40 for 40

Rhapsody in Blue ? ?Imagine hearing the premiere of Rhapsody in Blue! It happened in the afternoon on February 12, 1924 in New York City. Gershwin was the…

Variations on an Original Theme for Orchestra (Enigma), Op. 36?The story goes that, after a long and tiring day of teaching, Sir Edward Elgar sat down at…

Symphony No. 2 in c-minor, ResurrectionSometimes concertgoers just want spectacle, and Mahler certainly delivered that with his Symphony No. 2, the…

Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78, OrganCompleted in 1886, the third symphony takes its nickname, Organ, from the pipe organ that appears in two of the…

Appalachian SpringO Appalachian Spring! I gained the ledge;Steep, inaccessible smile that eastward bendsAnd northward reaches in that violet wedgeOf…

Gymnopédies Nos. 1-3Erik Satie's atmospheric piano pieces, Gymnopédies?, mark an important moment in music history. By writing music that avoids…

The Rite of Spring (Le Sacre du Printemps?)First performed in Paris in 1913, Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring, is considered one of the most…

Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 EmperorWritten between 1809 and 1811, the fifth piano concerto is one of many pieces that Beethoven dedicated…

The Planets, Op. 32Written between 1914-16, English composer Gustav Holst based this seven movement work not on astronomy, but on astrology, a topic that…

Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor "Quasi una fantasia", Op. 27, No. 2, MoonlightEven though this famous work by Beethoven is widely known by its…