# Ten Favorite Symphonies: One per Number



## LvB

Here's a twist on a traditional thread. With only one symphony per number allowed, what are your ten favorite? In other words, if you happen to love Beethoven's 5th, Bruckner's 5th, Prokofiev's 5th, and Shostakovich's 5th, as I do, you'll have to choose among them....

Mine:

#1: Johannes Brahms
#2: Anton Rubinstein
#3: Ludwig van Beethoven
#4: Anton Bruckner
#5: This is for me, as my example above might suggest, but finally I have to come down in favor of the piece that rally awakened my love of music: Beethoven
#6: Another tough one, but Stjepan Sulek's, a very obscure piece, thrill me every time I hear it., so I'll give it the nod over its very close competitor, Mahler 6.
#7: Allan Pettersson
#8: Bruckner
#9: Beethoven
#10: Gustav Mahler

Your choices?


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## opus67

Hi, LvB. I believe we've done something similar before. Actually, it's a bit more stringent, with a restriction of just one work to any composer.

http://www.talkclassical.com/3071-your-own-personal-symphonic.html


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## ncherone

#1 - Brahms
#2 - Nielsen
#3 - Gorecki
#4 - Shostakovich
#5 - Prokofiev
#6 - Tchaikovsky
#7 - Beethoven
#8 - Schubert
#9 - Dvorak
#10 - Haydn


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## Chi_townPhilly

Having posted similarly before, I'd like to do something new... a 'name' symphony and symphonies 1-9, not repeating composers- and *not repeating countries*.

Name: Faust symphony- Liszt- Hungary
Symphony 1- Elgar- United Kingdom
Symphony 2- Sibelius- Finland
Symphony 3- Saint-Säens- France
Symphony 4- Nielsen- Denmark
Symphony 5- Beethoven- Germany
Symphony 6- Tchaikovsky- Russia 
Symphony 7- Piston- United States
Symphony 8- Bruckner- Austria
Symphony 9- Dvořák- Czech Republic


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## World Violist

Ok, I'll try two ways: one as the thread initially suggested (easy) and the other being Mr. Philly's way (nigh impossible for me, let's see if I can even pull it off...

1- Brahms
2- Mahler
3- Beethoven
4- Sibelius
5- Shostakovich
6- Rubbra
7- Sibelius
8- Mahler
9- Mahler
10- Shostakovich

And here's the named-different composers and countries approach... um...

Named: Debussy (La Mer) (France)
1- Bernstein (U.S.)
2- I dunno, Mozart? (Austrian) (It's really bad, but I'm desperate here!)
3- Enescu (Romania)
4- Nielsen (Denmark)
5- Shostakovich (Russia)
6- Rubbra (U.K.)
7- Sibelius (Finland)
8- Mahler (Bohemia, which is to say Czech by today's standards, so no Dvorak for me...  )
9- Beethoven (Germany)


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## opus67

Chi_town/Philly said:


> Having posted similarly before, I'd like to do something new... a 'name' symphony and symphonies 1-9, not repeating composers- and *not repeating countries*.


That certainly makes things a lot interesting (as long as one doesn't have to compile the list ). It is likely that my list with the above constraints will be far more empty than the Personal Symphonic Cycle was at one point in time.

I will give this some thought and post something soon.


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## Sid James

1 - Mahler (Bohemia)
2 - Sibelius (Finland)
3 - Carl Vine (Australia)
4 - Tubin (Estonia)
5 - Nielsen (Denmark)
6 - Schubert (Austria)
7 - Vaughan Williams (UK)
8 - Penderecki (Poland)
9 - Beethoven (Germany)


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## Tal

1. Brahms
2. Mahler.
3. Beethoven.
4. Sibelius.
5. Cant decide- Porkofiev\Beethoven.
6. Tchaicovsky- (Patetuiqe).
7. Schubert- The unfinished.
8. Anton Brukner.
9. Dvorak/Beethoven.
10. MAHLER.


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## EarlyCuyler

1.) Rott- Symphony in E Major
2.) Mahler- Symphony No.2
3.) Mahler-Symphony No.3
4.) Bruckner Symphony No.4
5.) Bruckner Symphony No.5
6.) Mahler Symphony No.6
7.) Penderecki-Symphony No.7 "Seven Gates of Jerusalem."
8.) Bruckner -Symphony No.8, it should be, I own over 20 recordings of it...
9.) Bruckner-Symphony No.9
10.) Shostakovich-Symphony No.10


Thats at this moment...it'll change in a few minutes...


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## Conor71

Heres my attempt:
#1 - Brahms
#2 - Mendelssohn
#3 - Schumann
#4 - Dvorak
#5 - Sibelius
#6 - Tchaikovsky
#7 - Beethoven
#8 - Vaughan Williams
#9 - Mahler
Dont think Im able to complete a list with limitation of 1/Country..


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## JTech82

This will be hard for me, but here I go:

#1 - Langgaard
#2 - Mahler
#3 - Mendelssohn
#4 - Nielsen
#5 - Vaughan Williams
#6 - Tchaikovsky
#7 - Shostakovich
#8 - undecided
#9 - Bruckner


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## handlebar

What a tough decision. But here they are:

#1--Bruckner (I find this work highly underrated)
#2--Mahler
#3--Mahler
#4--Bruckner
#5--Beethoven
#6--Mahler
#7--Mahler
#8--Beethoven
#9--Mahler
#10-Shostakovich

Jim


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## PostMinimalist

Here is my humble list

1 Brahms 1
2 Tchaikovsky 2 (Borodin almost got this one)
3 Sibelius 3 
4 Mahler 4
5 Shostakovich 5
6 Beethoven 6
7 Mahler 7
8 Vaugan-Williams 8
9 Bruckner 9
10 Don't have a fav 10th,sorry.

FC


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## islandersbob

1. Mahler
2. Borodin
3. Copland
4. Mendelssohn
5. Tchaikovsky
6. Beethoven
7. Haydn
8. Schubert
9. Shostakovich
10. Mozart

///////

1. Prokofiev (Ukraine)
2. Sibelius (Finland)
3. Copland (USA)
4. Nielsen (Denmark)
5. Tchaikovsky (Russia)
6. Beethoven (Germany)
7. Haydn (Austria)
8. Williams (UK)
9. Dvořák (Czech Republic)
Named: tie - Symphonie Fantastique; Berlioz (France) and Symphony in D; Franck (Belgium)


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## mueske

handlebar said:


> What a tough decision. But here they are:
> 
> #1--Bruckner (I find this work highly underrated)
> #2--Mahler
> #3--Mahler
> #4--Bruckner
> #5--Beethoven
> #6--Mahler
> #7--Mahler
> #8--Beethoven
> #9--Mahler
> #10-Shostakovich
> 
> Jim


Lately, my top 10 wouldn't be that different from yours! 

1. Mahler
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4. Beethoven
5. Mahler
6. Mahler
7. Mahler
8. Mahler
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich

I'm stuck in a Mahler period, though I wonder, are there any other periods after a Mahler period?


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## Bach

Many.

Why does Mahler have so many followers? He's like Richard Strauss but not half as charming, succinct or well orchestrated..


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## Bach

1. Brahms
2. Beethoven
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Beethoven
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Bruckner
8. Dvorak
9. Beethoven


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## Herzeleide

Bach said:


> He's like Richard Strauss but not half as charming, succinct or well orchestrated..


Ahem. Mahler doesn't have the lapses of taste that Strauss does, nor the tendency to pad out weak ideas with millions of notes and fantastical orchestration.

Still, I do love some of Strauss's tone poems and, of course, Salome and Elektra.


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## Bach

Give me an example of such a lapse in taste.. Strauss is a witty master where Mahler is a tad pretentious..


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## mueske

Bach said:


> Give me an example of such a lapse in taste.. Strauss is a witty master where Mahler is a tad pretentious..


Oh the irony...


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## Bach

Do you even know what irony is?


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## Herzeleide

Bach said:


> Give me an example of such a lapse in taste.. Strauss is a witty master where Mahler is a tad pretentious..


Well, the Alpine Symphony is wonderfully orchestrated but this often clothes what are Ersatz Wagnerian ideas. I can't remember exactly but at times Strauss can sometimes be prone to a tacky kind of exoticism (the kind of which one finds constantly in Rimsky-Korsakov's _Capriccio Espagnol_). Still, I find much to like in Strauss.

In an effort to disabuse you of your anti-Mahlerism, I suggest listening to the wonderful ninth symphony.


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## Bach

I know it well. Bit meandering.. could probably be cut down to 35 minutes..


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## handlebar

Bach said:


> Many.
> 
> Why does Mahler have so many followers? He's like Richard Strauss but not half as charming, succinct or well orchestrated..


Not well orchestrated?? What do you base that on? The word "well" is semantics only. Strauss had his style,Mahler had his. Mahler didn't write operas. Strauss did. 
Mahler certainly was a better conductor,that's for sure.

Mahler has followers for many reasons.

Jim


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## mueske

Bach said:


> Do you even know what irony is?


You're doing it again, congratulations.

Mahler just isn't something for you, let's keep it at that, shall we?


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## JTech82

All of this talk of Richard Strauss has made me to want to get out my Karajan recordings!

I love Richard Strauss. He was a master orchestrator. To put it simply: he wrote beautiful music.


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## Bach

Yes, he's superb.


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## Lisztfreak

In Strauss, I'm sometimes annoyed by what a friend of mine calls 'the pulling out of your soul'. He means those grievous-sounding, drawn and wailing chromatic passages where you think there'll be a big tune in the end, and then nothing, it just goes on. That 'pulling of the soul' is a thing that for me mars a lot of late-Romantic music. Without those excesses, I'd find R. Strauss, Mahler and Delius (for example) perfect composers. And that sort of chromaticism is the thing which simply ruins the slow movement of Martinů's String Quartet Concerto. It's awful, that movement.


