# Top 10 symphony movements?



## eric1

What are your top 10 movements from symphonies? A little more difficult than ranking symphonies as a whole....

Here’s mine:
Beethoven 9: IV
Mahler 9: IV
Mozart 41: IV
Tchaikovsky 6: IV
Beethoven 7: II
Beethoven 5: I
Shostakovich 5: III
Mahler 6: IV
Mozart 40: I
Beethoven 9: II

I thought about including the finale of Mahler 2, and while the last 2 minutes are phenomenal, I don’t believe the movement as a whole holds up. Other honorable mentions: Beethoven 3: I, Schubert 8: I, Mendelssohn 4: I, Berlioz SF: V, Brahms 4: I, Dvorak 9: IV, Mahler 3: VI, Mahler 5: IV, Mahler 10: I, Shostakovich 7: I, Vaughan Williams 5: IV. (Apologies to Bruckner and Sibelius; I dont know their music well enough yet to include them in this ranking.)


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## Brahmsian Colors

No particular order....

Brahms 2: II
Brahms 3: II
Brahms 4: II
Dvorak 8 II
Dvorak 9: II
Rachmaninoff 2: III
Sibelius 6: I
Tchaikovsky 6: I
Vaughan Williams 3: I
Vaughan Williams 5: IV


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## Ned Low

Ludwig van's 7th : I
Ludwig van's 5th: IV
Mendelssohn's 5th: I
Brahms' 1st: I
Brahms' 1st: IV
Bruckner's 7th: III
Bruckner's 9th: II
Dvorak's 1st: I
Sibelius' 5th: III
Tchaikovsky's 4th: I


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## Bulldog

Shostakovich 10th : I
Shostakovich 10th: II
Beethoven 6th: I
Beethoven 9th : IV
Mahler 4th: IV
Mahler 5th: I
Mahler Das Lied: VI
Berlioz Sym. Fantastique: II
Brahms 4th: IV
Haydn 82nd "Bear": I


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## StDior

Haydn 104: II
Beethoven 5: I
Beethoven 9: I
Schubert 8: I
Schubert 9: I
Mahler 2: V
Mahler 8: II
Shostakovich 5: I
Shostakovich 5: III
Shostakovich 5: IV


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## bz3

Beethoven 3: I
Beethoven 9: I
Brahms 4: I
Bruckner 5:IV
Bruckner 7:II
Bruckner 8:III
Bruckner 9:III
Mahler 9:I
Schumann 4:I
Sibelius 7


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## Prodromides

Disregarding symphonies cast entirely in single movements, my list of 2+ movement symphonies are ranked below by my favorite movements:

1) 1st movement of Symphony No.3 by Andre Jolivet
2) 5th movement of "Facetter", the 3rd symphony of Karl-Birger Blomdahl
3) 1st movement of William Walton's Symphony No.1
4) 3rd movement of Symphony No.3 by Humphrey Searle
5) 2nd movement of Richard Rodney Bennett's 1st symphony
6) 1st movement of Symphony No.6 by Vagn Holmboe
7) 1st movement of Malcolm Arnold's 7th symphony
8) 2nd movement of Symphony No.2 by Benjamin Frankel
9) 2nd movement of Isang Yun's 2nd symphony
10) 3rd movement of Symphony No.3 by George Enescu

One of my faves ("Song of the Night", Karol Szymanowski's 3rd symphony) I could not rank because I love all 3 movements and couldn't choose only 1.
(If we were permitted more than 10 entries, then my next one up would have been Alexandre Tansman's 5th  )


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## eric1

I haven’t heard of any of these people... all 20th century?


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## Prodromides

eric1 said:


> I haven't heard of any of these people... all 20th century?


Yes, my faves are 20th century. The 1870s are the earliest decade I listen to ...


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## Bulldog

Prodromides said:


> Yes, my faves are 20th century. The 1870s are the earliest decade I listen to ...


There's tons of great music from your preferred time period but also even more great music from earlier periods.


