# After the Saturday Symphonies



## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

With just 15 weeks to go before we reach the end of the TC Top 150 Recommended Symphonies list, do we have a new list to take over so that the Saturday Symphony tradition can be kept going? This has been really good fun - I've listened to a lot and learned a lot more and contributed whenever I feel I have anything vaguely useful to say.
I seem to remember some time ago that a new list was being compiled, but I wonder if that was filed somewhere and whether it will be used in continuing the Saturday Symphony.


----------



## shadowdancer (Mar 31, 2014)

techniquest said:


> With just 15 weeks to go before we reach the end of the TC Top 150 Recommended Symphonies list, do we have a new list to take over so that the Saturday Symphony tradition can be kept going? This has been really good fun - I've listened to a lot and learned a lot more and contributed whenever I feel I have anything vaguely useful to say.
> I seem to remember some time ago that a new list was being compiled, but I wonder if that was filed somewhere and whether it will be used in continuing the Saturday Symphony.


I think it is a great idea to continue it. We could expand it to other genres from TC lists, as String Concerti, Keyboard Concerti, Orchestral Works, and so on.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

shadowdancer said:


> I think it is a great idea to continue it. We could expand it to other genres from TC lists, as String Concerti, Keyboard Concerti, Orchestral Works, and so on.


I second this :tiphat:


----------



## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

How about Saturday Opera?


----------



## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

I'd be happy to start again at the top of the list for another 150 weeks of listening.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

SiegendesLicht said:


> How about Saturday Opera?


This is already in the opera section.

http://www.talkclassical.com/35345-metropolitan-opera-broadcast-listeners.html


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

D Smith said:


> I'd be happy to start again at the top of the list for another 150 weeks of listening.


If you would be so kind, please do :tiphat:


----------



## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

It would be interesting to play the game that produced the 150 Recommended Symphonies, but without the ones in that list. Give people a challenge and make them listen to and appreciate music outside the so-called "standard repertoire".


----------



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

Yes, I plan on continuing it for a while. I noticed many works missing that I felt should have been on the list and made a post a year or so ago asking everyone for suggestions and to post their recommendations of works that were not in that 150. I received a bunch of comments and suggestions and have arranged them by the most amount of votes so to speak and will be starting with the symphony that was most requested after the final Symphony from the current list.


----------



## shadowdancer (Mar 31, 2014)

realdealblues said:


> Yes, I plan on continuing it for a while. I noticed many works missing that I felt should have been on the list and made a post a year or so ago asking everyone for suggestions and to post their recommendations of works that were not in that 150. I received a bunch of comments and suggestions and have arranged them by the most amount of votes so to speak and will be starting with the symphony that was most requested after the final Symphony from the current list.


Thanks a lot for you effort on this! Much appreciated.


----------



## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

realdealblues said:


> Yes, I plan on continuing it for a while. I noticed many works missing that I felt should have been on the list and made a post a year or so ago asking everyone for suggestions and to post their recommendations of works that were not in that 150. I received a bunch of comments and suggestions and have arranged them by the most amount of votes so to speak and will be starting with the symphony that was most requested after the final Symphony from the current list.


Yippee - it continues. Thanks for doing this - you may be surprised at how positive this saturday symphony thing has been for some of us.


----------



## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

realdealblues said:


> Yes, I plan on continuing it for a while. I noticed many works missing that I felt should have been on the list and made a post a year or so ago asking everyone for suggestions and to post their recommendations of works that were not in that 150.


That thread was from a fair while ago ...

http://www.talkclassical.com/33405-help-future-saturday-symphonies.html?highlight=

Any chance suggestions can still be put forward?



maestro267 said:


> It would be interesting to play the game that produced the 150 Recommended Symphonies, but without the ones in that list. Give people a challenge and make them listen to and appreciate music outside the so-called "standard repertoire".


Just to say, I would be game for this. It could be a nice way to expand the Symphonies list to 200 or maybe even 250.


----------



## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

Looking through the 150 symphonies, there are plenty of omissions to keep us going for a while. Just thinking of some of the more popular composers:

- Tchaikovsky Nos. 1 & 2
- Dvorak Nos. 1-5
- The only Berlioz symphony missing, the Grand symphonie funébre et triomphale
- 8 of Shostakovich's symphonies
- 5 of Vaughan Williams' symphonies

And when you go outside the repertoire, you find plenty of worthy composers not represented in that initial 150. So there is plenty of scope for expanding the list.


