Divertissement is the French equivalent of “diversion,” in the sense of amusement or entertainment; this title Ibert gave to the concert suite he drew from his incidental music to a 1929 production of one of the greatest French farces, The...

Bachianas Brasileiras No. 2 is the second of a set of nine suites (1930–45) for various combinations of voices and instruments, in which contrapuntal and harmonic techniques in the manner of J.S. Bach are applied to themes of Brazilian origin. It...

"Montagues and Capulets", known by its proper title as "Dance of the Knights", is a work of classical music written by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev for his 1935 ballet "Romeo and Juliet". Extracted from Suite No.2 Op.64ter

It is the third orchestral work in Respighi's "Roman trilogy", preceded by Fountains of Rome (1916) and Pines of Rome (1924). Each of the four movements depict a scene of celebration from Ancient Rome. It is the longest and most demanding of the trilogy...

REPRINT SERIES Originally composed as a ballet commissioned by Russian ballerina Ida Rubinstein, Boléro is a one-movement orchestral piece and is Ravel's most famous musical composition.

Romeo and Juliet Suite No.3 Op.101 has 6 movements and is the briefest of the three suites extracted from the Ballet, lasting just under twenty minutes. 1.Romeo at the Fountain2. .Morning Dance3.Juliet4.The Nurse5.Aubade6.The Death of Juliet

As is the usual case with Bachianas Brasileiras, Villa-Lobos stressed the conjunction of Bach and Brazil by giving dual titles in Portuguese to each movement, one reflecting a Bach form, the other suggesting the Brazilian nature of the music. Originally...

Honegger's Fourth Symphony, which contains musical quotations from two Basel folk songs, expresses the composer's happiness during a pleasant stay in the Swiss countryside after the end of World War II.Despite the pastoral and often joyous mood...

EDITION ZEZA REPRINT SERIES It is unusual among Bax's tone poems in that it is written for a much more normally sized orchestra than he was prone to demand. In this case the heavier brass -- usually the orchestral section most tasked and taxed in a Bax...

A visit to Brazil resulted in the composition Impressioni brasiliane (Brazilian Impressions). He had intended to write a sequence of five pieces, but by 1928 he had completed only three, and decided to present what he had. The first piece is a nocturne,...

Bartók divides the strings into two groups which he directs should be placed antiphonally on opposite sides of the stage, and he makes use of antiphonal effects particularly in the second and fourth movements.The piece is in four movements, the...

EDITION ZEZA REPRINT SERIESThe Concerto for Orchestra, Sz. 116 is a five-movement musical work for orchestra and one of Bartok's best-known, most popular and most accessible works. I. Introduzione. Andante non troppo - Allegro vivaceThe first movement,...

Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen, Study for 23 Solo Strings, subtitled "In memoriam" is scored for ten violins, five violas, five cellos, and three contrabasses. The work unfolds in a single, long movement. Strauss sustains and develops a series of...

Trittico Botticelliano ("Three Botticelli Pictures") is a three-movement suite based on famous paintings by the Renaissance master Botticelli.It demonstrates not only Respighi's ear for fresh and beautiful sonorities, but also his interest in the history...

Prokofiev extracted three orchestral suites and a set of ten piano transcriptions from his ballet masterpiece "Romeo and Juliet" (one of the most enduringly popular ballets). Suite No. 2 from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64ter:1. Montagues and Capulets2. The...

EDITION ZEZA REPRINT SERIES Bohuslav Martinů's Symphony No. 2, H. 295, was composed from May 29 to July 24, 1943 under a commission from the Czech community in Cleveland. Martinu's Second Symphony is also a work of Haydnesque proportions. It is not a...

"L'Amour des trois oranges" is a satirical opera by Prokofiev. The orchestral suite was compiled from the opera for concert use. The suite lasts for 15 to 20 minutes and is in 6 movements. 1. The Ridicules2. The Magician Tchelio and Fata Morgana Play...

Dating from 1927, the work is based on music from 18th-century and represents an attempt to transcribe birdsong into musical notation. The work is in five movements:    "Prelude" (based on music of Bernardo Pasquini)    "La...