MY TOP 100 CLASSICAL MUSIC FAVORITES CONTINUE BELOW. THEY ARE NUMBERED ~ BUT NOT RANKED IN ANY PARTICULAR ORDER
91. MARCHE MILITAIRE FRANÇAISE FROM CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS’ SUITE ALGÉRIENNE
Camille Saint-Saëns’ “Marche militaire française” is the final piece from his four-movement “Suite algérienne,” and once again, my love for this piece dates back to my days in high school band. It was a fun piece to play!
The other three movements of Saint-Saëns’ suite are I. “Prélude. En vue d'Alger” (View of Algiers), II. “Rhapsodie mauresque” (Moorish Rhapsody), and III. “Rêverie du soir. A Blidah” (An Evening Dream at Blida”). |
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Above right: “Marche militaire française” performed by an orchestra.
Left: “Marche militaire française” performed by a band (in case you'd like to hear the difference). Right: The complete “Suite algérienne.” |
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92. MARCHE SLAVE & THE 1812 OVERTURE BY TCHAIKOVSKY
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Well, I suppose a similar question could be, "which came first, the 1812 Overture or Marche Slave?"
Well, "March Slave" (pronounced "SLAHV") was was written to celebrate Russia's intervention in the Servo-Turkish War, and it was published in 1876. The "1812 Overture" written to commemorate the successful Russian defense against Napoleon's invading army in 1812, and the piece was published in 1880 . "Marche Slav" is frequently paired in performance with Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" because both pieces quote "God Save the Tsar" -- so I thought I would list both here as the 92nd entry on my list of Top 100 Favorites. |
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Left: The "1812 Overture" as performed by Melodica Men. Right: The melody of Dan Fogelberg's top ten hit "Same Old Lang Syne" is drawn from the distinctive leitmotif that represents the Russian forces in the the "1812 Overture." |
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93. MOZART'S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 21 IN C MAJOR
The entire concerto is beautiful, but who doesn't love the dream-like melody of the second movement (show in Mozart's handwriting, below left)?
The second movement was featured in the 1967 Swedish film Elvira Madigan (below center). As a result, the piece is often referred to as the Elvira Madigan concerto. Also, Neil Diamond's song "Song Sung Blue" (below right) is based on a theme from the same movement of the concerto. |
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94. OVERTURE AND THREE DANCES FROM "THE BARTERED BRIDE" BY BEDŘICH SMETANA
"The Bartered Bride" is a comic opera in three acts by the Czech composer Bedřich Smetana. I don't think we ever played any of this music in my band class when I was in high school, but I remember owning an album back then with this music -- and who wouldn't like these tunes? There very upbeat and fun. The overture is below on the left; the three dances -- the Polka, Furiant, and Dance of the Comedians -- are below in the center; and the video below on the right includes a performance of the complete opera.
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95. CHOPIN'S POLONAISE IN A MAJOR, THE "MILITARY"
The twin Op. 40 Polonaises, the Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1 (nicknamed the "Military Polonaise") and the Polonaise in C minor, Op. 40, No. 2, were composed by Chopin in 1838. Once, Artur Rubenstein remarked that the Polonaise in A major is the symbol of Polish glory, while the Polonaise in C minor is the symbol of Polish tragedy.
I've always love the Polonaise in A Major -- and LOL, not just because it's one of the few Chopin pieces that I can actually play (and it is FUN to play). |
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Below left: I found a YouTube tutorial on "how to play" the Military Polonaise. Below center: The Military Polonaise transcribed for full orchestra. Below right: The other Op. 40 Polonaise, in C Minor.
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96. OVERTURE DI BALLO BY SIR ARTHUR SULLIVAN
The Overture di Ballo was written by Sir Arthur Sullivan, and he conducted its premiere in 1870. This piece predates all of Sullivan's work with Sir William Gilbert.
