# Favourite Choral Symphonies



## BenG

I remember being mind blown and the choir coming in in Mahler's 2nd symphony (finale). That made me forever love choral symphonies. Some of my favourites are Beethoven's 9th, Brian's 'Gothic Symphony', Vaughan Williams' 1st and Mahler's 8th. Do you have any suggestions for symphonies like these?


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## Art Rock

Myaskovsky's 6th would be my suggestion.


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## Blancrocher

Szymanowski's 3rd, Nielsen's 3rd (with voices, but no text), Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, Berio's Sinfonia, and Schnittke's 2nd are my favorite (non-Mahlerian) choral symphonies that haven't been mentioned.


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## Art Rock

IIRC, Nielsen 3 has a soprano and baritone, but not a choir.


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## Blancrocher

Art Rock said:


> IIRC, Nielsen 3 has a soprano and baritone, but not a choir.


True--just started slipping things in, just in case they appealed. I should have qualified.


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## Merl

There's a good list here.

Choral symphonies


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## CnC Bartok

Shostakovich 13 is my favourite choral symphony, beyond the obvious. Female voices don't get much of a look-in, though...!

Then there's Mendelssohn 2, and the two big Liszt symphonies to consider, as well as the rather eccentric Scriabin First. Is his Prometheus a symphony? If so, that one too.

Slightly off the beaten track, you might like Holmboe's Sinfonia Sacra (No.4), or his earlier Danish compatriot Asger Hamerik's Seventh and final symphony.


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## joen_cph

Also Hausegger´s Natursymphonie, mentioned in the link. And Sibelius´ Kullervo.


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## Josquin13

A choral symphony that has not been mentioned so far is Joseph Guy Ropartz's Symphony No. 3 for orchestra, choir and soloists, composed in 1905-06: the Michel Plasson/Orchestre du Capitole de Touleouse recording is the one to hear, IMO:






Nor has Hector Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette been mentioned. It was actually Berlioz that coined the term "choral symphony" in his written introduction to this work: 




Among current composers, Per Nørgård's Symphony No. 3 might be of interest, if you're open to contemporary music (the Leif Segerstam recording is the one to hear): 




While not symphonies per se, my favorite works for chorus & orchestra include the following: the "Sirènes" movement from Claude Debussy's Trois Nocturnes is a truly ingenious composition for chorus and orchestra; as is Maurice Ravel's ballet Daphnis et Chloe, and Nikolai Tcherepnin's ballet Narcisse et Echo. Gabriel Pierne's ballet Cydalise et le chevre-pied is worthy of mention too (though I doubt his work would exist without Debussy, Ravel & Tcherepnin's examples to follow). I'm fascinated by how 'other worldly' these composers can write for chorus and orchestra (especially Debussy & Ravel).


















Though it's not a symphony either, Beethoven's Choral Fantasia in C minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 80, should be mentioned; as should Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, which is a 'tour de force' for chorus and orchestra: 




Otherwise, it's the usual suspects, among symphonies, & my personal favorites are Beethoven's 9th and Mahler's 2nd and 3rd. However, Mendelssohn's 2nd Symphony "Lobgesang", Liszt's "Faust" and "Dante" symphonies, Mahler's 8th, Vaughan Williams 1st "A Sea Symphony" and 8th "Sinfonia Antarctica", Sibelius' "Kullervo", Op. 7, Britten's Spring Symphony, and Shostakovich's 13th Symphony "Babi Yar" are worth hearing too. I'd also suggest Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, Rachmaninov's The Bells, Op. 35, and Szymanowski's Symphony No. 3 "Song of the Night".