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## Lisztfreak

1. Walton
2. Tippett
3. Sibelius
4. Schumann
5. Beethoven
6. Bruckner
7. Beethoven
8. Shostakovich
9. Bruckner


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## andruini

1. Brahms
2. Sibelius
3. Brahms
4. Schumann
5. Shostakovich
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Beethoven
8. Schubert
9. Dvorak
10. Shostakovich

really tough on the 5 and on the 9!!


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## andruini

i wish i could edit again, because i just remembered Khachaturian's 2nd, which i totally intensely love..


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## Air

1. Mahler
2. Mahler
3. Prokofiev
4. Nielsen
5. Prokofiev
6. Beethoven
7. Beethoven
8. Bruckner
9. Dvorak
10. Shostakovich

Hmm...

Named: Liszt: Dante (Hungary)
1. Ives (USA)+
2. Mahler (Bohemia/Czech Republic)^
3. Saint-Saens (France)
4. Nielsen (Denmark)
5. Prokofiev (Ukraine)
6. Tchaikovsky (Russia)
7. Sibelius (Finland)
8. Vaughan Williams (England)+
9. Beethoven (Germany)
10. Shostakovich (Belarus/Siberia)*

^Stupid, makes me have to leave out Dvorak.
*I'm cheating, yes, but we'll go by heritage on this one.
+ Kind of desperate, there.


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## TresPicos

After some deliberation...

1. Bizet
2. Peterson-Berger (runner-up: A F Lindblad)
3. Honegger
4. Mahler
5. Vaughan Williams (runner-up: Schubert)
6. Beethoven (runner-up: Dvorak)
7. Dvorak
8. Dvorak
9. Dvorak
10. Don't think I've heard any 10s...

Sorry for being overly patriotic on #2, but those two symphonies are hidden gems.


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## BuddhaBandit

I'll do ten symphonies without repeating numbers, composers, countries, or *hairstyles*:

Brahms 1- Germany- shaggy, full beard and long hair
Elgar 2- England- handlebar mustache
Harris 3- America- clean-shaven with bald spot
Tchaikovsky 4- Russia- short beard and mustache
Nielsen 5- Denmark- crew cut
Sibelius 6- Finland- Burt Reynolds mustache
Dvorak 7- Czechoslovakia- full beard and mustache
Tubin 8- Estonia- short hair with widow's peak
Mahler 9- Austria- clean-shaven with long, slicked-back hair


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## Dim7

1. Mahler
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Beethoven (duh)
6. Mahler
7. Shostakovich
8. Bruckner
9. Beethoven


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## David Mayer

Walton (British)
Nielsen (Danish)
Harris (American)
Magnard (French)
Bruckner (Austrian)
Prokofiev (Russian)
Sibelius (Finnish)
Dvořák (Czech)
Beethoven (German)


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## Mirror Image

David Mayer said:


> Walton (British)
> Nielsen (Danish)
> Harris (American)
> Magnard (French)
> Bruckner (Austrian)
> Prokofiev (Russian)
> Sibelius (Finnish)
> Dvořák (Czech)
> Beethoven (German)


Interesting you chose Roy Harris. You know I haven't given him a good solid listen. I remember liking his "Symphony No. 4," because it kind of reminded me Stravinsky in a way with those irregular rhythms and those quick changing tempos.


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## David Mayer

Mirror Image said:


> Interesting you chose Roy Harris. You know I haven't given him a good solid listen. I remember liking his "Symphony No. 4," because it kind of reminded me Stravinsky in a way with those irregular rhythms and those quick changing tempos.


Harris's 3rd isn't _the_ best, but I gave him extra credit for being American. I didn't want an all-European lineup.


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## Mirror Image

David Mayer said:


> Harris's 3rd isn't _the_ best, but I gave him extra credit for being American. I didn't want an all-European lineup.


Have you listened to Barber's symphonies at all?


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## David Mayer

Mirror Image said:


> Have you listened to Barber's symphonies at all?


Yes, I hold them both in very high regard. I'm a bit weird, in that I like his 2nd symphony - the red headed cousin symphony - more than the very popular first.

I had one permutation of this list with Barber included, but that forced me into choosing Nørgård for my 3rd symphony, which I couldn't do in good conscience.


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## Mirror Image

David Mayer said:


> Yes, I hold them both in very high regard. I'm a bit weird, in that I like his 2nd symphony - the red headed cousin symphony - more than the very popular first.
> 
> I had one permutation of this list with Barber included, but that forced me into choosing Nørgård for my 3rd symphony, which I couldn't do in good conscience.


Well it's hard for me to even pick 10 favorite ones even though I did many posts back. Let me ask you who are three composers you can't live without?


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## David Mayer

Mirror Image said:


> Well it's hard for me to even pick 10 favorite ones even though I did many posts back. Let me ask you who are three composers you can't live without?


Prokofiev, Martinů, and Wagner


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## Mirror Image

David Mayer said:


> Prokofiev, Martinů, and Wagner


Martinu? Hmmm...that's a very interesting choice. Not that there's anything wrong with it of course. I haven't heard much Martinu at all. I own a set of his symphonies with Bryden Thomson and the RSNO, but that's it. His music is kind of difficult for me to get into for some reason. There's just not anything that comes out and grabs me. Any recommendations for a more lyrical, melodic side to his music?

Three composers I couldn't live without would be Ravel, Bartok, and Vaughan Williams.


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## David Mayer

Mirror Image said:


> Martinu? Hmmm...that's a very interesting choice. Not that there's anything wrong with it of course. I haven't heard much Martinu at all. I own a set of his symphonies with Bryden Thomson and the RSNO, but that's it. His music is kind of difficult for me to get into for some reason. There's just not anything that comes out and grabs me. Any recommendations for a more lyrical, melodic side to his music?
> 
> Three composers I couldn't live without would be Ravel, Bartok, and Vaughan Williams.


Martinů is the rare composer whose chamber music I enjoy even more than his orchestral output. His music for cello and piano (available inexpensively from Naxos) is excellent. His three cello sonatas are amongst the best ever, if not the best.

His seven string quartets are fantastic. They too rank among the best (and are similarly available for little money in a series of excellent Naxos recordings).

I love his two violin concertos.

His Double Concerto for Strings, Timpani, and Piano will probably appeal to you; it sounds like Bartók. Deeply, effortlessly melodic despite the spikiness.

His five piano concertos are uniformly enjoyable, and reveal just how easily melody came to him. He's one of the handful of composers - Dvořák, Prokofiev, Mozart, Schubert the other off the top of my head - who couldn't write unmelodically even if they tried. Piano Concerto #2 is probably the catchiest.

I happen to really like his symphonies, but they took me more than one listening to fully appreciate. They require more time than his other works. [Jim Svedja called Martinů the best symphonist of the 20th century. I can't go that far, but I will say there's a lot to find here. Then again, you either like a work or you don't.]

Edit: We should probably take this to PM to avoid Martinůjacking the thread.


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## Mirror Image

David Mayer said:


> Martinů is the rare composer whose chamber music I enjoy even more than his orchestral output. His music for cello and piano (available inexpensively from Naxos) is excellent. His three cello sonatas are amongst the best ever, if not the best.
> 
> His seven string quartets are fantastic. They too rank among the best (and are similarly available for little money in a series of excellent Naxos recordings).
> 
> I love his two violin concertos.
> 
> His Double Concerto for Strings, Timpani, and Piano will probably appeal to you; it sounds like Bartók. Deeply, effortlessly melodic despite the spikiness.
> 
> His five piano concertos are uniformly enjoyable, and reveal just how easily melody came to him. He's one of the handful of composers - Dvořák, Prokofiev, Mozart, Schubert the other off the top of my head - who couldn't write unmelodically even if they tried. Piano Concerto #2 is probably the catchiest.
> 
> I happen to really like his symphonies, but they took me more than one listening to really appreciate. They require more time than his other works.


Well thanks for the suggestions. I love Czech composers: Smetana, Suk, Dvorak, and Novak, but I just can't sink my teeth into Martinu, but hopefully, as you say, I will come to fully appreciate his music in time.

What are your thoughts on Impressionistic composers: Debussy, Ravel, Dukas, Vaughan Williams, Szymanowski, Bax, Delius, Faure, Respighi, etc?


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## pokemonman

OK. So here's my list. Is it even possible for anybody else's compare to mine? Anyways, it was hard to pick any one composer, so my list is a bit eclectic. 
1. Bruckner
2. Rachmaninoff
3. Saint-Saens
4. Mendelssohn OR Tchaikovsky (sorry, but it's tough to decide)
5. Shostakovich
6. Beethoven
7. Prokofiev
8. Mahler
9. Dvorak OR Schubert OR Beethoven (sorry, but even tougher to decide)
10. Schubert again


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## Mirror Image

pokemonman said:


> OK. So here's my list. Is it even possible for anybody else's compare to mine? Anyways, it was hard to pick any one composer, so my list is a bit eclectic.
> 1. Bruckner
> 2. Rachmaninoff
> 3. Saint-Saens
> 4. Mendelssohn OR Tchaikovsky (sorry, but it's tough to decide)
> 5. Shostakovich
> 6. Beethoven
> 7. Prokofiev
> 8. Mahler
> 9. Dvorak OR Schubert OR Beethoven (sorry, but even tougher to decide)
> 10. Schubert again


Schubert's 10th wasn't really a finished symphony. It was merely a sketch that had been found and ellaborated upon.

Great list though. Good to see Bruckner, Mahler, Rachmaninov, Mendelssohn, Saint-Saens, Shostakovich, Dvorak, and Prokofiev on your list.


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## Luke34

HEY LOOK IT'S MY FIRST POST

1. Shostakovich
2. Brahms
3. Saint-Saëns
4. Vaughan Williams
5. Tchaikovsky
6. Mahler
7. Beethoven
8. Dvořák
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich (by default; horribly, I haven't heard Mahler's _Tenth_ even though I have a recording of it)

Three was the hardest, for some reason. I like a lot of symphonies number three, I just don't LOVE them. I guess I could've put Beethoven, but that seemed a bit obvious.