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## Olias

Haydn 88 IV
Haydn 100 IV
Haydn 102 IV
Haydn 104 I
Mozart 36 IV
Mozart 40 I
Mozart 41 IV
Beethoven 3 I
Beethoven 7 II and IV
Beethoven 9 IV

Sheesh, I didn't even get out of the Classical Period. How about another 10 post Classical Period?

Schubert 5 I
Mendelssohn 5 IV
Brahms 4 III
Dvorak 6 III
Dvorak 7 IV
Dvorak 8 III
Dvorak 9 IV
Debussy La Mer I (it's kind of a symphony)
Shostakovich 5 IV
Copland 3 IV


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## ORigel

1. Beethoven 9: IV
2. Schubert 9: II
3. Beethoven 7: II
4. Bruckner 9: I
5. Bruckner 7: III
6. Schubert 9: I
7. Beethoven 9: I
8. Mahler 9: II
9. Tchaikovsky 6: I
10. Beethoven 7: I


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## eric1

Nice! I need to give Haydn more of a chance....


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## Prodromides

Bulldog said:


> There's tons of great music from your preferred time period but also even more great music from earlier periods.


Yes, there is.

When I shopped at Tower Records' classical annex during the 1990s, there were rows upon rows of discs on the shelves of music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, etc. So many recordings, so many albums. They dominated over all others, honestly ... so much so that one was fortunate to witness a placecard for Merikanto which held one CD produced by either Ondine or Finlandia Records.
That lone disc was purchased by me on one Saturday or another ... and it escalated to be an enduring favorite of mine.

Sure, there is 'great' music from any time period - but its spotlight should not be hogged up by the Big 3. Even inside this very thread, Beethoven & Mozart get cited by multiple members too frequently - which yields unengaging repetitious posts.

I feel like the only person here in TC who mentions composers such as Aubert Lemeland, for example. 
If Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream, then why do most folks chat about plain vanilla, chocolate & strawberry on a daily basis?


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## pianozach

Prodromides said:


> Yes, there is.
> 
> When I shopped at Tower Records' classical annex during the 1990s, there were rows upon rows of discs on the shelves of music by Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, etc. So many recordings, so many albums. They dominated over all others, honestly ... so much so that one was fortunate to witness a placecard for Merikanto which held one CD produced by either Ondine or Finlandia Records.
> That lone disc was purchased by me on one Saturday or another ... and it escalated to be an enduring favorite of mine.
> 
> Sure, there is 'great' music from any time period - but its spotlight should not be hogged up by the Big 3. Even inside this very thread, Beethoven & Mozart get cited by multiple members too frequently - which yields unengaging repetitious posts.
> 
> I feel like the only person here in TC who mentions composers such as *Aubert Lemeland*, for example.
> If Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream, then why do most folks chat about plain vanilla, chocolate & strawberry on a daily basis?


Lemeland: Never heard of him.

I've just put

*Scansions, Op. 9: I. Adagio mesto*, and
*Concertino grosso, Op. 127, III. Andantino*

into my listening queue to take him out for a test drive.


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## leonsm

Mahler 2, V mvt.
Brucker 8, I mvt.
Atteberg 3, III mvt.
Walton 1, I mvt.
Shostakovich 5, IV mvt.
Saint-Säens 3, I.b mvt.
Brahms 4, I mvt.
Dvorak 7, I mvt.
Merikanto 2, I mvt.
Szymanowski 4, I mvt.


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## DeepR

In no particular order

Mozart 41: IV
Beethoven 3: I
Bruckner 5: IV
Bruckner 8: III
Bruckner 9: I
Mahler 2: V
Sibelius 2: IV
Sibelius 7 
Scriabin 2: III
Von Hausegger Nature Symphony: II


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## Roger Knox

Haydn 104: IV
Bizet 1: II
Guilmant 2 (organ/orch.): I
Saint-Saens 3: IV
B. Godard 2: I
Bruckner 4: II
Schmidt 2: II
Dohnanyi 1: I
Weigl 1: III
Korngold: III


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## MusicSybarite

In a sort of order:

Nielsen - Symphony 5 - I
Bruckner - Symphony 7 - II
Mahler - Symphony 6 - IV
Walton - Symphony 1 - I
Atterberg - Symphony 3 - III
Bloch - Symphony in C sharp minor - IV
Gliere - Symphony 3 - IV
Glazunov - Symphony 2 - II
Madetoja - Symphony 2 - I
Hindemith - Mathis der Maler Symphony - III

Yes, it was tougher!


