Orchestral dances

[Lethevich]

How about some suggestions for orchestral dance pieces (that are not ballets), whether based on folk tunes or original works/orchestrations of other works. Bonus points for sets rather than single pieces. Ones I am aware of:

Dvořák - Slavonic Dances (2 sets)
Brahms - Hungarian Dances
Grieg - Symphonic Dances, Norwegian Dances (I think these have been orchestrated)
Rachmaninoff - Symphonic Dances
Borodin - Polovetsian Dances
Skalkottas - Greek Dances (originally 3 sets IIRC, but nowadays grouped together into a huge single one)
Arnold - English, Welsh, Cornish, Scottish & Irish Dances

Glinka produced numerous ones, but they are patchwork - generally culled from operas and other larger works. Kamarinskaya (symphonic poem) appears to be based on folk dance. I excluded RVW, as most of his most folky sounding moments are original melodies and not derived from dance tunes.

[Opus106]

Much of Baroque music is based on dance rhythms from various parts of Europe. Bach's Orchestral Suites is just one example.

[nut-job]

How about some suggestions for orchestral dance pieces (that are not ballets), whether based on folk tunes or original works/orchestrations of other works. Bonus points for sets rather than single pieces. Ones I am aware of:

Dvořák - Slavonic Dances (2 sets)
Brahms - Hungarian Dances
Grieg - Symphonic Dances, Norwegian Dances (I think these have been orchestrated)
Rachmaninoff - Symphonic Dances
Borodin - Polovetsian Dances
Skalkottas - Greek Dances (originally 3 sets IIRC, but nowadays grouped together into a huge single one)
Arnold - English, Welsh, Cornish, Scottish & Irish Dances

Glinka produced numerous ones, but they are patchwork - generally culled from operas and other larger works. Kamarinskaya (symphonic poem) appears to be based on folk dance. I excluded RVW, as most of his most folky sounding moments are original melodies and not derived from dance tunes.

I assume you left out the Strausses on purpose (Blue Danube, etc).  There is Ravel's Bolero and "La Valse" (which is sort of a dance tone poem), the dances that Richard Strauss collected from his operas (Rosenkavelier Waltzes, Dance of the Seven Veils).  And of course the Bach Suites for Orchestra (and analogous pieces by other baroque composers) consist of a series of dances, preceded by an overture.  Mozart also left at least one set of orchestral dances that I recall.  What of Saint-Saens dance Macabre?

[Opus106]

Mozart also left at least one set of orchestral dances that I recall.

Which reminds me: Beethoven's German (contra)Dances. And the rest of the Classical bunch also wrote similar ones, including, as you have rightly pointed out, Mozart. 

[springrite]

You've got to check out the Janacek gems!

[Lethevich]

Hehe, I forgot a lot of obvious ones Too focused on "national" styles at the time of posting, I think.

The Rosenkavelier Waltzes are a fine example, a nice small suite. Other operas such as Carmen also have dances in the suites, but they tend to be interspaced with non-dance music as well.

La Valse reminds me of Sibelius' Valse Triste too.

[Florestan]

Mozart's Menuets and Contredanses anyone?

[pjme]

Mexico, Brazil...Think of Bernstein's "Latin American Fiesta "

Copland : Danzon Cubano, Fernandez' Batuque etc. Still a great disc after all the years.

Paul Hindemith wrote a "grandly serious" set of Symfonische Tänze.

And, with a little bit of luck, you can find Daniel Sternefeld's "Song and dance at the court of Mary of Burgundy" ( lovely, quite Respighian)

Then there is Charles Tournemire's massive 7th symphony "Les danses de la vie"...( Almeida/Naxos).

There must be many more walzes,tango's,fox trots,Danse sacrées et danse Profanes (Debussy), orchestrated Danceries and Country dances, Danse lente, exotiques, mystique....

P.

[Renfield]

What about the orchestral among Villa-Lobos' choros works?

(Not that I've heard any - but I've heard of them, at least!)

[Cato]

The Romanian Rhapsodies of Enescu have a folk-dance energy: try those!   0:)

[Florestan]

The Romanian Rhapsodies of Enescu have a folk-dance energy: try those!   0:)

Especially the first one, which occasioned a lively and energetic Celibidache rock'n'roll. 

Watch it until the end!

[Brian]

Grieg - Symphonic Dances, Norwegian Dances (I think these have been orchestrated)

They most certainly have!

I concur with another poster that Janacek's Lachian Dances have to be included. David Hurwitz has a new review of a cpo disc of Max Bruch's "Swedish Dances," which he lavishes with praise. Given that Hurwitz usually hates Bruch, it's intriguing enough that I am curious to check them out.

[Lethevich]

Max Bruch's "Swedish Dances"

These sound perfect - I am particularly interested in "insert generic geographical area" dances - as they tend to nick the best of the local folk tunes - most of which I haven't heard before.

[pjme]

Ah, then go for Jan Blockx' "Flemish dances"! Late 19th century goodies !

With Vlaamse Dansen (Flemish Dances) (1884), Blockx wrote his most popular piece. For years on end it was played in concert halls and people loved it. Initially he wrote six dances and one intermezzo, but in the end only five dances, without an intermezzo, were published.

Analogous with the popularity at that time of musical nationalism, which was strongly propagated in Flanders by Peter Benoit, Blockx based four out of the five published dances on Flemish folk songs.

1. Reuzendans, based on the Flemish folk song Al die daer zeidt, de reus die komt.
2. Anne-Marieke, based on the Flemish folk song Wel Annemarieke, waer gaet genaer toe?
3. Reuzendans II, based on the Flemish folkdance Reuzendans van Borgerhout.
4. Zeg kwezelke, wilde gy dansen?, based on the Flemish folk song with the same title.



5. Jagerdans, based on a original theme by Blockx, to be played by four horns.

Blockx confronts the folk song themes with inventive themes of his own. The Vlaamse dansen were published by the Parisian music publishing company Heugel. They also published Blockx's opera's and distributed them internationally.

[Lethevich]

Thanks! These pieces look fascinating - I'll snap it up if I can find it for a reasonable price. I was tempted to buy from emusic, but paying for mp3s is still something I cannot acclimatise to.

[pjme]

You can get that disc ( in its Naxos version) for ca 7 € at JPC....(Germany).

Peter

[Benji]

Oh dear, how have Bartók and Kodály been left out when they composed some of the best examples of the genre!

Bartók: Dance Suite, Transylvanian and Romanian folk dances, Hungarian sketches.

Kodály: Dances of Galánta, Dances of Marosszék. The Peacock Variations, my favourite Kodály work, is also based on folk tunes.


More votes for Arnold! I love all of those British regional dance tunes. 

[pjme]

All really good :

Julian Orbon - Symphonic dances ( Naxos) coupled with an exceptionally beautiful concerto for stringquartet & orchestra
Leos Janacek : Lachian dances
Leonard Bernstein : Symphonic dances from West side Story 

[CRCulver]

Per Norgard's Twilight is written for orchestra, conga player, and dancer.

[DarkAngel]

Malcolm Arnold:
Naxos set very cheap used



Nevermind.........I see you have these already