Cocktail Party Fact: The “faun” in Stephane Mallarme’s poem “The Afternoon of a Faun” is not Bambi but a creature from Roman mythology, half man and half goat, that lives in the woods and spends its time making love to girl fauns, called “nymphs.” Mallarme’s poem, a dream of lazy summertime lust, inspired Claude Debussy [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: Actually inspired by a Japanese print, “The Wave,” by Hokusai, showing a boat about to capsized by a giant swell.
Commitment Factor: About 23 minutes
Vital Statistics: Late Romantic/Modern Period (1905). Despite the watery title, this is a symphony in three movements, none of them in traditional forms. The title of each movement describes [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: The third movement of this trio and the fifth movement of the German Requiem were both written in response to the death of Brahms’ mother.
Commitment Factor: About 25 minutes
Vital Statistics: Late Romantic Period (1865). The trio is probably the only important piece written for this combination of instruments. Its four movements include [...]

Cocktail Party Fact: If you love big, splashy, cinema Bible epics with muscle-bound hunks and big-chested women (with names like “Jezebel” and “Delilah”), then you’ll love this. Here is the source music for all of those luscious, oriental-sounding soundtracks–only it predates them by several decades.
Commitment Factor: About 22 minutes
Vital Statistics: Late Romantic/Early Modern Period (1916). [...]