# Your favourite symphony at the moment



## Oskaar

Oppinions may change, it is all about mood and periodes.

Post your currently favourite symphony here... And change your oppinion as often as you wish!

My favorite at the moment is Sibelius no. 1


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## Klavierspieler

So difficult! 

Maybe Beethoven No. 7 or 6 or Schumann No. 2.


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## Tapkaara

My favorite symphony AT THE MOMENT is Symphony no. 2 b Alfredo Casella.


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## Oskaar

I love Schumann no 2!


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## Oskaar

Tapkaara said:


> My favorite symphony AT THE MOMENT is Symphony no. 2 b Alfredo Casella.


I have qued it next! Curious. Sun Hee You, Francesco La Vecchia and Orchestra Sinfonica di Roma


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## Dodecaplex

Mozart 41. Good stuff.


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## jalex

Beethoven #5 / Berlioz Romeo et Juliette


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## Conor71

Bruckner 4


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## Lisztian

Liszt, Faust.


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## Oskaar

Tapkaara said:


> My favorite symphony AT THE MOMENT is Symphony no. 2 b Alfredo Casella.


I must say that this symphony is eminent. Thanks tapkira.


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## Oskaar

I want to listen to Liszt, Faust symphony. Do you have any recommodation, Lisztian ?


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## Lisztian

My personal favourite is the Bernstein recording. I would start with that! I just listened to it again the other day, and I don't think i've ever been touched by a performance as much as that in my life.

http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Faust-S...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1323996644&sr=1-1

I hope you enjoy it!


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## peeyaj

*Symphony no. 9, ''Great C Major'' by Franz Schubert, recorded by Josef Krips with London Symphony Orchestra, 1958 *


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## Oskaar

Lisztian said:


> My personal favourite is the Bernstein recording. I would start with that! I just listened to it again the other day, and I don't think i've ever been touched by a performance as much as that in my life.
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Liszt-Faust-S...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1323996644&sr=1-1
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!


It is coming up on spotify!


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## Art Rock

It has been for years, and unlikely to change therefore:
Schubert's Unfinished.
Unless we count Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde.

Honorable mentions to Mahler 4,9, Bruckner 9, Gorecki 3, Beethoven 6, Mendelssohn 3, Dvorak 9, Berlioz' Fantastique and Saint Saens 3.


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## Sid James

*Leonard Bernstein*,_ Symphony #1, Jeremiah_ (1942).

For an earlier "review" here on TC, click this link...


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## ProudSquire

Mozart, symphony #33.


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## hespdelk

Right now... probably Bruckner's 5th and Penderecki's 8th, I love both works and have come to them often in the past few months.


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## tdc

My favorites of the moment:

Schumann 2
Sibelius 1, 2, 3 and 5
Schubert 9 
Mozart 38
Mahler 3,4,9 Song of the Earth
Bruckner 9

Honorable Mention - Brian Symphony No. 2

edit -* if I have to pick just one for the moment* - *Schubert 9*


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## Sid James

tdc said:


> ...* if I have to pick just one for the moment* - *Schubert 9*


It's a bit unusual to hear that, someone saying they really like that work.

I like it but I think I prefer Schubert's earlier "classicist" symphonies.

Talk to most musicians and they'll tell you they hate playing "The Great" because it's sooooo long.

BTW, if you haven't heard Brian Newbould's reconstruction of Schubert's "10th," try to have a listen, I think it's a pretty good work, it was even played here before the Jurassics fully took over, I heard it live in the '90's...


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## Polednice

Brahms's 3rd is always my favourite.


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## Manxfeeder

I'm always up for Bruckner, but my default all-time favorite is Beethoven's 9th.


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## tdc

Sid James said:


> It's a bit unusual to hear that, someone saying they really like that work.
> 
> I like it but I think I prefer Schubert's earlier "classicist" symphonies.
> 
> Talk to most musicians and they'll tell you they hate playing "The Great" because it's sooooo long.
> 
> BTW, if you haven't heard Brian Newbould's reconstruction of Schubert's "10th," try to have a listen, I think it's a pretty good work, it was even played here before the Jurassics fully took over, I heard it live in the '90's...


Well, I don't think it is very unusual to really like Schubert's 9th... I can think of several members on here who absolutely love it, I also remember it getting enshrined quite quickly in the top 100 in the 'classical music project'. It is known as 'The Great' after all so... case closed. :lol:

If these musician friends say they don't like playing Schubert because it's soooo long then I'm assuming, they must _really_ loathe performing Bruckner and Mahler?

I don't think whether musicians enjoy playing something or not necessarily speaks to the quality of the work though. I remember listening to an interview with Esa-Pekka Salonen once who basically said after years of conducting Bartok's 1st PC he still finds the work incredibly difficult, and has never really gained that 'comfort zone' with it, yet he still absolutely loves this work, and paradoxically loves performing it. I think musical performance can often be kind of a love/hate type of thing.


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## mmsbls

I have felt for some time that Beethoven's 9th is my favorite work of all. I happened to listen to it a couple of days ago, and my opinion has not changed.

Of course, there are others very close behind - Mozart 40,41, Schubert 9, Mendelssohn 4, Beethoven 7, Brahms 3.


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## Polednice

mmsbls said:


> I have felt for some time that Beethoven's 9th is my favorite work of all. I happened to listen to it a couple of days ago, and my opinion has not changed.
> 
> Of course, there are others very close behind - Mozart 40,41, Schubert 9, Mendelssohn 4, Beethoven 7, Brahms 3.