The really ridiculously hard version:

Named: Grieg, _Symphonic Dances_ (Norway)
1. Nielsen (Denmark)
2. Ives (United States)
3. Saint-Saëns (France)
4. Vaughan Williams (United Kingdom)
5. Penderecki (Poland)
6. Mahler (Bohemia/Czech Republic)
7. Beethoven (Germany)
8. Shostakovich (Russia)
9. Bruckner (Austria)

Lord. That was like one of those puzzles where you have to shift all the numbers around and get them back in the correct order (particularly since I haven't heard everything by the more obscure symphonists or even Bruckner). So basically that list is "ten symphonies I like" more than my ten "favorites."


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## emiellucifuge

iM going to retry.

1. Prokofiev
2. Rimsky-Korsakov
3. Schumann
4. Mendelssohn/Dvorak (2nd place)
5. Sibelius
6. Beethoven
7. Dvorak
8. Dvorak
9. Dvorak


94: Haydn
Name: Liszts Faust


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## nickgray

1. Brahms
2. Mahler
3. Saint-Saens
4. Schumann
5. Tchaikovsky
6. Bax
7. Beethoven
8. Shostakovich
9. Dvorak


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## Cortision

1. Franck
2. Sibelius
3. Brahms
4. Mendelssohn
5. Beethoven
6. Beethoven
7. Beethoven
8. Dvorak
9. Dvorak


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## Dim7

1.Brahms
2.Mahler
3.Beethoven
4.Bruckner
5.Beethoven
6.Mahler
7.Shostakovich
8.Mahler
9.Beethoven


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## Barger

1. Walton
2. Ives
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Tchaikovsky
6. Mahler
7. Sibelius
8. Schubert
9. Bruckner


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## Art Rock

1. Brahms
2. Brahms
3. Gorecki
4. Mahler
5. Vaughan Williams
6. Beethoven
7. Sibelius
8. Bruckner
9. Bruckner
10. Shostakovich


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## Jules141

Very good idea for a list! Got me thinking:

1. Elgar
2. Vaughn Williams
3. Saint-Saens 
4. Prokofiev (1930 version)
5. Prokofiev
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Prokofiev
8. Mahler
9. Dvorak
10. Shostakovitch


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## Bobotox

1. Dohnanyi
2. Mahler
3. Raff
4. Rubinstein/Braga Santos
5. Raff
6. Rubinstein
7. Glazunov
8. Bruckner
9. Raff
10. Raff
_11. Raff_


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## Art Rock

Good to see Raff mentioned (he was a candidate for my #5 as well). One of those composers who deserve far more attention than they are getting.


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## lricardo

Ok..

1. Mahler
2. Sibelius
3. Mendelssohn
4. Brahms
5. Beethoven (obviously)
6. Tchaikovsky 
7. Dvorak
8. Schubert / Dvorak (completed symphony)
9. Dvorak 
10. Mahler (the only 10th I heard)


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## Fsharpmajor

1. Mahler
2. Rachmaninov
3. Bruckner
4. Shostakovich
5. Nielsen
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Sibelius
8. Mahler
9. Beethoven/Dvorak (tie)
10. Shostakovich

I know that my 9th is a cop-out, but I really can't decide,
and I would hate to leave either Beethoven or Dvorak out
of the top ten.

No. 11, if asked for, would be Shostakovich.


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## thatperson

*this is poorety tough...*

For me, I'd say

1. Barber
2. Borodin
3. Prokofiev
4. Tchaikovsky 
4.5!!!! Tchaikovsky Manfred Symphony (FYI, it was composed between his #4 and #5 )
5. Antheil
6. Mahler
7. Beethoven 
8. Schubert Unfinished
9. Dvorak 
10. Shostakovich


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## tgtr0660

Pretty much the same list as in the other thread... Let's try some variations:

1. Brahms
2. Sibelius
3. Bruckner
4. Bruckner
5. Shostakovich
6. Mahler
7. Bruckner
8. Dvorak
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich


The Symphonic form is my favorite and I have plenty of works I could put in each number, but I just couldn't come up with anything that I prefer ton these works in those numbers... A "second best" list would be: 

1. Mahler
2. Scriabin
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Beethoven
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Beethoven
8. Bruckner
9. Bruckner
10. Don't love many other than Dmitri's.... I'll choose Mozart's 41st as 10... (we should have all numbers till 104... Outside of Shostakovich's 11th, all the other places might be taken by either Wolfgang or Franz Joseph.. )


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## Bobotox

Hmm, let's see, here are the best I have heard

1. Raff/Rubinstein
2. Raff/Rubinstein
3. Raff/Rubinstein
4. Raff/Rubinstein
5. Raff (This symphony owns too much it's not even funny)
6. Raff
7. Raff/Spohr (The second movement from Spohr's is very catchy)
8. Raff
9. Raff
10. Raff
_11. Raff (This symphony as well outclasses everything from the 19th cent._

So yeah. It's obvious I love Raff. He is definitely the best composer from the Romantic era. No one comes close.


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## violadamore2

So many symphonies, so little time, yet an infinite amount of numbers.......


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## alagruth

1. Beethoven
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4.Bruckner
5. Beethoven
6. Tchaikovski
7. Sibelius
8. Schubert
9. Beethoven


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## Nix

1. Shostakovich
2. Brahms
3. Sibelius
4. Beethoven
5. Beethoven
6. Beethoven!
7. Vaughan-Williams
8. Dvorak
9. Dvorak
10. Shostakovich


----------



## Josef Anton Bruckner

Tal said:


> 1. Brahms
> 2. Mahler.
> 3. Beethoven.
> 4. Sibelius.
> 5. Cant decide- Porkofiev\Beethoven.
> 6. Tchaicovsky- (Patetuiqe).
> 7. Schubert- The unfinished.
> 8. Anton Brukner.
> 9. Dvorak/Beethoven.
> 10. MAHLER.


Don't try to get out of this challenge that easily...Schubert's unfinished is his eighth symphony, not his seventh.


----------



## Josef Anton Bruckner

Here is mine:
1. Bruckner
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4. Bruckner
5. Beethoven
6. Beethoven
7. Bruckner
8. Bruckner
9. Beethoven/Dvorak


----------



## Huge

Interesting idea.

1. Mahler
2. Sibelius
3. Beethoven
4. Tchaikovsky
5. Shostakovich
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Beethoven
8. Dvorak
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich (although possibly because I really don't know many other "10ths".)


----------



## PharmD10

Hey all, brand new here. First post, here I go.

1) Tchaikovsky
2) Kalinnikov (Borodin is close)
3) Beethoven
4) Mendelssohn
5) Tchaikovsky
6) Tchaikovsky
7) Beethoven
8) Dvorak
9) Dvorak


----------



## Sebastien Melmoth

0) *Bizet*
1) *Kalinnikov*
2) *Mahler*
3) *Skyrabin*
4) *Brahms*
5) *Bruckner*
6) *Beethoven*
7) *Glazunov*
8) *Schubert* (b-minor)
9) *Bruckner*


----------



## teccomin

1. Berlioz or Prokofiev
2. Rachmaninov
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Mahler
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Bruckner
8. Schubert
9. Dvorak
10. Shosti


----------



## Serenade

Ouch, very tough.

1. Vaughan-Williams
2. Mahler
3. Saint-Saens
4. Mahler
5. Mahler
6. Beethoven
7. Mahler
8. Mahler
9. Dvorak
10. Mahler

And to be annoying - 12. Shostakovich. Couldn't leave that out of any list!
Anyone notice a trend there?


----------



## unpocoscherzando

1. Brahms
2. Borodin
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Mendelssohn
6. Beethoven
7. Beethoven
8. Beethoven
9. Beethoven
10. Mendelssohn (string sinfonia)


----------



## elgar's ghost

I'll stick to one per composer but I could probably offer at least two supplemental lists based on that! I love Beethoven's symphonies so it's strange I can't find a place for any of them here.

1/ Balakirev
2/ Prokofiev
3/ Copland
4/ Tchaikovsky
5/ Bruckner
6/ Mahler
7/ Shostakovich
8/ Dvorak
9/ Schubert
10/ Simpson


----------



## Klavierspieler

1. Schumann
2. Schumann
3. Schumann
4. Schumann
5. Beethoven
6. Beethoven
7. Beethoven
8. Beethoven
9. Beethoven
10. Mendelssohn


----------



## Vesteralen

1. Elgar
2. Schumann
3. Nielsen
4. Brahms
5. Nielsen
6. Mahler
7. Mahler
8. Bruckner
9. Bruckner
39. Mozart


----------



## Llyranor

I went for one symphony per composer as well.

1) Elgar
2) Sibelius
3) Saint-Saens
4) Brahms
5) Tchaikovsky
6) Mahler
7) Shostakovich
8) Dvorak
9) Beethoven



Bobotox said:


> So yeah. It's obvious I love Raff. He is definitely the best composer from the Romantic era. No one comes close.


Thanks for the recommendation. I'm listening to some youtube samples of his 11th, and it's pretty good!


----------



## moosmann

1. Mahler No 2
2. Shostakovich No 5
3. Beethoven No 9
4. Rachmaninov No 2
5. Saint Saens No 3
6. Berlioz Harold in Italy
7. Tchaikovsky No 5
8. Sibelius No 2
9. Brahms No 2
10. Haydn No 104


----------



## Billy

1. Brahms
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4. Beethoven
5. Beethoven
6. Beethoven
7. Beethoven
8. Mahler
9. Beethoven
10. Shostokovich

I would put my own Symphonies in there but I have to wait a couple generations after I am dead to see whether they make it.


