First; I recognize I’m using “Classical” music incorrectly. I mean any orchestral music at any artistic period (maybe say 1500 to 1950).
I’m looking for names of more popular symphany pieces that I may have heard and probably thing is cool…but I just don’t know the name of. Can you suggest some names for me to look up and listen too?
It should be fairly well known, otherwise I’ve probably not heard it and don’t know it.
Things I recognize and like to listen too include:
Bolero
Mouret’s Rondeau
Fanfare for the Common Man
Wagner’s Valkerie
I’m so ignorant, I don’t even know I’ve named them correctly.
Can you suggest a few other names I’ve missed. I know theres one I think from Bach that is from a pipe organ (that seems to be associated with count dracula for some reason in my mind)…but I’m clueless on what its called.
Oh; links of the tunes so I can listen to them would be good.
You might also know Dance of the Knights (also known as Montagues and Capulets) from Prokofiev’s setting of Romeo and Juliet. Or Tchaikovsky’s Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet. Or Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty Waltz (which Disney actually used as the basis for “Once Upon A Dream” from the film).
Thank you for that…I haven’t heard those in years. I had the cassette with all of them on it and it was my driving music years back when I was commuting an hour either way to work. Just listening to it now I still remembered the order of the selections…
Just curious: How did you pick those two dates? I’m thinking that most classical music that would be familiar to most people would be from around 1700 to maybe 1920.
Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, Beethoven
Canon in D, Pachelbel (you hear it at weddings)
The Four Seasons: Spring
1812 Overture, Tchaikovsky (live cannon fire)
Messiah, Handel (includes Hallelujah Chorus)
Moonlight Sonata and Für Elise, Beethoven
New World Symphony, Antonin Dvorák
Water Music, Handel
I just listened to the finale of Götterdämmerung on the radio and I have to say that it is as beautiful as it can get.
If you want something with a twist I can also recommend Amira Selim’s rendition of The Queen of the Night’s revenge aria from a project called Mozart in Egypt (here she is called Queen of the 1001 nights).
Since most non-fans of classical learn them from movies or TV here’s a few connections:
Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries - Apocalypse Now
Bach’s Toccata & Fugue - Rollerball (the 70s original) Beethoven’s 9th Symphony - the first **Diehard **film
Ravel’s **Bolero **- 10 (the Dudley Moore / Bo Derek movie)
Richard Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra - 2001: A Space Odyssey
Carmina Burana’s O Fortuna - a lot of things, the first Jackass: The Movie semi-recently (also Caligula)
Aram Khachaturian’s Sabre Dance - 50s game show plate-spinner music
Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man - The Olympics
Somewhat randomly. I think I knew there was cool stuff in the 1700’s (I actually own the Greatest hits of 1720) and also there was more recent stuff into about 1920; but I wanted to be more inclusive so that I didn’t miss something that I should be aware of.