Nice to see someone think of a Mendelssohn symphony so highly. My own favourite is his 3rd. Love that Scottishness!


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## jalex

tdc said:


> If these musician friends say they don't like playing Schubert because it's soooo long then I'm assuming, they must _really_ loathe performing Bruckner and Mahler?


Playing the Great as a flute player with repeats is IMO physically more difficult than Mahler #1 #2 and #4. Schubert asks for lots of accents and sforzandi in all four movements which is hard work, and some rapid tonguing is needed as well. In Mahler we usually get away with long rests and lots of slurs (and lots of quiet sustained notes), and only the sheer length of the symphonies makes it tiring as opposed to the part writing combined with length in the Schubert. Mahler #2 also has the slow 2nd and 4th movements to break up the more involved ones. Maybe some of Mahler's later symphonies are harder, but I've never played any of them. I think Mahler needs quite a bit more concentration though which evens it out a bit.


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## Llyranor

Sibelius 2!


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## StlukesguildOhio

My single favorite, for better or worse, is Beethoven's 9th. While some might complain that such is an obvious choice... is is simply the symphonic work that I have been drawn back to more than any other after years of having listened to a broad array of symphonies. As a teenager I might have gone with Tchaikovsky's 5th or 6th... or even his 1st ("Winter Dreams") which still holds a special place for me. Having experienced Dvorak's 9th in an absolutely transcendent live performance, it will always rank near the top for me. I love Schubert's 5th, 8th, and 9th, Brahms 1st especially, Bruckner's 7th, Beethoven's 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th... and Mahler's 2nd probably comes in second only to Beethoven's 9th. And Vaughan-Williams? I love the Sea Symphony (no. 1) the London (no. 2) the Pastoral (no. 3), no. 5 etc... Shostakovitch 10th, Mozart's 40/41, Szymanowski's no. 3 "Song of the Night", Gorecki's no. 3, etc...


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## Sid James

tdc said:


> Well, I don't think it is very unusual to really like Schubert's 9th... I can think of several members on here who absolutely love it, I also remember it getting enshrined quite quickly in the top 100 in the 'classical music project'. It is known as 'The Great' after all so... case closed. :lol: ...


Well I haven't been following the top 100 or classical music project, so I was speaking to what I've read about "The Great" on this forum over the years. Also on another forum I left about 6 months ago. On both these forums, a number of people said they didn't like this work. But as I said, I like this symphony, I like all of Schubert's symphonies & many of his other works, but of course within that i have my preferences like anyone else.



> If these musician friends say they don't like playing Schubert because it's soooo long then I'm assuming, they must _really_ loathe performing Bruckner and Mahler?


Well it's just anecdotal "evidence" but what jalex said above here confirms what I said, re the difficulty of "The Great."

Mahler and Bruckner rarely get played here, due to the large forces involved (eg. probably the costs involved, hiring extra musicians to pad out the orchestra, also complexity, more rehearsal, etc.). They only were began to be played more often in the 1980's when the late Stuart Challender came to the helm of the Sydney Symphony Orch. Of course, this year and the last, Maestro Ashkenazy has done his Mahler anniversary cycle with that orchestra.

So talking to musicians here, they probably would relish playing Bruckner or Mahler, as they're rarely played, but I don't remember talking about this to them. Another related point I've typed below -



> ...I think musical performance can often be kind of a love/hate type of thing.


Agreed, it's a challenge, and I would imagine some musicians here would prefer "The Great" over Schubert's "UNfinished," in terms of playing it, because the "Unifinished" is a warhorse that gets trotted out like every year, literally. So maybe they'd like the change, even if "The Great" is no walk in the park...


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## HarpsichordConcerto

I just bought this version of Dvorak's #9. It comes with Schumann's _Konzertstück for four horns_, Op. 86. Played by La Chambre Philharmonique under Emmanuel Krivine, a period instrument group. But don't let this turn you off thinking this band is trying to make the symphony sound Classical. There is none of that. They play with much less vibrato and the sounds of the Romantic period instruments have their timbre giving the piece a different sound, but not one that you might notice immediately compared with a modern symphony orchestra (which is what I am used to listening to). Overall, a good recording and fans of Dvorak's might like to give it a try. It's my "current" favourite listening as far the symphony is concerned.


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## mtmailey

schubert symphony 8-allegro moderato


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## opus55

Mahler 1st


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## Olias

My favorite will change next week but the one I've been enjoying the most right now is Shostakovich 5th. So powerful and moving. It appeals to my anti-establishment personality.


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## poconoron

Mozart symphony #40.


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## LordBlackudder




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## kv466

Prokofiev - Symphony no.5 in b-flat

and no.1 in d; where you been all my life?!


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## Ravellian

Favorite symphony will probably always be Tchaikovsky's 6th.


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## starthrower

Schnittke No. 3


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## clavichorder

Just payed William Schuman's 3rd symphony another visit. I am awed once again.


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## emiellucifuge

At the moment im binging on Prokofiev's 6th


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## science

This is a really good topic.

I go back and forth between Mozart 40, Beethoven 5, Brahms 1 and Brahms 4 being my favorite symphony. But the last time I heard Mozart 41 I liked it _a lot_. It could join the list. So could Sibelius 4. Dvorak 9 is right up there, but just now I'm suffering from overkill on that - I listened to it about 10 times this year, and that was unwise. Haydn 104 is up there, Mozart 38, Beethoven 6 and 7. On the right day, Mahler 1 and 2 are up there.

