# Fav orchestral music



## 009

My fav has got to be Andante from Bach's Brandenburg Concerto 2, Vaughan Williams's Sea Symphony and Holst's The Planets... And not forgetting, Bach's Double Violin Concerto in D minor.  
I adore Schubert's Death and the Maiden also...but that would be under ensemble work.... <_< 
What abt. yrs?


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## Daniel

There are so many. But some absolute favourites of mine in present: Mendelssohn 3 rd Symphonie, Bach double (2 nd movement), Brahms 4 th symphonie, Schubert Unfinished Symphonie, Schumann first symphony.


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## 009

I think Bach's Double ( 2nd movement) is one of the most beautiful 'thing' in the world... not just talking abt music alone... :lol: 
Brahms is an interesting fella ( Romantic Conservative )... At times, he's actually more 'English' than he is German. That's why the English adored him, and the germans hated him.... Liszt and Wagner disliked him too. There's actually a story to this...  NVM that. <_< 
I used to like his 4th symphony. But I got bored of the tight structure in the end. My fav Brahms's work is his Accademic Overture...Very vulgar and wagnerian output for this interesting fella.  B) 
Death and the Maiden is fascinating. I think all violinists or string players will love this. It's amazing how the theme keeps anchoring and spinning around the D note. I noticed that alot of work with 'death' as theme are always anchored on 'D' note. How strange indeed... :blink:


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## Daniel

Brahms....in present my favourite piece: The first piano concert! What a great concerto!


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## 009

> _Originally posted by daniel_@Jul 17 2004, 08:17 PM
> *Brahms....in present my favourite piece: The first piano concert! I am really addicted to it nowadays
> [snapback]47[/snapback]​*


Hey! It's one of my personal fav too. The slow movement is beautiful. Is this the one he wrote for his Mum? Or was it the 2nd? :blink:


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## Daniel

Oh yes the slow movement is really wonderful - and ... sight readable. As I grabbed the score, one of my first things was sight reading the piano part. First and third movement: impossible. But 2 nd movement is good to sight read 

For his mum... I didn't know that he wrote one of it for his mum. His mum must have been very proud :lol:


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## jacqueline

I really love the Pines of Rome and the Fountains of Rome. They are very colorful. I also like Scheherazade symphonic suite. It takes you on a nice trip! 

The Beethoven symphonies are of course great. I like no. 5 most of all. The Dvorak New World Symphony is so wonderful also. Hmmm.... There is just SO much music, I can only think of a few great pieces...!

Oh! Another great work is Pictures at an Exhibition by Moussorgsky... You can really capture what each painting is through his music.


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## Daniel

> * The Dvorak New World Symphony is so wonderful also*


 Belongs to my favs too!!!

also Beethoven 5 th (nice version with Gould )

One thought which comes to my mind: if I say: i love Beethoven 5 th, Mozart g-minor symph, or bach double or Dvorak "New World" you are put a bit in a cliche of over played music, which is liked by everyone. I just feel so sometimes, do you know what i mean? And it makes me angry! :angry:

Some escape and say that they love exotic pcees, just to be different than the crowd.

I think saying i love Mozart symph 40 shouldn't be longer a cliche, because it destroys the music, the art for itsself.

Do you know this feeling?


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## 009

.....Oh! Another great work is Pictures at an Exhibition by Moussorgsky... You can really capture what each painting is through his music......
Yes! This's one of my personal fav. The piano part is just so challenging. I'm addicted to it! And it's marvellous how short yet estatic each 'impression' is. I remember Horowitz did a wonderful performance for this.
U simply must try the piano version if u haven't. It's one of the most sensible and greatest transcription ever done.


