Liszt Symphonic Poems CD

The symphonic poems of the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt are a series of 13 orchestral works, numbered S.95-107. The first 12 were composed between 1848 and 1858 (though some use material conceived earlier); the last, Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe (From the Cradle to the Grave), followed in 1882. These works helped establish the genre of orchestral program music-compositions written to illustrate an extra-musical plan derived from a play, poem, painting or work of nature. They inspired the symphonic poems of Bedrich Smetana, Anton?n Dvork, Richard Strauss and others.

1. The Cradle 2. The Struggle for Existence 3. To the Grave 4. Orpheus, S98 5. The Ideals, S106 (Symphonic Poem After Schiller) 6. Hamlet, S104