----------



## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

Skilmarilion said:


> I would be game for this. It could be a nice way to expand the Symphonies list to 200 or maybe even 250.


...or even to infinity and I don't object to repeats, either. There is great stuff that deserves to be heard more than once in a listening club setting-and I also like the idea, proposed earlier, that other genres should be included, too.


----------



## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

I would be very happy if the SS tradition continues, in whatever form. Be that starting at top again, extending on past 150 with the list that realdealblues has already complied, or switching to concertos. I have been exposed to many new works and enjoyed virtually all of them.
I think so far there have been 8 Haydn Symphonies on the list, so if all else fails we could could enjoy about 2 years worth of 'The Saturday Haydn Symphony' simply listening to the others


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Returning to Popov's 1st Symphony after a long break. I like it better this time around. It still seems a bit "difficult" and sometime meandering, but there's no denying that minute-to-minute there are very interesting things happening. I'd bet that this would be a killer in a live concert, maybe rouse some of those blue-hairs to throw things at the orchestra. At least, they wouldn't fall asleep.

Listening to the Botstein/LSO performance. A great choice for the Saturday Symphony!


----------



## Avey (Mar 5, 2013)

techniquest said:


> With just 15 weeks to go before we reach the end of the TC Top 150 Recommended Symphonies list, do we have a new list to take over so that the Saturday Symphony tradition can be kept going?





shadowdancer said:


> I think it is a great idea to continue it. We could expand it to other genres from TC list...


I am very very interested in continuing this tradition with a *SUNDAY String Quartet thread*. Unless another is willing or interested in taking on (even if cooperatively), I am strongly considering taking that up.

TQ, thanks for mentioning this. If there is sufficient interest in a SQ version, I would appreciate feedback in the thread or by personal message.

Having loved this practice, and finding myself (routinely) reverting back to the SQ list compiled in the past year since our adoption -- I think a SQ exploration would be a fitting sequel.


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

IMO Saturday is still better since it gives people the weekend to listen. String quartets will be a very rich field.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

KenOC said:


> IMO Saturday is still better since it gives people the weekend to listen. String quartets will be a very rich field.


I second this :tiphat:


----------



## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

^^ Agree with this, too. It's nice to have the whole weekend to schedule listening. I often take advantage of RDB's early Symphony post to listen to that week's work on Friday if I have the time.


----------



## Kevin Pearson (Aug 14, 2009)

I agree that Saturday gives the whole weekend to listen. I never refer to the actual list and depend on others posting about it in the Classical Listening thread. There are easily another hundred or two symphonies left to explore but I would be willing to make the switch to string quartets.

Kevin


----------



## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

> I agree that Saturday gives the whole weekend to listen. I never refer to the actual list and depend on others posting about it in the Classical Listening thread. There are easily another hundred or two symphonies left to explore but I would be willing to make the switch to string quartets.


If someone wants to create and maintain a thread for string quartets, then why not? Aliteration isn't compulsory so it could simply be the 'weekend string quartet', or 'concerto', or this week's opera, cantata, sonata, tone poem....whatever. There will be those interested in some or all of these possibilities, there are others who won't. Personally I'm just happy that the Saturday Symphony is to continue as this is my particular favourite classical music format.


----------



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

Skilmarilion said:


> That thread was from a fair while ago ...
> 
> http://www.talkclassical.com/33405-help-future-saturday-symphonies.html?highlight=
> 
> Any chance suggestions can still be put forward?


Sure, anyone can post on that thread if they want and I will add them to the list I have, or they can feel free to send me a private message with Symphonies that were missing and or Symphonies mentioned in that thread that they would like to add another vote for, etc.

I would also not be opposed to have a "Saturday Symphony Flashback Weekend" to revisit some of the great works we've already heard or for those that weren't around in the beginning to participate. Maybe one weekend out of the month if people liked that idea. Feel free to let me know what you guys are interested in and I will keep it going as long as I am able to.


