[Orchestra] Introducing famous and popular pieces
Among classical music, the orchestra is the most opulent and offers the widest range of expression.
When a variety of instruments, each infused with the performer’s own sensibility, come together to create a single piece of music, it produces a unique allure found nowhere else.
In this article, we’ve picked out famous and popular orchestral pieces.
Even within orchestral music, there are many genres—from symphonies and concertos to operas.
We’re introducing everything from pieces everyone has heard to works well-known among classical enthusiasts, so be sure to check them out.
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[Orchestra] Introducing Famous and Popular Pieces (1–10)
Piano Concerto No. 1Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Completed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky in 1875, this work is one of the most popular pieces in the history of classical music.
Its opening theme is frequently used as background music on television and elsewhere.
From the powerful introduction to the romantic, passionate melodies, the piano part demands high technical skill while also singing with beautiful lyricism.
Through the rich dialogue between piano and orchestra, the composer’s inner conflicts and emotional surges are vividly expressed.
Its unique appeal—born from a fusion of Russian folk elements and European musical styles—continues to captivate many listeners.
Deeply resonant and moving, this piece can be regarded as a masterpiece that symbolizes Tchaikovsky’s musical genius and profound emotion.
“Morning Mood” from Peer GyntEdvard Grieg
Incidental music by Edvard Grieg, one of Norway’s foremost composers, written for Henrik Ibsen’s play Peer Gynt.
The play recounts the story of the free-spirited Peer Gynt as he sets off on his travels and returns in old age.
Of the 26 pieces of incidental music, several were selected and published as orchestral suites.
Morning Mood, which opens Act IV, is a clear, luminous piece depicting dawn in the Sahara Desert.
Its flute melody is especially famous, conveying a grandeur as if the morning sun were beautifully illuminating the sands.
Symphony No. 6 “Pastoral”Ludwig van Beethoven
It is one of Beethoven’s representative works and the only symphony to which he himself gave a title.
Composed in the nature-rich Heiligenstadt, the piece vividly reflects the richness and serenity of nature.
Beethoven not only titled the symphony as a whole, but also gave titles to each movement: I.
“Cheerful feelings upon arriving in the countryside,” II.
“Scene by the brook,” III.
“Merry gathering of country folk,” IV.
“Thunderstorm,” and V.
“Shepherd’s hymn—Happy and thankful feelings after the storm.” Listening with these titles in mind, you may feel as if the landscape is unfolding right before your eyes.
[Orchestra] Introducing famous and popular pieces (11–20)
Overture from the opera “The Marriage of Figaro”Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
An opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart based on a satirical play by the French dramatist Beaumarchais.
It is an opera buffa in an overture and four acts, and in Japan the overture in particular is widely used in commercials, so even people who don’t usually pay attention to or listen to classical music have likely heard it.
Its dynamics, which truly embody the essence of the orchestra, offer a sense of power that’s hard to experience in other musical genres.
It’s a grand yet beautiful classical number that makes the brilliance of the orchestra easy to appreciate.
Ballet Suite “The Nutcracker”Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
A masterpiece of ballet music by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, one of the leading Russian composers of the 19th century.
It depicts the dreamlike adventures of a girl named Clara on Christmas night through enchanting, beautiful melodies.
The score is filled with captivating pieces that set the heart dancing, such as the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, notable for its celesta timbre, and the splendid Waltz of the Flowers.
While influenced by Russian folk music, the work harmonizes superbly with Western musical forms, making it beloved not only by classical music enthusiasts but by people of all ages.
Although its 1892 premiere received mixed reviews, it has since become a cherished winter tradition around the world.
Symphony No. 7 “Unfinished”Franz Schubert
Following Beethoven’s Symphony No.
5 “Fate” and Dvořák’s Symphony No.
9 “From the New World,” this Symphony No.
7 “Unfinished” is also extremely popular; together they are known as the “Three Great Symphonies.” Composed by Schubert, who wrote a vast number of songs, the reason it remained unfinished is still not clearly known.
With a touch of melancholy yet graced by elegant melodies passed among various instruments, its mysterious beauty makes it a particularly captivating work.
Symphony No. 5 “Fate”Ludwig van Beethoven
A masterpiece among orchestral masterpieces composed by the great classical master Beethoven.
Its opening motif—“da-da-da-dum”—is widely known around the world.
Beethoven completed this work while gradually losing his hearing.
Consisting of four movements, it portrays a journey from anguish to joy through dramatic transformation: from the first movement, which symbolizes the arrival of inescapable fate, to the fourth movement, which drives inexorably toward its climax.
Premiered in Vienna in December 1808, it went on to establish itself as a central work in the orchestral repertoire.
In its formal beauty and structural perfection, it is a masterpiece whose intricacy is unmatched by other works.