Thread: Greatest tone poems

Originally Posted by Clovis

Yes. The Beethoven's 6th is the first symphony as programme music. Berlioz's 'SF' greatly influenced Liszt's conception, and the 'fixed idea' influenced Wagner's lietmotiv.

As far as tone poems, I love the Mazeppa Waltz orchestral version performed by Karajan, not many accounts of the orch. version available on record. I absolutely love it, he was quite an orchestrator. Whether or not it is considered one of his tone poems or symphonic poems I don't know, but the orginal piano works are probably programmatic.

I'm not sure if you mean the first Mephisto Waltz (one of the two Episodes from Lenau's Faust) or the officially categorized tone poem 'Mazeppa,' or something different entirely. Both of them are symphonic poems, just the Mephisto doesn't have the official designation, and yes the Mephisto is programmatic.

Originally Posted by Lisztian

I'm not sure if you mean the first Mephisto Waltz (one of the two Episodes from Lenau's Faust) or the officially categorized tone poem 'Mazeppa,' or something different entirely. Both of them are symphonic poems, just the Mephisto doesn't have the official designation, and yes the Mephisto is programmatic.

I'd meant the Mephisto Waltz, thank you for the correction. I like Liszt's Mazeppa also, reminds me quite a bit of Valkyrie.

Finlandia all the way. No doubt my favorite.

Originally Posted by gabem

Finlandia all the way. No doubt my favorite.

Yeah, Luonnotar is very good too!