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## Daniel

Pictures of an exhibition. I would like to hear the original transcritption by Mussorgski himself. Is it really that bad? i cannot believe


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## baroque flute

My favorite orchestral music is (not in order):
Handel's Fireworks music 
Bach's first Orchestral suite
Grieg's Holberg Suite
Sibelius' Karelia Suite
Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony
Mozart's "Jupiter" Symphony (esp. last movement)
Handel's Concerti a due cori
Handel's Harp Concerto
Mozart's Clarinet Concerto
Mozart's Flute & Harp Concertos
Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Horns 
Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Flutes
Haydn's London, Farewell, and Hornsignal Symphonies (and a couple others)
Many of Mozart's Symphonies
Handel's Water Music
Corelli's Christmas Concerto
Marcello's Oboe Concerto
Bach's Violin Concerto in E
Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto
2nd movement of Beethoven's 5th Symphony
Last movement of Beethoven's Violin Concerto
Excerpts from Swan Lake and Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky
Most of Brahms' earlier Hungarian Dances
Bach's Chaconne (when played by orchestra)

Oops! out of time, and the list is pretty long anyhow...


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## 009

Wow!!!! U must have a lot of CDs!  LOL


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## baroque flute

My family has been collecting classical music since I was little, and we still have all of those CD's!


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## Quaverion

I love Zigeunerweisen, Night on Bald Mountain, Havanaise, Symphonie Espagnole, Danse Macabre, Beethoven's Fifth, and Poeme


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## Thomas

> *Night on Bald Mountain*


Which version?


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## Quaverion

I forget which exact version. I just love the eerieness to it!


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## becky

Lots! 

Beethoven's Symphonies, in particular #6 Pastoral Symphony
Pictures at Exhibition is another fave!
Mozart's Jupiter Symphony (I've been listening to this a lot recently)

Yes Daniel, I agree about liking popular orchestral music. The stuff everyone likes moves me too! Just because everyone out there knows about Beethoven's 5th, doesn't mean it's not a great piece of music to be loved and cherished by all!


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## The Angel of Music

Hee hee, I know most of you are classical music lovers...and I am too...but I know much more about musical theater than anything...LOL. I am in love with the overture too the musical "Phantom," NOT the phantom of the opera...but "Phantom."  Somehow I can picture that as my life soundtrack...and I just want to get up and dance ballet too it!!! LOL!!!! :lol:


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## oistrach13

about pictures in an exhibition,

have heard a bit of the orchestrated version, and I love the original piano version much more. I have it with richter, live in the "sofia recital" 1958, one of the most legendary performances of all time  

the answer to daniel's question, is the original mussorgsky version that bad, is basically no, its wonderful, there has just been too few pianists who can make music with it.


about the orchestral music question.

I don't have that much purely orchestral music, in that department I would have to go with the old cliché, tchaikovsky's pathetique. the thing is simply heaven. (more like hell)

as for concertos, I would say the brahms is wonderful, bach double concerto is also heavenly, but my favourite would be the third movement, the counterpoint just blows me away :blink:

hmmmm, I am sure I have other things that are nice, but I can't think of any right now


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## Daniel

Yes Mussorgski piano version is great, i am only wondering how his original orchestration looked like. Was is that way that Ravel had to orchestrate it again?


> *hmmmm, I am sure I have other things that are nice, but I can't think of any right now*


 I know what you mean so many.


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## 009

I would think that Ravel wanted more colours... 50 years after Mussorgsky's orginal scoring must have given him some insightful instrumentation. But I really prefer the piano versions as a performer. The shorter ones really give u the 'Oof!'! 
BTW, This masterful piano suite illustrates ten of Hartmann's ( Mussorgsky's closest friend )images, with a recurring ``Promenade'' theme to illustrate the viewer's progress from painting to painting. 

And which is your fav from his pictures at an exhibition?
Mine is The Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks (from a costume design), The Gnome (a design for a toy nutcracker), Schmuyle( this mean miser), Catacombs (a fanciful drawing that pictured the artist in the Paris tombs) and The Old Castle( I prefer the orchestrated version for this ). :lol:


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## oistrach13

if you hear richter's pianissimi in the old castle, you would prefer the piano version  so sad, so powerful, my favourite, aber so lonely


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## godzillaviolist

*orchestral music*

hello,
I love so many different peices! I'm not sure I could choose. But here is a list:

My all time favorite peice:

Havergal Brian's Gothic symphony. I love this, it has almost every possible emotion in it.

