Is there no any thread for this yet? seems like symphonies have been the most prominent focus of attention and interests of nearly everybody. But what about Sinfoniettas? His light sisters! 8)
There is no limit to list your favorites, let's say, the 10 you like the most.
Janacek - Military Sinfonietta, VI/18
Tubin - Sinfonietta on Estonian motifs
Halffter, E. - Sinfonietta in D major
Korngold - Sinfonietta in B major
Arnold - Sinfonietta No. 2, Op. 65
Villa-Lobos - Sinfonietta No. 1
Braga Santos - Sinfonietta for strings
Zemlinsky - Sinfonietta, Op. 23
Wagenaar - Sinfonietta, Op. 32
Poulenc - Sinfonietta, FP 141
No matter if you want list 10 or less. Be free to express yourself!!
Runner ups: Moeran, Reger (despite being so serious!) :D and Hindemith Sinfonietta in E major.
According to my log, the OP locked this thread himself, apparently by accident. Better now. In any case, carry on. A wonderful genre. :)
8)
10. Bax
9. Poulenc
8. Janacek
7. Janacek
6. Janacek
5. Janacek
4. Janacek
3. Poulenc
2. Janacek
1. Janacek
I joke somewhat, but the Janacek Sinfonietta is one of my probably top 25 favorite pieces of music ever, and in the category of favorite works to see performed live, it's definitely in the top 3. Seeing a live performance is an unforgettable event, and I'd travel several hundred miles for it.
Wait, you mean someone other than Janacek wrote one?
I'm not sure how many sinfoniettas I have in my collection, but I can say that the only other one that jumps to mind is Zemlinksy. Seeing that Korngold wrote one makes me think I should first see if I have one in my collection, and if not, obtain a recording with some haste.
I think the Rimsky-Korsakov is quite enjoyable.
Roussel!
Myaskovsky wrote at least 2 - I have those, but maybe he wrote more. Nice stuff, not as serious as his symphonies.
Shebalin wrote a jolly good one, on russian themes.
Janacek rules the roost. I heard it in concert 2 weeks ago. Simply stupendous !
Two of my favourites. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Moeran's 'Sinfonietta' which is a terrific work:
(//)
Correction - Cesar mentioned it in the opening post ::)
Ten sinfoniettas:
Leoš Eugen Janáček (hope you mean the same composer with one 'Janacek' ;-), Sokol Festival
Lennox Berkeley, Sinfonietta
Eduard Tubin, Sinfonietta on Estonian motifs
Bohuslav Martinů, Sinfonietta La Jolla
Ernesto Halffter, Sinfonietta
Joly Braga Santos, Sinfonietta for strings
Ernest John Moeran, Sinfonietta
Malcolm Arnold, Sinfonietta No. 2
Heitor Villa-Lobos, Sinfonietta No. 2
Erik Lotichius, Sinfonietta for strings
I should have included this one:
(//)
Quote from: vandermolen on December 01, 2019, 12:21:54 AM
I should have included this one:
+1 (how could I forget? ???)
Among all the works already mentioned, many of them quite agreeable, I can only count two Sinfoniettas as real favourites: Janáček's and Korngold's. The Korngold Sinfonietta feels like cheating, because, the diminutive name notwithstanding, it's a proper symphony, not to mention a quite brilliant one. I consider its finale in particular to be one of the best things Korngold ever wrote and it sums up the work's themes in a spectacular manner. Janáček's Sinfonietta is also a perennial favourite and along with Taras Bulba and the 1.X.1905 Sonata sits on top of my favourite non-operatic Janáček list.
I have to go for Korngold and Janacek. Others I have but I'm not overly familiar with include Alwyn, Moeran, Zemlinsky and Reger.
The Korngold and the Reger are pretty much full-sized symphonies in all but name.
Quote from: Christo on November 30, 2019, 11:58:20 PM
Bohuslav Martinů, Sinfonietta La Jolla
Aw man, knew I forgot one. This should be on my list too.