More off the beaten path:

1. Jan Hanus, Symphony No. 7, "The Keys to the Kingdom", Op. 116 (I don't believe this work has ever been recorded? If anyone knows of a recording, I hope you'll mention it).
2. Erkki-Sven Tüür, Symphony No. 7 "Pietas": 



3, 4, 5. Alan Hovhaness, Symphony No. 58 "Sinfonia Sacra", Op. 389, Symphony No. 23, "Majnun", and Symphony No. 12, "Choral":








 6. Alexandre Tansman, Symphony No. 6 "In Memoriam": 



7,8. Hilding Rosenberg, Symphony No. 4, "The Revelation of Saint John", and Symphony No. 5 "The Keeper of the Garden":








9. Charles Tournemire, Symphony No. 6: 



10. George Enescu, Symphony No. 3: 



11. Peter Mennin, Symphony No. 4 "The Cycle": 



12. Kurt Atterberg, Symphony No. 9 "Sinfonia Visionaria": 



13. Edmund Rubbra, Symphony No 9 "The Resurrection": 



14. Einar Englund, Symphony No. 6, "Aphorisms": 



15. Howard Hanson, Symphony No. 7 "A Sea Symphony": 



16. Hans Werner Henze, Symphony No. 9: 



17. Cyril Scott, Symphony No. 3 "The Muses": 



18. Havergal Brian, Symphony No. 1 "The Gothic": 



19. Krysztopf Penderecki, Symphony No. 7 "Seven Gates of Jerusalem": 



20. Darius Milhaud, Symphony No. 3 "Te Deum":


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## MusicSybarite

I'm very fond of the Villa-Lobos' Symphony No. 10 _Amerindia_, Langgaard's Symphony No. 2 (though he composed others with chorus such as the No. 15), Berlioz _Symphonie funèbre et triomphale_ and Kabalevsky's Symphony No. 3. Weingartner wrote his 7th Symphony as a choral one, but it's not very interesting, rather generic.


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## SixFootScowl

While Beethoven's Ninth is always and ever my favorite choral symphony, I really am getting into Mendelssohn's choral symphony, the Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise), Op. 52 (a.k.a. Symphony #2). Couple of excellent recordings IMO are conducted by Flor and by Sawallisch.


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## Ned Low

SixFootScowl said:


> While Beethoven's Ninth is always and ever my favorite choral symphony, I really am getting into Mendelssohn's choral symphony, the Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise), Op. 52 (a.k.a. Symphony #2). Couple of excellent recordings IMO are conducted by Flor and by Sawallisch.


I once read it's no longer considered a symphony. Is it?


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## SixFootScowl

Ned Low said:


> I once read it's no longer considered a symphony. Is it?


There is some debate about that. The first three movements (about 25 minutes) is surely symphonic, then the choral part kicks in. Almost like a symphony and a choral work joined together.


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## MusicSybarite

Rachmaninov - The Bells (most likely my favorite choral symphony ever)
Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 13 _Babi Yar_
Mahler - Symphony No. 2
Vaughan Williams - _A Sea Symphony_
Szymanowski - Symphony No. 3 _Song of the Night_
Britten - _Spring Symphony_

I used to like Beethoven's 9th Symphony when I started listening to classical music, but now I seldom hear it, mostly because it's tirelessly overplayed.


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## leonsm

Villa-Lobos - Symphony no. 10 "Ameríndia" is pretty good, folks.


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## gvn

Ned Low said:


> I once read it's no longer considered a symphony. Is it?


In the 19th century, the Lobgesang was often (perhaps usually) considered the greatest and most innovative of all Mendelssohn's works, precisely because it shattered the old boundaries and took the symphony into unprecedented new realms. Its opening stages are pure symphony; its closing stages are pure oratorio; yet it has the feel of a single coherent living & breathing animal, not the front legs of one thing artificially stuck onto the back legs of another.

I do have my doubts about some other alleged "choral symphonies," however. What's so symphonic about Rubbra's Ninth (the Sinfonia sacra)? I greatly admire it, but to my ears it's 100% oratorio and 0% symphony. I suspect Rubbra simply wanted to do something very special for his Ninth Symphony, and the most special thing he could imagine was an oratorio on the subject of Christ's resurrection, so he did it and labeled it "Ninth Symphony."