Other peices I love nearly as much:

Strauss' Don Quixote
Stravinsky's Rite of Spring
Bartok's The Wooden Prince ( very obscure peice, but it has the best opening scene I've heard ) 
Vaughan William's Variation's on a theme by Thomas Tallis ( for string orchestra )

Favorite short peice:

Elgar's Sospiri ( it's only a few minutes long, but it's very beatifull )

Other favorite peices:

Far too many to count!


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## jwinter

Goodness, my all-time favorite orchestral music, now there's a nice broad category for you...

If I could only grab one item off my CD shelves before shuffling off to ye olde desert isle, it would be a set of Beethoven's symphonies (which set is another whole discussion). Within those, the 7th is my personal favorite, although there are parts of all of them that I dearly love... the funeral march from the Eroica is truly sublime.

But there are so many others at the very top of the list, as well...

Mahler's 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th
Bruckner's 7th, 8th, 9th
Mozart 36, 40, 41, late piano concertos
Brahms piano concertos & symphonies
Sibelius
Tchaikovsky
Shostakovich
Debussy

Glad I don't have to pick just one!


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## Gustav

my god, my friends, you have not lived! Listen to more CDs or attend more concerts please!
here is my list:

Mahler symphony 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,9,10, das lied

Beethoven Symphony 1,3,5,6,7,9

Bruckner symphony 7,9 (I still need to listen the rest)

Tchakovesky Symphony 4,5,6 Slavonic March, Italien capriccio, 1812 overture

Shostakovich Symphony 1,5,6,9,11 (I still need to listen the rest),chamber symphony

Bizet L'Arlésienne, suite 1 , symphony #1 in C


J.Strauss jr "king of waltz"
waltz(I guess it's orchestral, since he composed hundreds of these I will pick only EXCELLENT ones, some of these are unknown to most of you, I suggest you to listen to those either by buying Cds or go to Naxos.com)
(opus number)114 Liebeslieder Walzer
op.157 Nachtfalter - Walzer
180 Libellen - Walzer
204 Vibrationen - Walzer
210 Abschied von St. Petersburg - Walzer
234 Accelerationen - Walzer
268 Wiener Chronik - Walzer
279 Morgenblater - Walzer
307 Wiener Bonbons - Walzer 
314 An der schoen, blauen Donau - Walzer (Blue Danube Waltz) 
316 Kunstlerleben - Walzer
325 G'Schichten aus dem Wiener Wald - Walzer
333 Wein, Weib und Gesang - Walzer
340 Freut euch des Lebens! - Walzer
361 Bei uns z'Haus - Walzer
364 Wo die Zitronen blu'n - Walzer
367 Du und Du - Walzer
388 Rosen aus dem Suden - Walzer
410 Frunlingstimmen - Walzer (Voices of Spring) 
427 Donauweibchen - Walzer
437 Kaiserwalzer - (The Emperor Waltz)
440 Gross-Wien - Walzer
of course he composed great polkas and marches and quadrilles, but that is another post.

Prokofiev symphony #1
Dvorak symphony #8,9 and both sets of his slavonic dances (however, I do find number 8 from first set and number 8 from second set to be particularly good)

Haydn some of his symphonies, although it is too light for my taste

Holst, planets

a very young composer born in 1984
Segerstrale, Symphony #2 first movement

Well, these are the ones on the top of my head, on the top are mostly "heavy" 
"serious" music, from bizet down, it's pretty much light music, music tha you listen for the sake of relaxation or to be entertained.


