Symphonic Essentials

Symphonic Essentials

Apple Music Orchestral Music

From stirring openings to flourishing finales and all the beautiful themes in between, this playlist will guide you through the evolution of the symphony from its beginnings in 18th-century Germany to today. Drawing on themes as diverse as love and war—and inspired by everything from travel to grief—the symphony is an enduringly fascinating musical form. As the great symphonist Gustav Mahler said to another master of the genre, Jean Sibelius, “A symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything.”

I. Molto allegro

Sir Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra

7:05

I. Allegro con brio

Vienna Philharmonic, Carlos Kleiber

7:21

III. Poco allegretto

Budapest Festival Orchestra, Iván Fischer

6:39

IV. Adagietto (Sehr langsam)

Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic

11:18

II. Largo

Rafael Kubelík, Berlin Philharmonic

13:04

I. Allegro moderato

Carlos Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic

13:53

I. Mars, the Bringer of War

Sir Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic

7:25

Allegro. The First Source of the Moldau - The Second Source - Woods; Hunt; L'istesso tempo ma moderato. Peasant Wedding; L'istesso tempo. Moonlight

Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic

12:19

III. Feierlich und gemessen, ohne zu schleppen - Sehr einfach und schlicht wie eine Volksweise - Wieder etwas bewegter, wie im Anfang

Klaus Tennstedt, London Philharmonic Orchestra

10:47

I. Allegro ma non troppo

Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim

13:08

IV. Molto allegro

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Concentus Musicus Wien

11:39

II. Abdul Majid

American Composers Orchestra, Dennis Russell Davies

8:53

I. Allegro vivace

Riccardo Chailly, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala

10:00

II. Andante con moto

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini

16:43

Overture "Coriolan", Op. 62

Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan

8:56

II. Allegretto (2021 Remastered Version)

Staatskapelle Dresden, Jeffrey Tate

10:45

II. The Tale of Prince Kalendar

Curtis Symphony Orchestra, Osmo Vänskä

12:49

Finlandia, Op. 26, No. 7

Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic

9:25

Night on Bald Mountain (Orch. N. Rimsky-Korsakov)

The Cleveland Orchestra, Lorin Maazel

10:29

The Isle of the Dead, Op. 29

John Wilson, Sinfonia of London

20:41

I. Prelude. Sonnenaufgang

Boston Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg

2:00

V. Songe d'une nuit du sabbat

New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein

9:47

Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor

Leopold Stokowski, RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra

8:41

I. Lebhaft

Munich Philharmonic, Sergiu Celibidache

10:49

II. Marcia funebre (Adagio assai)

John Barbirolli, BBC Symphony Orchestra

18:14

I. Adagio - Allegro

Sir Charles Mackerras, Scottish Chamber Orchestra

17:43

I. Adagio

Barbara Hannigan, Ludwig Orchestra

14:17

I. Adagio - Allegro

Il Giardino Armonico, Giovanni Antonini

5:52

I. Allegro

Alexander Rudin, Musica Viva Chamber Orchestra

4:09

Andante moderato

θollegium Aʊreum, Franzjosef Maier

6:05

I. Allegro non troppo

Carlos Kleiber, Vienna Philharmonic

12:50

I. Adagio - Allegro molto

Gustavo Dudamel, Los Angeles Philharmonic

12:33

III. Vivacissimo

Santtu-Matias Rouvali, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra

6:09

IV. Allegro moderato

Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Santtu-Matias Rouvali

14:56

I. Allegro moderato (Live at Philharmonie am Gasteig, 1994)

Sergiu Celibidache, Munich Philharmonic

24:20

I. Adagio - Allegro non troppo

Sergiu Celibidache, Munich Philharmonic

25:44

IV. Presto - Allegro assai

Alexander Young, Helen Watts, London Symphony Orchestra, Heather Harper, Leopold Stokowski, London Symphony Chorus, Donald McIntyre

26:09

IV. Adagio - Allegro Non Troppo Ma Con Brio

Sergiu Celibidache, Munich Philharmonic

19:47

VI. Langsam, Ruhevoll. Empfunden

New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein

25:09

II. Adagio

John Wilson, Sinfonia of London

11:55

I. Moderato

Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic

22:35

II. Affannoso. Un poco più affannato

NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, Tõnu Kaljuste

11:47

II. Adagio (Piu tosto andantino)

Hanspeter Gmür, Budapest Failoni Chamber Orchestra

9:18

I. Adagio - Allegro con spirito

Eugen Jochum, London Philharmonic Orchestra

9:56

I. Allegro con spirito

Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic

5:43

Music To Goethe's Tragedy "Egmont", Op. 84

Ferenc Fricsay, Berlin Philharmonic

9:00

The Hebrides, Op. 26 "Fingal's Cave"

John Eliot Gardiner, London Symphony Orchestra

10:01

III. Scherzo

Herbert von Karajan, Vienna Philharmonic

5:51

IV. Langsam - Lebhaft - Schneller - Presto

Herbert von Karajan, Vienna Philharmonic

8:53

II. a. Allegro moderato - Presto - Allegro moderato

Daniel Barenboim, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

7:26

I. Andante - Allegro con anima

Philharmonia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski

15:51

I. Allegro

Thomas Dausgaard, Seattle Symphony

11:02

Der Held

Lorin Maazel, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Andreas Röhn

4:27

III. the Swan of Tuonela

Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Leif Segerstam

9:56

Les préludes, S. 97

The Philadelphia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti

16:38

L'Apprenti sorcier

Orchestre De Paris, Daniel Barenboim

11:30

No. 1 in D Major

Philharmonia Orchestra, John Barbirolli

6:40

Fantasia on a theme by Thomas Tallis (Sinfonia of London) [Remastered 2022, Version 1962]

Sinfonia of London, John Barbirolli, Hallé

16:06

Marche slave, Op. 31, TH 45 [Live]

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, José Serebrier

10:14

An American in Paris

Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic

18:27

III. Allegro non troppo

Mstislav Rostropovich, London Symphony Orchestra

7:07

I. Lento - Allegro risoluto (molto pesante)

David Nolan, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Bernard Haitink

15:21

1. Andante moderato

Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic

6:16

IV. Allegro

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Concentus Musicus Wien

8:20

IV. Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace

Vienna Philharmonic, Sir Simon Rattle

5:43

II. Andante con moto

Leonard Bernstein, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra

11:12

IV. Finale. Bewegt, doch nicht zu schnell (1881 Version) [Live at Philharmonie am Gasteig, Munich, 1988]

Munich Philharmonic, Sergiu Celibidache

27:52

I. Allegro maestoso

New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein

23:38

Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune

Charles Dutoit, Timothy Hutchins, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal

10:43

II. (Adagio) Sehr langsam

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Jakub Hrůša

10:52

III. Finale. Langsam

Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Paavo Järvi

13:22

II. Andantino con moto, quasi allegretto

Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Klaus Mäkelä

10:42

II. Vivace non troppo

Svenska Kammarorkestern, Thomas Dausgaard

4:22

III. Allegretto grazioso - Molto vivace

Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel

5:50

III. Adagio. Feierlich langsam, doch nicht schleppend

Munich Philharmonic, Sergiu Celibidache

35:07

III. Andante moderato (Live)

Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic

16:18

I. Adagio sostenuto

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, Kirill Gerstein, Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen

6:32

III. Adagio: Lento

André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra

16:09

Fantastic Scherzo, Op. 35

Sir Charles Mackerras, Czech Philharmonic

14:53

Tod und Verklärung, Op. 24, TrV 158

Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic

27:08

III. Spiritoso

Milan Classical Chamber Orchestra

5:40

II. Largo

Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic

7:20

I. Allegro

Concentus Musicus Wien, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Franz Joseph Haydn

7:22

I. Adagio - Allegro vivace

Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan

9:56

III. Scherzo. Vivace - Poco meno mosso

Marin Alsop, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

7:37

Polovtsian Dances

Welsh National Opera Chorus, Leopold Stokowski, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Chorus

11:16

Andante non tanto quasi moderato - Allegro giusto - Moderato assai

Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan

22:04

II. Jeux de vagues

Sir Simon Rattle, Berlin Philharmonic

6:46

I. The Poem of Ecstasy, Op. 54 (Live)

Seattle Symphony, Thomas Dausgaard

20:17

IV. Allegro Molto - Misterioso - un Pochettino Largamente - Largamente Assai

Leonard Bernstein, Vienna Philharmonic

10:14

3. Moderato

Czech Philharmonic, Jiří Bělohlávek

5:01

II. Allegro marcato

Los Angeles Philharmonic, André Previn

8:42

III. Adagio (Live)

Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein

19:25

I. Lacrymosa

City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla

9:29

I. Nacht

Berlin Philharmonic, David Bell, Herbert von Karajan

3:04

II. Sonnenaufgang

David Bell, Herbert von Karajan, Berlin Philharmonic

1:28

Saga Drøm Op. 39

Philharmonia Orchestra, Jascha Horenstein

8:41

I. Andante sostenuto

Sir Charles Mackerras, Czech Philharmonic

14:56

I. Largo - Allegro moderato

London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn

19:08

II. On the Beach at Night Alone

André Previn, Heather Harper, London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Chorus, John Shirley-Quirk

10:46