# Brassy Symphonies?



## emilyletrombone (Jun 1, 2012)

Im a brass player and really want to get into listening to as many composers as possible. But so it is relevant for me, can you suggest any really famous symphonies with lots of brass in it or just symphonies i should give a listen to, that are worth listening to? thanks


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## jttoft (Apr 23, 2012)

Beethoven's 5th symphony has a fair bit of brass.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

All of these are standard repertoire symphonies of high quality with lots of prominent brass parts:

Dvorak 7, 8, 9
Shostakovich 5
Copland 3
Mahler 5
Tchaikovsky 4
Brahms 4


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## Guest (Jun 2, 2012)

Most of Bruckner's. His "better" ones include the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th, and 9th.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Mahler 2 and Shostakovich 9 have sections with really great brass choir, namely trombone and tuba, but maybe a few horns and trumpets too. Brass choir in orchestral music is one of my all-time favorite things. And trombones are the heart of it always. <3


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

I think this one is pretty brassy. Not that the brass play alone much etc, but they seem to be pretty busy.





His 4th has some very brass heavy parts, too.


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## PianoMan (Mar 13, 2005)

For some reason I've always found Sibelius particularly brassy, but he can also rock the strings as well.


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

Paul Hindemith's symphony in b-flat for concert band (1951). Other goodies are his Konzertmusik for brass and strings and the Konzertmusik for piano, brass and harps (both 1930).


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## An Die Freude (Apr 23, 2011)

Brahms' 1st has a very good trombone choir section in the 4th movement, just before the "Ode To Joy-esque" theme kicks in.


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## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

If its brass you are after then Bruckner is de rigueur.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Hovhaness and Myaskovsky wrote symphonies for brass alone, as you may already know. 

Bruckner is the man for you.

Henze´s 1st is a work off the beaten track that could be explored.


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## Polyphemus (Nov 2, 2011)

joen_cph said:


> Hovhaness and Myaskovsky wrote symphonies for brass alone, as you may already know.
> 
> Bruckner is the man for you.
> 
> Henze´s 1st is a work off the beaten track that could be explored.


Thanks for the Henze tip I will look out for it,


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## Jeremy Marchant (Mar 11, 2010)

I don't know if Berlioz's _Grande symphonie funèbre et triomphale_ counts as "really famous", or why being "really famous" is a mark of distinction or quality.
The symphony was originally scored for a wind band of 200 players (with percussion but no strings).






http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grande_symphonie_funèbre_et_triomphale


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Mahler 3 - the first approximately ten minutes (Chailly) of the first movement is very brassy and one of the more impressive ten minutes of symphonic music imo...I admit though that I am often guilty of _only_ listening to the first ten minutes of this symphony.  When I want dark symphonic music (almost like symphonic 'blues' in parts) this is the best excerpt for me.


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## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)




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## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

Schubert is credited for expanding the role of brasses in the symphony. His Unfinished and Great C major features substantial trombone parts and they have three each. 



> He was likewise the more sensitive orchestrator, and in the last three symphonies he greatly expanded the role of the brasses.


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

The second I saw the title of this thread I had a strange flashback experience: the voice of the cartoon character "Butt-head" saying: _Huh huh. Come to Bruck-ner..._


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## TrazomGangflow (Sep 9, 2011)

Dvorak's 9th has some stunning brass parts as well as his 8th.


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## NightHawk (Nov 3, 2011)

I didn't read every post, so forgive me if I'm duplicating here...I'm going to suggest Hindemith's Symphony: Mathis Der Mahler, stunning use of brass. And, if you're not limiting it to the form 'symphony', then I would add also Hindemith's Concert Music for Brass and Strings > Massive. These large and serious works are often recorded together, and here is my most recent copy and one that I like:


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## crmoorhead (Apr 6, 2011)

Not really symphonies, but my favourite composer for brass is Malcolm Arnold. Have a listen to some of his sets of dances: English Dances Op. 27 and Op. 36, Cornish Dances Op. 91 and Scottish Dances Op. 59. He was a professional trumpet player before becoming more well known as a composer.

He also wrote two Little Suites for Brass Band Op. 80 and Op. 93, a Fantasy for Brass Band Op. 114 and The Padstow Lifeboat Op. 94. Arnold also wrote 9 symphonies, but I can't comment on the brass content of those as I haven't heard them yet.


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

One of Khachaturian's symphonies (the third I think) has parts for 15 trumpets.


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## Norse (May 10, 2010)

There's also Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments which is (as the name suggests) only woodwinds and brass. It's not your 'typical symphony' by any means, in fact the name isn't supposed to signify symphony in the normal sense (note the plural) but the basic meaning of 'sounding together'. It's only one movement, which lasts around 9 minutes.


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