Copland's Symphonic Ode

Copland's Symphonic Ode was booed at its first performances, but the qualities that made it a failure would pave the way for his later successes.

Lutosławski's Concerto for Orchestra

Witold Lutosławski was one of the great cultural figures of 20th century Poland, and his Concerto for Orchestra - based on a simple folk tune - was one of his first great successes; perhaps because his personal history mirrored that of his native land.

Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Felix Mendelssohn's music to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream is a sparkling accompaniment to one of the most magical plays ever written. And he began it when he was just 17!

Mahler's Symphony No. 9

Mahler's Symphony No. 9 could be seen as his farewell statement, but he actually began work on a 10th as soon as he finished the 9th. Despite his fascination with death and the hereafter, Mahler always chose to embrace life, and in this last completed symphony, he managed to express just how thin the line between them actually is.

Schubert's Symphony No. 3

Schubert’s Third Symphony is a concise, clearly plotted work, characterized by prominent use of the clarinet, that recalls the scale, and something of the flavor, of Haydn. Schubert was just eighteen when he composed the piece, during a celebratory period in Vienna prompted by the pacifying effect of the Congress of Vienna.

Sibelius's Symphony No. 2

At the close of the nineteenth century, Finnish natives were part of a cultural renaissance inspired by their opposition to the Russians occupying their country. Jean Sibelius was swept up in this nationalistic fervor, and composed several patriotic tone poems, including Finlandia. Symphony No. 2 is the result of his fusing together fragments and sketches originally intended for four separate tone poems.

Bartok's "The Wooden Prince"

The Budapest Opera approached Bartók in March 1913 to suggest that he consider writing a ballet. Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes had visited Budapest in 1912, performing avant-garde works, including Stravinsky’s Firebird, that were received with great enthusiasm—an enthusiasm that Bartók had not shared, since he was in the back-country collecting folk songs. A year later, he commenced work on The Wooden Prince, finally completing the orchestration in January 1917.