Just now I might even put Mozart 41 at the top, but by the slimmest of margins, and it had better not get too comfortable.


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## opus55

science said:


> ...Dvorak 9 is right up there, but just now I'm suffering from overkill on that - I listened to it about 10 times this year, and that was unwise..


:lol: I know exactly what you mean. 10 times in one year doesn't sound like overkill though. I listened to Shostakovich symphonies on 11 CDs for a week and I didn't have any appetite left for them for few weeks (still on going).

I should be more careful with "complete" box sets. I shouldn't try to listen to all discs continuously just to say I listen to all.


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## Oskaar

My favorit symphony at the moment is Glazunov no. 2. It is i firework!


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## emiellucifuge

ATM: Prokofiev's 6th.


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## Lisztian

Dvorak 9 currently!


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## Crudblud

Nothing will ever match the Turangalila-Symphonie for me.

Honourable mention to Mahler's 3rd.


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## Kopachris

At the moment? Tchaikovsky's 5th.


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## Lenfer

Could bring a stone to tears. The vocals are obviously a major part of what makes me like this piece the music is very haunting and fits like a glove.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Beethoven 4! 

I have a recording of it played by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in their complete cycle of the Beethoven symphonies, and I have to say it is the best recording of it I have heard.

This one is the best I could find on YouTube. All the others play it too slow (mind you, the TSO recorded it in less than half an hour).


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

This is not my favourite, but it is a terrific performance.


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## pluhagr

Crudblud said:


> Nothing will ever match the Turangalila-Symphonie for me.
> 
> Honourable mention to Mahler's 3rd.


Ahh such a wonderful symphony!


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## pluhagr

My current favorite, which changes often, is Corigliano's 1st symphony. Never before have disparity and happiness filled by body as it did whet I listened to the second movement.


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## Crudblud

Glad to find someone who agrees! I almost never hear any praise for it from others.


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## TrazomGangflow

Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 op. 90 "Italian" I recently purchased a Mendelssohn CD with symphonies 3-5 and some overtures. I find the Italian symphony very exciting.


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## samurai

Right now, it is Tchaikovsky's Second Symphony {"Little Russian"}. I especially like its jaunty, almost military like 2nd Movement: 



.


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## pluhagr

Crudblud said:


> Glad to find someone who agrees! I almost never hear any praise for it from others.


Oh really... Well, I love it. I also just love Messiaen. So interesting.


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## Xaltotun

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Beethoven 4!
> 
> I have a recording of it played by the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra in their complete cycle of the Beethoven symphonies, and I have to say it is the best recording of it I have heard.
> 
> This one is the best I could find on YouTube. All the others play it too slow (mind you, the TSO recorded it in less than half an hour).


I recently saw a performance of Beethoven's 4th by a minor Finnish orchestra. They played extremely well and inspiredly, I was immensely touched, and now I count the 4th among the greatest of Beethoven symphonies. Such vision and power balanced by lightness and grace.


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## pluhagr

Crudblud said:


> Glad to find someone who agrees! I almost never hear any praise for it from others.


Wow! I had no idea it was so unliked. There is nothing else like it in my opinion. Like the title translated it is a "love song and hymn of joy, time, movement, rhythm, life, and death" and "superhuman, overflowing, dazzling and abandoned". All from program notes written by the composer. Hm, this makes me disappointed...


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## violadude

pluhagr said:


> Wow! I had no idea it was so unliked. There is nothing else like it in my opinion. Like the title translated it is a "love song and hymn of joy, time, movement, rhythm, life, and death" and "superhuman, overflowing, dazzling and abandoned". All from program notes written by the composer. Hm, this makes me disappointed...


I'm with you! It's a beautiful piece of music.

Also, woot! post 2,000


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## Oskaar

At the moment... Bruckner 00'th


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## Oskaar

Berlioz Harold en Italie and Messaian Turangalîla-symphonie coming close.


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## SottoVoce

Mahler's 6th


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## sayattia

I would like:
Dvorak 5th and 7th
Brahms 1st
Mendelsson 3rd


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## Klavierspieler

I'm gonna say Beethoven No. 7 for right now.


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## Oskaar

I will not say favourite at the moment, but Enescu no 3 is fantastic!


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## SottoVoce

Schoenberg's Chamber Symphony no. 1. The first few seconds just makes me let go.


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## starthrower

It's a 3 way tie between Schnittke No. 4, Norgard No. 3, Henze No. 9


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## DavidMahler

Mahler 9 is always my favorite, but the 2nd spot is always changing

Right now my 2nd favorite is Das Lied von der Erde, if it were considered a symphony (as it is by many)

and in 3rd Sibelius 7


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Farrenc 3 for me.


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## Guest

I'm in for Borodin's Symphony #2. Hard to believe it predates Scheherazade by almost 20 years.

But frankly I am sooo not thinking about symphonies these days. Give me a piano with a violin or cello and that's enough for me. Why make things complicated?


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## kv466

Haydn - Symphony no.96 in d, The Miracle


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## MJongo

At the moment, Ives Symphony No.4

Previously for me it has been Beethoven and Mahler's 9th.


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## furelise

Pastoral Symphony by Beethoven. BUT...I am also enjoying Tchaikovsky's Sugar Plum Fairy.


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## Trout

furelise said:


> Pastoral Symphony by Beethoven. BUT...I am also enjoying Tchaikovsky's Sugar Plum Fairy.


