# Which Beethoven symphony(s) could you live without?



## BenG (Aug 28, 2018)

For me, it's 7, 2, and 1. I would not care if I never listened to these again. Which one's could _you_ live without?


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

I suppose if the fate of the civilized world depended on it, I would give up 1 and 2.


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## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

It's many years since I listened to 1,2.
I can easily live without them.

I couldn't live without *3*,*7* (my favorites) and 9.


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## Granate (Jun 25, 2016)

Practically none. But the No.8 would be the first that I throw off the cliff.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I would have no problem doing without nos. 1/2/4/8. His violin concerto and piano concertos 1/2 apply as well.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Bulldog said:


> I would have no problem doing without nos. 1/2/4/8. His violin concerto and piano concertos 1/2 apply as well.


I'd have no problem ditching Symphony No 6 as well. The 9th is a very rare trip for me, too: I suppose I like the idea that it's there, but I don't often want to visit. 3/5/7 are the ones for me, and I don't understand why the 7th is so often dismissed - it's just so much fun.

The Triple Concerto can disappear too.


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

Although I do not appreciate nos. 7 and 9 to the same extent that I do the others I wouldn't risk them. The answer to the question is nos. 1 and 2 which are good but not indispensable.


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

The Ninth the most easily, then 1 and 3. Two suffer from being overdone, the other is latter day Mozart. The others would probably cause some sort of latent addiction response later.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

None. I need all of them.


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

The 10th, since Beethoven himself did not finish it.


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

No. 2
I also don't care about 1 and 4 all that much


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## allaroundmusicenthusiast (Jun 3, 2020)

1, 4 and 6, probably in the minority here with that last one


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Probably only the 2nd. The rest I would not want to be without.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Eclectic Al said:


> The Triple Concerto can disappear too.


After having to play this, the cellist for the Guarnari Quartet remarked that because of the Triple Concerto, every cello player who makes it to heaven will punch Beethoven in the nose.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

The 2nd. The first used to be my least fave but the 2nd has overtaken it. I couldn't live without any of them really but if held at gunpoint the 2nd would be gone first. I would fight for the 7th with my life.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

It's only the 4th and 9th I have more affection for now. I can live without the others. I can hear the 5th in my head anytime I would want to. I recall Mick Jagger saying he doesn't listen to music anymore at the time of some interview, way back at least 20 years. He could hear the music in his head.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Only the 6th. It has been my least favourite Beethoven symphony for some time now.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

If i had to 1 & 2


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I could do without 2, 7 & 8.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

The 6th!? That's insanity.


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## Dick Johnson (Apr 14, 2020)

Could live without 2, 4, and 8.
Favorite is 7 - Surprised to see it on some lists.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

I can't decide... I would never let go of 6 or 9.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Don't want to do without any of them...I guess #1 is the least essential...


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

the battle symphony


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## Axter (Jan 15, 2020)

Probably 8th.

(...and I already feel bad naming a Beethoven work to live without).


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

None. I like all of them.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

Probably just #1. But even that one has value for me in looking at Beethoven's roots and development as a composer.


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## Holden4th (Jul 14, 2017)

The only one I rarely listen to is #8


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Can do without easily: 1,2,8,9,10,WV
Can do without if really required: 3,4,7


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

As no-one has given me a reason, none of them


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## Granate (Jun 25, 2016)

Merl said:


> I would fight for the 7th with my life.


Add me in! .......


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Wouldn't choose to discard any, but wouldn't miss 1,2 or 9 and wouldn't much miss 4 or 8.


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## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

None really, but if I have to pick bones out of an egg, then No. 9 for its overly long duration for relatively little contents. Then perhaps No. 3, which sometimes sounds like a chuunibyou manifestation. Or No. 6, which could sound like a crowd pleaser. Having said that, all of them are well-constructed works and deserved to be categorized as some of the greatest symphonies ever written.

