Backed by full orchestras with drums, horns and strings, classical music is the perfect background for a breathtaking New Year’s Eve fireworks display.
Fireworks are exciting, but combined with dramatic music they provide a thrilling experience that we never forget. It’s no wonder fireworks companies are extremely precise in the selection of music for their displays. Throughout the decades, classical music has accompanied fireworks during some of the most important and memorable celebrations in the world.
Popular Classical Compositions
Following are 12 of the most popular classical music compositions that have graced our ears during explosive fireworks shows on New Year’s Eve.
1. 1812 Overture
No New Year’s Eve fireworks display would be complete without the “1812 Overture.” Written in 1880 by Russian composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky, this overture is the kind of music that makes you feel like you have super powers. You can almost see the fireworks when you listen to the overture’s finale, which starts at 2:28 in the video below.
2. The Blue Danube
“The Blue Danube,” written by Austrian composer Johann Strauss II in 1866, is the most recognizable waltz of all time and one of the most beautiful music compositions ever conceived. With its perfectly balanced peaks and valleys that make you want to get up and dance (even if you don’t know how to waltz), it’s a favorite of pyrotechnicians and audiences alike.
3. Carmen: Act I Prelude: The Toreador
This powerful and uplifting music is a must-have for any New Year’s Eve fireworks show. The Toreador (The Bullfighter) is part of Act 1 of “Carmen,” a famous opera written in 1875 by French composer George Bizet. Set in Spain, the opera is about the ill-fated (and scandalous, at the time) romance between a gypsy, Carmen, and a soldier, Don José.
4. Star Wars Main Theme
American composer John Williams—considered the greatest film composer of all time—composed this piece as the main theme for the 1977 movie “Star Wars.” The movie turned into a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The electrifying music gives you goosebumps from the first note to the last.
5. Les Patineurs (The Skaters)
A rink of skaters at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris inspired French composer Émile Waldteufel to write this delightful waltz in 1882. It has been featured in dozens of films and TV shows, including the film Chariots of Fire and the TV show Downton Abbey. The music is a wonderful background for large New Year Eve’s fireworks displays.
6. Music for the Royal Fireworks
It’s in the name. In 1749, King George II of England asked German composer George Frideric Handel to compose music for a fireworks display in London to celebrate the end of the War of Austrian Succession. It has been recorded that Handel’s imperious music outshone the fireworks themselves.
7. Radetzky March
You will likely recognize this joyous march composed in 1848 by Johann Strauss Sr. for Austrian Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Custoza. After its first performance in Vienna that year, the march became popular among regimented marching soldiers. Doesn’t it make you want to get up and march?
8. Symphony No. 5, Op. 67: IV Finale: Allegro
This piece is part of “Beethoven’s 5th,” or “Symphony No. 5,” probably the most renowned classical music composition in the world. The enduring symphony, which is considered one of the cornerstones of western music, was written by the German composer between 1804 and 1808, when he was struggling with increasing deafness.
9. Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Op. 39: March No. 1
The Pomp and Circumstance Marches are a series of six marches composed by English composer Sir Edward Elgar between 1901 and 1907, with March No. 1 being the most popular. It contains the patriotic song known as “Land of Hope and Glory,” commonly used for high school and college graduation ceremonies. While it’s more apt for the Fourth of July, it often shows up in New Year’s Eve fireworks displays.
10. Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30: Introduction
This potent and unforgettable piece, written by German composer Richard Strauss in 1896, was inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophical novel “Thus Spoke Zarathustra,” published in four parts between 1883 and 1885. The music was made famous in modern times thanks to Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Today, the intro is synonymous with science fiction and scientific progress, and the banging notes are ideal for fireworks shows.
11. Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95
Known as the “New World Symphony” or “From the New World,” this piece was composed by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák in 1893 in New York City. It was a major milestone in the validation of American music and lore as source material for a classical composition. Astronaut Neil Armstrong took a tape recording of it with him during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.
12. Gayaneh Suite No. 3: Sabre Dance
Chances are you will recognize this hyperactive, super fun classical music composition from movies and TV shows. Written by Soviet-Armenian composer and conductor Aram Khachaturian in 1942 for the final act of his ballet “Gayane,” it’s considered one of the signature pieces of 20th century popular music.