeous summer morning - so uplifting!

*Balakirev - Tamara:* Mysterious undulations in the low strings make this sound akin to a malign _Moldau_.

*Berwald - Symphony no. 3:* A effortless, organic buildup that is far ahead of its time.

*Magnard - Symphony no. 3:* A series of stark, solemn woodwind chords - instantly memorable.

*Martinu - Symphony no. 6:* Truly unique - buzzing "insect sounds".

*Melartin - Symphony no. 3:* A solo horn states the gorgeous, expansive motto theme to this wonderful work.

*Melartin - Symphony no. 6:* One of the creepiest passages of music I know - truly remarkable!

*Nielsen - Symphony no. 5:* A benign, wavering viola line that hardly foreshadows what is to come - genius!

*Weinberg - Symphony no. 3:* This makes me think of a cold, shimmering Siberian landscape - magical!


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## hpowders

The march that begins Mahler Symphony 6 is infectious.


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## hpowders

Exhilarating is the sonic riot that begins Respighi’s The Pines of Rome.


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## Pugg

Score reader said:


> Beethoven's 7th for me.


One of my favourites too, so gorgeous.


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## Mal

Mahler 3 opening is fairly traumatising, though certainly exhilarating, like a bungee jump that involves contact with the cliff face & fear that the rope will snap.
Haydn 43 "Mercury" starts slow and very beautiful, then accelerates wildly after 30 seconds, adding excitement to the beauty. That contrast between slow and fast really generates great exhilaration. Makes you feel really happy! (Unlike Mahler...)


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## MusicSybarite

I'm thinking about Honegger's Symphony No. 5 _Di tre re_. It is a strong beginning of a work that seems raw and visceral, one of his masterpieces (along with the No. 3 _Liturgique_).


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## ProudSquire

Schubert

Symphony No.8 in B Minor.


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## leonsm

Vaughan William's "A Sea Symphony"


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## kyjo

leonsm said:


> Vaughan William's "A Sea Symphony"


Vaughan Williams sure had a knack for imposing openings - those of his 4th and 6th symphonies are also strong candidates.


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