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## Violinista

Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2....Larghetto


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## glezzery

Here is my list of THE INDISPENSIBLE! (pared to two per)
Beethoven 3 and Piano 4
Shostakovich 10 and 8
Prokofiev 6 and Piano 3
Bruckner 7 and 8
Mozart 40 and 41
Tchaikovsky 5 and 
Brahms 4 and Piano Concerto 1
Stravinsky Petrouska and Dumbarton Oaks
Holst The Planets and Military Suites!
Strauss Till Eulenspiegel and Don Quixote
Sibelius Violin and Sym 4
Walton 1 and Concertante
Dvorak 8 and Cello
Schuman Sym for Strings
Barber Adagio for Strings and Violin Concerto
Britten Sinfonia Da Requiem
Bach ALL!!!!
Handel Music for Royal Fireworks and 12 Concerti Grossi
Alban Berg Three pieces for orchestra and Wozzeck
Webern Passacaglia and Symphony
Bela Bartok Concerto for Orchestra and Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celeste 
John Adams Harmonielehre and Nixon in China
Bernstein Dances from West Side Story and Prelude fugue and riffs
Copland El Salon Mexico, Appalachian Spring, Concerto for Piano (cheated)
Debussy La Mer and Jeux 
Dukas Sym in C and the Sorcerors Apprentice
Elgar Sym 1 and Enigma Var.
Mussorgsky Pictures at an Exhibition
Ives Sym no. 4
Korngold Violin Concerto and Sym in F
Holmboe Brass Concertos and 4 symphonic metamorphoses
Hindemith Mathis der Maler and Variations on a theme by Von Weber
De Falla Harpsichord Concerto and The three cornered Hat
Dutilleux - ANYTHING!
Martin Ballades and Violin Concerto and anything else!
Martinu Concerto for String Quartet and orchestra 
Nielsen Sym No 4 and Clarinet Concerto
Poulenc Piano and organ Concertos
Ravel Ma Mere l'oye and Daphnis and Chloe
Sandor Veress Hommage a Paul Klee and Concerto for Piano, Strings and Percussion
Vaughn Williams Fantasia on a theme by Tallis and Tuba Concerto
This should be a good start and an entry into Classical Music can be found in one of these pieces for any Human Being on earth- its a matter of which one does it!


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## glezzery

Richter was a MONSTER! A complete an utter MegaPianist!


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## Weltschmerz

I could add on my own giant list, but I would have to say that Mahler 5 and 9 are both ridiculously amazing. Mahler's Adagietto is the most beautiful piece of music ever written. That's a fact.


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## R.Zhao

Mahler's Symphony No. 1
Shostakovich's Festival Overture
Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (Is this counted as orchestral?)
Dvorak's New World Symphony
and of course, Pictures at an Exhibition


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## Eichelberger

Strauss-
Wiener Blut (Vienna blood), Rosen aus dem Süden (Roses from the South), Auf der Jagt (The hunt), An der schönen, blauen donau (The Blue danube), Tritsch tratsch polka, Unter donner und blitz (Thunder & lightning), Redtzky marsch (Redtzky march), Spanischer marsch (Spanish march), Egyptischer marsch (Egyptian marsch), Annen polka, Frühlingsstimmen (the voices of spring), Künstlerlieben (artists life), Die Fledermaus (The bat (Overture))
Ponchielli-
Danza dell ore (Dance of the Hours)
Rossini-
William Tell Overture, Barber of Seville Overture
Tchaikovsky-
1812 Overture
Waltz of the Flowers (from the nutcracker suite)
Bach-
Toccata & Fugue in D minor
Liszt-
Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2
Schubert- 
Ave Maria


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## Mahler Maniac

Eichelberger said:


> Strauss-
> Wiener Blut (Vienna blood), Rosen aus dem Süden (Roses from the South), Auf der Jagt (The hunt), An der schönen, blauen donau (The Blue danube), Tritsch tratsch polka, Unter donner und blitz (Thunder & lightning), Redtzky marsch (Redtzky march), Spanischer marsch (Spanish march), Egyptischer marsch (Egyptian marsch), Annen polka, Frühlingsstimmen (the voices of spring), Künstlerlieben (artists life), Die Fledermaus (The bat (Overture))
> Ponchielli-
> Danza dell ore (Dance of the Hours)
> Rossini-
> William Tell Overture, Barber of Seville Overture
> Tchaikovsky-
> 1812 Overture
> Waltz of the Flowers (from the nutcracker suite)
> Bach-
> Toccata & Fugue in D minor
> Liszt-
> Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2
> Schubert-
> Ave Maria


Liszt is great...besides no. 2, I like the Angelus, and Liebestraum No. 3.