Contrariwise, why didn't Penderecki call "A sea of dreams did breathe on me..." a symphony? To my mind it belongs to exactly the same genre as his 8th and 6th symphonies. I honestly can't see the slightest difference between them.

This reminds me that Pendrecki's 7th (Seven Gates of Jerusalem) also deserves mention in a short list of choral symphonies.


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## Animal the Drummer

None of them. I haven't come across one yet that I can love as well as admire, and yes, that does include Beethoven's.


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## mikeh375

Holst's Choral Symphony has some splendid moments....


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## MusicSybarite

I forgot Sibelius' _Kullervo_ and Villa-Lobos _Amerindia_. Both splendid pieces.


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## Prodromides

gvn said:


> ... a short list of choral symphonies.


The listing is not _that_ short, though.

TC folks already mentioned Villa-Lobos, Tournemire, Tansman, Szymanowski, Ropartz, Holmboe, Enescu, H. Brian etc. ...
but there are still more.

Additions below are merely 4 from my music collection:

Claude Ballif's _Mystic Symphony No.2 (Le livre du Serviteur)_
_Symphony No.8 "Indian Sounds"_ by Gloria Coates
Toshiro Mayuzumi's _Nirvana-Symphony_
_Symphony No.4 - "The Gardens"_ by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich


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## SixFootScowl

SixFootScowl said:


> While Beethoven's Ninth is always and ever my favorite choral symphony, I really am getting into Mendelssohn's choral symphony, the Lobgesang (Hymn of Praise), Op. 52 (a.k.a. Symphony #2). Couple of excellent recordings IMO are conducted by Flor and by Sawallisch.


I shall add Rachmaninoff's The Bells to my list, although it is rather dismal in the text.

Still struggling with Mahler's 8th.


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## Aries

I like Beethovens 9th, Liszts Faust symphony and Mahlers 2nd, but mostly for the intrumental first movement.

Shostakovichs 3rd symphony and also the 2nd are interessting choral symphonies, but they also have long instrumental parts.

The symphony with the most choral value for me is Mahlers 8th.


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## SixFootScowl

Question: Are any other of Mahler's symphonies besides the 8th considered to be choral symphonies?


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## Alfacharger

Not a favorite but a fun listen is the Roy Harris 4th "Folk Song Symphony".


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## HenryPenfold

For me, 'favourite' and 'choral symphony' in the same sentence is quasi-oxymoronic :lol:


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## Radames

SixFootScowl said:


> Question: Are any other of Mahler's symphonies besides the 8th considered to be choral symphonies?


Good question. I love the 3rd. Does that count?

I have to give props to Havergal Brian's 1st Symphony for its massive conception. Ives 4th Symphony needs 2 conductors because it's so complex.


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## Allegro Con Brio

Enescu’s 3rd uses a wordless chorus in its last few minutes to absolutely gorgeous effect, like ascending to heaven. It’s one of my very favorite 20th century symphonies, and I can’t help but wonder if one reason why it isn’t programmed more often is because of this ethereal, fade-away-to-nothing ending, not the big bombastic finish that audiences love.


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## SixFootScowl

Radames said:


> Good question. I love the 3rd. Does that count?
> 
> I have to give props to Havergal Brian's 1st Symphony for its massive conception. Ives 4th Symphony needs 2 conductors because it's so complex.


Wikipedia lists Mahler 2, 3, and 8 as choral symphonies:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_choral_symphonies


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## mikeh375

SixFootScowl said:


> Question: Are any other of Mahler's symphonies besides the 8th considered to be choral symphonies?


No2, 'The Resurrection' qualifies.


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## Enthusiast

By coincidence I was recently listening to (and greatly enjoying) three choral symphonies - Ethel Smyth's The Prison, the 10th symphony of Maxwell Davies and Britten's Spring Symphony.

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Of course, I love the standards (Beethoven, Mahler ..) but who wouldn't or couldn't?