Welcome to the forum! I also love Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony.


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## Conor71

at the moment I have been enjoying Bruckner 7 and Shostakovich 5 a lot!


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## Sofronitsky

Shostakovich 10, Bruckner 8, Beethoven 7, Tchaikovsky 6

I cannot pick favorite children...


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## tannhaeuser

Ives' second.


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## ZombieBeethoven

I just listened to Glazunov's 5th for the first time. My new favorite. Listening to a symphony for the first time is thrilling. 

PS I suspect that I had placed this piece in my spotify playlist because of a TC'ers recommendation. Thank you whoever you might have be!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie. Probably the greatest symphony written in the twentieth century.


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## crmoorhead

ATM, I am listening to Bliss' Color Symphony, Mozart No. 40 and Honneger No. 2 (String Symphony) quite a lot.


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## poconoron

At the moment, it is Brahms symphony #3 from this set:


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## Norse

Carl Nielsen's 2nd (The Four Temperaments)


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## Vaneyes

Hovhaness No. 50, but this expires at midnight.

View attachment 3216


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## RandallPeterListens

Well, this thread is about favorite "at the moment", not all-time favorites. So I will say the symphonies of Kurt Atterberg, which are a new discovery for me. Almost can't believe I have overlooked music this good for so long.


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## afterpostjack

Sofronitsky said:


> Shostakovich 10, Bruckner 8, Beethoven 7, Tchaikovsky 6
> 
> I cannot pick favorite children...


That's very similar to my tastest at the moment, those composers are spot on. I'm listening to Bruckner's 3rd at the moment. Those two last movements are lovely.


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## starthrower

Karl Hartmann No.7


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

At the moment, Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony.


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## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> At the moment, Tchaikovsky's fifth symphony.


That's definitely not Avant-Garde.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Just changed to Mozart's symphony no. 40. I'm playing viola in it for a one-off performance later this year. Another piece we're playing in that concert is Mendelssohn's string symphony no. 12. I'm actually playing in a string orchestra, but we're getting some wind players in so we can do a full Mozart symphony!


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## Eviticus

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Just changed to Mozart's symphony no. 40. I'm playing viola in it for a one-off performance later this year. Another piece we're playing in that concert is Mendelssohn's string symphony no. 12. I'm actually playing in a string orchestra, but we're getting some wind players in so we can do a full Mozart symphony!


You changed your favourite already?! I want my 'like' back! 

I am trying to study string compositions more at the moment and i would really appreciate you (or violadude) directing me to a couple of great works i can check out that really show the viola's capabilities, sounds and range - maybe a viola sonata or viola concerto? Cello's, violins, doubles basses i find more easy to distinguish but want to suss out the viola for compositional purposes.

I'd be most grateful.


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## violadude

Eviticus said:


> You changed your favourite already?! I want my 'like' back!
> 
> I am trying to study string compositions more at the moment and i would really appreciate you (or violadude) directing me to a couple of great works i can check out that really show the viola's capabilities, sounds and range - maybe a viola sonata or viola concerto? Cello's, violins, doubles basses i find more easy to distinguish but want to suss out the viola for compositional purposes.
> 
> I'd be most grateful.


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## Eviticus

violadude said:


>


Thank you.


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## clavichorder

Symphonie Liturgique by Arthur Honegger!


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## violadude

Eviticus said:


> Thank you.


Did that help?


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## Oliver

Beethoven's 7th !!!


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## robert

Pettersson

Symphony 14

Comissiona


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Eviticus said:


> You changed your favourite already?! I want my 'like' back!
> 
> I am trying to study string compositions more at the moment and i would really appreciate you (or violadude) directing me to a couple of great works i can check out that really show the viola's capabilities, sounds and range - maybe a viola sonata or viola concerto? Cello's, violins, doubles basses i find more easy to distinguish but want to suss out the viola for compositional purposes.
> 
> I'd be most grateful.


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## Manok

My favorite is always the last I listened to . Ok, maybe not, but in this case its true. Heitor Villa-Lobos Symphony No. 4. This symphony is akin to listening to someones dream.


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## Eviticus

violadude said:


> Did that help?


The second one certainly did thanks. I may have to study a few scores to understand how different composers use them in relation to the violins.

Ideally, it would be great to have software that can dissect certain orchestral works and just play whatever sections you choose just for the specific groups of instruments you select. I bet there is one out there that you can use along side the score so you don't have to tinker them through on piano.

CoAG - I haven't got round to listening to all your recommendations but will do soon - thanks.


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## MJongo

MJongo said:


> At the moment, Ives Symphony No.4
> 
> Previously for me it has been Beethoven and Mahler's 9th.


And now it's Messiaen's Turangalila-Symphonie.


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## kv466

Weber - no.2 in c, j.51


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Right now, Philip Glass' symphony no. 3


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## samurai

Right now, my favorite would be "*Little Russian"* by Tchaikovsky. This is closely followed by *Symphony No.3* by Philip Glass. Go figure!


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## Lenfer

*Górecki's* - *Symphony No. 3* obviously I don't think that will ever change.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Try and guess what my all time favourite is.


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## Vaneyes

This, and any other moment...

View attachment 3850


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## suffolkcoastal

My favourite symphony has remained unchanged for almost 30 years since I was in my teens, indeed it is my favourite piece of all namely, the Symphony No 5 by Ralph Vaughan Williams. I love all his symphonies and consider him one of the greatest of 20th century symphonists.