Mahler Symphony no. 1 & La Valse by Ravel


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## Celloman

Symphony No. 6 by Tschaikowsky
Symphony No. 40 by Mozart
Magnificat by Bach
Symphony No. 6 by Beethoven
Symphony in C by Bizet
Symphony No. 2 by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Dream of Gerontius by Elgar
Daphnis and Chloe by Ravel
On the Steppes of Central Asia by Borodin
Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky
Tapiola by Sibelius
All 4 symphonies by Brahms
The Isle of the Dead by Rachmaninoff
Petrushka by Stravinsky
New England Triptych by William Schuman

This is just skimming the surface!


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## BassFromOboe

Bartok: Violin Concerto No2
Sibelius: Symphony No2
Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No2
Copland: Appalachian Spring
Dvorak: Symphony No4
Elgar: Violin Concerto
Rachmaninov: Isle of the Dead


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## Kurkikohtaus

While not wanting to simply list off a bunch of pieces, I will describe what characteristics I like in orchestral music.

I prefer logical music where structural ideas of balance, symmetry, unity and well constructed interrelationships take precedence over overt expressionism and effect.

So Beethoven over Berlioz...
Sibelius over Mahler...
Dvorak over Tchaikovsky...


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## linz

Kurkikohtaus said:


> While not wanting to simply list off a bunch of pieces, I will describe what characteristics I like in orchestral music.
> 
> I prefer logical music where structural ideas of balance, symmetry, unity and well constructed interrelationships take precedence over overt expressionism and effect.
> 
> So Beethoven over Berlioz...
> Sibelius over Mahler...
> Dvorak over Tchaikovsky...


Unfortunately you can't imply all logic to music as the chromatic scale isn't made of perfectly spaced tones, therefore our brains themselves are illogical, in as much as exact fugues are often not nearly as pleasing as those which conform to the scale they were written in. If music was meant to be logical, then their would be rapture in an algorythm and I dare say that's not the case! I think your referring to the famous conversation the two composers (Mahler, Sibelius) had as where Sibelius stressed his concern for form in music: And it could easily be said that when Mahler said "put the World in his symphonies" he was by no means trumping form! If you've herd Mahler's Fifth you would fined it seeping with structural sap i.e. form. (In praticular the build up, and resolution of the first climax of the finally) so tender and yet suicidally brutal as Mahler could only be! THIS HAS JUST AS MUCH FORMAL BRILLIANCE AS SIBELIUS!!!


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## Saturnus

Daniel said:


> Brahms....in present my favourite piece: The first piano concert! I am really addicted to it nowadays


Hey, I too got severly addicted to the piece few days ago (Szell/Curzon recording). The theme that comes right after the opening theme when it is played for the second time (ca. 5 mins into the first movement) is simply brilliant.

Anyways, the best orchestral music I know of is by Bartók (the piano concertos, Miraculus mandarin, and Music for strings, percussion and celesta).
I also have to name Beethoven (4th symphony, violin concerto), Hindemith (violin concerto, Mathis der Maler), Mahler (all symphonies!), Leifs (Edda I, Hekla, Fine II), Tchaikovsky (5th symphony), Host (Planets) & Schnittke (Monologue).


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## Kurkikohtaus

I am intrigued that you list the *4th Symphony* of Beethoven as your favourite. What is it about the 4th that you like better than the rest?


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## Saturnus

I simply do not know, it somehow speaks to me more than the rest (to me it contains more of honest emotions than the other symphonies). Note that I haven't yet heard the ninth (I own two records of it, I just never give me time to listen). 
About the fourth: I love the opening, how the work comes alive (the first part of the opening reminds me of Schumann's fourth), and the climax (it's only ca. 5 mins. into the movement, but I'll call it a climax) of the second movement and how the finale is swift and agile instead of being boasting and trumpetous. And somehow I find it to be his most exciting symphony (like how he uses the bassoon to create tension in the first movement) and full with joy for life.