Good thread for releasing negative energy to maintain mental health. :lol:


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

I have not heard #1 for years but that will be corrected tomorrow night I would not discard any of them, every one has to start somewhere.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Kiki said:


> None really, but if I have to pick bones out of an egg, then No. 9 for its overly long duration for relatively little contents. Then perhaps No. 3, which sometimes sounds like a chuunibyou manifestation. Or No. 6, which could sound like a crowd pleaser. Having said that, all of them are well-constructed works and deserved to be categorized as some of the greatest symphonies ever written.
> 
> Good thread for releasing negative energy to maintain mental health. :lol:


In such a case, give me your discs of them then because they are amongst my favorite symphonies ever!


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

If pressed hard to live without one of the Beethoven symphonies, I will discard the #4. _Mahler's_ #4, of course! :devil:


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Symphonies 1, 2 and 6. 

Yes 6. 

No, that's not a typo for 8.

I would resolutely defend 7 and 8


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## Dorsetmike (Sep 26, 2018)

All, but especially the 9th, I can't recall tha last time I heard even a part of one except maybe an occasional one on radio, but as I only listen to late night Classic FM, symphonies do not feature much if at all. Very little classical written after 1800 appeals to me.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

The 8th is the one which has chimed with me the least but that is only relatively speaking - I would never dream of missing it out when hearing the cycle (unlike Mahler's 8th, which I play almost out of duty rather than with any real love).


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Ethereality said:


> The 6th!? That's insanity.


I hadn't listened to the 6th in years. Listened to it yesterday. I enjoyed the first 4 movements more than I remember. Still, I like Beethoven's other 8 symphonies better.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Pat Fairlea said:


> Symphonies 1, 2 and 6.
> 
> Yes 6.
> 
> ...


Completely agree with you. The 6th is the most appealing Beethoven symphony on first hearing but the least rewarding on repeated listenings. When I first heard the 6th, I loved it. It was my favourite Beethoven symphony for awhile. This opinion comes from from experience listening to Beethoven's symphonies for 25 years. Have not gotten tired of the other 8 yet but of course I don't listen to them Clockwork Orange style.


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## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

Merl said:


> I would fight for the 7th with my life.





Granate said:


> Add me in! .......


Joining you with much pleasure!!


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

All nine, especially the 9th. In fact, I do live without them.


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## MarkW (Feb 16, 2015)

Top: 3, 8, 9, 1

Bottom: 2, 5 (!), 4, 7


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## julide (Jul 24, 2020)

I feel disappointed that lot of you seem to disown the 3rd and the 9th...........


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## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

Allerius said:


> In such a case, give me your discs of them then because they are amongst my favorite symphonies ever!


Hahaha, unfortunately they are not nearly bad enough for me to ever think about giving them away. Unlike a few CDs of a certain star stick waver's ongoing Shostakovich cycle on a big label, which I did give away and didn't even bother to keep the rips, even though I've always been a big Shostakovich fan! :lol:

In fact all nine are great works. I just have far less love for some of them than others.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

The OP exactly mimics my impression. Never have understood the appeal of 7, especially the dreary second movement. 4 and 8 are both excellent symphonies IMO that showcase the composer's wit and ingenuity in full force. In all honesty I find Beethoven in general doesn't reward repeated listening like so many others. He enthralled me and moved me to tears when I was first getting into classical but now I just consider him a great composer, at the top end of my top 10 or just beyond.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

julide said:


> I feel disappointed that lot of you seem to disown the 3rd and the 9th...........


Yes, strange, these are 2 of humanity's greatest creations.


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

julide said:


> I feel disappointed that lot of you seem to disown the 3rd and the 9th...........


Yeh, 3rd & 9th are superb.


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## Botschaft (Aug 4, 2017)

Allegro Con Brio said:


> The OP exactly mimics my impression. Never have understood the appeal of 7, especially the dreary second movement.


It's not dreary if performed in the right tempo as an actual allegretto.


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## JAS (Mar 6, 2013)

This thread is an interesting example of how a discussion with, perhaps, unconventional ideas about various symphonies, many of which are clearly held dear to some posters, can manage to go on for 50 posts, with disagreement but no one going to the childish extreme of calling anyone knuckle-dragging neanderthals.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

hammeredklavier said:


> the battle symphony


That one is one everybody's list.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

julide said:


> I feel disappointed that lot of you seem to disown the 3rd and the 9th...........