This thread could provide an interesting day or two of listening next week!
Hindemith's two are both splendid pieces - the Lustige Sinfonietta - very early, very weird, and the Sinfonietta in E - quite late, and tending towards that devil-may-care cussedness that characterises his last years. And I'm surprised to be the first to mention Britten's Op.1.
My top five:
Janacek, Bax, Korngold, Moeran, Martinu
Quote from: André on November 30, 2019, 06:32:30 PM
Myaskovsky wrote at least 2 - I have those, but maybe he wrote more. ...
Janacek rules the roost.
Yeah. I have run across pieces called sinfonietta, but the only ones that stand out in my memory under that name are Myaskovsky, Martinu, and Janacek. So those are mine, in reverse order.
What actually counts? We count some things as symphonies not so named ... I am trying to justify the Hindemith Concert Music op 50 here ....
I have enjoyed discovering Humphrey Searle's sinfonietta as a result of this thread.
Great to see so much love for the Janacek. It seems like the best Sinfonietta ever, and well deserved.
Many of your examples prompt me to discover them or revisit them (Bax, Penderecki, Miaskovsky, Hindemith, Lotichius, Roussel, etc.).
A few of my favorites:
Janáček: Sinfonietta
Martinů: Sinfonietta La Jolla, H 328
Britten: Sinfonietta, Op. 1
Tubin: Sinfonietta on Estonian Motifs
Hindemith: Lustige Sinfonietta, Op. 4
Listened to the Tubin this afternoon and really enjoyed it. In fact probably the most purely enjoyable Tubin I have heard.
Quote from: Brian on December 02, 2019, 04:22:19 PM
Listened to the Tubin this afternoon and really enjoyed it. In fact probably the most purely enjoyable Tubin I have heard.
A most memorable work, isn't it? The 4th Symphony
Sinfonia Lirica has a similar nature, though.
Moeran
Ernesto Halffter
Janacek
Martinu (Sinfonietta "La Jolla")
I see a lot of other Sinfoniettas in my own collection -- Bernard Herrmann wrote one! -- but none that I can readily remember "how it goes".
Yesterday I listened to Harald Genzmer's Sinfonietta for strings. In 4 movements following the classical format, none lasting over 3 minutes. 10 minutes and, poof! It's over. Absolutely lovely. It struck me that in its miniature format it was an authentic 'sinfonietta'.
Morton Gould wrote short orchestral works called « symphonettes ». The most recorded one is the Latin American Symphonette, in 4 movements. Anybody knows Gould's symphonettes ?
Quote from: Brian on December 02, 2019, 04:22:19 PM
Listened to the Tubin this afternoon and really enjoyed it. In fact probably the most purely enjoyable Tubin I have heard.
Great to read, Brian. I think it's a fine work with a melody in the first movement that gets stuck in my head immediately (i. e. a pesky earworm).
Quote from: André on December 02, 2019, 05:49:33 PM
Morton Gould wrote short orchestral works called « symphonettes ». The most recorded one is the Latin American Symphonette, in 4 movements. Anybody knows Gould's symphonettes ?
I've heard them, but it's been years --- I recall them being light-hearted and jazzy, which is typical of Gould's compositional style.
Quote from: Mirror Image on December 02, 2019, 09:49:50 PM
I've heard them, but it's been years --- I recall them being light-hearted and jazzy, which is typical of Gould's compositional style.
The Symphonettes are indeed quite light hearted pieces but your telling phrase is that they are "typical of Gould's compositional style". That is not really the case - that music is simply a facet of Gould's style as Malcolm's Arnold's populist English Dances etc are a facet of his. There is a far more serious side to Gould's music as well which is well worth investigating - his Symphonies Nos.2&3 are impressive works and I think Fall River Legend is a strong/serious score albeit in a kind of Appalachian Spring idiom. What is true is that Gould's legacy is more likely to be judged on the handful of "lighter" works rather than a broad overview.