----------



## Nix

I last posted when I'd been into classical music for less then a year... so a revised version: 

1. Brahms
2. Mahler
3. Sibelius
4. Brahms
5. Beethoven
6. Beethoven
7. Sibelius
8. Dvorak
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich


----------



## clavichorder

Classical favorites are of a different category, so I'll stick with romantic/modern mostly unless the work transcends its period

This is a hard list to cut

1Tchaikovsky's 6th
2Beethoven's 7th
3Berlioz Symphony Fantastique
4Brahms 1st
5Dvorak's 7th
6Saint Saens' 3rd
7Tchaikovsky's 1st
8Shostakovich's 6th
9William Schuman's 3rd
10Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem

I really want to mention another Brahms Symphony or Dvorak's 8th or Tcherepnin's 3rd as well. Copland's 1st(w/out organ). This is at my earlier stages of romantic symphonic knowledge.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly

n.b.: @ *moosmann* & *clavichorder*...

the point of this exercise isn't to simply list your 10 overall favorite symphonies, it is to list your favorite _first_ symphony, your favorite _second_ symphony, and so on.

For additional challenge, one can try this list without repeating composers.


----------



## clavichorder

Okay, with no repeated composers

1)Tchaikovsky 
2)Elgar
3)William Schuman
4)Brahms
5)Prokofiev
6)Shostakovich
7)Beethoven
8)Dvorak
9)Bruckner
10)Mahler


----------



## Machiavel

1.Berlioz
2.Berlioz
3.Brahms
4.Sibelius
5.Beethoven
6.Tchaikovsky
7.Bruckner
8.bruckner
9.Mahler
10.Shostakovitch


----------



## Trout

Here it goes, with no repeats:

1. Prokofiev
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Sibelius
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Dvorak
8. Schubert
9. Bruckner
10. Shostakovich


----------



## chalkpie

1. Brahms
2. Mahler
3. Copland
4. Ives
5. Shostakovich
6. Mahler
7. Shostakovich
8. Schuman
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich


----------



## jalex

I did no repeats on the other thread so this time I'll allow them:

1) Mahler
2) Prokofiev
3) Beethoven
4) Brahms
5) Beethoven
6) Mahler
7) Beethoven
8) Beethoven
9) Beethoven
10) Shostakovich

I'd have Symphonie Fantastique / Harold en Italie, Webern's Op 21 Symphonie and Turangalila-Symphonie as bonus disks.

For reference, the ten without repeats:

1) Brahms
2) Prokofiev
3) Mendelssohn
4) Vaughan Williams
5) Sibelius
6) Mahler
7) Dvorak
8) Schubert
9) Beethoven
10) Shostakovich


----------



## tdc

Just my personal preference at the moment:

1) Brahms
2) Mahler
3) Mahler
4) Mahler
5) Sibelius
6) Mahler
7) Beethoven
8) Schubert
9) Bruckner
10) Shostakovich


----------



## kksacchi

*Compilation of all answers*

So, I took some time to excel everything posted here, i found this topic very interesting. I just took out those "no countries repeated" as I found them less useful. And one or another very radical answer (only one composer, for instance). Also, when somebody answered more then one composer in a single symphony, I counted both. On the 10th Symphony, Shostakovich was very alone with 21 hits. Mahler had 4 and one or another composer had 1. I will stick with the 9 symphony analysis which was much more interesting. So, before the results, here are my own personal favorites, the last to be added on to this big list:

1- Brahms
2- Mahler
3- Beethoven
4- Brahms
5- Beethoven
6- Tchaikovsky/Beethoven
7- Beethoven
8- Dvorak
9- Beethoven/Dvorak/Mahler


----------



## kksacchi

So here it is, the compilation. Some curiosities: Mahler was the composer cited in every 10 symphonies (even tough here i will go only up to the 9th for lack of competition for Shostakovitch in the 10th). Beethoven got his 9 pieces remembered and had the highest number of hits summing them all (97 hits!!). Mahler was the second with 76. Then Bruckner (43) and Shostakovich (40). Here are the results: 

SYMPHONY #1 :

Brahms	19
Mahler	8
Bruckner	3
Elgar	3
Prokofiev	3
Berlioz	2
Bizet	2
Shostakovitch	2
Walton	2
Balakirev	1
Barber	1
Beethoven	1
Dohnanyi	1
Franck	1
Langgaard	1
Rott	1
Schumann	1
Tchaikovsky	1

Not much competition here! Great victory to Brahms! I personally love this piece of music!!! Mahler's Titan also says hi at 2nd place!

SYMPHONY #2 :

Mahler	20
Sibelius	6
Borodin	4
Brahms	3
Rachmaninoff	3
Kalinnikov	2
Prokofiev	2
Schumann	2
Tippett	2
Beethoven	1
Berlioz	1
Elgar	1
Ives	1
Mendelssohn	1
Nielsen	1
Peterson-Berger	1
RimskyKorsakov	1
Rubinstein	1
Tchaikovsky	1
Vaughan Williams	1

The greatest victory of all symphonies, Mahler's great Resurrection symphony stands out! It is also one of my favorite of all time, I just saw it live in São Paulo's OSESP and it was just unbelievable. Sibelius at the 2nd with his 2nd.

SYMPHONY #3 :

Beethoven	18
Saint-Saens	5
Mahler	4
Sibelius	4
Brahms	3
Copland	3
Schumann	3
Bruckner	2
Gorecki	2
Mendelssohn	2
Prokofiev	2
Harris	1
Honegger	1
Nielsen	1
Raff	1

A very expected victory for Eroica, but for people not familiar with Saint-Saens, a good opportunity to go for his 3rd, a noble 2nd place here!

SYMPHONY #4 :

Brahms	13
Bruckner	7
Mendelssohn	5
Sibelius	5
Mahler	4
Schumann	4
Tchaikovsky	4
Beethoven	3
Dvorak	2
Nielsen	2
Shostakovitch	2
Braga Santos	1
Honegger	1
Prokofiev	1
Rubinstein	1
Vaughan Williams	1

Competition starts to become tougher at the 4th! Brahms gets it again, his 4th is really incredible! Bruckner appears at 2nd with his Romantic symphony and, then, lots of other 4ths asking to be noted, so go for them!

SYMPHONY #5 :

Beethoven	18
Shostakovitch	7
Tchaikovsky	6
Prokofiev	4
Sibelius	4
Bruckner	3
Nielsen	3
Vaughan Williams	3
Mahler	2
Raff	2
Antheil	1
Mendelssohn	1

Guess??? It's obvious, it's expected, it's almost silly, you might be tired of it, you might be in other composer mood, but the 5th is the beethoven 5th and everybody knows that. It's difficult, but it's always good to hear it as if it was the first time. Shostakovitch's 5th, also a great piece, wins a deserved isolated 2nd place!!

SYMPHONY #6 :

Beethoven	16
Tchaikovsky	16
Mahler	15
Bax	1
Bruckner	1
Rubbra	1
Rubinstein	1
Sibelius	1

Have you seen that competition?? Ludvig, Pyotr and Gustav fighting point after point for victory! Well, even tough the Pastoral and the Pathetique shared the 1st place, it's impossible to ignore Mahler's right behind! So go for those 3 great pieces!

SYMPHONY #7 :

Beethoven	17
Sibelius	7
Bruckner	5
Dvorak	5
Shostakovitch	5
Mahler	4
Glazunov	2
Prokofiev	2
Haydn	1
Penderecki	1
Petersson	1
Vaughan Williams	1

Another big win for Ludwig, his 7th is really a fantastic achievement, and surely not only for its famous 2nd movement! Sibelius takes a confortable 2nd place and asks you to listen to his 7th!

SYMPHONY #8 :

Dvorak	14
Schubert	11
Bruckner	10
Mahler	7
Beethoven	4
Shostakovitch	2
Vaughan Williams	2
Schumann	1
Tubin	1

Well, ironically it took Schubert only half a Symphony to fight for victory here! In another very good competition, Dvorak's won, with Schubert and Bruckner not far from him! 

SYMPHONY #9 :

Beethoven	19
Dvorak	18
Bruckner	12
Mahler	8
Schubert	2
Raff	1
Shostakovitch	1

I guess many found it the worst possible symphony to pick only one the 9th! Well, with good reasons, there are so many great 9ths... I guess Beethoven set a standard there and every composer later that reached that number tried to put something else into it, for our own pleasure  Well, very very tight victory for Beethoven who had to fight Dvorak's New World delightful symphony until the last breath. Bruckner's and Mahler's also very voted (I, personally, almost died when hearing Mahler's 4th movement in the concert hall, it's sublime!)

Well, those are the results, I hope it helped from the beginners - to guide their first steps - to the professional - well, lists are fun - listeners !!! See you!!


----------



## Kopachris

1 - Mahler
2 - Sibelius
3 - Prokofiev
4 - Tchaikovsky
5 - Tchaikovsky
6 - Tchaikovsky
7 - Erm... Mahler?
8 - Dvorak
9 - Dvorak
10 - Tie between Mozart and Haydn because they open almost the same way


----------



## mleghorn

1. Sibelius (a guilty pleasure of mine)
2. Elgar
3. Beethoven
4. Nielsen
5. Beethoven (duh!)
6. Mahler
7. Beethoven
8. Mahler
9. Beethoven (duh!)


----------



## jalex

1) Mahler (Brahms)
2) Mahler (Prokofiev, Sibelius)
3) Beethoven (Mahler)
4) Brahms (Mahler, Vaughan Williams)
5) Beethoven (Mahler, Shostakovich)
6) Mahler (Beethoven)
7) Beethoven (Sibelius, Mahler)
8) Mahler (Beethoven, Shostakovich)
9) Beethoven (Mahler)


----------



## Crudblud

You guys should try being more predictable, I'm totally shocked by these results.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

0 Schnittke
1 Ferrenc (2nd place: Schnittke)
2 Farrenc
3 Farrenc
4 Beethoven
4.2 Carl Vine
5 Dvorák
6 Mozart
7 Mahler (2nd place: Mozart)
8 Shostakovich
9 Mahler
10 Mozart
14 Shostakovich
25 Mozart
35 Mozart
41 Mozart
45 Haydn
51 Haydn
52 Haydn
212 Leif Segerstam


----------



## kksacchi

Crudblud said:


> You guys should try being more predictable, I'm totally shocked by these results.