I've just been back through the thread and can't find many dismissals of the "Eroica". The 9th admittedly is another matter, and mine is one of them. I admire the stature of the piece but it's never inspired me to love it, so I'm not surprised others feel the same.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Last time I heard the 1st Symphony I liked it way more than its reputation would think it deserves.

Therefore, I throw *Symphony No. 2 *under the bus. :devil:


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> Completely agree with you. The 6th is the most appealing Beethoven symphony on first hearing but the least rewarding on repeated listenings. When I first heard the 6th, I loved it. It was my favourite Beethoven symphony for awhile. This opinion comes from from experience listening to Beethoven's symphonies for 25 years. Have not gotten tired of the other 8 yet but of course I don't listen to them Clockwork Orange style.


That's exactly my beef with the 6th. Immediate appeal, especially to those new to CM. Then you listen more times over the years waiting, hoping for the emergence of the depth and complexity that marks so much of LvB's music. And it's just not there, irrespective of conductor and orchestra. Whereas 7 and 8 have grown on me, revealing a little more every time I listen.

I'm currently listening to Sibelius 3 (Vanska, Minnesota), which is another one that wasn't love at first sound but we have settled into a close long-term relationship. And that's what I want from a symphony, not instant gratification.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Pat Fairlea said:


> I'm currently listening to Sibelius 3 (Vanska, Minnesota), which is another one that wasn't love at first sound but we have settled into a close long-term relationship. And that's what I want from a symphony, not instant gratification.


Instant gratification takes too long.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> Completely agree with you. The 6th is the most appealing Beethoven symphony on first hearing but the least rewarding on repeated listenings. When I first heard the 6th, I loved it. It was my favourite Beethoven symphony for awhile. This opinion comes from from experience listening to Beethoven's symphonies for 25 years. Have not gotten tired of the other 8 yet but of course I don't listen to them Clockwork Orange style.


You are obviously listening to a different Beethoven 6 to the one I know. It was the first Beethoven Symphony I got to know and repeated listenings have only made it more rewarding. This opinion comes from experience listening to Beethoven symphonies for more than 50 years. I've never seen the abominable clockwork Orange so I can only comment on the joy Beethoven 6 had brought me. Really sorry it hasn't brought you similar joy. But then we're all different


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Pat Fairlea said:


> That's exactly my beef with the 6th. Immediate appeal, especially to those new to CM. Then you listen more times over the years waiting, hoping for the emergence of the depth and complexity that marks so much of LvB's music. And it's just not there, irrespective of conductor and orchestra. Whereas 7 and 8 have grown on me, revealing a little more every time I listen.
> 
> I'm currently listening to Sibelius 3 (Vanska, Minnesota), which is another one that wasn't love at first sound but we have settled into a close long-term relationship. And that's what I want from a symphony, not instant gratification.


Oh dear some of us have a long-term relationship with Beethoven six. Afraid I have never felt the same about Sibelius 3. Perhaps I understand why Karajan never recorded it


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

Actually I could live without much of Bethovens symphonic output.

To be more specific:

Symphony 2 (all of it)
Symphony 5 (second and fourth movements)
Symphony 7 (third and fourth movements)
Symphony 8 (all of it)
Symphony 9 (choral finale, actually I could live without all Beethovens vocal output)
And of course the "Wellington" symphony.

As to symphony 6 it all depends upon the interpretation. My preferred versions are made by the Vienna Symphony orchestra, which has got a very evocative sound, and of these I find Klemperer's first studio recording of this symphony (Vox 1952) to be the best, but there are also good versions from this orchestra by Eduard Lindenberg, Horenstein and van Otterloo.

My favorite Beethoven symphonies are 4, 1 and 3 in that order.


