[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 (31–40)
Symphony No. 1Johannes Brahms
A symphony that Brahms completed in 1876.
So conscious was Brahms of Beethoven’s nine symphonies that he struggled to finish one of his own, taking 21 years from conception to completion.
Nevertheless, the work received such high acclaim that it has been called “Beethoven’s Tenth.” With a structure easily grasped by listeners—“from darkness to light”—it has now become the most frequently performed of Brahms’s symphonies.
Jazz Suite No. 2Dmitrievich Shostakovich
A suite for orchestra composed by Dmitri Shostakovich, one of the foremost Russian composers of the 20th century.
It was written to promote the spread of jazz in Russia at the time and to improve band performance.
Consisting of eight movements such as marches and waltzes, the suite is marked by comical rhythms and a bright, flamboyant character.
It has more of a big-band flavor than a traditional orchestral one, distinguished by the powerful timbre of the brass.
Each of the eight movements has its own distinct personality, allowing listeners to enjoy a wide range of musical expressions.
The Blue DanubeJohann Strauss II
Along with Tales from the Vienna Woods and the Emperor Waltz, it is counted among Johann Strauss II’s three great waltzes, and it is the most popular of them.
In Austria it is unofficially known as a second national anthem.
It is often used in competitive ballroom dancing and ballet competitions, and it has appeared in commercials for the postal service and pharmaceutical companies, so it is a piece that almost everyone has heard at least once.
Both in Austria and abroad, when it is performed at New Year’s concerts, there is a custom of playing only a short portion of the introduction, briefly stopping, and then proceeding with New Year’s greetings from the conductor and the orchestra members.
Ballet Suite ‘Swan Lake’Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
It has been widely used in commercials for cosmetics and food.
In figure skating, Ikuko Kawai chose it as background music.
It is very famous as ballet music.
In particular, Russia’s Swan Lake ballet performances are breathtaking.
They superbly express the elegance of the swans gathered on the lake and the beauty of their flight.
Yearning and beauty become one, carrying the listener into another world.
Symphonic Poem “Les Préludes”Franz Liszt
The third symphonic poem Franz Liszt, known as the “Magician of the Piano,” released after retiring as a pianist to devote himself to composing and conducting.
This symphonic poem bears a program that begins, “Our life is a prelude to death.” The piece is performed without breaks and consists of four sections that evoke “the beginning of life, love,” “the storm,” “the pastoral,” and “the battle.” Please enjoy this drama of life, painted with the rich colors of the orchestra.
[Orchestra] Introducing Famous and Popular Pieces (41–50)
Matador’s SongGeorges Bizet
An aria from Georges Bizet’s signature work Carmen, composed during the 19th century in France.
In Japan, it has long been widely used in TV programs and commercials, so it’s a classic number that people of all generations have likely heard at least once.
Its operatic, scenic melodies and the distinctive dynamics of classical music have a compelling power that can overwhelm listeners while drawing them in.
With sweeping rises and falls rarely found in popular music, it crafts vivid musical imagery and lets you experience a sonic world that is difficult to express outside of classical music.
“Spring” from The Four SeasonsAntonio Vivaldi
Until fairly recently, it was used in middle school music classes and even as a train departure melody, and among the pieces in Vivaldi’s suite The Four Seasons, it is by far the most famous.
It expresses the joy of spring and the chirping of little birds, making it cheerful and memorable.
Not only cheerful, it also depicts scenes of spring storms and thunderstorms, making it a piece with many parts that prompt deeper reflection.