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS0lnCs3SprCXIsGdj7JExOdLgqv_3JzkQ9Yhy_9txmD2y_x0uT&s)
(https://is2-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music/ac/38/fa/mzi.yecbmvaf.jpg/1200x630wp.png)
(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91wmDKll5JL._SL1500_.jpg)
I have a soft spot for the E. Halffter Sinfonietta, which several members have already mentioned in this therad.
One work that is well worth exploring is Ernst Krenek's Sinfonietta "a Brasileira", op. 131 for string orchestra.
https://www.youtube.com/v/V3i631eS9Zo
And there is another Martinu work: Symphonietta giocosa - for piano and orchestra.
This old Supraphon recording remains my favorite:
https://www.youtube.com/v/yEe9cVki2zI
very short and lively:
https://www.youtube.com/v/7KrQVxk7WRs
Viteslava Kapralova: Military symphonietta
The Military Sinfonietta op. 11 was the composer's first larger orchestral piece, although she had gained experience of orchestral writing when composing a piano concerto in 1935. Kaprálová began the orchestral piece at the instigation of Vítězslav Novák; she only added the epithet "military" later when she herself became aware of the boldness of her style and a certain march character in the piece. Its melodic style, rich in intervals of fourths and fifths, also points in this direction. The Sinfonietta expresses the restless character of the time and the world in which people began to sense the threat of Hitler's power. Kaprálová dedicated the work to the then President of the Czech Republic, Edvard Beneš, who was also Commander of the Czechoslovak armed forces. The successful premiere of the work took place in November 1937, with the Czech Philharmonic conducted by composer. A little later the score was published by Melantrich Verlag (1938).
https://www.youtube.com/v/7A6E2WV0DmI
The conductor is (most propably) Marko Ivanovic.
Alluring new additions. Much stuff to explore. (yum yum!!)
No one else into the Roussel? I'd also add the Tansman Sinfoniettas, which I find more interesting than his proper symphonies.
Quote from: pjme on December 03, 2019, 02:49:58 AM
And there is another Martinu work: Symphonietta giocosa - for piano and orchestra.
This old Supraphon recording remains my favorite:
https://www.youtube.com/v/yEe9cVki2zI
very short and lively:
https://www.youtube.com/v/7KrQVxk7WRs
Viteslava Kapralova: Military symphonietta
The Military Sinfonietta op. 11 was the composer's first larger orchestral piece, although she had gained experience of orchestral writing when composing a piano concerto in 1935. Kaprálová began the orchestral piece at the instigation of Vítězslav Novák; she only added the epithet "military" later when she herself became aware of the boldness of her style and a certain march character in the piece. Its melodic style, rich in intervals of fourths and fifths, also points in this direction. The Sinfonietta expresses the restless character of the time and the world in which people began to sense the threat of Hitler's power. Kaprálová dedicated the work to the then President of the Czech Republic, Edvard Beneš, who was also Commander of the Czechoslovak armed forces. The successful premiere of the work took place in November 1937, with the Czech Philharmonic conducted by composer. A little later the score was published by Melantrich Verlag (1938).
https://www.youtube.com/v/7A6E2WV0DmI
The conductor is (most propably) Marko Ivanovic.
As so often your contributions are the best, many thanks!
Dankjewel, Christo.
But I think many other valuable suggestions were made. I definitely like Roussel's dynamic miniature symphony for strings (la musique qui fait "pschitt"...) and Janáček's mighty work is one of my alltime favorites aswell.
It is amazing that these lovely symphonietta's aren't performed more often - I know, that's a well worn complaint!
(https://i.pinimg.com/236x/5f/d9/eb/5fd9eb690f7792a95291ab7ab949653c--perrier-vintage-ads.jpg)
Otakar Ostrčil: Sinfonietta, Op.37
It has a more symphonic and muscular character than the cheerful and joyful Symphony. Not a lost masterpiece, but it has good merits.
