Scores for Orchestra

First written in 1868 by a young Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), this orchestral suite was originally titled his SYMPHONY No. 2 by the composer, though it was always a programmatic telling of the...

The Ride of the Valkyries refers to the beginning of act 3 of Die Walküre, the second of the four operas constituting Richard Wagner's (1813-1883) Der Ring des Nibelungen. As a separate piece, the "Ri...

Writing it between 1914 and 1917, Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was initially inspired to compose THE PLANETS based on a conversation he had about astrology while on holiday in Spain with some friends in 1...

SUOR ANGELICA (SISTER ANGELICA) is a one-act opera by Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924). The second opera in a trio known as IL TRITTICO (THE TRIPTYCH), each one dealing with the concealment of a death, the...

Unlike Bach and Chopin, Claude Debussy (1862-1918) wrote his twenty-four PRÉLUDES for solo piano without a clearly organized pattern of key relationships. They were written from December 1909 to April...

VARIATIONS ON A NURSERY SONG, Op. 25 is a work by Ernst von Dohnányi (1877-1960) for piano and orchestra, composed in 1913 and premiered in Berlin the same year with the composer himself as soloist. A...

Following a disastrous concert tour of Germany in 1885-86, Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) withdrew to a small Austrian village, where he composed THE CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS (LE CARNAVAL DES ANIMAUX)...

George Friderick Handel (1685-1759) wrote WATER MUSIC at the behest of King George I, who wanted to entertain his royal guests with music as they sailed by barge down the Thames River. The king and hi...

Ernest Chausson (1855-1899) began to work on his POÈME DE L'AMOUR ET DE LA MER (POEM OF LOVE AND THE SEA), OP. 19, in 1882. The composer chose two poems written by his friend Maurice Bouchor as source...

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) wrote his 3 Gesänge älterer deutscher Dichter (3 Songs by Older German Poets) in 1899 for high voice and piano. The three songs are: 1. An sie (To Them; text by Friedrich G...

The song cycle Les Nuits d’été (Summer Nights) is a setting of six poems by composer Hector Berlioz' neighbor and friend, Théophile Gautier. The text deals in themes of love in all its facets, progres...

The song cycle LES NUITS D'ETE (SUMMER NIGHTS) is a setting of six poems by composer Hector Berlioz' (1803-1869) neighbor and friend, Théophile Gautier. The text deals in themes of love in all its fac...

The song cycle LES NUITS D'ETE (SUMMER NIGHTS) is a setting of six poems by composer Hector Berlioz' (1803-1869) neighbor and friend, Théophile Gautier. The text deals in themes of love in all its fac...

The song cycle LES NUITS D'ETE (SUMMER NIGHTS) is a setting of six poems by composer Hector Berlioz' (1803-1869) neighbor and friend, Théophile Gautier. The text deals in themes of love in all its fac...

The song cycle Les Nuits d’été (Summer Nights) is a setting of six poems by composer Hector Berlioz' neighbor and friend, Théophile Gautier. The text deals in themes of love in all its facets, progres...

The song cycle Les Nuits d’été (Summer Nights) is a setting of six poems by composer Hector Berlioz' neighbor and friend, Théophile Gautier. The text deals in themes of love in all its facets, progres...

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) wrote his 3 Gesänge älterer deutscher Dichter (3 Songs by Older German Poets) in 1899 for high voice and piano. The three songs are: 1. An sie (To Them; text by Friedrich G...

In October of 1898, Edward Elgar returned home after a long day of teaching, ate dinner, then sat down at the piano to doodle on the keys. Elgar described what followed: “In a little while, soothed an...

Composed in 1911, PETITE SUITE is among Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's lighter works.  With four contrasting movements, the suite is an appealing showcase of the composer's memorable melodic writing....

Richard Wagner (1813-1883) wrote the five-act opera RIENZI, DER LETZTE DER TRIBUNEN (RIENZI, THE LAST OF THE TRIBUNES), WWV 49, was written in 1840, with a libretto by the composer after Edward Bulwer...

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) began composing the songs of DES KNABEN WUNDERHORN (THE BOY'S MAGIC HORN) in 1892, finishing in 1901. Comprised of 15 songs total by the end, each sets folktale texts, as pub...

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) began composing the songs of DES KNABEN WUNDERHORN (THE BOY'S MAGIC HORN) in 1892, finishing in 1901. Comprised of 15 songs total by the end, each sets folktale texts, as pub...

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) began composing the songs of DES KNABEN WUNDERHORN (THE BOY'S MAGIC HORN) in 1892, finishing in 1901. Comprised of 15 songs total by the end, each sets folktale texts, as pub...

Le Cid by Jules Massenet (1842-1912) is an opera in four acts with ten tableaux. It tells the the story of the historical Spanish knight Rodrigue, who led Spain's army to victory of the Moors, earning...

Le Cid by Jules Massenet (1842-1912) is an opera in four acts with ten tableaux. It tells the the story of the historical Spanish knight Rodrigue, who led Spain's army to victory of the Moors, earning...