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## kv466




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## Zabirilog

Beethoven + Berrnstein=!!!


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## Schubussy

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Try and guess what my all time favourite is.


Segerstam no. 232?

At the moment, mine is Lutoslawski no. 4.


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## JCarmel

This is a difficult one....but I think mine would be Mendelssohn's 'Scottish' and 'Lobgesang' symphonies and then hovering-about would certainly be Haydn's 'London', his 104th.


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## Kieran

Sibelius 2...


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## neoshredder

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Try and guess what my all time favourite is.


Philip Glass - Symphony 3?


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## ProudSquire

Schumann
Symphony No.2
:cheers:


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## ptr

A tie between Shostakovich's and Mahler's Fourths...

/ptr


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## PavelC

A sweet gem.


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## KRoad

Nielson No. 5


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## Sonata

Hard to top Mahler 2-4 (haven't listened past four yet, but I look forward to it!)

At the moment though, I'm digging Brucker's middle symphonies as well as Beethoven.


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## julianoq

I was ready to post that I can't choose only one, but reading the previous posts I noticed that not many people (maybe no one) chose *Dvorak 8th*. I love every second of this symphony so I will choose it


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## Llyranor

Right now, Beethoven's 3rd. The title of 'favorite symphony' changes all the time for me, though.


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## samurai

@ Llyranor, I think you hit the nail right on the head with your remark. For me also, my "favorite" seems to be constantly changing. Indeed, I am not even sure I would be able to make such a choice--or choices--for that matter.


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## neoshredder

Since I'm listening to Vaughan Williams - A London Symphony, I'll go with that for now.


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## Novelette

Cherubini's D Major Symphony. Loving it.


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## Feathers

julianoq said:


> I was ready to post that I can't choose only one, but reading the previous posts I noticed that not many people (maybe no one) chose *Dvorak 8th*. I love every second of this symphony so I will choose it


Great choice! It's one of my favourites too. Lots of memorable melodies in both "big" and "little" moments and a delightful third movement.


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## TheVioletKing

Shostakovich Symphony No.7, though Mahler 2, 3, 7, and 8 are growing on me and may soon take that spot.


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## samurai

TheVioletKing said:


> Shostakovich Symphony No.7, though Mahler 2, 3, 7, and 8 are growing on me and may soon take that spot.


@VK, Some great Mahler choices here; lately, I have also been growing quite fond of *Mahler 6 {"Tragic"} and 9.*


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## TheVioletKing

I still need to listen to 9 and 10, but so far Mahler hasn't disappointed. His 6th reminded me of Symphonic metamorphosis by Hindemith for some odd reason?


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## KenOC

Just listened to Shostakovich 10, so that's my favorite! But I'll listen to #9 in a bit, so things may change.


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## davinci

The last few days it's R. Strauss's Sinfonia Domestica and Ein Heldenleben.


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## Feathers

It's Scriabin's Symphony No. 2 for me at the moment. It's such a incredible work. Love it soooooo much.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

*SIBELIUS'S SYMPHONY NO. 2* of course. :tiphat:


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## Kieran

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> *SIBELIUS'S SYMPHONY NO. 2* of course. :tiphat:


I like the way you scour works with great intensity and a forensic ear for detail. You're like a master burglar casing the joint, or a persistent detective grilling a suspect. I bet there isn't a single contour or wave of that symphony has escaped your notice. This is the way it should be! Go at things full-pelt and let the devil take the hindmost!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Kieran said:


> I like the way you scour works with great intensity and a forensic ear for detail. You're like a master burglar casing the joint, or a persistent detective grilling a suspect. I bet there isn't a single contour or wave of that symphony has escaped your notice. This is the way it should be! Go at things full-pelt and let the devil take the hindmost!


I like that bit in the second movement where the horns play those chords, the top voice of the chord always rising by a major second giving it a "whole-tone" flavour...adds so much excitement! Also, in the finale when that melody comes, the repeated accompaniment going up and down a minor scale but not all the way, increasing the dynamics and the texture before giving way to that coda which makes me go high. 

There's so much to listen to in that symphony. I could never get bored of it.


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## Spafon

As a relative newbie to Classical music, and definitely an "I don't know anything about music but I know what I like" type, I'll go for Beethoven's 3rd. But then there is so much I've yet to hear


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## OboeKnight

Mendelssohn 5 right now


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## julianoq

Feathers said:


> Great choice! It's one of my favourites too. Lots of memorable melodies in both "big" and "little" moments and a delightful third movement.


Indeed! This symphony is full of great melodies, I consider it almost perfect (just the last movement is not THAT memorable imo, but quite good anyway).


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## Mahlerian

It can't be anything but Mahler's 9th after I just listened to it. I don't like to throw around words like this much, but it truly is sublime.


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## Andolink

Today I was blown away for the umpteenth time by Mozart's 35th, the "Haffner". What a profusion of delights!


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Spafon said:


> As a relative newbie to Classical music, and definitely an "I don't know anything about music but I know what I like" type, I'll go for Beethoven's 3rd. But then there is so much I've yet to hear


Watch Paavo Järvi's version on YouTube. It is by far the best performance.


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## julianoq

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Watch Paavo Järvi's version on YouTube. It is by far the best performance.


I also watched today Subelius No. 2 with Paavo Järvi and loved it!


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## DeepR

My favorites atm are Beethoven 6 and Scriabin 3, particularly the first movement of both. But it's changing all the time.


