# Favorite Composer(s) of Symphonies



## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Mozart & Beethoven for me right now. Mahler isn't melodious enough for me and feels a bit long winded, but perhaps he'll grow on me.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Beethoven, Bruckner and Sibelius today (I was listening to the latter's symphonies until about an hour ago and found the experience extraordinary).


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

I couldn't live without the symphonies of these guys:

Nielsen, Sibelius, Beethoven, Bruckner, Brahms, Mahler, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Arnold, Tubin, Vaughan Williams, Bax, Hanson, Schuman, Dvorak, Martinu, Casella, Nystroem, Alfvén, Tchaikovsky, Langgaard, Honegger, Atterberg, Holmboe, Alwyn, Braga Santos, Glazunov, Magnard, Roussel, Schmidt, Rachmaninov.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

MusicSybarite said:


> I couldn't live without the symphonies of these guys:
> 
> Nielsen, Sibelius, Beethoven, Bruckner, Brahms, Mahler, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Arnold, Tubin, Vaughan Williams, Bax, Hanson, Schuman, Dvorak, Martinu, Casella, Nystroem, Alfvén, Tchaikovsky, Langgaard, Honegger, Atterberg, Holmboe, Alwyn, Braga Santos, Glazunov, Magnard, Roussel, Schmidt, Rachmaninov.


I need to explore more Romantic Era Symphonies. Any recommendations if I enjoy Beethoven and Mozart?


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Yes, I know Mozart is Classical Era.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet (Aug 31, 2011)

Beethoven, Sibelius, Brahms and Shostakovich are my top guys. 

I also enjoy Mozart, Haydn, Dvorak, Schumann, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Mahler, Schubert, Nielsen.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I need to explore more Romantic Era Symphonies. Any recommendations if I enjoy Beethoven and Mozart?


Try the symphonies of Ries and Clementi. Beethoven contemporaries and classical in style.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

mbhaub said:


> Try the symphonies of Ries and Clementi. Beethoven contemporaries and classical in style.


Thanks my friend, .


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I need to explore more Romantic Era Symphonies. Any recommendations if I enjoy Beethoven and Mozart?


Go for Brahms, Schubert and Mendelssohn if you don't know all their symphonies yet: they tend to be described as romantic composers yet their symphonic outputs are solidly grounded in Classical era forms.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

Allerius said:


> Go for Brahms, Schubert and Mendelssohn if you don't know all their symphonies yet: the symphonic works of these composers are romantic in feeling yet rigorously contained in Classical era forms.


Many thanks.


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Sibelius.
(edit...oops, forgot Schumann and Shostakovich)


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I need to explore more Romantic Era Symphonies. Any recommendations if I enjoy Beethoven and Mozart?


I'd say give Schumann's four symphonies a listen. I love them; others feel differently.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Beethoven of course, but many many others from Haydn to the present day. A few off the top of my head:
Vaughan-Williams
Stravinsky
Martinu
Schubert

I'm afraid Mozart's music is perfect and hence a bit dull to me. I'd usually rather read about its perfect symmetries than hear it.


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## Captainnumber36 (Jan 19, 2017)

I'm giving Brahms 1st a listen.


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler (in moderation), Brahms


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Weston said:


> I'm afraid Mozart's music is perfect and hence a bit dull to me. I'd usually rather read about its perfect symmetries than hear it.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Ten in alphabetical order: Bax, Brahms, Bruckner, Magnard, Mahler, Nielsen, Schmidt, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky.

Based not just on highlights, but general consistency in listening pleasure (and at least 4 symphonies). Top 5 would be 
1. Mahler
2. Brahms
3. Bruckner
4. Sibelius
5. Shostakovich


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

1. Shostakovich
2. Mahler
3. Many


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## Andante Largo (Apr 23, 2020)

*My Favorite Symphonists*

According to the number of symphonies per composer:

1. Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957) - 4 symphonies

Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39 (1899)
Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63 (1911)
Symphony No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 82 (1921)
Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105 (1924)
2. Alexander Gretchaninov (1864 - 1956)- 3 symphonies

Symphony No. 1 in B minor, Op. 6 (1894)
Symphony No. 2 in A major "Pastoral", Op. 27 (1908)
Symphony No. 4 in C major, Op. 102 (1927)
=. Erkki Melartin (1875 - 1937)

