# Complete Symphonies in a Day



## maestro267

Have you ever listened to the complete symphonies of one composer in a day? Obviously it's easy enough to listen to, say, all four Brahms symphonies in a day (with room to spare), but have you ever done a big set like Beethoven, Shostakovich, or (and I take my hat off to you if you've done so) Mahler?

I've done Beethoven and Vaughan Williams (50 years to the day of his death) in one day. I did manage all 15 Shostakovich symphonies over three days (five a day).


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## Aramis

I see no point of such listening session. After listening to few symphonies one after another I get tired of symphonic sound and I can't fully appreciate the music. 

So if there is some special anniversary or something, there are much better ways of celebrating them.


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## Conor71

I enjoy listening marathons myself although as Aramis says there is the possibility of getting fatigued in a long session - I've done the Sibelius & Nielsen Symphonies in one day a few times, though not too much of a challenge there when you consider that you can get through them all in about 4 hours!. Ive done most of a Mahler cycle before but dont think I have managed to get through the whole way - I have listened to all the Bruckner Symphonies in a day once (excluding 0 and 00), thats probably about the longest listening session Ive done .


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## maestro267

In the Beethoven/VW listening marathons, I spread them out over the day. I can't listen to too much in one go. That's why I'd never do Mahler in a day. Although that is possible, as long as you don't have to eat or go to the toilet or anything like that...


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## bdelykleon

I tried to hear all Haydn's symphonies in a day, but I couldn't.


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## nickgray

maestro267 said:


> Shostakovich


Not full, but I think I did manage to hear 4-5-6-7-8-9-10 in one day.


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## Mirror Image

I honestly don't see the need to try and listen to all of a composer's symphonies in one day. You really don't absorb the music when you try and pummel your way through it. I sometimes barely make it through two symphonies in a day, because I'm constantly going back and replaying certain sections of that symphony.

Life is short, no question about it, but I think cramming as much music as you can into your brain in one day isn't going to help. I think a person should just come to the reality that they're never going to hear it all. Classical music alone is so vast and there's so many composers to listen to that it's humanly impossible for anyone to hear it all.


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## JoeGreen

I cna't even go through one entire Mahler ( except No. 1) In one go, let alone all of them, but I have done Brahms, I went through Beethoven's 3rd, 7th, 9th in one go. But that's about as extensive a listening session I've gone through.


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## mueske

bdelykleon said:


> I tried to hear all Haydn's symphonies in a day, but I couldn't.


Hehe!

I think World Violist did listen to all Mahler symphonies in one day, I think he posted it in the 'what are you currently listening to' topic.

As for me, I have thought about listening to all of the Beethoven symphonies, but never attempted - I'm just too lazy to do it!


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## danae

I've never consciously done it and I don't see the point. I might listen to all of Schumann's or Brahms's symphonies in a day, but I would never start out with that intention. 

I agree with MI on this one.


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## Weston

I once heard or read somewhere of a conductor who attempted all the Beethoven symphonies in a day - perhaps for a Beethoven anniversary of some sort. Now I can't remember which, but that would be like a 10 hour undertaking at the minimum allowing for intermissions.

He said it was emotionally exhausting, but I'm thinking it was probably just exhausting. I seriously doubt the 9th would have been a great performance. The idea cheapens the lofty pedestal where a symphony should reside I would think.


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## Guest

JoeGreen said:


> I cna't even go through one entire Mahler ( except No. 1) In one go, let alone all of them, but I have done Brahms, I went through Beethoven's 3rd, 7th, 9th in one go. But that's about as extensive a listening session I've gone through.


I see you chose the odd numbered sym, which do you consider the best Beethoven, the odd or even numbered, that is if you had to choose


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## JoeGreen

Actually, I've never thought about that, but now that I think about it yes I would have to choose the odd numbered ones over the even numbered ones.


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## maestro267

Weston said:


> ...but that would be like a 10 hour undertaking at the minimum allowing for intermissions.


It would only take about 6 hours (not counting breaks). The 1st and 8th are about 25 minutes each on average. Only 3, 6 and 9 are over 40 minutes. I managed it in six sessions, spread over the day: 1st/2nd, 3rd, 4th/5th, 6th, 7th/8th, and finally in the evening, the 9th.


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## danae

maestro267 said:


> It would only take about 6 hours (not counting breaks). The 1st and 8th are about 25 minutes each on average. Only 3, 6 and 9 are over 40 minutes. I managed it in six sessions, spread over the day: 1st/2nd, 3rd, 4th/5th, 6th, 7th/8th, and finally in the evening, the 9th.


Well, I guess it's easier to listen to them than to conduct them, right?


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## World Violist

mueske said:


> Hehe!
> 
> I think World Violist did listen to all Mahler symphonies in one day, I think he posted it in the 'what are you currently listening to' topic.
> 
> As for me, I have thought about listening to all of the Beethoven symphonies, but never attempted - I'm just too lazy to do it!