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## astronautnic

It really took some time but now I'm quite absorbed by Brahms' 4th (particularily Chailly with the concergebouw Amsterdam). Don't know how it came about, used to dislike it, dismissed it as "boring", but all of a sudden it clicked and revealed its overwhelming beauty and depth to me, and i eventually respond emotionally as well as "intellectually" to it.....


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## RobertoDevereux

Rachmaninov's 2nd for the past couple of years. I found that I would refrain from listening to it sometimes because it stirs so much emotion and thought that I then have to spend a few weeks calming down.

RD


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## TwoFourPianist

Gorecki's 3rd symphony every time


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## Avey

Brahms's 2nd. Just great when something grows on you -- you always _liked_ the piece, but never _loved_ it.

You think: What's wrong with me? How'd I never notice _that_ melody before, or _that_ section?


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## NightXsenator

Tchaikovsky's 4th, the predecessor was Mahler's 6th...


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## JCarmel

It's not my favourite symphony by a long way but lately, I've been listening a lot to Cesar Franck's D Minor Symphony.

PS Try-out this short youtube excerpt for an example of bravura baton-twirling!


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## Oliver

Bruckner's 8th, damn


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## Op.123

Schumann 4 (absolutely wonderful)


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## jim prideaux

dvorak 8th Kubelik on DGi-has the appeal of being relatively unfamiliar and to my ears acts as some kind of 'bridge'between Brahms and Sibelius-and not just chronologically-2nd movement in particular


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## Op.123

oooo, and Schumann 3 (even more wonderful)


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## sonnenuntergangstunde

There's some great listening ideas here, thanks everyone! Before opening this thread I would have said my favourites were Dvorak's 9th and Nielsen's 5th. I'm really enjoying Casella's 2nd and Messiaens Turangalila which were mentioned earlier


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## chalkpie

Kalevi Aho - Symphony No. 12 "Luosto"

Seriously cool. Starts off with percussion only. He seems to bridge the gap between tonality and dissonance.


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## Neo Romanza

chalkpie said:


> Kalevi Aho - Symphony No. 12 "Luosto"
> 
> Seriously cool. Starts off with percussion only. He seems to bridge the gap between tonality and dissonance.


A seriously good symphony. Right on!  I love your avatar by the way. Ives has always been a favorite of mine.

Speaking of Aho, my favorite symphony at the moment is his _Symphony No. 9_ for trombone and orchestra. Really a fantastic work with a central _Andante_ movement that is quite moving. This work is essentially a 'symphony concertante' work like Szymanowski's _Symphony No. 4_ for example. But the reason it's a symphony is obviously because of the nature and structure of the music itself.


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## chalkpie

Neo Romanza said:


> A seriously good symphony. Right on!  I love your avatar by the way. Ives has always been a favorite of mine.
> 
> Speaking of Aho, my favorite symphony at the moment is his _Symphony No. 9_ for trombone and orchestra. Really a fantastic work with a central _Andante_ movement that is quite moving. This work is essentially a 'symphony concertante' work like Szymanowski's _Symphony No. 4_ for example. But the reason it's a symphony is obviously because of the nature and structure of the music itself.


Thanks! Ives is an acquired taste, but there is NO composer like him. I dig your avatar also - DSCH is also one of my favorites, probably top 5, but definitely top 10. Thanks for the Aho 9 tip, I will check that out for sure. I am really loving the second movement of Aho 12 (the winter darkness and midsummer). So bleak in spots, but a tinge of light to be found. This Lahti group sounds wonderful, I found them via the Sibelius recordings, which are killer as well.


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## Neo Romanza

chalkpie said:


> Thanks! Ives is an acquired taste, but there is NO composer like him. I dig your avatar also - DSCH is also one of my favorites, probably top 5, but definitely top 10. Thanks for the Aho 9 tip, I will check that out for sure. I am really loving the second movement of Aho 12 (the winter darkness and midsummer). So bleak in spots, but a tinge of light to be found. This Lahti group sounds wonderful, I found them via the Sibelius recordings, which are killer as well.


You're welcome. Ives has been a hero of mine even before I seriously got into classical music. You're certainly right. There are no composers like him and there never will be again. He encompassed a unique approach to music: a polystylistic approach which is reflected also through the music of Shostakovich, Schnittke, and Aho. Those clashes of different kinds of music but making it all gel together and sound completely natural is something I attribute to him and Mahler. They really got the ball rolling for everyone else in this regard. An Ives work I always return to time and time again: the four movements from _New England Holidays_. I also love his 3rd and 4th symphonies, both _Orchestral Sets_, and _Central Park in the Dark_. These are timeless masterpieces IMHO.

Anyway, yes, Shostakovich in my numero uno.  I always find a way back home in his music. Glad you're enjoying Aho. He's certainly a composer worth exploring. Enjoy the music!


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## chalkpie

Neo Romanza said:


> You're welcome. Ives has been a hero of mine even before I seriously got into classical music. You're certainly right. There are no composers like him and there never will be again. He encompassed a unique approach to music: a polystylistic approach which is reflected also through the music of Shostakovich, Schnittke, and Aho. Those clashes of different kinds of music but making it all gel together and sound completely natural is something I attribute to him and Mahler. They really got the ball rolling for everyone else in this regard. An Ives work I always return to time and time again: the four movements from _New England Holidays_. I also love his 3rd and 4th symphonies, both _Orchestral Sets_, and _Central Park in the Dark_. These are timeless masterpieces IMHO.
> 
> Anyway, yes, Shostakovich in my numero uno.  I always find a way back home in his music. Glad you're enjoying Aho. He's certainly a composer worth exploring. Enjoy the music!