Hey! Give us your list! Explain where you are surprised and why. That could be good!

That is why I spent 2 hours putting all results together


----------



## joen_cph

In today´s mood, with no repeats

1. Schnittke
2. Elgar
3. Honegger
4. Sibelius
5. Nielsen
6. Martinu
7. Bruckner
8. Pettersson (well, Bruckner is better, but he had no.7 where Pettersson is not so good, I wanted both composers represented)
9. Beethoven
10. Mahler


----------



## DavidMahler

1. Brahms
2. Mahler
3. Mahler
4. Brahms
5. Mahler / Sibelius (Tie)
6. Mahler
7. Mahler / Sibelius (Tie)
8. Bruckner
9. Mahler
10. Mahler


----------



## Eviticus

1. Brahms (Mahler, Elgar, Tchaikovsky closely follow)
2. Tchaikovsky (2nd symphonies often my least favourite except in this case)
3. Beethoven (Saint Saens)
4. Beethoven (Brahms)
5. Beethoven (Sibelius and Mahler closely follow)
6. Tchaikovsky (Beethoven)
7. Beethoven (Dvorak and Bruckner closely follow)
8. Schubert (Dvorak, Beethoven)
9. Dvorak (Schubert and Mahler)
10. Mahler (although i hate to admit i've heard very few composers 10th symphonies)


----------



## Ukko

1. Mahler (Prokofieff)
2. Sibelius
3. St. Saens (Tchaikovsky)
4. Mahler (Beethoven)
5. Beethoven (Nielsen)
6.Tchaikovsky (Hovhaness)
7. Dvorak
8. Beethoven
9. Dvorak


----------



## Crudblud

kksacchi said:


> Hey! Give us your list! Explain where you are surprised and why. That could be good!
> 
> That is why I spent 2 hours putting all results together


Relax, it was a joke. I'll post up a list soon.


----------



## jalex

Kudos to whoever mentioned Rott's Symphony in E (#1, though he didn't write any others). I've just listened to it, and it's a really fantastic piece which stands up pretty well even to Mahler #1 and Brahms #1. Mahler himself thought extremely highly of it. Definitely one of the great first symphonies.






Edit: how on earth did Mahler #5 only get two votes?


----------



## joen_cph

An early string symphony by *Hans Rott *has quite recently been posted on you-t:






Not in the same league, though.


----------



## Itullian

1. Brahms,Mahler,Schumann
2. Brahms, Schumann
3. Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann
4. Brahms, Schumann, Bruckner
5. Mahler, Beethoven
6. Beethoven
7. Beethoven, Dvorak
8. Bruckner, Mahler
9. Schubert


----------



## Klavierspieler

Itullian said:


> 1. Brahms,Mahler,*Schumann*
> 2. Brahms, *Schumann*
> 3. Beethoven, Brahms, *Schumann*
> 4. Brahms, *Schumann*, Bruckner
> 5. Mahler, Beethoven
> 6. Beethoven
> 7. Beethoven, Dvorak
> 8. Bruckner, Mahler
> 9. Schubert


Yay! :clap:


----------



## starthrower

1. Schnittke
2.Lutoslawski
3.Lutoslawski
4.Ives
5.Shostakovich
6.Sallinen
7.Hans Werner Henze
8.Henze
9.Henze
10. no favorite for this number


----------



## Klavierspieler

No real big change from last time:

1. Janacek (Sinfonietta)
2. Schumann
3. Schumann
4. Schumann
5. Beethoven
6. Beethoven
7. Beethoven
8. Beethoven/Schubert
9. Beethoven


----------



## Manok

1. Sibelius
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Tchaikovsky
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Mahler
8. Beethoven
9. Shostakovich
10. Shostakovich 

Yea I coulda done Beethoven for the obvious ones, but just thought I"d be a bit different. .


----------



## Vesteralen

Current List:
1. Barber
2. Vaughan Williams
3. Nielsen
4. Brahms
5. Nielsen
6. Mahler
7. Beethoven
8. Bruckner
9. Dvorak
10. Lloyd


----------



## Pestouille

00. Bruckner ('Nullte Symphony')
1. Brahms
2. Brahms
3. Beethoven
4. Bruckner
5. Bruckner
6. Beethoven
7. Bruckner
8. Bruckner
9. Bruckner
10. Shostakovich


----------



## tebw

One per composer then:

1. Elgar
2. Rachmaninov
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Sibelius
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Bruckner
8. Mahler
9. Dvorak
10. Shostakovich


----------



## EarthBoundRules

Composers only used once:

1. Schumann
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Sibelius
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Bruckner
8. Schubert
9. Dvorak

My list without the composer restriction is pretty much the same except #2 would belong to Sibelius and #9 would be Schubert.


----------



## suffolkcoastal

1 Walton
2 Elgar
3 W Schuman
4 Tubin
5 Vaughan Williams
6 Sibelius
7 Harris
8 Shostakovich
9 Vaughan Williams
10 Simpson


----------



## cdkowald

I had to list Mahler twice here as there is no way I can leave the 2d and 9th off the list. It is a close call on my all-time favorite work, but Mahler 2 and 9, Dvorak 7, Rach 2d Concerto, and the Sibelius Violin Concerto would be in the top five.

1. Brahms (Mahler, Walton, Rott)
2. Mahler (Brahms, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff, Atterberg, Krenek)
3. Schumann (Brahms, Mahler, Mendelssohn)
4. Shostakovich (Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Vaughan Williams, Bax, Saygun)
5. Sibelius (Mahler, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Arnold)
6. Tchaikovsky (Mahler, Bruckner, Beethoven, Bax)
7. Dvorak (Mahler, Bruckner, Henze)
8. Bruckner (Dvorak, Mahler)
9. Mahler (Beethoven, Dvorak, Vaughan Williams, Bruckner)


----------



## Arsakes

Officially from me (possibly won't change forever!):

1. Brahms 
- Also could be No 3.
2. Sibelius
- Greatest number 2 symphony, no contest.
3. Saint Saens (Organ)
4. Mendelsohn (Italian)
5. Beethoven 
6. Bruckner (Philosophical) 
- No worthy opponent when Beethoven and Dvorak are busy with another numbers!
7. Vaughan Williams (Sinfonia Antartica) 
- I would prefer Bruckner/Dvorak tie.
8. Schubert
9. Dvorak: From the New World


----------



## Polyphemus

More than likely flexible.

1 Penderecki
2 Mahler
3 Bruckner
4 Mahler
5 Bruckner
6 Bruckner
7 Dvorak
8 Beethoven
9 Mahler

Shame I could not have picked 3 or 4 per number.


----------



## Polyphemus

Can I cheat and do a second lot?.


----------



## BeatOven

So far,

1. Tchaikovsky
2. Brahms
3. Beethoven
4. Mahler
5. Shostakovich
6. Beethoven
7. Beethoven
8. Beethoven (It's the only 8th I have listened too. I will have to check out everyones choices.)
9. Beethoven
10. Mozart (Short and sweet)


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

I will try again

1. Schnittke
2. Vine
3. Saint-Saëns, Farrenc
4. Beethoven
5. Tchaikovsky
6. Mahler
7. Mozart, Mahler, Shostakovich
8. Glass
9. Dvorák
10. Shostakovich


----------



## violadude

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> I will try again
> 
> 1. Schnittke
> 2. Vine
> 3. Saint-Saëns, Farrenc
> 4. Beethoven
> 5. Tchaikovsky
> 6. Mahler
> 7. Mozart, Mahler, Shostakovich
> 8. Glass
> 9. Dvorák
> 10. Shostakovich


You should also add a spot for Vine's Symphony 4.2.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

violadude said:


> You should also add a spot for Vine's Symphony 4.2.


I'm not really into that one as much. The second one is cool.


----------



## Hesoos

1.Brahms (Beethoven's 10th)
2.Elgar
3.Mahler
4.Tchaikovsky 
5.Mahler
6.Beethoven (Pastoral)
7.Vaughan Williams (Antartica)
8.Schubert (unfinished)
9.Dvorak (New World)


----------



## aaroncopland

1-Its not Really named one but he only wrote one so Franck
2-Sibelius
3-Copland
4-Brahms
5-Shostakovich
6-Tchaikovsky
7-Shostakovich
8-Schubert
9-Mahler
10-Mahler


----------



## Noak

I don't listen to that many symphonies I noticed. I skipped 8 and 10 and exchanged them for 11 and 12.

1: Gloria Coates
2: Charles Ives
3: Alfred Schnittke
4: Johannes Brahms
5: Krzysztof Penderecki
6: Alfred Schnittke
7: Allan Pettersson
9: Alfred Schnittke
11: Allan Pettersson
12: Allan Pettersson


----------



## Renaissance

01 - Rachmaninoff
02 - Saint Saens
03 - Beethoven
04 - Shostakovich
05 - Beethoven
06 - Prokofiev
07 - Beethoven
08 - Schubert 
09 - Dvorak
10 - Shostakovich


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Gonna have another go at this:

1. Schnittke
2. Schnittke
3. Saint-Saëns
4. Beethoven
5. Tchaikovsky
6. Carl Vine
7. Henze
8. Glass
9. Schnittke
10. Henze


----------



## DeepR

1. Scriabin
2. Mahler
5. Beethoven
9. Dvorak

Haven't decided on the rest.


----------



## UberB

1. Brahms
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Beethoven
6. Mahler
7. Beethoven
8. Bruckner
9. Beethoven


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

UberB said:


> 1. Brahms
> 2. Mahler
> 3. Beethoven
> 4. Brahms
> 5. Beethoven
> 6. Mahler
> 7. Beethoven
> 8. Bruckner
> 9. Beethoven


How many symphonies have you ACTUALLY HEARD?