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## MusicSybarite

Prodromides said:


> 6) 1st movement of Symphony No.6 by Vagn Holmboe


That movement by Holmboe is really something else.


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## MusicSybarite

Roger Knox said:


> Schmidt 2: II
> Korngold: III


The Korngold and Schmidt are absolutely ravishing.


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## kyjo

Bulldog said:


> There's tons of great music from your preferred time period but also *even more great music from earlier periods.*


Your opinion. The bewildering amount of variety found in 20th century music makes it the most fascinating period for me, hands-down. Though I love the 19th century as well.


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## kyjo

*Arnold - Symphony no. 5, IV.* I was originally going to choose the slow movement of this symphony, but I decided to go with the finale, for it contains what I view to be one of the most devastating endings of any work. After the militaristic turmoil of the first half of the movement, the "big tune" from the slow movement breaks through in glorious, Hollywood-esque fashion, only to be struck down by a fatal blow on the tubular bell, after which the music descends into the abyss. Absolutely shattering!

*Atterberg - Symphony no. 2, II.* (It was a toss-up between this and the finale of his 3rd Symphony.) This movement features one of the most wonderfully long-breathed melodies you're ever likely to hear. It ingeniously combines slow movement (outer sections) and scherzo (the middle section). I love the way Atterberg uses the orchestral piano in this movement; it helps create the atmosphere of overlooking some grand Nordic vista on a summer evening.

*Braga Santos - Symphony no. 4, IV.* Simply one of the greatest expressions of life-affirming joy in the repertoire, replete with instantly memorable tunes. Some may find the movement's majestic epilogue to be a bit "banal", but I find it so inspiring!

*Bruckner - Symphony no. 9, III.* I can't think of a more fitting conclusion to a great symphonic cycle. Truly visionary and transcendent stuff.

*Damase - Symphonie, I.* I really can't comprehend why this work is so unknown. The first movement charts an utterly compelling journey from darkness to light, all while maintaining a steady tempo. The ominous, chromatic theme stated at the beginning is eventually transformed into a radiant C major at the movement's climax: a stunning moment! The movement ends in a glorious sunset glow.

*Dvořák - Symphony no. 8, I.* Simply one of the most perfectly constructed symphonic movements in the repertoire; there is no "waste" whatsoever. In particular, the climax is a model of attaining maximum drama without resorting to bombast (Mahler take note)! Oh, and did I mention that Dvořák could write a tune?

*Nielsen - Symphony no. 5, I. (Tempo giusto - Adagio)* Following a gently unassuming beginning, this movement quickly develops into an epic, cosmic symphonic statement. Of course, the famous "snare drum battle" needs no explanation. What other composer could have had the imagination to write something like this? And the ensuing Adagio is a great example of Nielsen's lyrical gifts.

*Lloyd - Symphony no. 4 Arctic, IV.* (It was a toss-up between this and the 1st movement of his 7th Symphony.) I love this movement for much the same reasons I love the finale of Braga Santos' 4th; it's superbly life-affirming, tuneful, and gloriously orchestrated. It shows Lloyd overcoming adversity after his horrific experiences on a naval ship in the Arctic during WWII.

*Rachmaninoff - Symphony no. 2, III.* Okay, I shouldn't really have to explain this one.  The demonic finale of his 1st Symphony was another strong contender.