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## Rogerx

Sibelius: Kullervo

Benjamin Appl (baritone), Helena Juntunen (soprano)

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra & Lund Male Chorus, Thomas Dausgaard


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## cougarjuno

MusicSybarite said:


> Rachmaninov - The Bells (most likely my favorite choral symphony ever)
> Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms
> Shostakovich - Symphony No. 13 _Babi Yar_
> Mahler - Symphony No. 2
> Vaughan Williams - _A Sea Symphony_
> Szymanowski - Symphony No. 3 _Song of the Night_
> Britten - _Spring Symphony_
> 
> I used to like Beethoven's 9th Symphony when I started listening to classical music, but now I seldom hear it, mostly because it's tirelessly overplayed.


I love all those works. But there is a haunting quality to the Szymanowski that really sets it apart. The Shostakovich work is tragic and the Vaughan Williams work is dramatic, but the Szymanowski moves me that much more.


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## Radames

Enthusiast said:


> By coincidence I was recently listening to (and greatly enjoying) three choral symphonies - Ethel Smyth's The Prison, the 10th symphony of Maxwell Davies and Britten's Spring Symphony.


I have not heard that Smyth work yet. I will have to get it. I like her other stuff. They did her opera The Wreckers at Bard a few years ago. Davies works all give me a headache except for the Orkney Wedding With Sunrise. I listened to part of his 10th on youtube. Can't get into it..


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## leonsm

leonsm said:


> Villa-Lobos - Symphony no. 10 "Ameríndia" is pretty good, folks.


Other than that:

Atterberg - 9
Liszt - Dante Symphony
Penderecki - 7 "Seven gates of Jerusalem"
Schnittke - 2 "St. Florian"
Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms
Szymanowski - 3 "Song of the Night"
Villa-Lobos - 10 "Ameríndia"
Weinberg - 8 "Flowers of Poland"


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## Enthusiast

Radames said:


> I have not heard that Smyth work yet. I will have to get it. I like her other stuff. They did her opera The Wreckers at Bard a few years ago. Davies works all give me a headache except for the Orkney Wedding With Sunrise. I listened to part of his 10th on youtube. Can't get into it..


Fair enough. I have a strong affection for Maxwell Davies but have always tried to cultivate as wide and broad a taste as possible - a journey that gives me great joy and satisfaction. But music that is "lower brow" tends to irritate me even when I can hear how well made it is.


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## Radames

Enthusiast said:


> Fair enough. I have a strong affection for Maxwell Davies but have always tried to cultivate as wide and broad a taste as possible - a journey that gives me great joy and satisfaction. But music that is "lower brow" tends to irritate me even when I can hear how well made it is.


Are any of Davies other works as easy on the ear as the Orkney Wedding? I love that piece. They did it in Albany a couple of years back. I've known the piece for years and it was great to hear live. The audience really liked it. Mavis in Las Vegas is mentioned in wiki.


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## SixFootScowl

SixFootScowl said:


> Wikipedia lists Mahler 2, 3, and 8 as choral symphonies:
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_choral_symphonies


I listened to Mahler 2 and 3 (Kubelik) and like them both, but before I add to my list, I should give them a few more listens.


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## arapinho1

Rogerx said:


> Sibelius: Kullervo
> 
> Benjamin Appl (baritone), Helena Juntunen (soprano)
> 
> BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra & Lund Male Chorus, Thomas Dausgaard


Yes! One of my favorites. This one really appeals to metalheads


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## Enthusiast

Radames said:


> Are any of Davies other works as easy on the ear as the Orkney Wedding? I love that piece. They did it in Albany a couple of years back. I've known the piece for years and it was great to hear live. The audience really liked it. Mavis in Las Vegas is mentioned in wiki.


His music tends to be difficult. His earlier works (Songs for a Mad King etc) are entertaining and a little wild. His later works tend to be rather rigorous. You could try the trumpet concerto ...


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## Aries

I discovered another very interesting choral symphony. Alexey Rybnikovs Symphony No. 5 from 2005. It is called "The Resurrection of the Dead" and gives vibes of a satanic ceremony. It has great sounds and is a lot of fun.


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## gvn

I completely forgot about Milhaud's Choral Symphony (1964; he didn't number it, but it would count as his 13th, I think).









I don't say that it's the place to start listening to Milhaud, or that it would convert anyone who doesn't like his music. But I do think it's one of his most approachable symphonies: phrase after phrase falls naturally and easily on the ear. And the _spirit_ of it is almost as radically subversive of that cold-war/arms-race period as Britten's War Requiem.


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## Roger Knox

MusicSybarite said:


> I'm very fond of the Villa-Lobos' Symphony No. 10 _Amerindia_, Langgaard's Symphony No. 2 (though he composed others with chorus such as the No. 15), Berlioz _Symphonie funèbre et triomphale_ and Kabalevsky's Symphony No. 3. Weingartner wrote his 7th Symphony as a choral one, but it's not very interesting, rather generic.


I've not heard a recording of Weingartner's 7th but would like to.


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## SixFootScowl

SixFootScowl said:


> I listened to Mahler 2 and 3 (Kubelik) and like them both, but before I add to my list, I should give them a few more listens.


So far leaning to Mahler 3 over Mahler 2 or 8.


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## MusicSybarite

gvn said:


> I completely forgot about Milhaud's Choral Symphony (1964; he didn't number it, but it would count as his 13th, I think).
> 
> View attachment 153304
> 
> 
> I don't say that it's the place to start listening to Milhaud, or that it would convert anyone who doesn't like his music. *But I do think it's one of his most approachable symphonies*: phrase after phrase falls naturally and easily on the ear. And the _spirit_ of it is almost as radically subversive of that cold-war/arms-race period as Britten's War Requiem.


Yes, definitely not for Milhaud starters. IIRC, this work has certain astringency and solemnity that didn't appeal to me that much.


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## MusicSybarite

Roger Knox said:


> I've not heard a recording of Weingartner's 7th but would like to.


Do you know his other symphonies? I think Nos. 1-4 contain his most inspired music.


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## Roger Knox

MusicSybarite said:


> Do you know his other symphonies? I think Nos. 1-4 contain his most inspired music.


Yes I do and agree with your judgement, in particular liking nos. 2 and 3. Can you suggest a recording of Weingartner's 7th? It's the only one I don't know.

talkclassical.com/50934-neglected-german-austrian-orchestral-5.html
(See posts #61, #71, and #73 on that thread.)


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## Roger Knox

Roger Knox said:


> Yes I do and agree with your judgement, in particular liking nos. 2 and 3. Can you suggest a recording of Weingartner's 7th? It's the only one I don't know.
> 
> talkclassical.com/50934-neglected-german-austrian-orchestral-5.html


Oops I see there's this recording from 2013 on cpo. Have you heard it?:

Felix Weingartner - Symphonic Works Volume 7
Maya Boog, Franziska Gottwald, Rolf Romei, Christopher Bolduc & Babette Mondry
Tschechischer Philharmonischer Chor Brünn & Sinfonieorchester Basel, Marko Letonja


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## Roger Knox

redundant post .................


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## MusicSybarite

Roger Knox said:


> Oops I see there's this recording from 2013 on cpo. Have you heard it?:
> 
> Felix Weingartner - Symphonic Works Volume 7
> Maya Boog, Franziska Gottwald, Rolf Romei, Christopher Bolduc & Babette Mondry
> Tschechischer Philharmonischer Chor Brünn & Sinfonieorchester Basel, Marko Letonja


That's the only one available, and it's 1 hour long. It's kind of in the spirit of Beethoven's 9th.


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## gvn

MusicSybarite said:


> IIRC, this work has certain astringency and solemnity that didn't appeal to me that much.


This strikes me as just about perfect as a description of Milhaud's music (maybe not only in the Choral Symphony!). He's totally possessed by the seriousness of the issues at stake, and he doesn't seek to please--if anything he seeks rather to goad or provoke. (Though not out of malice; "astringency" mustn't be taken to imply any bitterness of spirit. He's all heart.)