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 30 (1902)
Symphony No. 5 "Sinfonia Brevis" in A minor, Op. 90 (1915)
Symphony No. 6, Op. 100 (1924)
=. Zygmunt Noskowski (1846 - 1909)

Symphony No. 1 in A major (1875)
Symphony No. 2 in C minor (1879)
Symphony No. 3 in F major "From Spring to Spring" (1903)
=. Wilhelm Peterson-Berger (1867 - 1942)

Symphony No. 2 in E flat major, "The Journey of Southerly Winds" (1910)
Symphony No. 3 in F minor, "Lappland Symphony" (1915)
Symphony No. 5 in B major, "Solitude" (1933)
=. Carl Reinecke (1824 - 1910)

Symphony No. 1 in A major, Op. 79 (1858, rev. 1863)
Symphony No. 2 in C minor, Op. 134 (1875, rev. 1888)
Symphony No. 3 in G minor, Op. 227 (1894)


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Captainnumber36 said:


> I need to explore more Romantic Era Symphonies. Any recommendations if I enjoy Beethoven and Mozart?


For my ears, Schubert's symphonies are the perfect vehicle for a Beethoven/Mozart fan. These works were written during the era of mid and late Beethoven (and thus share that inflluence) but fall deeply within the shadow of Mozart. I suspect the early (1 to 6) Schubert symphonies could easily be confused for a Beethoven or Mozart work. I like to think that Schubert's symphonies are the kinds of symphonies Mozart would have written had he known Beethoven's music.

Too, I would recommend Mendelssohn's symphonies (especially 3 and 4) and the single symphony by French composer George Bizet. I can't imagine anyone who doesn't enjoy the Bizet work -- sort of like French Mozart and Beethoven rolled up into a single work of genius, which it is.

These will certainly lead you down the road to further explorations. Other works already mentioned on this thread are good suggestions to pursue. But hit those Schubert symphonies first.

As for my own "favorite symphonists" .... I enjoy all of the "big guns" (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven ... Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, Mahler ... Sibelius, Nielsen, Bax, Vaughan Williams, Shostakovich). These guys have earned their chops.

But I have dozens of favorites among the lesser known names, too numerous to list. But then, I'm a big fan of the "symphony" as a musical genre, and I enjoy exploring new symphonies, especially modern and contemporary works.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Brahms, Sibelius, Schumann, Prokofiev, Mozart, Beethoven.


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Haydn - all 104 have something to offer but I'd start with 82 and move forward to 104

Dvorak - 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Mendelssohn 3, 4, 5

If you want to go French try:

Berlioz 1
Franck (he only wrote one)
Saint-Saens 3


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## Simon23 (Dec 8, 2020)

Bruckner
Brahms
Beethoven
Mahler
Sibelius

P.S Symphony is my favorite genre in classical music.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Those by *Haydn* and *Mozart* are the only symphonies I ever listen to.


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## Botschaft (Aug 4, 2017)

Brahms, Brahms and Brahms.


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

1) Brahms
2) Sibelius and Dvorak (tie)
4) Vaughan Williams
5) Haydn


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## poconoron (Oct 26, 2011)

Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, Haydn and Brahms.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Roger Reynolds 



DJ,n dans,jcnsmj n


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## Botschaft (Aug 4, 2017)

Mandryka said:


> DJ,n dans,jcnsmj n


You're making a compelling argument.


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## Coach G (Apr 22, 2020)

More in less in chronological order:

1. *Haydn*- The father of the symphony; and though I have yet to sample all 104. I describe Haydn's symphonies as unbounded joy and fun, bringing happiness to a weary world. Leonard Bernstein's recordings of the "Paris" (#82-87) and "London" Symphonies (#93-104) that he made for CBS with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, to me are the "Cadillac", and even it is a thoroughly un-HIP, Bernstein really unlocks the flavor with a feeling that is spontaneous and fresh.

2. *Mozart* Here again, I haven't heard all 41 plus the ones unearthed which add to the catalog. With Haydn it's joy, but with Mozart it's beauty and balance, as every note falls into place and the music seems to compose itself. Again, Bernstein did the late symphonies #25, 35-41, with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for DG records is very fine. While you'd think that the weight of the Vienna Philharmonic might weigh Mozart down, Bernstein's all-in approach is on-point. Interesting for a conductor not known much for Mozart. Alternately, I'd suggest Bruno Walter or Toscanini.

3. *Beethoven* Now we come to the master from Bonn, the man who shaped the symphony to his will and created the prototype for all who came after him. And Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Sibelius, Ives, and even Tchaikovsky all had Beethoven in mind when they composed their own cycles, and almost every symphony by Bruckner and Mahler is an attempt to re-write Beethoven's 9th, especially when we get to Bruckner and Mahler's long soaring slow movements reminiscent of the _Adagio_. With so many fine box sets to choose from it's hard to pick one. Any of Karajan's or Bohm is a safe bet. Also, Furtwangler's spacious and spontaneous recordings, are as wonderful as his rival, Toscanini's more brisk and bouncy approach; if you don't mind somewhat antiquated sound technology. Bernstein's first set with the New York Philharmonic that he did for CBS is also very good though not flawless; while the set Bernstein did with the Vienna Philharmonic for DG comes off as solid but not distinct.

4. *Schubert *-A very fine cycle, the essence of High Romanticism, very spring-like; and analogous to Beethoven as it ends with a mighty _9th_. Bernstein did #5, 8 and 9 with the NYPO for CBS and it is wonderful. My only complete cycle is a box set by Yehudi Menuhin and the Warsaw Sinfonia; and I'm quite pleased with it. For a small fish in a big pond with a lot of other big and mighty fish (i.e. The Berlin Phil, the Vienna Phil, London Symphony, Concertgebouw, etc.); the little orchestra from war-torn Poland plays with much heart and soul.

5. *Schumann*-More High Romanticism, and a set of four very fine symphonies. My favorite is the five-movement Rhenish, and again, I have to go with Bernstein/NYPO, on CBS, now Sony.

6. *Brahms*-Like his friend, Schumann, Brahms did a four-set cycle; and it's very fine; the essence of fine German craftsmanship. Apart from Mozart, no other symphonic cycle in my opinion comes close to such wonderful organization. Though it took me many hearings to discover the goodness as Brahms can sound thick at first. Again I go with Bernstein/NYPO for CBS; not the DG recordings with the Vienna Philharmonic which to me lack the warmth of Bernstein's first Brahms go-around.

7. *Tchaikovsky*...probably the greatest symphonic cycle composed by a Russian; though Shostakovich comes close; and these symphonies can't be beat for melodic beauty, as it seems as though Tchaikovsky could invent a catchy melody in his sleep. Along with the Sibelius and Shostakovich cycles, and the 2nd by Rachmaninoff, the Tchaikovsky 6 plus the non-canonical _Manfred_ are my "winter" symphonies for when we hear in New England get our own blast of Russian/Finnish weather. While Bernstein's infamous DG recording of Tchaikovsky's 6th is one-of-kind fantastic; as a whole Bernstein is inconsistent with the Tchaikovsky cycle; so hear I go with Karajan and his Berliners.

8. *Bruckner*-I had to think a bit about including Bruckner. There was a time when I would listen to all of his 9 symphonies, and actually 10 if you include _Number Zero_ (I've yet to sample _Double Zero_). In my youth I had a liking for the bombastic 3rd, but nowadays I pretty much stay with the monster _8th_ and the mystical _9th_. While Karajan is really solid in Bruckner, I came to like Sergiu Celibidace's Zen-like approach, I never knew a thing about Celibidace when he was alive because I guess he didn't like recordings, not even live recordings. The EMI set that Celibidace did with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra REALLY makes Bruckner's already long symphonies even longer but somehow Celibidace keeps me interested.

9. *Mahler*-Mahler's symphonies create a whole universe of music, message and mythology. Mahler had many champions before Bernstein made Mahler fashionable in the 1960s. Among those early champions, Dimitri Mitropoulos is outstanding and only suffers for antiquated sound technology. Bernstein is fine, but in my opinion, overrated and a bit too self-indulgent. Then there is the poor man's Mahler; a wonderful set by Maurice Abravanel, who brought Mahler from Vienna to the heart of the American west, Mormon country, and the Utah Symphony Orchestra. In an understated and refined approach, Abravanel and his second-rate orchestra hold their own among the greatest orchestras in the world.