----------



## shadowdancer (Mar 31, 2014)

Avey said:


> I am very very interested in continuing this tradition with a *SUNDAY String Quartet thread*. Unless another is willing or interested in taking on (even if cooperatively), I am strongly considering taking that up.
> 
> TQ, thanks for mentioning this. If there is sufficient interest in a SQ version, I would appreciate feedback in the thread or by personal message.
> 
> Having loved this practice, and finding myself (routinely) reverting back to the SQ list compiled in the past year since our adoption -- I think a SQ exploration would be a fitting sequel.


I am in. And I agree that a Saturday SQ thread would bring a lot of fun.
Count me in, if you plan on push it further.


----------



## CDs (May 2, 2016)

realdealblues said:


> Sure, anyone can post on that thread if they want and I will add them to the list I have, or they can feel free to send me a private message with Symphonies that were missing and or Symphonies mentioned in that thread that they would like to add another vote for, etc.
> 
> I would also not be opposed to have a "Saturday Symphony Flashback Weekend" to revisit some of the great works we've already heard or for those that weren't around in the beginning to participate. Maybe one weekend out of the month if people liked that idea. Feel free to let me know what you guys are interested in and I will keep it going as long as I am able to.


Is there any update on what the new SS will be? I think a series on Piano Concertos would be nice.


----------



## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Avey said:


> I am very very interested in continuing this tradition with a *SUNDAY String Quartet thread*. Unless another is willing or interested in taking on (even if cooperatively), I am strongly considering taking that up.
> 
> TQ, thanks for mentioning this. If there is sufficient interest in a SQ version, I would appreciate feedback in the thread or by personal message.
> 
> Having loved this practice, and finding myself (routinely) reverting back to the SQ list compiled in the past year since our adoption -- I think a SQ exploration would be a fitting sequel.


I would also be up for this as I do like to listen to the odd String Quartet once in a while.


----------



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

CDs said:


> Is there any update on what the new SS will be? I think a series on Piano Concertos would be nice.


The Saturday Symphony will continue on like normal. I have received a ton of requests via private messages for Symphonies that weren't on the list as well as other suggestions from a thread I started a year or more ago called something like "Help with future Saturday Symphonies". I have added up the requests and as of today I have finalized a list of about 50 more most requested Symphonies worked up from that list.

I have about 100 other requests but before I finalize several of those I want to make sure there are recordings available via a streaming service like YouTube so that obscure works or works with very few recordings will be available to as many listeners as possible if they don't have a copy of an available recording.

Like I've said before if someone wants to start a String Quartet or Piano Concerto thread or whatever that's up to them, but I will continue on the Saturday Symphony for at least another year just from the list of requests I have.

Most people were wanting to just be surprised each week so I haven't published the list but if someone wants a copy I can always post it or send it to those who ask in private messages, but that's where things stand right now.


----------



## CDs (May 2, 2016)

Thanks for doing this realdealblues!


----------



## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

realdealblues said:


> Most people were wanting to just be surprised each week so I haven't published the list but if someone wants a copy I can always post it or send it to those who ask in private messages, but that's where things stand right now.


I'm looking forward to our Saturday surprise symphonies! Are they all by Haydn?


----------



## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

D Smith said:


> I'm looking forward to our Saturday surprise symphonies! Are they all by Haydn?


Leif Segerstam, I understand


----------



## Haydn man (Jan 25, 2014)

Well there are certainly many more Haydn symphonies we can choose from.
I am very pleased that the Saturday Symphony thread is continuing and I will be happy for the surprise each week.
Thanks realdealblues for continuing the good work and hope for a sprinkle of Haydn in your list:tiphat:


----------



## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

There is quite a bit of Haydn actually. I tried to space them out because I honestly had a ton of requests for a lot more Haydn. Like 25 different symphonies in fact. I didn't want to make it a Haydn-a-thon so out of the next 56 symphonies I have planned as of this morning I believe there are 10 Haydn symphonies sprinkled throughout. Maybe I will fit the rest into the next 75 or so when I finalize it. :lol: 

I really do have a very long list of requests. The next 56 are all Symphonies that received 3 requests/votes or more. I have about another 50 with 2 requests/votes and another 200!! with 1 request/vote each. I may do some polls in the future to help organize those should the Saturday Symphony continue on that long.


----------

