# The opening salvo



## Sudonim (Feb 28, 2013)

Like the opening sentences of a great novel, a piece of music ought to engage your attention from the beginning, to draw you in and make you want to keep listening. I've been thinking about pieces that really grab your attention from the opening bars, and thought others might want to contribute pieces of their own.

Among symphonies, for instance:

Brahms 1 (love that dark and dramatic chord that opens the symphony)
Beethoven 5 (of course)
Mahler 3 (the opening fanfare that ends with the slow chords from the low brass, like a huge inexorable tide rolling in, may be my favorite Mahler "moment")
Mahler 5
Mahler 6
Ives 4

I could go on, of course. There's probably a couple of Shostakovich's that I could add. There are other symphonies, such as Brian's 1st ("Gothic") and Rautavaara's 7th ("Angel of Light"), of which I've heard _only_ the beginning but which make me want to listen more. (I plan to get to both of those soon!)

It isn't limited to symphonies, of course. I also think of:

Tchaikovsky, Piano Concerto No. 1
Carmina Burana
Mozart, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

And so on. Those are just some "obvious" choices. And it doesn't have to be the pieces with "big" or "loud" openings - see Mahler's 9th, for example.

So which pieces grab YOUR attention from the start?


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Mendelssohn's Italian symphony is a clear example.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

The overture of _Don Giovanni_ sucks you right into the heart of the tale. From that opening reverberating d-minor chord, we know we ain't in Kansas no mo', Dorothy...


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra
Prokofiev - 3rd Symphony
Vaughan Williams - Symphony No.1 (probably the best bit in the whole work)
Janacek - Sinfonietta
Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man

Just a few for now...


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## ahammel (Oct 10, 2012)

techniquest said:


> Janacek - Sinfonietta


And then fanfare reprise in the finale...wow. I used to listen to this to get pumped up before soccer games.

In a different vein, the opening to the first act of _Le Nozze di Figaro_ has always struck me as particularly touching.


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## DrKilroy (Sep 29, 2012)

Mozart's overture to The Magic Flute, Requiem, Symphony no. 40, many works, actually.  
Schumann's Carnaval, Faschingsschwank aus Wien.
Saint Saens' Africa.
Sibelius' Symphony no. 2.
Mahler's Symphony no. 7 (cool baritone horn!).
Ravel's Piano Concerto in G, Violin Sonata, Valses nobles et sentimentales
Milhaud's Le carnaval d'Aix.
Tailleferre's Piano Concerto.
Szymanowski's Harnasie, Mythes.
Bax's November Woods.
Vaughan Williams' Sea Symphony, Pastoral Symphony, Symphonies nos. 7 and 8.
Holst's The Planets.
Bliss' Colour Symphony.
Gershwin's Concerto in F.
Stravinsky's Violin Concerto, The Firebird.
Lutosławski's Mi-parti, Livre pour orchestre.
Górecki's Symphony no. 2.
Adams' The Chairman Dances, Harmonielehre.

Wow, that quite a few!

Best regards, Dr


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

You guys forgot Mahler 8. How's that for an opening?


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## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

I don't especially like Tchaikovsky's PC No. 1, but the beginning is great.

Also Sprach Zarathustra
Symphony of Psalms


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

What? Nobody mentioned the dit-dit-dit-DA?


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Just about all of Beethoven's mature works start out by grabbing you, including the ones which start quite softly. Consider, for example, the fourth piano concerto (the mere fact that it starts with a piano solo was very unusual at the time). And the violin concerto, with those soft drumbeats. Who in his right mind starts a violin concerto that way? Or the palpable sense of joy and relaxation at the beginning of the sixth symphony - anyone who has ever experienced joyful feelings upon arrival in the countryside will know what Ludwig is on about there. 

When I was a small kid, I was so in awe of the brooding, ominous opening of his fourth symphony that it sometimes actually scared me. And something similar happened with the ninth.

Over the years, I have somewhat outgrown my infatuation with Beethoven, but one has to hand it to the man: he knew how to grab his audiences.

Some lighter attention grabbers: opening of Borodin's second symphony. When I was a student, I lived in a student hostel where some of the people sometimes played some very bad pop music very loudly. I eventually got hold of a kickass sound system. Whenever neighbours irritated me with their noise, it took but a few bars of Borodin to shut them up. 

Well, there is plenty more, but let me shut up myself here...


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

GreenMamba said:


> Symphony of Psalms


Who but Stravinsky could make a simple E minor triad sound so unique?


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## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

The very opening of Nielsen's Inextinguishable symphony is like none other. It's like a sudden kick in the solar plexus or the groin . But not physically painful, of course !