----------



## Renaissance

Renaissance said:


> 01 - Rachmaninoff
> 02 - Saint Saens
> 03 - Beethoven
> 04 - Shostakovich
> 05 - Beethoven
> 06 - Prokofiev
> 07 - Beethoven
> 08 - Schubert
> 09 - Dvorak
> 10 - Shostakovich


I've changed my mind regarding the first option : It is now Symphony No.1 by Rued Langgaard. It is an incredibly mature first symphony to be composed by a 17 year-old kid.


----------



## pollux

1 - (No #1 among my favourite music. Well, if Janacek's _Sinfonietta _counts...)
2 - Brahms (mainly for its superb slow movement).
3 - Brahms
4 - Brahms / Ives
5 - Schubert (not very convinced, though)
6 - (No #6 among my favourite music).
7 - Dvorak / Sibelius
8 - Bruckner
9 - Schubert

Yes, no Mahler and no Beethoven in my list!


----------



## StevenOBrien

1 - Bizet/Prokofiev
2 - Mahler
3 - Schumann/Beethoven
4 - Mendelssohn
5 - Beethoven/Schubert
6 - Beethoven
7 - Beethoven
8 - Glass/Schubert
9 - Beethoven
10 - Shostakovich


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

StevenOBrien said:


> 1 - Bizet/Prokofiev
> 2 - Mahler
> 3 - Schumann/Beethoven
> 4 - Mendelssohn
> 5 - Beethoven/Schubert
> 6 - Beethoven
> 7 - Beethoven
> 8 - Glass/Schubert
> 9 - Beethoven
> 10 - Shostakovich


Glass' eighth is brilliant, don't you think?


----------



## StevenOBrien

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> Glass' eighth is brilliant, don't you think?


What happened to finding it difficult to listen to tonal works? 

And yeah, I absolutely love it, it's a perfect marriage of classicism and modernity. I was a little disappointed with the 9th symphony though because I was hoping it would be along the same vector as the 8th, but it seems to look back to Glass' older style. There's always the 10th to be excited about though, which I believe is supposed to premiere next month.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

StevenOBrien said:


> What happened to finding it difficult to listen to tonal works?
> 
> And yeah, I absolutely love it, it's a perfect marriage of classicism and modernity. I was a little disappointed with the 9th symphony though because I was hoping it would be along the same vector as the 8th, but it seems to look back to Glass' older style. There's always the 10th to be excited about though, which I believe is supposed to premiere next month.


I find tonal stuff a bit difficult to listen to, but that doesn't mean that suddenly they all SUCK.


----------



## peeyaj

8 - *Unfinished*

9 - *Great C Major*


----------



## Andreas

No. 1: Schoenberg
No. 2: Honegger
No. 3: Górecki
No. 4: Brahms
No. 5: Mendelssohn
No. 6: Sibelius
No. 7: Penderecki
No. 8: Beethoven
No. 9: Bruckner
No. 10: Shostakovich


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Andreas said:


> No. 1: Schoenberg


You mistaking Webern for Schoenberg?


----------



## Andreas

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> You mistaking Webern for Schoenberg?


No, I was thinking of Schoenberg's first chamber symphony.


----------



## ComposerOfAvantGarde

Andreas said:


> No, I was thinking of Schoenberg's first chamber symphony.


Ah of course! I can't believe that his chamber symphonies just slip from my mind whenever I think of symphonies from the 20th century. I think it's all that Schnittke and Henze and Glass that's making me think of the bigger, grander style apart from the works for smaller forces such as Schoenberg's wonderful chamber symphonies.


----------



## TheBamf

No. 1: Only heard a few first symphonies.
No. 2: Mahler
No. 3: Beethoven
No. 4: Nielsen
No. 5: Mahler
No. 6: Tchaikovsky
No. 7: Beethoven
No. 8: Schubert
No. 9: Beethoven
No. 10: Shostakovich


----------



## Orpheus

1) Brian
2) Mahler
3) Sibelius
4) Tchaikovsky
5) Sibelius
6) Sibelius/Tchaikovsky
7) Shostakovich
8) Bruckner
9) Beethoven
10) Mahler (Ah, blessed brevity at last...)

Named: Turangalila, Franck symphony


----------



## Godzilla

1. Edward Elgar - 1857-1934
2. Gustav Mahler - 1860-1911
3. Johannes Brahms - 1833-1897
4. Carl Nielsen - 1865-1931
5. Ludwig Van Beethoven - 1770-1827
6. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - 1840-1893
7. Jean Sibelius - 1865-1957
8. Franz Schubert - 1797-1828
9. Anton Bruckner - 1824-1896
10. Dmitri Shostakovich - 1906-1975


----------



## Aries

1. Furtwängler
2. Bruckner
3. Bruckner
4. Bruckner
5. Bruckner
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Bruckner
8. Bruckner
9. Bruckner


----------



## jurianbai

Hm..... hard...since my most listen symphony is nos 40 up and then 80 ++... you-know-who..


----------



## Sonata

1) Mendelssohn
2) Bruckner/Sibelius/Mahler
3) Gorecki
4) Mahler
5) Tchaikovsky
6) Beethoven
7) Shostakovich
8) Dvorak
9) Dvorak


----------



## realdealblues

Hmm...if I am allowed repeats.
1) Beethoven
2) Mahler
3) Mahler
4) Beethoven
5) Mahler
6) Mahler
7) Mahler
8) Beethoven
9) Mahler
10) Brian

No repeats...I'll have to think about it a little more.


----------



## violadude

Too hard, pass.


----------



## Webernite

violadude said:


> Too hard, pass.


You're just too embarrassed to list all nine Mahler symphonies. I know you.


----------



## Sonata

realdealblues said:


> Hmm...if I am allowed repeats.
> 1) Beethoven
> 2) Mahler
> 3) Mahler
> 4) Beethoven
> 5) Mahler
> 6) Mahler
> 7) Mahler
> 8) Beethoven
> 9) Mahler
> 10) Brian
> 
> No repeats...I'll have to think about it a little more.


Good man! I tried for variety myself, but I pretty much could easily just fill the list in with Mahler


----------



## realdealblues

Sonata said:


> Good man! I tried for variety myself, but I pretty much could easily just fill the list in with Mahler


Yeah, I was very tempted to just go all Mahler, but I have been listening to Beethoven a LOT lately so I gave him a few nods just so I didn't look too biased


----------



## mgj15

Brahms 1
Mahler 2
Raff 3
Mahler 4
Lachner 5
Atterberg 6
Bruckner 7
Beethoven 8
Dvorak 9
Shostakovich 10


----------



## Hausmusik

1. Mahler
2. Brahms
3. Brahms (Beethoven)
4. Brahms
5. Mahler
6. Haydn
7. Beethoven (or Dvorak)
8. Bruckner
9. Mahler
41. Mozart


----------



## Arsakes

If there's no composer limit, my updated list would be:

1. Mahler
2. Sibelius
3. Saint Saëns
4. Brahms
5. Beethoven
6. Bruckner
7. Dvorak
8. Bruckner
9. Dvorak
10. Schubert


----------



## Tristan

This is hard to pick, but here's mine, with a few close-calls noted:

1. Mahler (2nd Brahms)
2. Mahler
3. Saint-Saens
4. Tchaikovsky (2nd Shostakovich)
5. Shostakovich (2nd Beethoven)
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Shostakovich
8. Dvorak (2nd Mahler)
9. Beethoven (2nd Dvorak)
10. Shostakovich


----------



## Cheyenne

These lists are at least useful to remind you of many possibly good things you haven't listened to yet. Without repeats:

1. Schnittke
2. Brahms
3. Beethoven
4. Bruckner
5. Prokofiev
6. Ralph Vaughan Williams
7. Sibelius
8. Schubert
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich


----------



## Bone

1 - Beethoven or Mahler (I know, I already cheated)
2 - Rachmaninov
3 - Sibelius
4 - Vaughn Williams
5 - Prokofiev
6 - Tchaikovsky
7 - Shostakovich
8 - Bruckner
9 - Beethoven
10 - Mahler / Cooke


----------



## julianoq

I discovered classical music only a month ago and I am listening to random symphonies from the top 150 list here like there is no tomorrow, this list will probably still change a lot 

1 - no idea 
2 - Mahler
3 - Beethoven
4 - Mahler
5 - Shostakovich (very hard to choose, I love Beethoven and Mahler 5th too)
6 - Mahler
7 - Dvořák
8 - Schubert
9 - Schubert (Dvořák really close)
10 - I think I never listened to a No. 10! Will repair it right now and try Shostakovich.


----------



## starthrower

1.Charles Ives
2.Lutoslawski
3.Honegger
4.Ives
5.Hartmann
6.Schnittke
7.Schuman
8.Sallinen
9.Henze
10.Schuman


----------



## Pezza

1. Mahler
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4. Bruckner
5. Mahler
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Shostakovich
8. Mahler
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich

I would happily give 5 or six per answer.


----------



## TudorMihai

1. Shostakovich
2. Vaughan Williams
3. Mahler
4. Tchaikovsky
5. Prokofiev
6. Beethoven
7. Shostakovich
8. Schubert
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich


----------



## GSchiappe

1 - Brahms
2 - Brahms
3 - Beethoven
4 - Tchaikovsky
5 - Bruckner
6 - Bruckner
7 - Bruckner
8 - Bruckner
9 - Beethoven
10 - Shostakovich


----------



## ajesh

1 - Brahms (or Mahler)
2 - Sibelius (or Mahler)
3 - Beethoven
4 - Tchaikovsky
5 - Mahler
6 - Beethoven
7 - Beethoven
8 - Dvorak
9 - Beethoven (or Schubert)
10 - Shostakovich

Unfortunate that I couldn't find a place for Bruckner.

