Orchestral recommendations, please?

[Vaderbait1 1]

I've recently gotten ahold of Wagner's Des Neibeldegung (I know I butchered that, but I'm going from memory here), and wasn't as impressed as I thought I would be with it. My favorite composer is probably Tchaikovsky, but there's so much of even his work I'm unfamiliar with, but that may help yo uunderstand what I'm looking for. I guess he'd be classified as a Romantic composer? I love powerful music, and Tchaikovsky's Arabian Dance (or whatever it's called, my CD case is gone for it and I can't find a track listing anywhere) and 1812 Overture are among my favorite pieces of music ever.

So, can anyone recommend some music along those lines that may be worth looking into? I'd appreciate any assistance, thanks in advance.

[pi 0]

Elgar Enigma Variations

Rachmaninoff Symphony 2

Brahms Tragic Overture

[Beowulf 4]

For powerful Romantic-era Music, try the follwing works from these composers:

Tchaikovsky:

- Symphony No. 4

- Piano Concerto

- 'Finale' to Swan Lake

Richard Strauss:

Various Tone Poems including:

- Don Juan

- Till Eulenspiegel

- Festive Prelude

Rimsky-Korsakov:

- Scheherazade

- Capriccio Espagnol

Bruckner:

- Symphony No. 8 - 4th Movement

Mahler:

- Symphony No. 1

Rachmaninoff:

- Piano Concertos No. 2 & 3

- Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini

- Symphonic Dances

Respighi:

- Pines of Rome

- Roman Festivals

- Belkis, Queen of Sheeba

Dvorak:

- Symphony No. 9

- Carnival Overture

Holst

- The 'Planets' Suite, but 'Mars', 'Jupiter', 'Uranus', and 'Saturn' especially

I know that seems like a lot, but all of these titles are a good starting points and should be available at your local library (providing your local library isn't pure pants).

[tony69 0]

You werent' impressed with Der Ring des Nibelungens?! wow. wow. anyways back to your point, try out some Copland; Appalachian spring is particularly nice. very american, and if you like late 80s/90s hollywood, you will hear the influence of this work. mendelssohn fingal's cave is pretty powerful for a very classical piece. one of the most powerful pieces of music to me is Daphnis et Chloe, Ravel. you need the dutoit version however, because that is the definitive recordign.

[Marian Schedenig 8,192]

You werent' impressed with Der Ring des Nibelungens?! wow.

Well, it's not the easiest music to start with. At least not if he's talking about the full operas. Long after I knew the orchestral highlights, I still had to get used to the full deals (Die Walküre in particular took some time).

Marian - currently re-listening to the cycle.

[tony69 0]

You werent' impressed with Der Ring des Nibelungens?! wow.

Well, it's not the easiest music to start with. At least not if he's talking about the full operas. Long after I knew the orchestral highlights, I still had to get used to the full deals (Die Walküre in particular took some time).

Marian - currently re-listening to the cycle.

haha i loved the full thing the first time i listened to it. i started with das rheingold which is the most tuneful of the operas. die walkure is powerful if you see it live except for the boring second half of the first act. i almost fell asleep in the opera house lol. however gotterdammerung, and 3rd act of siegfried. wow. unbelievably powerful.

which conductor do you align urself with in terms of the cycle? solti? bohm? levine? karajan? neuhold? i am a solti lover.

[Marian Schedenig 8,192]

I pretty much loved the Rheingold right away, with the others following suit... first Siegfried, then Götterdämmerung. Last came Walküre, which I didn't really start to appreciate until I'd seen it live for the first time (and still the slowness bothered be a couple of times). I guess Walküre and Götterdämmerung (the second half of the first act) are the toughest (especially if the opera house is sold out and all you've got is a standing ticket ), but the more I get acquainted with all those motifs, the more I appreciate these parts.

So far, I only have Karajan. Generally, I'm a Karajan fan, and I'm very happy with this one. I want to get (and hear) the Solti someday as well though. And I'M interested in two DVD versions - The Boulez because of the impact it had (and from all I'm told, it's musically great as well - and the cast includes at least one singer (Salminen) whom I've seen live in the Ring here, too), and the Levine, because from the screenshots on the packaging, it looks like a "traditional" staging, something I'd very much like to see as well.

Marian - also currently re-listening to all Bruckner symphonies (and I mean *all* of them ).

[ChrisAfonso 186]

I'm too tired now to enter the "Ring" discussion (though atm listening to "Walküre" 3rd CD simultanously with Marian ), I have a presentation tomorrow about "Rheingold"'s leitmotifs and key characteristics...

But if you're a Tchaikovsky fan, I hope you know his 4th and (especially) 6th symphonies? The 6th ("Pathétique") is one of the most gorgeous pieces of music I have ever known (and played). I was close to tears while playing it last year... the most overwhelming performing experience of my life, never thought a piece would grip me like that... absolutely amazing music (Though of course VERY depressing).

[nicholas 1]

The Russians generally know how to throw an orchestra around. Prokofiev is always fun, particularly the jazzy and noisy piano concertos, and of course Stravinsky's 3 great ballets are set-pieces of orchestration in their different ways, The Firebird, Petrushka and Rite of Spring - the last possibly the first truly "modern" piece of music (although some would claim that for the Eroica!).

[KingPin 201]

Kudos on Pines of Rome and The Rite of Spring!

I also recommend (and not all are from the Romantic period):

Chabrier - Espana

Tchiakovsky - Marche slave; Violin Concerto

Dvorak - Cello Concerto

Lizst - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue