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Bach composed the first version of this piece in 1723 using the key of E-flat major for the Christmas Vespers in Leipzig which contained several Christmas texts. Over the years he removed the...

Haydn's final mass was given its premiere in Eisenstadt, at the Esterh?zy place chapel on September 9th, 1802. The nickname "Harmoniemesse" derives from the German term for a wind ensemble. In...

The sixth of the revolutionary series of thirteen tone poems for orchestra, Liszt's Mazeppa was inspired by the French version of Lord Byron's famous poem by Victor Hugo. Composed from 1851-54, it...

Liszt's fourth entry in his revolutionary series of thirteen symphonic poems, Orpheus was penned to serve as an introduction to the Weimar premiere of Gluck's opera on the same story Ofeo ed Euridice...

Composed in August of 1920 while vacationing in his native Switzerland, Pastorale d'ete (Summer Pastorale) evokes a peaceful summer morning in the Swiss Alps. The composer even prefaced the first...

Debussy's sole completed opera was given its premiere at Paris' Opera Comique on April 30, 1902. It was the culmination of an eight-year effort on the composer's part. Though not an immediate...

Debussy's sole completed opera was given its premiere at Paris' Opera Comique on April 30, 1902. It was the culmination of an eight-year effort on the composer's part. Though not an immediate...

Sergei Rachmaninoff was the solo pianist for the world premiere of his third concerto, renowned as one of the most challenging in the entire piano repertoire, in New York on November 28, 1909 with...

Composed in the late summer of 1876, Dvorak's first effort at a full-blown concerto shows signs of an unusual amount of revision in the composer's hand - especially for the solo piano part. This...

Composed in 1914, Ravel's sole work for the classical ensemble of piano, violin and cello was first heard in Paris at the Salle Gaveau on January 28, 1915, with Alfredo Casella on the piano, Gabriel...

The fifth of Liszt's revolutionary series of thirteen symphonic poems, Prometheus started life in 1850 as a dramatic cantata for chorus and orchestra set to Johann Gottfried Herder's "Der entfesselte...

The Scherzo capriccioso was composed in the same period (1883-84) as the Symphony No.7, Op.70 and the Piano Trio in F minor, Op.65, in which Dvorak delved into dramatic and darker colors than those...

Composed for the Norfolk and Norwich Festival, Sea Pictures was heard for the first time on October 5, 1899 with also Clara Butt accompanied by the Festival Orchestra under the composer's direction...

Composed over the space of just 12 days (May 3-14, 1875), Dvorak's five-movement serenade has been a favorite since its first performance was given in Prague under the baton of Adolf Cech with the...

Dvorak composed this deservedly popular work 1878 shortly after the premiere of his opera The Cunning Peasant. Scored for a 'harmonie' ensemble of 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 3 horns and...

Dvorak's second set of Slavonic Dances was composed in response to a request from his German publisher N. Simrock in the wake of the tremendous popularity of the first set (Op.46). The brilliant...

The first of the three Slovansk? rapsodie was composed from February 13 to March 17 of 1878, followed soon after by the second (August 20 to September 17). Both received their premiere in Prague's...

Dvorak's "Stabat Mater" is a work deeply inspired by personal tragedy in the composer's life. Originally sketched between February and May of 1876 as a delayed response to the death of his daughter...

Dvorak's Stabat Mater is a work deeply inspired by personal tragedy in the composer's life. Originally sketched between February and May of 1876 as a delayed response to the death of his daughter...

Dvorak received a commission for this work in 1877 for a benefit concert to raise funds for the construction of a new church in Prague. Composed between August 6 and 28 September, it was first...

Composed in 1872 and first performed in Moscow at the Russian Musica Society on February 7, 1873, Tchaikovsky's second venture into the symphonic form was well-received, soon earning the nickname...

The second in a ground-breaking series of thirteen works for orchestra, Liszt's Tasso. Lamento e Trionfo was inspired by Goethe's drama Torquato Tasso. Composed from 1849-54, it was given its...

Composed in 1913 to Konstantin Balmont's free adaptation in Russian of poetry by Edgar Allan Poe, The Bells (Kolokola in Russian), was one of Rachmaninoff's favorites among his own works. Balmont's...

The composer worked on this symphonic poem from January to April of 1896. The title refers to a Czech folk ballad in which a king falls in love with Domicka while riding and requests his step-mother...

Inspired by the painting by the Swiss artist Arnold B?cklin, Rachmaninoff composed his symphonic poem in the spring of 1909, completing it while on tour in Dresden just two weeks before the premiere...

The third of the four late tone poems inspired by "Bouquet", a collection of ballads by Karel Jaromir Erben based upon Czech folklore, The Noon Witch was composed from January 11 to February 27 of...

The first of four late tone poems inspired by "Bouquet", a collection of ballads by Karel Jaromir Erben based upon Czech folklore, The Water Goblin was composed from January 6 to February 11 of 1896...

Last of the four late tone poems inspired by Bouquet, a collection of ballads by Karel Jaromir Erben based upon Czech folklore, Wild Dove was composed from October 22 to November 18 of 1896 and given...

Liszt's dark paraphrase on the Gregorian chant "Dies irae" for piano and orchestra was planned as early as 1838 but actually composed between 1847 and 1853, with a revision in 1864. The work was...

Dedicated to "my friends pictured within", Elgar's orchestral showpiece started life as a simple improvisation at the piano after a day of teaching violin in October of 1898. Upon playing the theme,...