If only the list extended to 100, could have added a few by Haydn ;-)


----------



## TheVioletKing

1 - Brahms
2 - Mahler
3 - Beethoven
4 - Tchaikovsky
5 - Shostakovich
6 - Tchaikovsky
7 - Shostakovich
8 - Shostakovich (haven't heard any other 8th Symphony)
9 - Dvorak (Beethoven was close)
10 - Shostakovich


----------



## ptr

1 - Elgar
2 - Nielsen
3 - Prokofiev
4 - Mahler
5 - Tubin
6 - Nielsen
7 - Vaughan Williams
8 - Shostakovich
9 - Mahler
10 - Pettersson

/ptr


----------



## oogabooha

1. Rott
2. Ives
3. Copland
4. Tchaikovsky
5. Bruckner
6. Beethoven
7. Glass
8. Dvorak
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich

just off the top of my head i guess


----------



## deinoslogos

1. Brahms 
2. Mahler 
3. Mahler
4. Shostakovich
5. Mahler
6. Mahler
7. Beethoven
8. Bruckner
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich

I know only 5 composers is kinda lame, but what can I say, those other guys should have tried harder


----------



## Trout

I have already posted a list in this thread, but I think my tastes have changed quite a bit since then, so time for a new list.

Without repeats:

1. Rott
2. Honegger
3. Atterberg
4. Ives
5. Raff
6. Beethoven
7. Sibelius
8. Bruckner
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich

Named: Messiaen - Turangalila-Symphonie


----------



## Gustavgraves

1- Rachmaninoff
2- Mendelssohn
3- Prokofiev
4- Brahms
5- Mahler
6- Tchaikovsky
7- Penderecki
8- Bruckner
9- Dvorak
10- Shostakovich

Interesting how some choices are so unanimous.


----------



## StevenOBrien

1. Mahler
2. Sibelius
3. Schumann
4. Beethoven
5. Beethoven
6. Beethoven
7. Beethoven
8. Schubert
9. Schubert
10. Shostakovich (But I don't know of many other tens)


----------



## Neo Romanza

Oh, how difficult!

1. Walton
2. Elgar
3. W. Schuman (although Honegger's "Liturgique," Roussel, or Casella's _Sinfonia_ could have easily went here)
4. Ives (although Schmidt's could have went here)
5. RVW
6. Milhaud (although Sibelius could have easily went here)
7. Pettersson
8. Shostakovich
9. Bruckner
10. Villa-Lobos


----------



## Christo

First attempt:
1. Arnold Cooke
2. Léon Orthel
3. Stanley Bate
4. Joly Braga Santos
5. Dmitri Shostakovich
6. Eduard Tubin
7. Gustav Mahler
8. Vagn Holmboe
9. Ralph Vaughan Williams
10. Havergal Brian


----------



## Christo

Second attempt: 
1. Lennox Berkeley
2. Matthijs Vermeulen
3. Joly Braga Santos
4. Stanley Bate
5. Vagn Holmboe
6. Ralph Vaughan Williams
7. Eduard Tubin
8. Havergal Brian
9. Malcolm Arnold
10. Dmitri Shostakovich


----------



## maestro267

Neo Romanza said:


> Oh, how difficult!
> 
> 1. Walton
> 2. Elgar
> 3. W. Schuman (although Honegger's "Liturgique," Roussel, or Casella's _Sinfonia_ could have easily went here)
> 4. Ives (although Schmidt's could have went here)
> 5. RVW
> 6. Milhaud (although Sibelius could have easily went here)
> 7. Pettersson
> 8. Shostakovich
> 9. Bruckner
> 10. Villa-Lobos


I like this list. A good mix of non-standard composers. Looking forward to Naxos bringing out Villa-Lobos 10 (whenever they do).


----------



## Neo Romanza

maestro267 said:


> I like this list. A good mix of non-standard composers. Looking forward to Naxos bringing out Villa-Lobos 10 (whenever they do).


Thanks, maestro. Yeah, I try to avoid mainstream classical composers. Not because it's the 'cool' thing to do but mainly because I feel that these lesser-known composers have something just as viable to say musically as any of the bigger names.


----------



## Op.123

1. Mendelssohn
2. Schumann
3. Mendelssohn
4. Schumann
5. Beethoven
6. Beethoven
7. Beethoven
8. Beethoven
9. Beethoven
10. Mozart


----------



## Orfeo

*One per number? Okay, I'll try not to cheat.*

Mine:

Solo: Franck
#0: Anton Bruckner
#1: Gavriil Popov (though Rachmaninoff's and Eugene Kapp's could have easily been mentioned here)
#2: Braga Santos (though I love Atterberg's and Boris Tchaikovsky's)
#3: Arnold Bax (or Nielsen or Lyatoshynsky)
#4: Mahler (or Schmidt or Tubin)
#5: Bruckner
#6: Glazunov
#7: Dvorak
#8: Bruckner
#9: Mahler

Well, I did my best. 
:tiphat:


----------



## Nevum

1. Rott
2. Farrenc
3. Beethoven
4. Schumann
5. Mahler
6. Beethoven
7. Bruckner
8. Schubert
9. Bruckner


----------



## Nevum

Nevum said:


> 1. Rott
> 2. Farrenc
> 3. Beethoven
> 4. Schumann
> 5. Mahler
> 6. Beethoven
> 7. Bruckner
> 8. Schubert
> 9. Bruckner


It should be:

0. Bruckner
1. Rott
2. Farrenc
3. Beethoven
4. Schumann
5. Mahler
6. Beethoven
7. Bruckner
8. Schubert
9. Bruckner


----------



## Cadenza

*Ten favorite symphonies*

1. Brahms
2. Berwald
3. Saint Saens
4. Mendelssohn
5. Beethoven
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Beethoven
8. Schubert. 
9. Dvorak
10. To be discovered


----------



## Salathiel

Ten is kind of hard on Mozart and Haydn. I thought I saw two only references to Haydn and maybe just the single one to Mozart. Its been an enjoyable read nonetheless. My list: Each symphony is a well regarded example of that composers work, and there are no repeats. I could not think of a tenth

1. Sibelius
2. Mahler
3. Brahms
4. Mendelsohn
5. Shostakovich
6. Tchaikovsky 
7. Bruckner
8. Beethoven
9. Dvorak


----------



## bz3

1. Brahms
2. Schumann
3. Beethoven
4. Mendelssohn
5. Prokofiev
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Dvorak
8. Schubert
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich

1 a pop, otherwise Messrs. Beethoven, Brahms, and Mahler clean up.


----------



## musicrom

I feel like I've done this before, but I might as well try again...

1. Walton
2. Borodin
3. Beethoven
4. Tchaikovsky
5. Sibelius
6. Mahler "Tragic"
7. Prokofiev
8. Haydn "Le Soir"
9. Dvorak
10. Shostakovich

I had to do a lot of moving around to get this to work, but in the end, I'm pretty pleased with this list.

Without requiring unique composers, it would probably be something like this:
1. Mahler
2. Sibelius
3. Beethoven
4. Tchaikovsky
5. Tchaikovsky
6. Beethoven
7. Prokofiev
8. Haydn
9. Dvorak
10. Shostakovich


----------



## Aleksandar

1. Barber
2. Mahler
3. Schumann
4. Brahms
5. Sibelius
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Beethoven
8. Bruckner
9. Dvorak
10. Shostakovich


----------



## Chronochromie

Tomorrow this may change but right now:

1. Debussy La Mer
2. Prokofiev 
3. Lutosławski
4. Ives
5. Honegger
6. Nielsen
7. Henze
8. Bruckner
9. Mahler
10. Beethoven 10 AKA Brahms 1


----------



## Strange Magic

1. Martinu
2. Rachmaninoff
3. Prokofiev
4. Brahms
5. Sibelius
6. Beethoven
7. Dvorak
8. Schubert 
9. Bruckner
10. Shostakovich

Like everybody else, this is only one of 17 other possible listings.


----------



## D Smith

It seems to me we did this before in another thread, but it’s always a fun exercise. Sticking with one composer per number:

1 Franck
2 Sibelius
3 Saint-Saens
4 Brahms
5 Prokofiev
6 Tchaikovsky
7 Beethoven 
8 Mahler
9 Dvorak
10 Shostakovich

Ask me again tomorrow and I’ll post an equally valid but different list!


----------



## Polyphemus

1 Haydn
2 Bruckner
3 Mahler
4 Shostakovich
5 Dvorak
6 Rachmaninov
7 Nielsen
8 Sibelius
9 Simpson
10 Penderecki

In no particular order and like D Smith ask me tomorrow and there is no guarantee that the same 10 will feature.


----------



## Art Rock

Polyphemus said:


> 1 Haydn
> 2 Bruckner
> 3 Mahler
> 4 Shostakovich
> 5 Dvorak
> 6 Rachmaninov
> 7 Nielsen
> 8 Sibelius
> 9 Simpson
> 10 Penderecki
> 
> In no particular order and like D Smith ask me tomorrow and there is no guarantee that the same 10 will feature.


Reading the first post might have helped.....


----------



## Polyphemus

Art Rock said:


> Reading the first post might have helped.....


Possibly but you gotta love pedantry.


----------



## Stirling

Named: Debussy (La Mer)
1. Mendelsson
2. Schumann
3. Copland
4. Scriabin
5. Prokofiev (Прокофьев)
6. Newberry
7. Shostakovich (Шостако́вич)
8. Schubert
9. Beethoven
10. Mahler
Other:
40: Mozart
The "London": Haydn

Koechlin Symphony of Stars needs to be up there someplace.


----------



## david.allsopp

Tough one indeed and inevitably results in sad losses. Does this reveal the true ego? I would go with:

1. Bruckner - Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Marek Janowski)
2. Nielsen - New York Philharmonic Orchestra (Alan Gilbert)
3. Beethoven - Gewandhausorchestre Leipzig (Riccardo Chailly)
4. Brahms - Gewandhausorchestre Leipzig (Riccardo Chailly)
5. Vaughan Williams - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (Vernon Handley)
6. Tchaikovsky - The Philadelphia Orchestra (Cristoph Eschenbach)
7. Dvorak - The Philadelphia Orchestra (Wolfgang Sawallisch)
8. Mahler - Philharmonia Orchestra (Giuseppe Sinopoli)
9. Schubert - Philharmonia Orchestra (Charles Mackerras)
10. Pettersson - Norrköping Symphony Orchestra (Leif Segerstam)

https://play.google.com/music/playl...RnRErLTCScIVegfpaa_m6QPGBEQFC7o7IQ7bOvbOm4w==


----------



## Brahmsian Colors

1) Brahms
2) Brahms
3) Brahms
4) Tough. Brahms vs. Mahler
5) Schubert
6) Tchaikovsky
7) Dvorak
8) Dvorak
9) Schubert
There's no Tenth Symphony I particularly care for.


