10 ESSENTIAL SYMPHONIC POEMS for BEGINNERS

Symphonic poems (a.k.a. Tone Poems, or Concert Overtures, or just Overtures) are pieces of music about something--a story, a philosophical ideal, an object--anything descriptive that isn't an abstract sequence of feelings and moods. The music conjures up images, often with the assistance of an external description or "program," hence the term "program music," into which general category the works below also fall.
Beethoven: Leonore Overture No. 3
Liszt: Mazeppa (Symphonic Poem No. 6)
Franck: Le Chasseur Maudit (The Accursed Huntsman)
Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet
Mussorgsky: A Night on Bald Mountain
Strauss: Death and Transfiguration (Tod und Verklärung)
Dvořák: The Water Goblin
Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Sibelius: Pohjola’s Daughter
Debussy: La Mer (The Sea)

[@jackday9870]

This is a wonderful list. I especially love The Accursed Huntsman, one I think is very underrated by most people. One of my favorite symphonic poems must be Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead. I find it wonderfully atmospheric and incredibly well orchestrated.

[@stuf159]

Your videos are great! Other classical music people on KZbin treat it like you need to be taught how to listen to classical music to enjoy it. Too bad those channels are bigger than yours.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Well, I'm just getting started. Hopefully the channel will grow. Thank you for the kind comment.

[@andrewericelliott9488]

Quality, not quantity

[@wzdavi]

Strauss' Symphonic Poems or suites to his operas, have always been dreamy. My grandmother, in order for me to behave, would talk about "The Noon Day Witch" if that didn't work, on went the music. My grandmother, Dvorak, and symphonic poems introduced me to classical music. Dave's renominations are dope! Totally agree.

[@TdF_101]

This will be really helpful for many people. Sometimes we forget how important it is to have experts give good recommendations and give people that initial 'push'. I've known people who were overwhelmed by symphonic repertoire but always curious, once they have something to latch on to now then they were able to dig in.

[@bigg2988]

The way David packs up and presents this music can just make one emotional - especially someone who's known those pieces, and either relates to his passion for the piece, or is discovering details not heard before thanks to generous and intriguing comments! The way I went "wow" on the explanation of "Death and Transfiguration" by R. Strauss. It surely was worth giving that symphonic poem preference over the more famous ones, so right you are, Dave! Out of reverence for Liszt as the "father" of the sub-genre, I would have also included "Tasso, Lamento e Trionfo" (yes, Italian is that easy to understand! :)) as a second pick from him. In is just beyond glorious when done right - perhaps ought to come with a recommendation for the top performances as well, 'cause it obviously can also be turned into boredom by less alert conductors. In my mind "Tasso" forms the big 3 from Liszt with "Les Preludes" and "Mazeppa"... and I am off to listen to Mazeppa's horse galloping away for now!

[@rosstwele8966]

Your mention of how little music Dukas published emboldens me to ask for an IDEAL Dukas list!

[@c.iuliusbalbus4399]

Bravo! I find very insightful and useful the descriptions of the works discussed here. In fact, I had to listen to them afterwards... (The tone poems, I mean; I know them all). Incidentally, if I am not much mistaken, the two main themes in "Romeo and Juliet" are two versions of the same tune, as if Chaikovsky wanted us to realize that the love between the two young people is just another facet of the old feud between Montagues and Capulets... Gratias maximas!

[@CortJohnson]

Fascinating about Leonore! Thanks for the background 😊

[@harrycornelius373]

This isn't a suggestion, but I always thought of Beethoven Symphony #6 as a tone poem whatever it is called

[@GastonBulbous]

I really love a lot of these pieces. I didn’t know I was such a symphonic poems kind of guy!

[@Dionysus_333]

Good sir, how delightful! Love your channel, many blessings 🎉

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Thank you kindly!

[@cristianoneto1563]

Yes David! Please do a video on the topic of ocean/water! I am fascinated by the sea and water and absolutely love Debussy's la mer. I can only recall rimsky-korsakov's sadko and scheherazade, mendelssohn's hebrides overture and maybe handel water music but I wonder what more music is out there that you can actually here in it that evoques such themes. Thanks for the videos!

[@SO-ym3zs]

There's a vast number to choose from. A few: Bax-Tintagel and On the Sea Shore Ravel-Une barque sur l'océan Hovhaness-And God Created Great Whales Smetana-Moldau Stanford-Songs of the Sea, Songs of the Fleet, The Revenge Rautavaara-On the Last Frontier Britten-Four See Interludes/Peter Grimes Bridge-The Sea Bantock-The Sea Reivers, Hebridean and Celtic Symphonies Børresen-Symphony 2 "Havet" (The Sea) Atterberg-Symphony 3 "West Coast Pictures" Liszt-Au bord d'une source Vaughan Williams-Sea Symphony Wagner-Der Fliegende Holländer Mendelssohn-Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage Zemlinsky-Die Seejungfrau Delius-Florida Suite