10. *Sibelius* Is Sibelius really the composer of the icy north, powerful mountains, and the midnight sun, or do I just think he was from the old Sibelius LPs I collected early on with the beautiful winter scenes? The 2nd hot me like a hurricane when I was teenager in the 1980s (it was a cassette by Gennady Rozhdestvensky and the Moscow Radio and TV Orchestra; one of those old Melodya budget recordings from when the USSR tried to break into the record business). My favorite Sibelius cycle is the dynamic and powerful Bernstein one with the Vienna Philharmonic for DG; though it is incomplete (#1, 2, 5 & 7, only). Fill in the gaps with Karajan's 4th and 6th that he did with Berlin for DG. Since I like routing for the underdog, and already mentioned Schubert by the Warsaw Sinfonia and Mahler by the Utah Symphony; a very fine complete Sibelius cycle is also Peteri Sakari with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra on NAXOS.

11. *Nielsen* I'm not quite sure why Sibelius' contemporary from Denmark doesn't get as much love as the master from Finland. Nielsen has just as much breadth, length, and power. Bernstein's CBS recordings of Nielsen's 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th are great, and so is Karajan's recording of the 4th. I have #1 & 6 by Herbert Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; so even I don't have a complete Nielsen cycle after all these years.

12. *Shostakovich*-In my opinion Shostakovich is the greatest symphonists to compose all his symphonies within the 20th century. His oeuvre is big, prolific, ironic, angry, depressing, anxious, part passion and part satire (or part Soviet propaganda?). It took me a long time to finally acquire a complete Shostakovich box set. For years I relied on American conductors and orchestras (Ormandy for #4, 10, and 15; Bernstein for #1, 5, 7, 9, and 14; Solti for #8 and 13; and Stokowski for #11). Without taking a thing away from those wonderful luminaries, Shostakovich sounds best in the hands of a Russian conductor who is full of sad, Russian, soulfuless; such as Rostropovich, Rozhdestvensky, Maravinsky, Kondrashin, or the composer's son Maxim Shostakovich. Rudolf Barshai's box set is, therefore, the best you can do on a budget if you want to take in all 15 in one shot.

13. *Vaughan Williams* I'd say that RVW comes right along side Shostakovich to take the #2 spot when it comes to cycles composed entirely within the 20th century, and he is certainly the finest symphonist to come out of England. Adrian Boult is the way to go with RVW, but Leonard Slatkin is also good.

14. *Ives* Like Schumann and Brahms another cycle that comes in four parts, unles you count the non-canonical _Holidays Symphony_. Certainly the most original set of symphonies bar none, and the finest ever composed by an American. I don't have a complete box set (is there one?); but Stokowski's recording of #4 with the American Symphony Orchestra is one of the greatest samples of America-made classical music bar none.

15. *Walter Piston*
16. *Roy Harris*
17. *William Schuman*
18. *Roger Sessions*-I'll take these guys together. I have a liking for American composers. Piston, Harris and Schuman are all tonal, and often described as "academic". While Schuman is the thorniest, he's also probably the most interesting. While Roy Harris and Walter Piston are less complicated, they may be more challenging for melodic inhibition. Sessions, on the other hand, is on the far side, and eventually goes full serial. I give these credit for their effort and sincerity. Gerard Shwartz has done much to champion American composers and I think he did a full cycle of Piston and Schuman. Harris, I think, has a full cycle on NAXOS and Bernstein liked Harris' 3rd enough to record it twice (one on CBS and again on DG, both times with the NYPO)

19. *Alan Hovhaness*-No I haven't heard all of Hovhaness' 60+ symphonies; and while Hovhaness seems to reuse the same material over and over again, his symphonies are unique in that he chose to follow a path that was different from the American composers who followed the "Americana" mold of Copland, Piston,Harris and Schuman; nor did he follow the more experimental school of Ives, Cowell, Cage, and Sessions. Instead, Hovhaness looked to the East, his ancestral Armenia, the far East and created something wholly original. Much Hovhaness material has been recorded and released on CD by NAXOS, much with Gerard Shwartz at the helm.

20. *Einojuhani Rautavaara*-WE end with Rautavaara; kind of like Hovhaness, he's sort of a mystic; but more eclectic; sometimes delving just far enough into atonality and serialism, but also remaining fairly listenable. Like our American composers that I listed, I came to know Rautavaara mostly via NAXOS.