*Sibelius - Symphony no. 3, I.* I could've easily gone with the finales of either his 2nd or 5th symphonies, but I decided to go with a less conventional choice. This splendidly constructed movement, full of invigorating energy, shows Sibelius transitioning between his Romantic early style and his more personal later style. The hymn-like coda to the movement is quite moving.


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## pianozach

kyjo said:


> *Sibelius - Symphony no. 3, I.* I could've easily gone with the finales of either his 2nd or 5th symphonies, but I decided to go with a less conventional choice. This splendidly constructed movement, full of invigorating energy, shows Sibelius transitioning between his Romantic early style and his more personal later style. The hymn-like coda to the movement is quite moving.


Just now finished listening to Sibelius' *Tapiola*, Op. 112, a wonderful short form (20 minutes) use of orchestra.

Just thought I'd mention it. It's not a "Symphony movement", but a stand-alone tone poem. Some of my fave orchestral works come _*not*_ from symphonies, but from one-movement works.


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## DeepR

DeepR said:


> Von Hausegger Nature Symphony: II


This 20 minute long movement starts at 18:50 in this video:





Maybe it's just me but I find this movement utterly amazing.
The first half has some gorgeous moments and transitions, the second half is a fantastic funeral march that reaches a spectacular climax at some point. Also, the entire movement seems wonderfully orchestrated to me.


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## kyjo

DeepR said:


> This 20 minute long movement starts at 18:50 in this video:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe it's just me but I find this movement utterly amazing.
> The first half has some gorgeous moments and transitions, the second half is a fantastic funeral march that reaches a spectacular climax at some point. Also, the entire movement seems wonderfully orchestrated to me.


Yes, it's a splendid movement. That funeral march is really powerful!


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## leonsm

leonsm said:


> Mahler 2, V mvt.
> Brucker 8, I mvt.
> Atteberg 3, III mvt.
> Walton 1, I mvt.
> Shostakovich 5, IV mvt.
> Saint-Säens 3, I.b mvt.
> Brahms 4, I mvt.
> Dvorak 7, I mvt.
> Merikanto 2, I mvt.
> Szymanowski 4, I mvt.


Second round, only with slow movements:

Alwyn - Symphony no. 1, III mvt.
Arnold, M. - Symphony no. 5, II mvt.
Atteberg - Symphony no. 2, II mvt.
Atteberg - Symphony no. 6, II mvt.
Dupré - Symphony in G minor, III mvt.
Nielsen - Symphony no. 4, III mvt.
Pärt - Symphony no. 3, II mvt.
Shostakovich - Symphony no. 5, III mvt.
Villa-Lobos - Symphony no. 3, III mvt.
Walton - Symphony no. 1, III mvt.


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## juliante

kyjo said:


> *Arnold - Symphony no. 5, IV.* I was originally going to choose the slow movement of this symphony, but I decided to go with the finale, for it contains what I view to be one of the most devastating endings of any work. After the militaristic turmoil of the first half of the movement, the "big tune" from the slow movement breaks through in glorious, Hollywood-esque fashion, only to be struck down by a fatal blow on the tubular bell, after which the music descends into the abyss. Absolutely shattering!
> 
> *Atterberg - Symphony no. 2, II.* (It was a toss-up between this and the finale of his 3rd Symphony.) This movement features one of the most wonderfully long-breathed melodies you're ever likely to hear. It ingeniously combines slow movement (outer sections) and scherzo (the middle section). I love the way Atterberg uses the orchestral piano in this movement; it helps create the atmosphere of overlooking some grand Nordic vista on a summer evening.
> 
> *Braga Santos - Symphony no. 4, IV.* Simply one of the greatest expressions of life-affirming joy in the repertoire, replete with instantly memorable tunes. Some may find the movement's majestic epilogue to be a bit "banal", but I find it so inspiring!
> 
> *Bruckner - Symphony no. 9, III.* I can't think of a more fitting conclusion to a great symphonic cycle. Truly visionary and transcendent stuff.
> 
> *Damase - Symphonie, I.* I really can't comprehend why this work is so unknown. The first movement charts an utterly compelling journey from darkness to light, all while maintaining a steady tempo. The ominous, chromatic theme stated at the beginning is eventually transformed into a radiant C major at the movement's climax: a stunning moment! The movement ends in a glorious sunset glow.
> 
> *Dvořák - Symphony no. 8, I.* Simply one of the most perfectly constructed symphonic movements in the repertoire; there is no "waste" whatsoever. In particular, the climax is a model of attaining maximum drama without resorting to bombast (Mahler take note)! Oh, and did I mention that Dvořák could write a tune?
> 
> *Nielsen - Symphony no. 5, I. (Tempo giusto - Adagio)* Following a gently unassuming beginning, this movement quickly develops into an epic, cosmic symphonic statement. Of course, the famous "snare drum battle" needs no explanation. What other composer could have had the imagination to write something like this? And the ensuing Adagio is a great example of Nielsen's lyrical gifts.
> 
> *Lloyd - Symphony no. 4 Arctic, IV.* (It was a toss-up between this and the 1st movement of his 7th Symphony.) I love this movement for much the same reasons I love the finale of Braga Santos' 4th; it's superbly life-affirming, tuneful, and gloriously orchestrated. It shows Lloyd overcoming adversity after his horrific experiences on a naval ship in the Arctic during WWII.
> 
> *Rachmaninoff - Symphony no. 2, III.* Okay, I shouldn't really have to explain this one.  The demonic finale of his 1st Symphony was another strong contender.
> 
> *Sibelius - Symphony no. 3, I.* I could've easily gone with the finales of either his 2nd or 5th symphonies, but I decided to go with a less conventional choice. This splendidly constructed movement, full of invigorating energy, shows Sibelius transitioning between his Romantic early style and his more personal later style. The hymn-like coda to the movement is quite moving.


Posts like this are why i keep coming back to t/c - to be informed and inspired to listen to new pieces.


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## Merl

If I'd had the tine I'd give a more detailed overview but for this week (it changes every fortnight) here's a list of some of my current most--played movements. 

Dvorak 5th / 2
Beethoven 7th / 1
Mahler 1st / 2
Nielsen 4th / 4
Mahler 4th / 1
Dvorak 8th / 3
Beethoven 9th / 2
Brahms 4th / 3
Schubert 5th / 2
Schumann 3rd / 1...

Too many


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## Knight769

In order from #1-10:

1. Mozart 41: IV
2. Beethoven 3: I
3. Mozart 40: I
4. Haydn 104 I
5. Beethoven 5: I
6. Tchaikovsky 6: IV
7. Mozart 36: IV
8. Haydn 102: IV
9. Mahler 4: IV
10. Mozart 25: I


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## brucknerian1874

Finales only, no particular order. Why Finales? I really can't get behind symphonies with weak final movements..

Brahms 4
Shostakovich 7
Mahler 3
Bruckner 5
Antheil 4
Mozart 41
Bax 5
VW 4
Messiaen Turangalila
Dvorak 7


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## Aries

1. Bruckner 8th: IV.
2. Bruckner 8th: III.
3. Bruckner 3rd: I.
4. Bruckner 8th: I.
5. Bruckner 9th: IV.
6. Mahler 9th: IV.
7. Shostakovic 7th: III.
8. Bruckner 4th: I. (1874 version)


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## Marc

Today:

Mozart 34-2
Mozart 40-3
Haydn 104-1
Beethoven 7-3
Schubert 8(Unvollendete)-1
Brahms 3-1
Bruckner 4-1
Tchaikovsky 6-4
Mahler 5-3
Sibelius 5-3


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## Agamenon

In no particular order:

- Brahms 4: IV
- Brahms 3: III
- Mozart 41: IV
- Beethoven 3 :I /II
- Schumann IV: I
- Mahler 9: IV
- Bruckner 9: II
- Bruckner 4: IV
- Dvorak 9: II
- Tchaikovsky 6: I
- Prokofiev 5: I
- Shostakovich 4: I


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