Favorite Orchestral Parts

[seahag2]

What are your favorite orchestral bits from musical scores? I'm talking about instrumentations that pop out at you at random times, they may not even be a solo part, but a piece of the score's texture that grabs your attention. My current favorites are

The vibraphone part in My Prayer from the Color Purple
Synth part in In the Heights when Usnavi talks about the Rosarios
Double reeds in The Glamorous Life from A Little Night Music
Dixieland melody embedded in parts of How Can I Call This Home? From Parade

[MadViolist]

I really love the original instrumentation of Gershwin's opera Porgy and Bess and that Overture! Simply great. And there are great orchestral parts in Into the Woods and A Light in the Piazza.

[Mr. Nowack]

The entire orchestration for the build to the end of "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" from HELLO DOLLY is an all-time favourite of mine. The horns the strings everything is AMAZING.

Also really adore the horn part on the title song of DEAR WORLD. The utter insanity of the one section is crazy good.

The duelling pianos in the NO NO NANETTE revival overture are bonkers too in the best way.

So many more but I won't make you all endure my textual recreations further.

[icecreambenjamin]

The harp in the overture of The Light in the Piazza.

The way the orchestra swirls around Bernadette Peters at the end of Stay With Me in Into the Woods.

The bombastic drums in Epiphany from Sweeney Todd.

The lightning fast strings in the Porgy and Bess overture.

 The way the orechestra swells at the end of Be On Your Own on the OBC of Nine.

I'm obsessed with the orchestrations for Big Spender from Sweet Charity.

The orchestral swell in What Would You Do in Cabaret is amazing.

The orchestrations for Thoroughly Modern Millie are amazing in general, but the arrangement of the title song sounds just like a busy New York street.

The percussion in Don't Say Yes... from Bombshell.

The strings in Finishing the Hat (OBC).  The sound like rising light.

The french horn in A Weekend in the Country from A Little Night Music.

The orchestrations in Caroline, or Change and Fun Home are somwhat minimal, also stunning.

[nolanativeny]

The part I love that I always wished was included on the cast recording is in Wicked when the Wizard is first introduced right after One Short Day. I just love the synths in that part. They date the show really badly today but I still like the way they sound.

[newintown]

Two favorites:

The ascending celesta scale under "I dim the lights..." in "Losing My Mind (an invention of Tunick's, according to Sondheim), and

The entrance of the full orchestra in "Getting Tall" from Nine, at the end of Little Guido's simple solo version.

[After Eight]

The first-day-of-spring whimsical musical introduction to A Little Bit in Love (Wonderful Town) and all the instrumental punctuation throughout the song.  I love every note of this song.

The music-box tinkly notes introducing A Very Nice Man (Carnival) and all the  musical bits throughout this delightful song. The perfect song to start one's day!

The orchestral introduction to Climb Every Mountain (OBC). The memories it evokes every time I hear it... It's so beautiful it hurts. 

The orchestral introduction to What Happened to Me Tonight? (Kwamina). Divine.

The orchestral codas to A Little Bit in Love, A Very Nice Man, What Happened to Me a Tonight?, Where Are the Simple Joys of Maidenhood (Camelot), I'm Me (First Imoressions), This Really Isn't Me (First Impressions), Oh, Please (Take Me Along).

[bwayandstuff]

My all-time favorite has to be the orchestrations in The Bridges of Madison County, especially the cello. 

I also love a good overture: Light in the Piazza, The King and I, South Pacific...

Oh! and the little notes in between "Since, like, five, I guess *plink*, I preferred to wear boys' shirts and pants *plink* in Telephone Wire (from Fun Home). I don't know the correct terminology but it's amazing.

[HSky]

The swelling music near the end of "The Final Battle" from Les Miserables that coincides with the reveals of the dead students always gives me chills.

At the moment, I'm also fond of the drum cadence section from Hamilton right after "You'll Be Back," leading into "Right Hand Man." I wish they had included that snippet on the cast recording.

[sng]

Gypsy overture - especially at the end of "small world" and the orchestra explodes to rose's turn. CHILLS everytime 

[quizking101]

The original PROMISES, PROMISES orchestrations with the extended dance break during "Turkey Lurkey Time"

[kdogg36]

I've always loved the little rising motive in the woodwinds in the middle of the verse for "Our Time" (for instance, after Frank sings "yesterday is done".

[Petrichor]

I love the violins(I'm a sucker for the entire string section actually) and piano in certain Hamilton cast recording songs like That Would Be Enough, Dear Theodosia, It's Quiet Uptown, and Who Lives Who Dies. 

 

And of course, Wicked! I actually made a tumblr post about this a while back. I love the subtle little tickings of the Clock, ringing bells and those magical glittery sounds throughout. The intro of NOMTW as well as the intro of Thank Goodness are also very exciting. :)

 

[darquegk]

I love scores that use an idiosyncratic instrument. The use of the e-bow guitar in Wicked stands out, as does the Rocksichord on "Company" and the early rock operas of Peter Gabriel's incarnation of Genesis.

In terms of more traditional instruments, the sax solos on the Broadway cast of "Little Shop of Horrors" are great, and I love the banjo in the Chicago film overture.

[OlBlueEyes]

West Side Story 

"Dance at the Gym" and the wild percussion with which it begins.

"The Rumble"  especially the tight brass fanfares.

[SueBee06]

OlBlueEyes said: "West Side Story 

"Dance at the Gym" and the wild percussion with which it begins.

"The Rumble"  especially the tight brass fanfares.

 

"

I have such a visceral reaction to those parts (and with much of the score for the show). I can hear it in my head now.

 

[SueBee06]

The percussion work in Miss Saigon is gorgeous. It's one of the most difficult scores for a percussionist to play (or so I've been told) partly because of how many different instruments they cover. It's such an integral part of the orchestrations that there were two percussionists during the original Broadway production.

[dev101]

I really enjoy the overture in Phantom of the Opera. I love the way it features so many different instruments and highlights the best part of many of the songs in the first act. 

[Shubert Alley Cat]

I will always love the oboe playing the Bring Him Home melody as Valjean takes Marius's body to the sewers.  Perhaps my favorite sequence in Les Miz.