(https://usercontent.one/wp/www.historiadelasinfonia.es/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Ostrcil-Sinf.jpg)
Quote from: Christo on November 30, 2019, 11:58:20 PM
Ten sinfoniettas:
Leoš Eugen Janáček (hope you mean the same composer with one 'Janacek' ;-), Sokol Festival
Lennox Berkeley, Sinfonietta
Eduard Tubin, Sinfonietta on Estonian motifs
Bohuslav Martinů, Sinfonietta La Jolla
Ernesto Halffter, Sinfonietta
Joly Braga Santos, Sinfonietta for strings
Ernest John Moeran, Sinfonietta
Malcolm Arnold, Sinfonietta No. 2
Heitor Villa-Lobos, Sinfonietta No. 2
Erik Lotichius, Sinfonietta for strings
Be careful, Christo! My best wishes. Cheers!
Most of my favorites have already been mentioned:
Janáček
Poulenc
Zemlinsky
Korngold
Halffter
Moeran
Britten
Kaprálová (Military Sinfonietta)
Martinů (Sinfonietta La Jolla)
Wonderfully enjoyable works all, with the Zemlinsky being decidedly the "darkest" work of the bunch.
Quote from: kyjo on March 19, 2022, 08:22:46 PM
Most of my favorites have already been mentioned:
Janáček
Poulenc
Zemlinsky
Korngold
Halffter
Moeran
Britten
Kaprálová (Military Sinfonietta)
Martinů (Sinfonietta La Jolla)
Wonderfully enjoyable works all, with the Zemlinsky being decidedly the "darkest" work of the bunch.
All mandatory works in nearly every list (from GMG, of course! ;D )
Prokofiev
Moeran
Janacek
Miaskovsky (x2)
It seems to me that no one has yet quoted the Sinfonietta in F major op. 188 by Joachim Raff. This sinfonietta would be the first under this name, composed in 1874 for 10 wind instruments.
"sinfonietta", in principle, means in Italian "little symphony", either in duration or in instrumental strength.
On the contrary, the Sinfonietta op. 5, in B minor, by Erich Wolfgang Korngold is composed for a large symphony orchestra and lasts 45 minutes! I don't know why he called it Sinfonietta instead of Symphony. Perhaps because it is a work of youth because he was 14/15 years old ?
Symphonic Addict asks us for our preferences:
To me :
Korngold
Poulenc
Tubin
Halffter
Janacek
Rimsky Korsakov
Strangely enough, I remember being quite underwhelmed by Prokofiev's early Sinfonietta. Perhaps I should give it another chance?
Yes, you should! Even for its size and length, it's a splendid and charming work with the Prokofiev stamp on it.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on March 20, 2022, 07:48:26 PM
Yes, you should! Even for its size and length, it's a splendid and charming work with the Prokofiev stamp on it.
+1
I first came across it in the EMI LP box set of Muti's recording of 'Ivan the Terrible'.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on March 20, 2022, 07:48:26 PM
Yes, you should! Even for its size and length, it's a splendid and charming work with the Prokofiev stamp on it.
Good to know, Cesar! Perhaps I just wasn't in the right mood the day I listened to it. I should enjoy it since Prokofiev is one of my favorite composers.
Just was revisiting Martinu's Sinfonietta Giocosa. What a stunning piece. More than adequate to lift your spirits. It actually is a piano concerto in all but name. The role of that instrument is dominant through the work.
I seem to detect a regular rhythmic pattern in many of Martinu's works that makes me think he wrote the same piece over and over again. However, he managed to be so inventive that it doesn't matter in the end. I love his music.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on May 10, 2022, 09:21:31 PM
Just was revisiting Martinu's Sinfonietta Giocosa. What a stunning piece. More than adequate to lift your spirits. It actually is a piano concerto in all but name. The role of that instrument is dominant through the work.
I seem to detect a regular rhythmic pattern in many of Martinu's works that makes me think he wrote the same piece over and over again. However, he managed to be so inventive that it doesn't matter in the end. I love his music.