Yes, actually, I have listened to all of the Mahler symphonies in one day. It did help that many of them were the fastest recordings I'd known of (the first was about 45 minutes, ninth about 70ish minutes). I actually got through them and Das Lied von der Erde before 9 PM.

As for other full symphony cycles in one day, I've done Sibelius and I think that's about it. I haven't thought of trying Brahms or Beethoven yet. They aren't as varied in style as Mahler or Sibelius, and I think that's a key thing in doing a whole symphony cycle in one day. It keeps the listening experience fresh.

I don't really see a point either, but it's interesting to do sometimes. I dunno why. It just is. For me, anyway.


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## Luke34

I did the complete Havergal Brian in one day.

Kidding, obviously. I did listen to all four Brahms symphonies (and two overtures!) on a four-and-a-half hour round-trip car ride, which turned out to be a really terrible idea. Listening to classical music in the car is already an uneasy proposition; listening to Brahms symphonies more so; listening to all four Brahms symphonies in a row in a noisy car while doing things like trying to find parking near Heinz Hall is quite ridiculous.


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## Mtl

I did in my youth listen to all of Beethoven's symphonies in a single stretch a few times. I also did the same thing with Bruckner but I have to admit that I came to classical music by way of Opera. When you set yourself upon Wagner's Ring ... then something happens to your brain! Anyway that was 30 years ago and I am much gentler on myself now that I'm at the edge of retierement. I will listen to all of Mozart's 40 some symphonies this weekend but that isn't very difficult I guess. 11 cd's.

Not caring if the phone rings or if something catastrophic happened on CNN and that I won't know about for 7 or 8 hours ... now that's something... listening to Mozart for half a day... naw that's nothing.


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## Ravellian

It's fun to do this with works you know really well. I have listened to all Beethoven's 9 symphonies in one afternoon/evening in a row, and I've played through all 32 sonatas in a row over a few days.


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## Sid James

No thanks, it would bore me to death & probably madden me to listen to something like the complete Beethoven, Bruckner or Mahler symphonies in only a day. I want to do some other things during the day, other than just listen to music...


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## Rasa

I think if you listen to a set of Shostakovich symphonies you jump through the nearest windown halfway through the second one.


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## Sorin Eushayson

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## Sorin Eushayson

The Beethoven Symphonies in a day is fairly easy (and quite enjoyable, of course). I've listened to Brahms', Mendelssohn's, Rachmaninov's, and Berwald's in a day as well. Grieg only had one so it would be cheating to note him! I do seem to remember listening to all of Mozart's in a day once: that's thirteen-plus hours of music right there. Don't know what possessed me to do that! 

In retrospect, symphonies are probably better enjoyed as the individual entities the composers wrote them to be... A discussion for another time, maybe.


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## World Violist

Luke34 said:


> I did the complete Havergal Brian in one day.


You know, I think that in order to do that one would have to listen to them simultaneously... that sounds like fun... hehe...


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## Guest

Sounds more like a punishment to me, how sad would you need to be to sit through a complete cycle.


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## Rasa

To really appreciate such a listening marathon, you'd have to analyse all the symphonies and spot the evolution.


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## Artemis

bdelykleon said:


> I tried to hear all Haydn's symphonies in a day, but I couldn't.


Perhaps not that surprising given that in total they must amount to some 37-42 hours, depending on recording. My entire set of Hob 1 amounts to 40 hours.


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## nickgray

Rasa said:


> I think if you listen to a set of Shostakovich symphonies you jump through the nearest windown halfway through the second one.


Uhhhh.... huh... why?


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## JAKE WYB

I did all of Bruckners (00 - 9) in a day for nearly every day in a week a few years ago - as a consequence im only just coming back round to them. 

I think if you really know them and love a certain cycle - like for me sibelius, the worst thing io can imagine is to binge on them because i like to select a certian one and to leave space afterwards to contemplate and leave it to all sink in amd leave its themes going round in my head otherewise they blur and the whole p point of a symphonic journey is made pointless.


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## SenorTearduct

Mozart's recorded symphonies, 1- 40...

I feel proud


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## Sid James

Well you definitely wouldn't be able to listen to *Hovhaness*' complete symphonies in a day, not only because it would probably be too long, but (to my knowledge) some of them have not been recorded yet!


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## Mirror Image

Andre said:


> Well you definitely wouldn't be able to listen to *Hovhaness*' complete symphonies in a day, not only because it would probably be too long, but (to my knowledge) some of them have not been recorded yet!


That's true. Nobody has recorded a complete Hovhaness survey. I'd like to hear one, but I know it probably won't happen.

That's why I was surprised to pick-up a box set of Myaskovsky's complete symphonies the other day. Do you like Myaskovsky, Andre?


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