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## Geoff48 (Aug 15, 2020)

The pastoral was the first Beethoven I got to know, the second LP I bought, the Ace of Clubs Erich Kleiber, still my favourite symphony by him. I also love the 2nd, an early acquisition on Philips bargain label with van Beinum, and particularly its heavenly slow movement especially when it is played in romantically and not rushed through.
If I had to lose one symphony then it would be the Choral, though I’d miss the third movement but not the Choral finale which only made its full impact for me in a live performance, or perhaps the Eroica. I appreciate they are seen as the greatest of his symphonies but that doesn’t make them the most loveable. I guess the problem is that every symphony has highlights and low points. 
The one symphony which causes me a problem is the 5th. I remember how bowled over I was when I first heard it played by Toscanini and then Furtwangler when I borrowed the LP from the record library. Now it doesn’t have the same impact though there is no way I would ditch it.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Pat Fairlea said:


> That's exactly my beef with the 6th. Immediate appeal, especially to those new to CM. Then you listen more times over the years waiting, hoping for the emergence of the depth and complexity that marks so much of LvB's music. And it's just not there, irrespective of conductor and orchestra. Whereas 7 and 8 have grown on me, revealing a little more every time I listen.
> 
> I'm currently listening to Sibelius 3 (Vanska, Minnesota), which is another one that wasn't love at first sound but we have settled into a close long-term relationship. And that's what I want from a symphony, not instant gratification.


Yeah, 7 and 8 have so much more depth than 6.

And what a coincidence, I was listening to Sibelius' 3rd conducted by Vanska but with the Lahti SO yesterday and had the same thought. It is coupled with the 2nd and while I initially liked the 2nd a lot more, I have grown to like the 3rd even more. It takes longer to appreciate but I believe it is the better symphony. The 1st movement, especially, is one of the best symphonic movements Sibelius wrote.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

DavidA said:


> *You are obviously listening to a different Beethoven 6 to the one I know*. It was the first Beethoven Symphony I got to know and repeated listenings have only made it more rewarding. This opinion comes from experience listening to Beethoven symphonies for more than 50 years. I've never seen the abominable clockwork Orange so I can only comment on the joy Beethoven 6 had brought me. Really sorry it hasn't brought you similar joy. But then we're all different


You mean I am obviously experiencing the same Beethoven 6 you are listening to differently from you.
And don't you feel sorry for me, I get enough enjoyment out of Beethoven's music to not merit anyone's pity


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

DavidA said:


> Oh dear some of us have a long-term relationship with Beethoven six. Afraid I have never felt the same about Sibelius 3. Perhaps I understand why Karajan never recorded it


You are obviously listening to a different Sibelius 3 than the one I know. Really sorry it hasn't brought you similar joy. But then we're all different


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

Beethoven's 10th.


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## vtpoet (Jan 17, 2019)

JAS said:


> ...but no one going to the childish extreme of calling anyone knuckle-dragging neanderthals.


Descended but I mange to pick up my knuckles thank you very much.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> You mean I am obviously experiencing the same Beethoven 6 you are listening to differently from you.
> And don't you feel sorry for me, I get enough enjoyment out of Beethoven's music to not merit anyone's pity


I don't feel sorry for you at all. Why should I? :lol:


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> You are obviously listening to a different Sibelius 3 than the one I know. Really sorry it hasn't brought you similar joy. But then we're all different


Yes! Thankfully!


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Kiki said:


> perhaps No. 3, which sometimes sounds like a chuunibyou manifestation.


Hahaha. This is the first time I've seen the Japanese slang used in this site. I guess it depends on how you view it. I think the piece is heroic and personal, as if it symbolizes Beethoven ushering in a "new era", where musicians are treated as "artists and entrepreneurs" rather than "craftsmen and servants". But if that sort of heroism doesn't appeal to you it may sound to you the way you described.

"Chūnibyō (中二病) is colloquial term that translates to "middle two disease", i.e. "middle-school second-year syndrome" or "eighth-grader syndrome" or "year-nine syndrome", typically used to describe early teens who have delusions of grandeur, who so desperately want to stand out that they have convinced themselves they have hidden knowledge or secret powers. The term has been popularized by the manga and anime series Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions."

btw, I remember coming across this mashup of the anime show that uses Eine kleine nachtmusik as bgm


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## BenG (Aug 28, 2018)

I kinda lost my appeal for Beethoven 6, until I accidentally came across this expansive, lush and incredibly beautiful recording by Celibidache. It is literally my favourite Beethoven symphony after hearing this. Can't recommend enough if you are struggling with this symphony.