Glad you know and appreciate The Holidays Symphony.....that is the reason it is my avatar, and the MTT version is the best I've heard yet. The James Sinclair version is also wonderful on Naxos - he is the numero uno Ives scholar on the planet. Great guy too. Would you add The Concord on your list too? My favorite American sonata by miles and miles. Please check out Hilary Hahn's recording of the Ives Violin Sonatas (DG). I was in the studio with her for the recording (Rhinebeck, NY) and am credited as a page turner in the liner notes. An amazing experience. She is super cool and laid back.

You're mentioning Mahler, Aho, Sibelius, Ives, Schnittke, Shostakovich. I could easily survive for many years listening to nothing except their music and not complain one iota! But hopefully I won't have to. Beyond amazing desert island choices and all essential. Got the BIS Schnittke Box a few years ago - this really opened me up to how incredible he was at writing symphonies. Sounds cliche, but he truly is Schostakovich's successor in so many ways, and not just the Russian connection. He does go farther than DSCH in a progressive sense, but Shosta meant every note he meant (hence the purple ink, right?) and embodied perfection in the way that Mahler, Sibelius, Ives, Ravel, Debussy, Schoenberg, etc. did. Maybe Schnittke did too, but it's much harder to view, since the music is so different. I'm not sure Schnittke will be lumped in on the same level as those other masters as time goes by, but he probably should be. Love his string quartets too, and Shostas aren't terrible either :cheers:


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## Neo Romanza

chalkpie said:


> Glad you know and appreciate The Holidays Symphony.....that is the reason it is my avatar, and the MTT version is the best I've heard yet. The James Sinclair version is also wonderful on Naxos - he is the numero uno Ives scholar on the planet. Great guy too. Would you add The Concord on your list too? My favorite American sonata by miles and miles. Please check out Hilary Hahn's recording of the Ives Violin Sonatas (DG). I was in the studio with her for the recording (Rhinebeck, NY) and am credited as a page turner in the liner notes. An amazing experience. She is super cool and laid back.
> 
> You're mentioning Mahler, Aho, Sibelius, Ives, Schnittke, Shostakovich. I could easily survive for many years listening to nothing except their music and not complain one iota! But hopefully I won't have to. Beyond amazing desert island choices and all essential. Got the BIS Schnittke Box a few years ago - this really opened me up to how incredible he was at writing symphonies. Sounds cliche, but he truly is Schostakovich's successor in so many ways, and not just the Russian connection. He does go farther than DSCH in a progressive sense, but Shosta meant every note he meant (hence the purple ink, right?) and embodied perfection in the way that Mahler, Sibelius, Ives, Ravel, Debussy, Schoenberg, etc. did. Maybe Schnittke did too, but it's much harder to view, since the music is so different. I'm not sure Schnittke will be lumped in on the same level as those other masters as time goes by, but he probably should be. Love his string quartets too, and Shostas aren't terrible either :cheers:


Being in the studio with Hilary Hahn must have been a great experience. I'm jealous!  Anyway, yes, MTT is an excellent Ives conductor as is James Sinclair (loved his Naxos recordings as well). Yes, the _Concord Sonata_ is a masterful work but I seldom listen to solo instrumental works. Not really one of my preferred genres. I need to revisit Ives' _Violin Sonatas_. I don't own the Hahn recording, but I've been looking at it since it was released. May pick it up soon.

I agree with you about Schnittke, although I don't think he was that great of a symphonist. I think Schnittke, in terms of orchestral music, wrote more interesting music outside of that medium like the concertante, film music, and the ballets. I do like several of his symphonies, though, so I don't completely dislike those works but I think he wrote better music elsewhere IMHO. Schnittke was also very good with choral music. I especially enjoyed _Faust Cantata_ which I finally listened to several weeks ago. Wicked stuff!


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## NightXsenator

I recently started with Shostakovich profoundly, and my favourite one now is Shostakovich IIX! Haven't heard anything like it's first part, more emotionally shrilling. I imagined post-war landscape of desolation: corpses, fog of war, heavy rain... Music is meditation on this. And in central part, dreadful vision of what happened has came... So exciting. Only Mahler impressed me so much, but that was long ago. And Shostakovich' orchestral palette is completely unique, so unusual.


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## Selby

Vaneyes said:


> Hovhaness No. 50, but this expires at midnight.
> 
> View attachment 3216


I was just listening to "Mount. St. Helens" today. Powerful work.

Seattle Symphony playing, which increases my enjoyment because this is my neck of the woods.


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## opus55

Schubert No. 5 has been my favorite since I got Harnoncourt's cycle. It makes me want to sing along and it's a beautiful flow of music.


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## jim prideaux

on other threads I have mentioned my repeated listening this weekend-Dvorak 5th and 7th-so pleased to have become increasingly familiar with two works I knew nothing of until recently.


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## SiegendesLicht

Schumann's 3rd "Rheinische". It is everything that name might suggest: there is a great feeling of... freedom about it. Freedom, beauty and love of nature.


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## nightscape

Atterberg: Symphony No. 3
George Enescu: Symphony No. 3


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## MJongo

A year later, and my favorites are now Beethoven 9, Ives 4, Schubert 9, and Mahler 9.


