WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE SYMPHONIC POEMS OR SUITES?

There are a lot of great nationalistic pieces that fall under the designation of tone poem or symphonic poem, and even program music. I like much of the Russian stuff, Smetana's Ma vlast, Paul Dukas' L'apprenti-sorcier, etc. As far as program music goes, and it's not necessarily nationalistic, Beethoven's sixth symphony just floors me. The slow movement is just sublime.

Vaughn Williams: As well as the best known "Lark Ascending", there's an Oboe [concerto/symphony - don't have the CD here to check] which is hauntingly beautiful.

Zbigniew Preisner's soundtracks to the Krzysztof Kieslowski films "Three Colours Red/White/Blue" and "La Double Vie de Veronique" are magnificent moody pieces, which stand up to listening on CD, sepatated from the films.

Craig Armstrong has also composed a great deal of soundtrack music, notably for Baz Luhrmann's "Romeo & Juliet". Again, it's the kind of music which transposes you to another place.

KP

Lightwizard- Now why did you have to mention Hindemith's
"Symphonic Metamorphosis" ? Now the tune is going to be running around in my head all day!

Anything by Debussy for me.

This is not meant disparagingly, but I find Debussy very useful when I can't fall asleep. Soooo Sooooothing!!!

Debussy's "THe Engulfed Cathedral" should wake you back up.

Actually, if you think of it Berlioz' Symphonie Fantastique may loosely be called a tone poem. It definitely tells a story!

Also, Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain"

Works like the Beethoven 6th and Symphonie Fantastique although in traditional symphonic form and having a programmatic outline are still not classified as tone poems or suites.

I'd like to enter one of my favorite modern tone poems.

Schoneberg's "Transfigured Night"

...and "The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan" by Charles Griffes. This is the recording I have (that's not the best price, tho):

The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan

(Now I've not the main tune of "Symphonic Metamorphosis" runing through my head! I'll just have to play it today I guess).

Just what is a tone poem anyway? Can it be defined in the negative? If it doesn't have a form, it's a tone poem? Is it just a long prelude without the fugue?

A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in one movement in which some extra-musical programme provides a narrative or illustrative element. This programme could come from a poem, a novel, a painting or some other source. Music based on extra-musical sources is often known as programme music, while music which has no other associations is known as abstract music.

Thanks for the link -- the source gives the one movement criteria and then proceeds to list Respighi's multi-parted "Pines." So the definition is pretty loose when their are specific programmatic titles to each part of a symphonic of tone poem.

Wonder how to classify Elgar's "Enigma Variations?"

I wonder if Holst's "The Planets" would be a tone poem.

So a tone poem is programmatic, is in one movement, and otherwise anything goes.

I like Arthur Honneger's "Pacific 231," which describes a steam locomotive departing a station, highballing it, and then ending up at another station. The composer is said to have been inspired by "The Orange Blossum Special." In the middle of the work when the train attains maximum speed, it blows a climatic whistle that sounds like the old single-note diesel horns.

I would consider "The Planets" a tone poem -- I don't believe the definition of one movement can really stick. If you'll re-read the heading, I've opening it up a bit to include anything programmatic. I have at least ten different CD's of "Planets" including the Andre Previn on a surround DVD.

Wikipedia describes symphonic poems as specific forms of program music, namely that they are single movement orchestral pieces thereof.

Program music

The Merriam Webster defintion is broader:

Main Entry: symphonic poem
Function: noun
: an extended programmatic composition for symphony orchestra usually freer in form than a symphony

I addressed Wikipedia's single movement entry earlier on this thread as they proceed to give "Pines of Rome" as an example which is four movements or parts. Several Schoneberg symphonic poems are also multiple movements. I would like to qualify whatever is entered here by the dictionary definition which will, naturally, allow Symphonies such as "Symphony Fantastique" which is in four moviements but they are not in the tradition of the construction of a symphony either. Don't go fundamentalist on me, Infrablue -- I like you. And Wikipedia I have found has other errors and anamolies in their entries. Check on how those entries are made and you'll see why.

The re-release of a classic RCA Living Stereo performance by Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony prompt me to offer:

Alan Hovhaness: "Mysterious Mountain" Musics that is shadowy and mystical combined with an impressionistic evocation in one's imagination of misty forests and sun filled heights, this is one of my favorites.

On the same disc:

Stravinsky "Divertimento" from "The Fairy's Kiss"
Prokofiev "Lieutenant Kije Symphonic Suite"

BTW, if you do have premiums and perks from Amazon, this site does get monatary credit if you purchase though the Portal. Just thought I'd mention that again.