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## Dimace (Oct 19, 2018)

I could live without all Beethoven's symphonies. I couldn't live without Beethoven.


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## Kiki (Aug 15, 2018)

hammeredklavier said:


> Hahaha. This is the first time I've seen the Japanese slang used in this site. I guess it depends on how you view it. I think the piece is heroic and personal, as if it symbolizes Beethoven ushering in a "new era", where musicians are treated as "artists and entrepreneurs" rather than "craftsmen and servants". But if that sort of heroism doesn't appeal to you it may sound to you the way you described.


Oh well, I was nitpicking about the Eroica. There are always two sides of a coin. "Heroic and personal"? Totally agreed. A great work indeed, and probably one of the first great romantic symphonies where the "artist" took centre stage with expressions of himself and his feelings. On the other hand, because of that, it can also sound self-conscious, hence my rather unorthodox, and a bit naughty, choice of description.

(For a more out-and-out chuunibyou experience, Ein Heldenleben should have few peers, where the hero is craving for attention and is full of fantasies in his mind. It beats the Eroica hands down! :lol



hammeredklavier said:


> btw, I remember coming across this mashup of the anime show that uses Eine kleine nachtmusik as bgm


The setting of Dekomori's dialogues to Eine kleine Nachtmusik in this video is awesome. I think it rivals Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire! :lol: (I'm not serious. Here's another Japanese slang - if you take it seriously you lose! :lol

Back to Beethoven. I've even heard the choral onslaught of Beethoven 9 played in the background of a military assault in an anime. To say it sounds out of place is an understatement. Maybe it was meant to be sarcastic to set the music about love for mankind against war.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

BenG said:


> I kinda lost my appeal for Beethoven 6, until I accidentally came across this expansive, lush and incredibly beautiful recording by Celibidache. It is literally my favourite Beethoven symphony after hearing this. Can't recommend enough if you are struggling with this symphony.


It has great potential once given enough dynamic adjustments. This is overly boxy feeling because these new mesarhythms were not fulfilled, but with a good arranger it can work, since this symphony is so rich in interpretation.


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## flamencosketches (Jan 4, 2019)

Ethereality said:


> mesarhythms


Oh, come on. You definitely just made that up on the spot. You're not fooling me.


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## Lisztian (Oct 10, 2011)

All of them. I like them but I wouldn't say any are among my favourite works. It would be a shame though because I'm aware this could change in the future.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

I have been living without any Beethoven for ... decades ... since my listening began in earnest in the 1980s.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

flamencosketches said:


> Oh, come on. You definitely just made that up on the spot. You're not fooling me.


For example, visualize the dynamic contrasts in various registers which could exist at say, 15:15-35 within mesorhythmic intervals of not only 3 but 6 and 12. This recording now suspended and flattened out for the listener, although boxy, demonstrates great potential for rearrangement.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

I'm pretty sure I'd rather give up everything ever written by Wagner, Mahler, Bruckner, Liszt, Strauss, Sibelius, Berlioz, Bizet, Ravel, Vaughn-Williams, Prokofiev, Verdi, and Elgar combined before touching a note of Beethoven.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Olias said:


> I'm pretty sure I'd rather give up everything ever written by Wagner, Mahler, Bruckner, Liszt, Strauss, Sibelius, Berlioz, Bizet, Ravel, Vaughn-Williams, Prokofiev, Verdi, and Elgar combined before touching a note of Beethoven.


That's a lot of liking for the Battle Symphony.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

Prodromides said:


> I have been living without any Beethoven for ... decades ... since my listening began in earnest in the 1980s.


You poor guy!


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## ZJovicic (Feb 26, 2017)

Probably 2nd ... maybe 4th


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

In answer to the original post: all of them.

As much as I love these works, every one if them, they are only pieces of music. Our/my world would be all the poorer for their absence, but it would not be life-threatening.

