Classical Instrumental Works for Orchestra

Danish composer Carl August Nielsen (1865-1931) wrote his Helios Overture in 1903 during a prolonged stay in Athens, Greece. Inspired by the sun rising and setting over the Aegean Sea, Nielsen titled...

Danish composer Carl August Nielsen (1865-1931) wrote his Helios Overture in 1903 during a prolonged stay in Athens, Greece. Inspired by the sun rising and setting over the Aegean Sea, Nielsen titled...

Jacques Offenbach's (1819-1880) opéra bouffe in three acts, La belle Hélène (The Beautiful Helen) parodies the Greek myth of Helen and Paris' elopement, which set off the Trojan War according to Homer...

The premiere of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 was conducted by the composer himself in Saint Petersburg on February 8, 1908. The score is dedicated to Sergei Taneyev, a Russian composer, teacher, theo...

The premiere of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 was conducted by the composer himself in Saint Petersburg on February 8, 1908. The score is dedicated to Sergei Taneyev, a Russian composer, teacher, theo...

The premiere of Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 was conducted by the composer himself in Saint Petersburg on February 8, 1908. The score is dedicated to Sergei Taneyev, a Russian composer, teacher, theo...

The Sultan Schariar, convinced of the falseness and faithlessness of women, vowed to kill each of his wives after their bridal night. The Sultana Scheherazade, however, saved her life by interested th...

Originally intended for solo violin and orchestra, Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) later determined that the five Spanish folk melodies used in each of the movements of his Capriccio Espagnol woul...

Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's (1844-1908) overture Russian Easter Festival was written in 1888, at the same time as the composer's well-known suite for orchestra, Scheherazade. Both works include short vi...

Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's (1844-1908) overture Russian Easter Festival was written in 1888, at the same time as the composer's well-known suite for orchestra, Scheherazade. Both works include short vi...

The Symphony No. 3 in C minor, popularly known as the "Organ Symphony", was completed in 1886 at what could be considered the artistic peak of Saint-Saëns' (1835-1921) career. The composer said of the...

Camille Saint-Saëns' (1835-1921) opera SAMSON ET DALILA, Op. 47 tells the biblical story of Delilah's betrayal of Samson. Originally conceived as an oratorio due to Saint-Saëns' admiration of such wor...

Camille Saint-Saëns' (1835-1921) opera SAMSON ET DALILA, Op. 47 tells the biblical story of Delilah's betrayal of Samson. Originally conceived as an oratorio due to Saint-Saëns' admiration of such wor...

In 1888, Erik Satie (1866-1925) completed his TROIS GYMNOPÉDIES, three lilting, dream-like exercises for solo piano. They were published separately, the second one appearing last in 1895. Working as a...

The first significant success for Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), KARELIA MUSIC was commissioned for a lottery sponsored by the Viipuri Students' Association to foster education in Vyborg Province. Its fir...

The first significant success for Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), KARELIA MUSIC was commissioned for a lottery sponsored by the Viipuri Students' Association to foster education in Vyborg Province. Its fir...

Started in 1898, Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) completed and premiered his SYMPHONY No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39, the following year when only 33 years old. Dissatisfied with the original version, which has b...

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) composed his three-movement Symphony No. 3 in C Major, Op. 52 between 1906 and 1907, with the work receiving its premiere by the Helsinki Philharmonic Society under the compo...

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) composed his three-movement Symphony No. 3 in C Major, Op. 52 between 1906 and 1907, with the work receiving its premiere by the Helsinki Philharmonic Society under the compo...

Kuolema ("Death" in Finnish) is a play by Arvid Järnefelt. Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) happened to be Järnefelt's brother-in-law, and he composed incidental music to the play under the same title (Kuole...

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) first composed the tone poem En Saga, Op. 9 in 1892, with the work premiering on February 16th, 1893, with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic. While one might imag...

Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) first composed the tone poem En Saga, Op. 9 in 1892, with the work premiering on February 16th, 1893, with Sibelius conducting the Helsinki Philharmonic. While one might imag...

Má vlast (My Fatherland or My Country) is a collection of six symphonic poems composed by Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) between 1874 and 1879. Conceived as individual works, though commonly presented as...

Má vlast (My Fatherland or My Country) is a collection of six symphonic poems composed by Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) between 1874 and 1879. Conceived as individual works, though commonly presented as...

An der Schönen Blauen Donau (On the Beautiful Blue Danube), Op. 314, written by Johann Strauss II (1825-1899) is one of the most popular works in classical music, and remains well-known in popular cul...