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

The opening of Brahm's fourth symphony is like the solemn descent of the night scathingly pushing away all hope of a brighter day; for about two and a half minutes it seems the world has ended, until finally some light shines through, and leads us to a beautiful climax about 4 minutes in, though it swiftly returns to its barren state after. Commenting on a whim and without giving it much thought, I judge it to be my favorite opening in the classical repertoire. In it I find an instant rebuttal of any comments that state Brahms lacks emotion. I must also give credit to the demonic dialogue that opens Shostakovich's 4th symphony, where the brass section plays some of the most intimidating music I've ever heard.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

What about the opening of Schumann's and Grieg's piano concertos.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Good selections here. I'd also include Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. One commentator says the opening clarinet solo has the effect of a woman in a formfitting red dress walking into a bar. 

The opening of Haydn's Op. 33, No. 5, is so unique it has its own nickname: "How do you do?"

I think the opening of Bruckner's 7th symphony is marvelous. It doesn't so much grab you as carry you along.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

GreenMamba said:


> Symphony of Psalms


yes, I was about to post the same thing. Never fails.


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## schuberkovich (Apr 7, 2013)

The opening of Sibelius' violin concerto is incredibly _magical_ 
Also the Schubert's Death and the Maiden Quartet, Mahler symphony 2, Shostakovich 4&5, Beethoven PC 5, and Rachmaninov PC 3


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Mahlerian said:


> Who but Stravinsky could make a simple E minor triad sound so unique?


Speaking of Stravinsky I remember first hearing the opening of the Symphony in Three Movements and feeling like I'd been punched in the face hard enough to become airborne, landing in a tangled pile of myself then kicked into the air again multiple times-- all in a good way of course.


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## samurai (Apr 22, 2011)

The heated {white hot} frenetic opening of Carl Nielsen's* First Symphony* practically insists that one simply has to listen to the rest of this work.


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## Feathers (Feb 18, 2013)

Manxfeeder said:


> I think the opening of Bruckner's 7th symphony is marvelous. It doesn't so much grab you as carry you along.


Agreed! Another beginning that carries you along is the opening of Schubert's Unfinished. The first time I heard it, I had to turn up my volume to be able to hear it, but once I did hear it, WOW.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

samurai said:


> The heated {white hot} frenetic opening of Carl Nielsen's* First Symphony* practically insists that one simply has to listen to the rest of this work.


I completely agree. It could be subtitled Up, Up and Away.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

The opening of Vaughan Williams's Sea Symphony is arresting, to say the least. But after that, the attention wanders. Not so with the Eroica's initial two cannon blasts. What a way to usher in a new century!


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

KenOC said:


> The opening of Vaughan Williams's Sea Symphony is arresting, to say the least. But after that, the attention wanders. Not so with the Eroica's initial two cannon blasts. What a way to usher in a new century!


I sometimes wondered about the purpose of those two notes. They don't seem that related to the main themes. I guess they're like an announcement. "Hush! Beethoven has arrived."


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Weston said:


> I sometimes wondered about the purpose of those two notes. They don't seem that related to the main themes. I guess they're like an announcement. "Hush! Beethoven has arrived."


The first two notes are echoed clearly at the close of the 1st movement and, again, at the close of the symphony. Works well.


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## ahammel (Oct 10, 2012)

Weston said:


> I sometimes wondered about the purpose of those two notes. They don't seem that related to the main themes. I guess they're like an announcement. "Hush! Beethoven has arrived."


They're required to make all his prime-numbered symphonies start with a loud chord in _tutti_.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Some more...
Khachaturian's 2nd and 3rd symphonies and his Piano Concerto all have openings that grab.
Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
Poulenc: Concerto for Organ Timpani & Strings
Prokofiev: Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the Russian Revolution
As a quieter opening that certainly got my attention the first time I heard it, Richard Strauss' Aus Italien; what a beautiful sequence of chords. It had the same effect as the first time I heard Vaughan Williams' Tallis Fantasia.


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## MagneticGhost (Apr 7, 2013)

KenOC said:


> The opening of Vaughan Williams's Sea Symphony is arresting, to say the least. But after that, the attention wanders. Not so with the Eroica's initial two cannon blasts. What a way to usher in a new century!


Your attention may wander Sir. But to me - The Sea Symphony is perfect from beginning to end. Containing more tunes in it's 4 mvts than most composers manage in a lifetime. It's a great opening - but so so so much more than that.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

Scheherazade
Mahler's 6th
Beethoven's 9th (even though I don't particularly like the rest of the work)
Beethoven's Op. 13 Piano sonata
Tchaikovsky's 4th
Tchaikovsky's 5th
Tchaikovsky's 6th

I usually skip the opening fanfare for Also Sprach Zarathustra, though, instead starting with Von der Hinterweltlern.


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## GodNickSatan (Feb 28, 2013)

The opening to Brahms clarinet quintet is pretty unforgettable.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

A Sea Symphony? Bah! Too many boats...


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## CypressWillow (Apr 2, 2013)

Those eight opening chords of the second PC of Rachmaninoff. "Something wonderful is coming. Quiet now, listen, come along with me. You shall be taken to a new place, where your heart may break with the sheer mysterious beauty of it."


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## DeepR (Apr 13, 2012)

The opening of Scriabin's fifth sonata also kind of... wakes you up.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Jean-Féry Rebel's Chaos & the Elements. Wow!


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