The blessing/curse of Martinů is the fact that he composed everything in his head and put it directly to paper. No editing was evolved. He never went back and re-thought a piece. Once it was finished, that's it. I believe this is pretty much the same for Villa-Lobos and Milhaud. But I find these particular composers a well of inspiration and constant source of pleasure despite each of their shortcomings, which, in this case, it would be scaling back on the workload and putting a bit more thought into some of the works before they're completed and how to make them different from the previous composition.
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 10, 2022, 09:34:02 PM
The blessing/curse of Martinů is the fact that he composed everything in his head and put it directly to paper. No editing was evolved. He never went back and re-thought a piece. Once it was finished, that's it. I believe this is pretty much the same for Villa-Lobos and Milhaud. But I find these particular composers a well of inspiration and constant source of pleasure despite each of their shortcomings, which, in this case, it would be scaling back on the workload and putting a bit more thought into some of the works before they're completed and how to make them different from the previous composition.
That is an interesting curiosity I didn't know. No doubts he was a genuine genius.
And yes, those three composers were extremely prolific, but even so, their musical qualities are so exceptional and consistent that I would never get bored by listening to their music.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on May 10, 2022, 09:21:31 PM
I seem to detect a regular rhythmic pattern in many of Martinu's works that makes me think he wrote the same piece over and over again. However, he managed to be so inventive that it doesn't matter in the end. I love his music.
There are some regular rhythms and melodic patterns, too (a long note, then a short different note a third or fifth down, then back to the previous longer one again). To me, it makes the first five symphonies, in particular, feel like a TV series where your favorite characters get put into different situations.
Quote from: Symphonic Addict on May 10, 2022, 09:42:51 PM
That is an interesting curiosity I didn't know. No doubts he was a genuine genius.
And yes, those three composers were extremely prolific, but even so, their musical qualities are so exceptional and consistent that I would never get bored by listening to their music.
You and I are of the same mind in this regard. 8)
Zemlinsky - Sinfonietta Op. 23
Janáček - Sinfonietta
Britten - Sinfonietta Op. 1
Korngold - Sinfonietta in B Major
Quote from: Lisztianwagner on May 11, 2022, 03:25:27 PM
Zemlinsky - Sinfonietta Op. 23
Janáček - Sinfonietta
Britten - Sinfonietta Op. 1
Korngold - Sinfonietta in B Major
Nice list! I should revisit the Britten, Korngold and Zemlinsky.
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 11, 2022, 04:34:21 PM
Nice list! I should revisit the Britten, Korngold and Zemlinsky.
Instead I have to try Martinů's
Sinfonietta Giocosa many of you mentioned, because I don' t know that composition. I listened to the Zemlinsky yesterday for the first time and it was absolutely brilliant.
Quote from: Lisztianwagner on May 12, 2022, 12:50:11 AM
Instead I have to try Martinů's Sinfonietta Giocosa many of you mentioned, because I don' t know that composition. I listened to the Zemlinsky yesterday for the first time and it was absolutely brilliant.
So glad you've been enjoying Zemlinsky's music lately. 8)
Quote from: Brian on May 11, 2022, 06:44:49 AM
There are some regular rhythms and melodic patterns, too (a long note, then a short different note a third or fifth down, then back to the previous longer one again). To me, it makes the first five symphonies, in particular, feel like a TV series where your favorite characters get put into different situations.
Since I'm not a musician, there are other elements in the music I can't put into words, but what you say makes sense to me.
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 12, 2022, 05:38:07 AM
So glad you've been enjoying Zemlinsky's music lately. 8)
8)
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges - Sinfonietta #2
I just arranged a youth orchestra version of the finale and got to know the work really well. Only 8 minutes long but there's a lot in it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PSX9PizVZU&list=PLDBnumuuGWldUxnNqWXViVC8tpsissPZn&index=3 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PSX9PizVZU&list=PLDBnumuuGWldUxnNqWXViVC8tpsissPZn&index=3)