Should I post this on the "your unpopular opinion" thread?!


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## Dan Ante (May 4, 2016)

CnC Bartok said:


> In answer to the original post: all of them.
> 
> As much as I love these works, every one if them, they are only pieces of music. Our/my world would be all the poorer for their absence, but it would not be life-threatening.
> 
> Should I post this on the "your unpopular opinion" thread?!


Just wondering, do feel the same about Bartok?


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

Dan Ante said:


> Just wondering, do feel the same about Bartok?


I do. It doesn't mean any less love for the music, but in these days of fear for the future especially, one has to be honest about what one "cannot live without", surely, how ever literally I am taking that.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Olias said:


> I'm pretty sure I'd rather give up everything ever written by Wagner, Mahler, Bruckner, Liszt, Strauss, Sibelius, Berlioz, Bizet, Ravel, Vaughn-Williams, Prokofiev, Verdi, and Elgar combined before touching a note of Beethoven.


I love Beethoven's symphonies as much as anyone (well maybe not as much as you  ) but this is insanity. I would even give up my favourite Beethoven symphony over the collective works of the composers listed, let alone my least favourite.


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## julide (Jul 24, 2020)

CnC Bartok said:


> I do. It doesn't mean any less love for the music, but in these days of fear for the future especially, one has to be honest about what one "cannot live without", surely, how ever literally I am taking that.


Do you think life is that good for you to just give up beethoven.......


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## CnC Bartok (Jun 5, 2017)

julide said:


> Do you think life is that good for you to just give up beethoven.......


Well, it'd be a lot crappier for sure, but obviously there are things I would sacrifice far more unwillingly than Beethoven (and Bartok!) ...


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

"Which Beethoven symphony(s) could you live without?"

I have to cop out on this question and say none of them.

Beethoven's my favorite, and each of the nine is a gem.


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## Ras (Oct 6, 2017)

I'm doing fine without number 6.


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## waldhoerer (Oct 12, 2020)

Listened a lot to all of his symphonies, but in the end for me it is No. 9 - the first movement.


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## hoodjem (Feb 23, 2019)

The fourth is underrated, IMHO.

If it had a nickname (like fate, tragic, heroic, funeral, etc.), it would be better appreciated.


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## Axter (Jan 15, 2020)

hoodjem said:


> The fourth is underrated, IMHO.
> 
> If it had a nickname (like fate, tragic, heroic, funeral, etc.), it would be better appreciated.


I agree. Both 4th and also 1st are great, and have this indistinguishable Beethovenian sound to me.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

hoodjem said:


> If it had a nickname (like fate, tragic, heroic, funeral, etc.), it would be better appreciated.


Howabout "bassoon solo"?

.

also let's not forget:


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## musichal (Oct 17, 2020)

Wish we could keep all nine, but I get it. He died in 1827 and has been decomposing ever since, so we're likely to lose one soon. _[rim-shot]_

Old, stupid jokes are the only kind I know.


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## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

hammeredklavier said:


> theHowabout "bassoon solo"?


I like it!!


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

hoodjem said:


> The fourth is underrated, IMHO.
> 
> If it had a nickname (like fate, tragic, heroic, funeral, etc.), it would be better appreciated.


how about "better-than-the-Pastorale"?


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> how about "better-than-the-Pastorale"?


It's a good suggestion - but it would apply to all the Beethoven symphonies (apart from number six!), so maybe not adequately specific.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

TwoFlutesOneTrumpet said:


> how about "better-than-the-Pastorale"?


That's as lame as naming every Beethoven symphony "Two-Flutes-&-One-Trumpet" just because the works use those instruments in their instrumentation.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Fourth and Seventh


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Honestly? At this point all of them *except* 1, 2, 4 and 8. The others have been played to death over the past 200 years. Most of the Beethoven I Iisten to these days is chamber and piano music.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

With a gun pressed against my head, I'd probably say the 6th or the 1st but gladly that is not my situation and I don't want to live without any Beethoven symphony. I could live without the 3rd movement of the 7th and without about half of the last movement of the 9th but i don't want to cast away any one entire symphony.


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