Dipping again into some of Milhaud's major symphonies, I'd say that the Choral is less accessible than the 6th but very much more accessible than, say, the 8th (Rhodanian). Anyone who has learned to enjoy the latter would certainly enjoy this also. But I think all M's symphonies are acquired tastes; they took me a good 25 years to appreciate. But then, I'm an unusually slow learner in musical matters; always have been.


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## Roger Knox

Among French composers, in addition to the choral symphonies of Berlioz, Ropartz, and Milhaud I'd like to give a special mention to Charles Tournemire's Symphony No. 6 (1917-18). It is a through-and-through choral symphony where the composer's genius in orchestral and choral writing, and his experience with both secular and sacred music, come together in a moving tribute to the suffering of the French people during World War I.


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## HenryPenfold

I'm ambivalent with choral symphonies. 

I do like LvB 9, M2 & 3, DSCH 13 for example, but don't like RVW 1, PMD 10, and I think the choir ruins Myaskovsky's otherwise fabulous 6th.

I was saddened to know that Robert Simpson was sketching out his 12th symphony when he died, but relieved (is that the word I want?) to learn that it was to be a choral symphony. I don't like Pettersson's choral symphony.

I don't consider Das Lied Von De Erde to be a symphony, nor M8.

Shostakovich's 2 & 3 have actually grown on me down the years and I no longer struggle with the choral aspects of the works.


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## MusicSybarite

Roger Knox said:


> Among French composers, in addition to the choral symphonies of Berlioz, Ropartz, and Milhaud I'd like to give a special mention to Charles Tournemire's Symphony No. 6 (1917-18). It is a through-and-through choral symphony where the composer's genius in orchestral and choral writing, and his experience with both secular and sacred music, come together in a moving tribute to the suffering of the French people during World War I.


Tournemire's 6th can easily be my favorite by him. It reaches moments of sheer grandeur.


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## MusicSybarite

HenryPenfold said:


> PMD 10


Peter Maxwell Davies' 10th? What an utterly depressing and grey work. In fact, I don't like any of his symphonies, in case the first one.


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## HenryPenfold

MusicSybarite said:


> Peter Maxwell Davies' 10th? What an utterly depressing and grey work. In fact, I don't like any of his symphonies, in case the first one.


I don't find the tenth bad at all, until all that hollering kicks in. But unlike your good self, I find PMD's other symphonies bigly enjoyable.


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## MusicSybarite

HenryPenfold said:


> I don't find the tenth bad at all, until all that hollering kicks in. But unlike your good self, I find PMD's other symphonies bigly enjoyable.


We'll have to agree to disagree then.


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## Roger Knox

If anyone knows books or articles about the choral symphony as a genre I would be interested in the references.


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## SixFootScowl

Roger Knox said:


> If anyone knows books or articles about the choral symphony as a genre I would be interested in the references.


Good question. You got me to wondering and I managed to find a brief article that is about at my level. 
https://www.wise-geek.com/what-is-a-choral-symphony.htm

It may be that nobody has written such a book. More likely perhaps is that a book on the symphony would include section/chapter on choral symphonies.


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## Durendal

Anyone like Bernstein's 3rd? I heard it on the radio for the first time yesterday and thought it was quite good.


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## Roger Knox

SixFootScowl said:


> Good question. You got me to wondering and I managed to find a brief article that is about at my level.
> https://www.wise-geek.com/what-is-a-choral-symphony.htm
> 
> It may be that nobody has written such a book. More likely perhaps is that a book on the symphony would include section/chapter on choral symphonies.


Thanks, this is a good start and I'll keep looking.


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## Jacck

Holst Choral Symphony and Schnittke Symphony 2 (Invisible Mass). There are certainly more that I like but cannot remember them now


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## Sgfnorth

Scriabin: Symphony No 1 - Muti gets it


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