Shortly after its premiere, a critic for the British daily The Times wrote, "A more sparkling and animated orchestral piece of its kind it would be difficult to name." If you watch the conductor in the video at the left, there are times when I think he is dancing -- and why not? How can you not dance to this piece? |
According to Wikipedia, a section of the Overture di Ballo's galop is the only music used by Sir Charles Mackerra in his ballet "Pineapple Poll" (at the right) that is not taken from Sullivan's operas. "Pineapple Poll" is a Gilbert & Sullivan-inspired comic ballet, created by choreographer John Cranko with arranger Sir Charles Mackerras. The piece premiered in 1951, and all of the music is arranged from Sullivan's operas (with the exception noted above). Information on "Pineapple Poll" is HERE. |
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97. LA VALSE BY MAURICE RAVEL
From Wikipedia: "La Valse," poème chorégraphique pour orchestre (a choreographic poem for orchestra), is a work written by Maurice Ravel between February 1919 and 1920; it was first performed on 12 December 1920 in Paris. It was conceived as a ballet but is now more often heard as a concert work.
So is "La Valse" a "dance of death or delight"? Check this article out from the Houston Symphony, HERE. |
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Below left: "La Valse" for orchestra with an animated graphics to represent the score. Below center: A version "La Valse" ballet. Below right: "La Valse" for piano.
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98. TCHAIKOVSKY PIANO CONCERTO NO. 1 IN B FLAT MINOR
Tchaikovsky composed this concerto between 1874 and 185, and -- according to Wikipedia -- the first version received heavy criticism from Nikolai Rubinstein, Tchaikovsky's desired pianist. Tchaikovsky later revised it in the summer of 1879 and again in December 1888. At some point, Rubinstein repudiated his previous accusations and became a fervent champion of the work. It is one of the most popular of Tchaikovsky's compositions and among the best known of all -- and few concertos rival its dramatic opening.
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At the left: The opening to Tchaikovsky's concerto was turned into a Big Band hit called "Tonight We Love." At the right: Monty Python featured the start of the concerto when a Houdini-like magician attempts to escape from a tied bag while continuing to play the opening chords. |
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99. BALLET MUSIC FROM "COPPELIA" BY LÉO DELIBES
I love the music to "Coppelia" as much as I love the music to "Sylvia" (see #13 on my list, HERE). "Coppelia" (sometimes subtitled: The Girl with the Enamel (or Porcelain) Eyes) is a comic ballet originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes. The ballet premiered in May 1870.
Interestingly, a variation of the "Coppelia" story is contained in Jacques Offenbach's opera, "The Tales of Hoffmann," a fictional work about E. T. A. Hoffmann who wrote the story that inspired "Coppelia." |
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If you don't have time to watch (and listen to) the entire ballet (above right), a suite of works from the ballet is at the left. |
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100. BEETHOVEN'S PIANO CONCERTO NO. 5 IN E FLAT MAJOR, "EMPEROR"
I started my Top 100 list with one of my favorite piano concertos, so I thought I would end it with another favorite piano concerto, Beethoven's 'Emperor" -- his last piano concerto, composed between 1809 and 1811.
Below left & center: Ben Nacar accompanies himself playing the concerto. He plays the orchestra part on the left side of each video and the pianist's part on the right. |
Below right: Ken Burns featured the concerto in his documentary about Frank Lloyd Wright. In this excerpt of Burns' film, listen in at 1:48 to hear the concerto.
So there you have it -- my Top 100 Classical Music Favorites. I suspect there are some surprises -- like the absence of Brahms, Mahler and others? Maybe not enough Wagner? Too much Tchaikovsky? Anyway, if you'd like to comment on any of your favorites and/or on pieces you think I overlooked, I'm on Twitter with two accounts: @The_Dickinson (I tweet about the life and poetry of Emmett Lee Dickinson, Emily Dickinson's third cousin, twice removed -- at her request; and @RouteI0 (NOTE: That's not Route "10" as that account was already taken. My account is the word "Route" with a capital letter "I" and then the number "0").