España, Rhapsody for Orchestra Emmanuel Chabrier French composer (Alexis) Emmanuel Chabrier was born in Ambert, Puy-de-Dôme, Jan. 18, 1841, and died in Paris on Sept. 13, 1894. His most famous work is the orchestral rhapsody
Overture to Guillaume Tell Gioachino Rossini Gioachino Rossini, the earliest of the geniuses of the bel canto style, was born in Pesaro on Feb. 29, 1792, and died in Paris on Nov. 13, 1868. Although
Widows of the Living and of the Dead Octavio Vázquez Octavio Vázquez was born on Sept. 10, 1972, in Santiago de Compostela (Galicia, Spain), and spontaneously started writing music at age 7. In 1989, he
Suite No. 1 from L’Arlésienne Georges Bizet French composer Georges Bizet was born in Paris on Oct. 25, 1838, and died in Bougival (near Paris) on June 3, 1875. Although his compositional output was wide
Essay No. 1 for Orchestra, op. 12 Samuel Barber Samuel Barber was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on March 9, 1910, and died in New York City on Jan. 23, 1981. One of the most
Overture to La forza del destino Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Verdi was born on Oct. 9 or 10, 1813, (he was baptized on Oct. 11) in La Roncole, near Busseto and died in Milan on Jan.
Concerto No. 1 in C major, op. 15 Ludwig van Beethoven One of history’s pivotal composers, Ludwig van Beethoven was born on Dec. 15 or 16, 1770, in Bonn, and died in Vienna on March
Symphony No. 7 in C Major, op. 60 (“Leningrad”) Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, one of the Soviet Union’s greatest composers, was born in St. Petersburg on Sept. 12, 1906, and died in Moscow on
Concerto No. 2 in C Minor for Piano and Orchestra, op. 18 Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff was born in Oneg, Novgorod on March 20/April 1, 1873, and died in Beverly Hills, California, on March
Messa da Requiem Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Verdi was born on Oct. 9 or 10, 1813 (he was baptized on Oct. 11) in La Roncole, near Busseto, and died in Milan on Jan. 27, 1901. He
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major, op. 35 Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born on May 7, 1840, in Votkinsk, Russia, and died on Nov. 6, 1893, in Saint Petersburg. He
“Finlandia,” op. 26 Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius is undisputably the greatest composer Finland has ever produced. He was born on Dec. 8, 1865, in Hämeenlinna (Tavastehus), Finland and died in Järvenpää, Finland on Sept. 20,
Symphony in D Major, Hob. I:101 (“The Clock”) Joseph Haydn (Franz) Joseph Haydn was born in Rohrau, Lower Austria, on March 31, 1732, and died in Vienna on May 31, 1809. His long and productive
“Trittico botticelliano” Ottorino Respighi Italian composer Ottorino Respighi was born on July 9, 1879, in Bologna and died on April 18, 1936, in Rome. Although he contributed to the repertoire of opera, song and chamber
Symphony no. 5 in C-sharp Minor/D Major Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler was born in on July 7, 1860, in Kalischt, Bohemia, and died on May 18, 1911, in Vienna. He was