Overall I seem to have strange selections of 'my favorite Beethoven'. In contrast to what I thought when I first heard his sixth violin sonata, it's *not* his most famous and celebrated chamber-piece and his oboe trio is completely unknown at all!


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## Kurkikohtaus

And it is strikingly similar to another much later work, Mahler's first Symphony. Same intervals, same atmosphere, but Mahler stretches it out substantially.


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## Saturnus

I have to ceck that symphony out then.


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## 4/4player

Hello everyone!

My most favorite orchestral music is Dvorak's Ninth sympony"The New World".
I just love the second movement(Largo) with the peaceful English Horn solo! The piece is so calm, relaxing, I almost can't stop myself from falling asleep!

4/4player


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## Kurkikohtaus

Interesting thing about Dvorak's 9th is the title.

Officially, the title that Dvorak himself gave it "Z noveho sveta", which literally translated is "From the New World".

But it is often called "The New World Symphony", and not only in English! In Czech, people also call it that, "Novosvetska", mainly because of the convienient and catchy one-word format.

I however strongly protest to this title, which developed over time, because it carries very different connotations. I will not elaborate and force my opinion on the rest of you, I will simply ask that we all call the symphony by the name that Dvorak himself gave it.


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## 4/4player

Well said, Kurkikohtaus!=)

4/4player


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## Asperjames

There's a lot of composers I haven't gotten around to listening to yet but here are some of my favorites...

Scriabin's three symphonies (first movement of first symphony is quite nice)
Berg's Violin Concerto
Berg's Lyric Suite
Schoenberg's Transfigured Night
Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto (third movement especially)


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## Kurkikohtaus

Asperjames said:


> Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto (third movement especially)


Just a little side note about this piece... my orchestra just performed it on Nov. 24th with a very gifted 30-year-old pianist named Jaroslava Pechocova.

She has played this very concerto with the Czech Philharmonic and the Liverpool Philharmonic, both with Libor Pesek conducting, so we were very lucky to have her in our little spa-town orchestra.

Our hall is smallish, seating about 375 people... As miss Pechocova is no doubt used to much larger halls, she played it really, REALLY loud. I had never heard a piano THAT loud in our hall, it was very exciting.

... hmm ...

Well, thats the end of my little aside.


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## Topaz

This concerto formed the theme music of a famous early post WWII UK movie called "Brief Encounter", made in 1946. It was probably the best matching of classical music to movie film ever done. It's almost as if they were made for each other. 

I first bought the version of the concerto played by Rachmaninoff himself. But it's a bit muffled, so I investigated other more recent versions. The one I liked best was Van Cliburn with Reiner/Chicago SO. The sound is crisp and clear and the orchestral backing very good. 


Topaz


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## Kurkikohtaus

Topaz said:


> It was probably the best matching of classical music to movie film ever done.


Not Platoon?

_*cough*_


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## Topaz

K.....

Have you seen "Brief Encounter"?

I've seen Platoon, and prefer Brief Encounter.

I also prefer Rach Piano Con 2 to Barber's Adagio. So there 

Mind you, I like Okie from Muskoqee, so I guess we're evens.  

Don't over do it with all that rehearsing. Give that young pianist a big -_- from me, please.

Cheers.

Topaz


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## Kurkikohtaus

Just kidding with Platoon. As far as Vietnam movies go, I like Ride of the Valkyries in Apocalypse Now.

A few pictures of miss Pechocova...

HERE...

HERE...

and HERE.

Nice girl all around.


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## linz

The opening of 'The Royal Tannenbaums' has Ravel's String Quartet! But don't forget Bernard Herrman, in 'Cape Fear' and 'Pycho'!


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## EddieRUKiddingVarese

July 2004 and counting


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