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## Neo Romanza

NightXsenator said:


> I recently started with Shostakovich profoundly, and my favourite one now is Shostakovich IIX! Haven't heard anything like it's first part, more emotionally shrilling. I imagined post-war landscape of desolation: corpses, fog of war, heavy rain... Music is meditation on this. And in central part, dreadful vision of what happened has came... So exciting. Only Mahler impressed me so much, but that was long ago. And Shostakovich' orchestral palette is completely unique, so unusual.


Do give Britten's 'war trilogy' (_War Requiem_, _Sinfonia da Requiem_, _Ballad of Heroes_) a listen as soon as possible! I think you will love these works as well. That whole 'post-war landscape of desolation, corpses, fog of war, and heavy rain' description describes these works perfectly.


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## Baeron

Ach, hard to tell.... ><
At the moment, I would say Mahler's Fifth because I've just listened to it, but I also recommend all of his symphonies, all Tchaikovsky's, All Sibelius, and the list goes on ><


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## Secretariat

Tchaikovsky's 5th symphony.


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## isridgewell

Shostakovich Symphony No4


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## science

Did I say Brahms 1 last time? 

I would usually say Brahms 1 if I were honest, but usually I'm too scared. So I say Brahms 4. Oh, or Beethoven 5 or Mozart 40, both of which I might actually like as much or more than Brahms 1. Hard to say. But COAG's thread on Brahms 1 gives me courage to temporarily come out of the closet on this one.


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## Itullian

Schubert 9, Great..................


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## Selby

Today:

Lorenzo Palomo's Sinfonia a Granada


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## Vesteralen

I can't seem to find a previous entry for me in this sweepstakes.

But, if I had, it would probably have been the same then as now:

*Carl Nielsen - Symphony No 5*


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## isridgewell

Whilst it may not be ground-breaking stuff, I recently picked up the Chandos recordings of the Tansman Symphonies very cheap in a sale. 

At times you can here others in this music but it doesn't matter, they are fresh and harmonically well spiced. 

They give a great sense that you have discovered something new that is worth discovering!

I am really enjoying listening to them.


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## DaDirkNL

Beethoven 6 right now. I have a cd of Carlos Kleiber and the Bayerisches staatsorchester, wich is magical, to say the least.


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## Evoken

*Mozart's Symphony #41*

Can't get enough of it, love all four movements. But that Finale...uff!


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## Huilunsoittaja

I think Tchaik 6 will be at the forefront of my mind very soon. In 2 weeks, I will begin rehearsing it in my university's top orchestra, playing the 2nd flute part. It's one of those pieces that I'm seriously concerned that I might cry while performing, especially because of the last movement. I pray that doesn't happen in the live performance. It always gets worse when I'm not actually playing and am listening to others at any given time.


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## EricABQ

At the moment I've been into Schubert's 3, 4, and 5.


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## starthrower

Honegger no. 4
Nielsen no. 3


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## brotagonist

It changes from day to day. I bought a whole slew of them recently, and only half have arrived so far 

Mahler _Symphony 6_ (Boulez/Vienna)


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## chalkpie

Sibelius 4, 5, 7.


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## chalkpie

brotagonist said:


> It changes from day to day. I bought a whole slew of them recently, and only half have arrived so far
> 
> Mahler _Symphony 6_ (Boulez/Vienna)


The andante from this recording is my absolute favorite EVER.


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## HaydnBearstheClock

Neo Romanza said:


> Do give Britten's 'war trilogy' (_War Requiem_, _Sinfonia da Requiem_, _Ballad of Heroes_) a listen as soon as possible! I think you will love these works as well. That whole 'post-war landscape of desolation, corpses, fog of war, and heavy rain' description describes these works perfectly.


The Marcia funebre (Adagio assai) from Beethoven's Eroica have that same mood, as well as the beginning of his 4th symphony. The adagio from Haydn's 49th symphony also has this kind of atmosphere.


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## shangoyal

Beethoven's Pastorale.


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## Tristan

Rubinstein's 2nd

It was a wonder I was even able to listen to it, it's so unknown. Wish it were available in more recordings...


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## jim prideaux

Just noticed this thread and so a list of current favourites....
Rubbra 4th
Moeran symphony
Martinu 2nd (having read various references to this work I find it interesting how it is the one symphony of Martinu that is most frequently criticised-I think that the second movement is one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have heard recently)
Nielsen 3rd

but the symphonies to which I know I will always return.......
Sibelius 3rd/5th
Brahms 4th
Dvorak 6/7/8/9
Walton 1
Mahler 4

and finally a symphony which I am starting to have a sneaking admiration for after having dismissed originally but then persevered with....Glazunov 4th


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## Blancrocher

Norgard's 8th. 




My thanks again to joen_cph for putting me onto this very interesting piece of music.


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## Rhombic

Borodin's 2nd.
What should i say? I'm fairly surprised that it is that one, I would have preferred to prefer other one but it's not my fault. I absolutely love it.


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## worov

William Schuman Symphony no 3 :


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## Sonata

Gorecki's symphony of sorrowful songs (#3)


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## Winterreisender

At the moment, probably Mahler #2. I resisted this symphony for a while and it is not one which jumped out at me the first time I went through Mahler's symphonies, but now I can't stop playing it (specifically the Klemperer version). I like the way that the first three movements are all quite lively but very different in style, and then comes a moment's calm (the Lied) before the final movement which I would genuinely describe as life-affirming! So sorry Mahler I ever doubted you...


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## Blake

Beethoven's 6th
Dvorak's 9th
Bruckner's 3rd


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