# Favorite Symphonies Non-Numbered



## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

What are your favorite symphonies (or large scale multi-movement symphony-like works) that don't carry a number (i.e. Symphony No.3). I'm looking for some music to explore.

For me, I'd include in this category:

Debussy: La Mer
Adams: Harmonielehre
Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Hindemith: Symphony 'Mathis der Maler'
Messiaen: Éclairs sur l’Au-Delà

Thanks!


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

I'd throw in the Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique.


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## Bettina (Sep 29, 2016)

I love Liszt's symphonic poems, especially Faust Symphony, Les Preludes, and Mazeppa.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Tchaikovsky's Manfred symphony warrants mentioning.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Suk: Asrael Symphony
Bliss: A Colour Symphony
Bantock: Pagan Symphony, Hebridean Symphony
Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances
Elgar: Falstaff - Symphonic Study
Bax: Spring Fire


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## wolkaaa (Feb 12, 2017)

Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. Others already mentioned: A Colour Symphony, Symphonic Dances, Symphonie Fantastique, Symphony of Psalms.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Webern's symphony is nice.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

20centrfuge said:


> What are your favorite symphonies (or large scale multi-movement symphony-like works) that don't carry a number (i.e. Symphony No.3). I'm looking for some music to explore.
> 
> For me, I'd include in this category:
> 
> ...


Either the Adams' or the Hindemith's could be my choices. Bantock's _A Celtic Symphony_, Rachmaninov's _The Bells_, Bax's _Springfire_.


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## T Son of Ander (Aug 25, 2015)

I would add Bizet's Symphony in C and d'Indy's Symphony on a French Mountain Air.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Franck Symphony in D minor.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Debussy - La Mer
Bartok - Concerto for Orchestra
Ives - Holidays Symphony
Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde
R Strauss - Alpine Symphony
Rachmaninov - Symphonic Dances


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

We may be wandering far afield with some of these selections, but I'll throw some of Respighi's 4-section works into the mix: _Roman Festivals; Church Windows_. How about Sibelius: _Four Legends from the Kalevala_?


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

I will add: Aram Khachaturian , symphony no 2.


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## Sandor36 (Aug 25, 2017)

Cesar Frank symphony is my pick today.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Pugg said:


> I will add: Aram Khachaturian , symphony no 2.


How is that not numbered?


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

I'm a Hindemith fan and I enjoy all of his symphonic-themed works.

Hindemith wrote six bona-fide symphonies and none are numbered:

_Mathis der Maler_ Symphony (1934)
Symphony in E-flat (1940)
_Symphonia Serena_ (1946)
Symphony in B-flat for concert band (1951)
_Die Harmonie der Welt_ Symphony (1951)
_Pittsburgh_ Symphony (1958)

In addition to these there are also:

_Lustige Sinfonietta_ (1916)
_Symphonic Dances_ (1937)
_Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber_ (1943)
_Sinfonietta_ in E (1949)


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## Bill Cooke (May 20, 2017)

Korngold: Symphony in F-Sharp. I have nearly every recording of it. I'm a big fan of his film music, too.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Sibelius' Kullervo Symphony
Amy Beach's Gaelic Symphony
Josef Suk's Asrael Symphony (technically not numbered)
Sergei Rachmaninoff's "The Bells"
Ernest Chausson's Symphony in B-flat
Boris Tchaikovsky's Sevastopol Symphony (technically not numbered)
Vladimir Sokalsky's Symphony in G minor (1894)


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

Pugg said:


> I will add: Aram Khachaturian , symphony no 2.


You managed to break the only rule to this thread!:lol:


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

If we are counting symphonic poems and unorthodox orchestral compositions...

Stravinsky Symphony in C
Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements
Stravinsky Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra
Smetana's Ma Vlast
Bax's Tintagel
Sibelius' Finlandia
Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

haydnfan said:


> If we are counting symphonic poems and unorthodox orchestral compositions...


Let's not. What's the point? We can list thousands of symphonic poems and none of them would be a numbered symphony.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Strange Magic said:


> We may be wandering far afield with some of these selections, but I'll throw some of Respighi's 4-section works into the mix: _Roman Festivals; Church Windows_. How about Sibelius: _Four Legends from the Kalevala_?


Church Windows... YES!!!
Four Legends from Kalevala... YES!!!

Excellent pieces they are


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

I'm always awed by your encyclopedic knowledge of works, MusicSybarite. I think I am very well "listened", but I feel like I haven't heard anything compared to you.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

20centrfuge said:


> I'm always awed by your encyclopedic knowledge of works, MusicSybarite. I think I am very well "listened", but I feel like I haven't heard anything compared to you.


You are very kind! That is the result of loving so much this music. I'm always curious listening to different works.


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## geralmar (Feb 15, 2013)

One critic wrote that the William Tell Overture was effectively a symphony.

Janacek's Sinfonietta.


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## Fat Bob (Sep 25, 2015)

Vaughan Williams' first 3 symphonies are not numbered: Sea, London and Pastoral symphonies, all worth listening to.


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## R3PL4Y (Jan 21, 2016)

Berlioz Harold in Italy and Symphonie Fantastique
All the Hindemith ones mentioned earlier
Liszt Faust Symphony
Das Lied von der Erde
Eine Alpensinfonie


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

I'm deleting this post.


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## bharbeke (Mar 4, 2013)

Liszt: Dante Symphony (especially the 1st movement)
Tchaikovsky: seconding the Manfred Symphony vote
Mozart: Using the K6 system, K75 and K73m are great (I have seen them as 42 and 47 in numbered lists, though).
Cherubini: Symphony in D


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## Der Titan (Oct 17, 2016)

Bruckner 0 th ( this is not really numbered) - a beautifull work, the 00, the "Studiensinfonie" is also not that bad
Strauss Aus Italien ( not really a symponic poem, as it has four sets like a symphony) I like that
Saint Saens non numbered symphonies are partly well worth listening, although no masterpieces

I agree of course to most others, already mentioned. Well the topic is "favourite" non numbered works. Then I would say, Franck, Bruckner and the Holiday symphony by Ives and the Faust symphony by Liszt.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Vierne's Symphony in A minor. It was a recent discovery. Really, I liked so much. It reminded me of Franck's Symphony, it was impossible not to think about that.


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## Marsilius (Jun 13, 2015)

A nomination here for the symphony by Hans Rott.


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## Mal (Jan 1, 2016)

Britten Simple Symphony
Britten Sinfonia da Requiem
Britten Cello Symphony
Bruckner Study Symphony (unless 00 is a number )


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Marsilius said:


> A nomination here for the symphony by Hans Rott.


Of course I agree.


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