Three favourite depictions of a storm in music.

[vandermolen]

I've always been interested in depictions of storms in music. Of course the storm can be either physical or metaphorical.

Three of my favourites are:

Novak's: 'The Storm' - one of the greatest 20th Century choral works in my opinion. Novak's 'In the Tatras' has a fine storm section as well.

Sibelius: 'Tapiola' - has a wonderful storm sequence towards the end (echoed in Moeran's Symphony).

Sibelius: 'The Tempest' Prelude

I realise that I've mentioned five works here, so let's say that you can choose up to five works.

[Biffo]

A few favourite storms -

Berlioz: Royal Hunt and Storm from Les Troyens
Weber: Storm from Oberon; Wolf's Glenn Scene from Der Freischutz
Britten: Storm Interlude from Peter Grimes
Mahler: Symphony No 5, Second Movement - Sturmisch bewegt (Mit grosster Vehemenz)
Verdi's Otello opens with an impressive storm

Probably lots of others, mainly operatic.

Cheating slightly - +1 for Tapiola

[ritter]

Off he top of my head:

- Wagner: Prelude to Act 1 of Die Walküre
- Beethoven: Gewitter. Sturm (allegro) from Symphony No. 6
- Debussy: Images oubliées No. 3, "Quelques aspects de Nous n'irons plus au bois parce qu'il fait un temps insupportable"

Honourable mention (and off the beaten track):

Haydn: Storm scene at the beginning of Act 1 of La vera costanza.

[pjme]

Mother Nature, Shakespeare, war & violence... I do like musical storms.

Arthur Honegger: Prélude pour La tempête 
Also by Honegger:  "Orage" from the orchestral suite 'l'Impératrice aux rochers".

https://www.youtube.com/v/gh6T-sRohhs
https://www.youtube.com/v/yIq9JJm_4Gs

Ernst Herman Meyer's Konzert für Orchester mit obligatem Klavier has an excellent stormy first movement.

https://www.youtube.com/v/cu1Oqci_KGE

Many "allegro tempestuoso" movements (Prokofiev pianoconcerto 2; Peter Mennin symphony 5, Malcolm Arnold symph. 5, Julian Carillo symphony 3...) are musical"Storms".

I almost forgot this romantic gem by Burgmüller: https://youtu.be/KRHy8S5IzJs

And for the organ lovers Jean Langlais: https://youtu.be/8RVL1baOeec

[Florestan]

Vivaldi - The Four Seasons, Winter, mvt. 3
Rossini - Guillaume Tell Overture, storm section
Grieg - Peer Gynt's Homecoming

[vandermolen]

Great choice of works - thank you! 

I thought this could be one of my famous 'zero response' threads.

Of the ones I know I totally agree about the Britten Peter Grimes Storm music and Honegger's Prelude to the Tempest. Why didn't I think of those? 

Thanks again.

PS I should also have mentioned the fabulously atmospheric (IMO anyway) 'approaching storm' opening of Dag Wiren's Fourth Symphony.

[Roasted Swan]

Bax - November Woods
Walton - Troilus & Cressida (Storm scene and love music - where does one begin and the other end......
Arnold - Tam O'Shanter (the ride through the storm section)
Strauss - Alpine Symphony - thunderstorm
Grofe - Cloudburst

[Biffo]

Bax - November Woods
Walton - Troilus & Cressida (Storm scene and love music - where does one begin and the other end......
Arnold - Tam O'Shanter (the ride through the storm section)
Strauss - Alpine Symphony - thunderstorm
Grofe - Cloudburst

That really is a blast from the past. My older brother had the Grand Canyon Suite on LP and I nearly played it to death. I have it on a Naxos CD but somehow it lacks the magic of that long lost LP.

[Mirror Image]

Off he top of my head:

- Wagner: Prelude to Act 1 of Die Walküre
- Beethoven: Gewitter. Sturm (allegro) from Symphony No. 6
- Debussy: Images oubliées No. 3, "Quelques aspects de Nous n'irons plus au bois parce qu'il fait un temps insupportable"

Honourable mention (and off the beaten track):

Haydn: Storm scene at the beginning of Act 1 of La vera costanza.

Some fine choices, Rafael. That storm from Beethoven's Pastoral is something else.

[relm1]

Atterberg's Symphony No. 3 "Storm" movement
Wagner Flying Dutchman overture
Sibelius Symphony No. 7 (the middle part)

[vandermolen]

Bax - November Woods
Walton - Troilus & Cressida (Storm scene and love music - where does one begin and the other end......
Arnold - Tam O'Shanter (the ride through the storm section)
Strauss - Alpine Symphony - thunderstorm
Grofe - Cloudburst

How could I forget November Woods!? 
Great choice.

[Brian]

chronologically
Vivaldi - from "Summer" concerto
Berlioz - Royal Hunt and Storm from Les Troyens
Mahler - from Symphony No. 3 first movement

[Jo498]

Mahler - from Symphony No. 3 first movement

I wasn't aware of a storm there...?
(There is a "storm" in the last of Kindertotenlieder "In diesem Wetter")

[Biffo]

Vivaldi has been mentioned but not his Flute Concerto in F major La tempesta di mare RV 433

[André]

Verdi: Rigoletto (last act). So spooky.
Wagner: Die Walküre, beginning of the first act.
Die Zauberflöte: thunder and lightning effects that introduce the Queen of the Night. No music there, just 10 seconds of magical "nature sounds".

[SymphonicAddict]

Excellent topic! Count me as another fan of these stirring moments.

Favorites (already mentioned):

Strauss - Thunderstorm from the An Alpine Symphony
Atterberg - 2nd movement from the 3rd Symphony (curiously I played it again a couple of days ago, what epic melodies!)
Novak - The Storm

Others:

Gilson - Storm from The Sea
Bridge - The Sea (4th mov.)

[ritter]

...
Walton - Troilus & Cressida (Storm scene and love music - where does one begin and the other end......
....

A good choice there...the music depicts the storm and what the characters are up to while it rages... 

[Holden]

Vivaldi - The Four Seasons, Summer, mvt. 3
Rossini - William Tell Overture, storm section
Beethoven - Storm from Pastoral Symphony

[vandermolen]

Excellent topic! Count me as another fan of these stirring moments.

Favorites (already mentioned):

Strauss - Thunderstorm from the An Alpine Symphony
Atterberg - 2nd movement from the 3rd Symphony (curiously I played it again a couple of days ago, what epic melodies!)
Novak - The Storm

Others:

Gilson - Storm from The Sea
Bridge - The Sea (4th mov.)

Great choices Cesar - of course the Frank Bridge score which influenced Britten's storm music in Peter Grimes.

[springrite]

Mahler: Kindertotenlieder
Bax: November Woods
Britten: Four Sea Interludes