Scores for Orchestra

Sometimes referred to as the "Great G minor symphony" to distinguish it from the the "Little G minor symphony" (No. 25), SYMPHONY NO. 40 in G minor, K. 550 was completed on July 25, 1788, though the a...

Sometimes referred to as the "Great G minor symphony" to distinguish it from the the "Little G minor symphony" (No. 25), SYMPHONY NO. 40 in G minor, K. 550 was completed on July 25, 1788, though the a...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's (1756-1791) divertimenti, along with the serenade, had a large place among the works he composed during his youth in Salzburg. Generally more relaxed multi-movement pieces, t...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) wrote the SERENADE No. 5 in D Major, K. 204/213a on August 5, 1775 for ceremonies at the University of Salzburg. Concurrently writing his five violin concertos, the...

Originally written by Modest Mussorgsky for piano and orchestra, Night on Bald Mountain, alternatively Night on the Bare Mountain, was long left neglected by the composer. Having several musical itera...

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...

Violin virtuoso and composer Niccolò Paganini's (1782-1840) Concerto for Violin No. 1 in D, Op. 6 was written between 1817 and 1818, with the premiere taking place on March 31, 1819, in Naples, Italy....

The rondo third movement of Niccolò Paganini's VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 2 owes its nickname "La Clochette" or "La Campanella" ("Little Bell") to the little bell which plays before each recurrence of the ro...

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...

A young Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) composed Variazzioni di clarinetto (Variations for Clarinet and Small Orchestra in C major) around 1809. The work was edited by Amadeo Cerasa. Instrumentation: 1...

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) wrote this Tarantelle (Tarantella), Op. 6 for flute, clarinet, and piano in 1857, and the salon piece showcases the composer's mature style despite his young age, which...

Following the death of his mother in 1888, a depressed Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) decided to take a trip to his favorite destination, North Africa, travelling to Ceylon, then to Alexandria and Ca...

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...

In 1875, Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) created an innovative four-part structure for his CONCERTO FOR PIANO NO. 4 IN C MINOR, OP. 44. Dedicating the work to Anton Door, the composer gave the first p...

In A minor, and written in 1863, though not premiered until 1867 by violinist Pablo de Sarasate to whom it is dedicated and conducted by the composer, INTRODUCTION AND RONDO CAPRICCIOSO was originally...

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...

Written by Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908) in 1878, Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs), Op. 20 is a favorite among violin virtuosos, having been recorded many times, including by Sarasate himself. Some of the...

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...

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) wrote his CELLO CONCERTO in A minor, Op. 129, in 1850, within the span of only two weeks. He tried offering the work to two publishers before Breitkopf and Hartel decided t...

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...