[@davidmeyer3565]

Great talk David, as ever, thank you, especially when addressing what makes a tone poem. Clearly, overtures fit the bill. With that fluidity in mind, I was intrigued to read Wagner's essay on the Eroica Symphony starting 'This highly significant tone piem'.... which then goes on to describe it as the portrait of an individual hero - not necessarily a military one. If 'the Master's Third Symphony' is a tone poem according to Wagner, what other symphonies can be described as such? One commentator has already mentioned Berlioz. Other contenders that immediately spring to mind are Tchaikovskys 'Manfred Symphony, Vaughan-Willams 'London' and obviously Beethoven's Pastoral (hear Stokowski's very amusing talk about that). I'm tempted to add Shostakovich's 'Leningrad' Symphony,. But you have given us an excellent talk, analysing that first movement in purely musical, symphonic, terms. Perhaps it's an example of a Symphony that people heard as a tone at the time for emotional and political reasons, which led to it being dismissed as such because of that label. It has surfaced again because of its symphonic strength.

[@hendriphile]

More pre-Liszt sea-inspired tone poems: Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, based on poems by Goethe, was done by Beethoven (with chorus!) and Mendelssohn.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes, but they aren't water pieces, really.

[@malcomwessing9869]

Again, Dave, your selections provide me with more opportunities to broaden my musical palette. As Sibelius is one of my "Holy Trinity of Classical Music", (Dvorak and Mahler rounding that group out), I favor 'The Swan of Tuonela' over 'Pohjolas's Daughter", but that's only because I tend toward maximum melancholia in my musical taste. Thanks for all you do!

[@iankemp1131]

Although in a sense the Swan of Tuonela isn't really a standalone tone poem - it's the third movement of the Four Lemminkainen Legends which can be treated as a suite or symphony.

[@zollofontepoliorcete9143]

I'd say the specific feature of symphonic poem - differently from any other descriptive music - is that the musical form comes from the literary inspiration. Take for instance Liszt's Les Préludes: the three-notes theme is worked out following Lamartine's poem. But of course, finally every symphonic poem can be refered to a 'pure' form, which eventually fitted the extramusical inspiration (like the Rondo for Till Eulenspiegel)!

[@ruramikael]

Les Preludes is based upon the choral work "The Four Elements", and was probably intended as a prelude. Liszt's SPs are often in extended sonata form.

[@rhonda8900]

Finished this lesson/grouping. The Liszt: Mazeppa was the standout to me. I remember the Dukas piece from Disney's Fantasia and enjoyed it too. Of course even beginners know A Night on Bald Mountain which I think would be exciting to see live. La Mer was pretty but did not resonate with me the way I was hoping it would. I thought the Dvorak piece was pretty sedate to be about a water golbin and the Strauss was very pretty to be about death. I am still not connecting to Sibelius and my note on that piece was I found it dull.

[@thomascampbell127]

In my opinion, the first modern symphonic poem was Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

No, it was the Representation of Chaos from Haydn's The Creation.

[@thomascampbell127]

@@DavesClassicalGuide how could I forget. Such a great section of a great piece. As a bass trombone player the creation is a favorite.

[@enkidu62]

Thankyou for this series. One qustion where would you place Hector Berliooz?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Not in this thread.

[@bigg2988]

By the way, an idea for a possible follow-up, inspired by the evocation of the movie "Fantasia": maybe 10 essential Fantasias for beginners (irrespective of the epoch or instrument)? I bet David could pick more than enough very exciting and beautiful ones! It is just that defining a musical fantasy might be even harder than a symphonic/tone poem. :) But they exist - and among them one can discover a wealth of usually little known gems!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Actually, that's an upcoming list...it's already done, although not quite the way you suggest here.

[@bigg2988]

@@DavesClassicalGuide Well I am intrigued! Keep them coming! :)

[@chutton988]

I’m no beginner to classical music but I’m finding out that I have lots of pieces on these “10 Essential” lists to know better. Am loving this series so much, Dave. I hope the Fantasia episode will include the great master CPE! You got me to listen to the Markovina set, thanks!

[@michaelmasiello6752]

I loved this! I have a related question for you, Dave. I believe you once said (one of the things) music can’t represent is hate, which I thought quite beautiful. But I found myself thinking about opera. Of course, there hate is specified in the words, not the music, so your point still holds. But I’m wondering what you’d say the music of, say, Verdi’s Iago aria, “Credo in un Dio crudel”-with the vocal content, but in the absence of the words-expresses. That terrible sinking motto that darkens so dramatically by the end: what would you call that, or those weird, almost playful episodes in between. What would we call that mood? Gleeful menace? Or is that me putting words the in the music’s nonexistent mouth?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I think music can do evil or, more aptly put, "sinister," and that's what the Credo (the music anyway) captures so well. It's an interesting question, though.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

@@stackedactor1 Sure. Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, for one.

[@jasonquinlan731]

Hard to argue with anything on this list.