Note: I've left out *Bax *and *Myaskovsky*, not because I don;t like them, but because I haven't heard enough of their symphonic output to make an informed assessment.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Beethoven tops my list, followed by Mendelssohn, then Rachmaninoff and Mahler.


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

Bruckner, Dvořák, Sibelius, Magnard, Braga-Santos, Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Hanson, Casella, Tchaikovsky, Pettersson, Atterberg, Lilburn ...


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## BoggyB (May 6, 2016)

Because nobody has mentioned him yet, let me say *Elgar*. Two completed symphonies, plus the realization by Anthony Payne - all three of high quality.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Myaskovsky
 Popov, Gavriil
Shostakovich
Weinberg
Glazunov
Tchaikovsky
Rachmaninoff
Scriabin
Skulte
Braga Santos
Nielsen
Sibelius
Melartin
Alfvén
Atterberg
Kapp, Artur
Tubin
Bruckner
Schubert
Schumann
Brahms
Mahler
Creston
Diamond
Ives
Vaughan Williams
Bax
Lloyd
Elgar
Walton
Stanford (yes and no)
Parry
Franck
Chausson


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## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

Favourites?
Sibelius
Vaughan Williams 
Bax

Maybe I need to get out more?


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## Littlephrase (Nov 28, 2018)

A lot of good names on here. At the top will always be: Mahler, Beethoven, Sibelius, Nielsen, Shostakovich, Bruckner, Brahms, Mozart, and Haydn.

The twentieth century has a never-ending supply of worthy symphonists: Prokofiev, Myaskovsky, Weinberg, Lutosławski, Szymanowski, Honegger, Roussel, Magnard, Martinu, Tubin, Langgaard, Nørgård, Rautavaara, Aho, Holmboe, Sallinen, Atterberg, Schnittke, Casella, Henze, Schmidt, and more. 

One composer I’d like to shed special light on is Allan Pettersson. Yes, yes— his symphonies are incredibly depressing and anguished. But they are special and demand greater recognition.


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## Aries (Nov 29, 2012)

1. Bruckner
2. Tchaikovsky
3. [Beethoven, Shostakovich, Mahler]
6. [Sibelius, Schubert, Haydn, Scherber, Furtwängler, Prokofiev, Dvorak]


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## Axter (Jan 15, 2020)

Mine would be 
Beethoven
Mahler
Bruckner
Vaughan Williams
Schumann
Mozart 
Hayden
Schubert
Mendelessohn
Tchaikovsky 
Shostakovic
Prokofiev


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## Andante Largo (Apr 23, 2020)

Andante Largo said:


> According to the number of symphonies per composer:
> 
> 1. Jean Sibelius (1865 - 1957) - 4 symphonies
> 
> ...


Going further...

7. Johannes Brahms (1833 - 1897) - 2 symphonies

Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 (1877)
Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 (1883)
=. Ernő Dohnányi (1877 - 1960)

Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 9 (1901)
Symphony No. 2 in E major, Op. 40 (1944)
=. Friedrich Gernsheim (1839 - 1916)

Symphony No. 3 in C minor "Mirjam", Op. 54 (1887)
Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 62 (1895)
=. Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943)

Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 13 (1895)
Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 (1908)
=. Josef Rheinberger (1839 - 1901)

Symphony No. 1 in D minor, Op. 10 "Wallenstein" (1866)
Symphony No. 2 in F major, Op. 87 (1875)
=. Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 - 1921)

Symphony in F major "Urbs Roma" (1856)
Symphony No. 3 in C minor "Organ Symphony", Op. 78 (1886)
=. Giovanni Sgambati (1841 - 1914)

Symphony No. 1 in D major, Op. 16 (1881)
Symphony No. 2 in E-flat major (1895)
=. Richard Wetz (1875 - 1935)

Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 40 (1916)
Symphony No. 2 in A major, Op. 47 (1920)


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

BoggyB said:


> Because nobody has mentioned him yet, let me say *Elgar*. Two completed symphonies, plus the realization by Anthony Payne - all three of high quality.


I find that realization tepid and without distinctive music. It's even worse because it's a long piece.


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## jdec (Mar 23, 2013)

Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Mahler, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Schumann, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Prokofiev, Bruckner, Vaughan Williams, Nielsen, Saint-Saëns.

These are my top guys for symphonies.


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