----------



## Composer Kid

1-Messiaen's Turangalila
2-Mahler and Sibelius
3-Gorecki and Lutoslawski
4-Sibelius
5-Silvestrov
6-Beethoven
7-Rautavaara's Angel of Light
8-Mahler
9-Beethoven
10-Shostakovich

Fun idea. I'm very close to some of these pieces.


----------



## Pugg

Composer Kid said:


> 1-Messiaen's Turangalila
> 2-Mahler and Sibelius
> 3-Gorecki and Lutoslawski
> 4-Sibelius
> 5-Silvestrov
> 6-Beethoven
> 7-Rautavaara's Angel of Light
> 8-Mahler
> 9-Beethoven
> 10-Shostakovich
> 
> Fun idea. I'm very close to some of these pieces.


Welcome to Talk Classical Composer Kid, who are your parents ?


----------



## Ralphus

Name: Symphonie fantastique
1. Prokofiev (or Martinu)
2. Mahler
3. Nielsen
4. Brahms (or Beethoven)
5. Sibelius
6. Beethoven
7. Dvorak (or Beethoven)
8. Schubert
9. Vaughan Williams
10. Mahler (or Shostakovich)


----------



## Rhinotop

*My first list*

1. Sibelius
2. Vaughan Williams
3. Ludolf Nielsen
4. Brahms
5. Tchaikovsky
6. Mahler
7. Dvorák
8. Bruckner
9. Schubert
10. Shostakovich


----------



## Rhinotop

My 2nd list:

1. Walton
2. Atterberg
3. Nielsen
4. Langgaard
5. Prokofiev
6. Dvorák
7. Bruckner
8. Shostakovich
9. Beethoven
10. Weinberg


----------



## Kjetil Heggelund

1. Brahms
2. Rachmaninov
3. Beethoven
4. Schumann
5. Shostakovich
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Sibelius
8. Schubert
9. Dvorak
10. Davies
wish my list wasn't so "normal"


----------



## JACE

1 - Sibelius
2 - Brahms
3 - Schumann
4 - Ives
5 - Nielsen
6 - Mahler
7 - Bruckner
8 - Dvořák
9 - Beethoven
10 - Shostakovich


----------



## Tchaikov6

1- Schumann
2- Tchaikovsky
3- Rimsky-Korsakov
4- Brahms
5- Prokofiev
6- Beethoven
7- Shostakovitch
8- Mahler
9- Schubert
10- Haydn


----------



## 20centrfuge

1. Barber
2. Sibelius
3. Prokofiev (honorable mentions: Brahms, William Schuman, Roy Harris)
4. Brahms
5. Sibelius (honorable mentions: Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky)
6. Prokofiev (honorable mention: Beethoven)
7. Beethoven
8. Schubert
9. Dvorak (honorable mentions: Bruckner, Beethoven)
10. Shostakovich


----------



## jdec

1. Mahler
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven or Brahms
4. Brahms
5. Shostakovich
6. Mahler or Tchaikovsky
7. Sibelius or Beethoven
8. Bruckner
9. Beethoven or Mahler or Dvorak
10. Shostakovich or Mahler

If only one composer per symphony was allowed:

1. Prokofiev
2. Sibelius
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Schubert
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Dvorak
8. Bruckner
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich


----------



## Bettina

Symphonic poem: Debussy's La Mer (honorable mentions to Liszt's Les Preludes and Respighi's Pines of Rome)

1. Schumann
2. Mendelssohn (assuming that his Lobgesang counts as Symphony No. 2)
3. Beethoven (honorable mentions to Saint-Saëns and Gliere)
4. Brahms 
5. Beethoven (honorable mention to Mendelssohn)
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Haydn
8. Dvorak (honorable mention to Schubert)
9. Beethoven
10. I can't think of anything I love...ummm, I guess Shostakovich?


----------



## Tchaikov6

Looking at my first list, I've realized my tastes have entirely changed!

1. Mahler
2. Tchaikovsky *or* Sibelius
3. Beethoven *or* Mahler
4. Mahler *or* Brahms
5. Prokofiev *or* Mahler *or* Vaughan Williams
6. Tchaikovsky *or* Beethoven
7. Sibelius *or* Beethoven
8. Schubert *or* Beethoven
9. Schubert *or* Beethoven


----------



## AfterHours

So many tough omissions "forcing" me (the humanity!) to follow suit with some other posters by including (the most worthy) "honorable mentions"...

1. *Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique* ... (honorable mention: Franck's Symphony in D Minor; Messiaen's Turangalila Symphonie; Brahms; Schnittke; Liszt's "Faust" Symphony; Shostakovich; Prokofiev...)
2. *Sibelius* ... (honorable mention: Brahms; Hindemith's "Symphony: Mathis der Maler"; Stravinsky's "Symphony in C"; Bernstein's "Age of Anxiety"; Mahler; Carter's "Symphony for Three Orchestras")
3. *Brahms* ... (honorable mention: Beethoven; Saint-Saens; Lutoslawski; Britten's "Requiem Symphony"; Gorecki's "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"; Scriabin's "La Divine Poem"; Schumann)
4. *Brahms* ... (honorable mention: Ives; Scriabin's "Poem of Ecstacy"; Schumann; Tchaikovsky; Mendelssohn; Bruckner; Lutosalwski) 
5. *Beethoven* ... (honorable mention: Mahler; Prokofiev; Schubert; Sibelius; Tchaikovsky)
6. *Tchaikovsky* ... (honorable mention: Beethoven; Mahler; Prokofiev) 
7. *Shostakovich* ... (honorable mention: Beethoven; Bruckner; Dvorak; Mahler)
8. *Schubert* ... (honorable mention: Bruckner; Shostakovich; Schnittke; Beethoven; Dvorak; Mahler)
9. *Beethoven* ... (honorable mention: Mahler; Schubert, Dvorak; Bruckner)
10. *Shostakovich* ... (Don't recall any truly worthy honorable mentions for the 10th, except Mahler's unfinished work...)

Note: Mahler's 9th and Schubert's 9th would rank #2 and #3 for me overall. So unfair to have to include them as "mere" honorable mentions! :scold:


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## R3PL4Y

1. Elgar
2. Vaughan Williams
3. Rachmaninoff
4. Brahms (Honorable Mentions to Ives and Chavez)
5. Beethoven
6. Tchaikovsky (Honorable Mention to Nielsen)
7. Sibelius
8. Dvorak
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich


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## hpowders

1. Prokofiev
2. Schumann
3. Ives
4. Shostakovich
5. Shostakovich
6. Schuman
7. Sibelius
8. Schuman
9. Schuman
10. Schuman


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## Hydrarchos

OK, my attempt. I won't restrict to one composer per modern country, as that is a totally anachronistic and therefore meaningless approach. But only one work per composer. Note that any such list (for me) is a snapshot in time; my preferences may vary in a month or two.

1. Gade
2. Casella (a much under-appreciated work that thankfully receives a bit of a revival)
3. Van Gilse
4. Gouvy
5. Bruckner
6. Tournemire
7. Miaskovsky
8. Raff
9. Schubert (D944)
10. Shostakovich (by default)
11. (why not?) Langgaard
12. Potter


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## Tchaikov6

Hydrarchos said:


> OK, my attempt. I won't restrict to one composer per modern country, as that is a totally anachronistic and therefore meaningless approach. But only one work per composer. Note that any such list (for me) is a snapshot in time; my preferences may vary in a month or two.
> 
> 1. Gade
> 2. Casella (a much under-appreciated work that thankfully receives a bit of a revival)
> 3. Van Gilse
> 4. Gouvy
> 5. Bruckner
> 6. Tournemire
> 7. Miaskovsky
> 8. Raff
> 9. Schubert (D944)
> 10. Shostakovich (by default)
> 11. (why not?) Langgaard
> 12. Potter


Glad to see someone else likes the symphonies (or at least one of them) of Gade. Delightful, underrated works.


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## Tchaikov6

hpowders said:


> 1. Prokofiev
> 2. Schumann
> 3. Ives
> 4. Shostakovich
> 5. Shostakovich
> 6. Schuman
> 7. Sibelius
> 8. Schuman
> 9. Schuman
> 10. Schuman


Interesting list. Could you recommend some recordings of the Schuman symphonies you listed?


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## Merl

At the moment:

1: Mahler
2: Tchaikovsky
3: Brahms
4: Schumann
5: Tchaikovsky
6: Schubert
7: Beethoven
8: Dvorak
9: Beethoven
10: Mahler


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## Robert Gamble

1. Farrenc
2. Mahler
3. Nielsen
4. Tchaikovsky
5. Beethoven
6. Haydn
7. Sibelius
8. Bruckner
9. Dvorak
10. Shostakovich


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## rw181383

My apologies for being late to this very cool thread!

My desert island Ten Favorite Symphonies:

1. Langgaard
2. Sibelius
3. Beethoven
4. Bruckner - 1881 (1878/1880)
5. Bruckner - 1878 (Novak)
6. Bruckner - 1881 (Novak)
7. Bruckner - 1885 (Novak)
8. Bruckner - 1887 (Novak) or 1887/1890 (Haas)
9. Bruckner - 1894 (Novak)
10. Pettersson 

If I was allowed to bring two sets of Top Ten Symphonies:

1. Vaughan Williams
2. Mahler
3. Atterberg
4. Braga Santos
5. Sibelius (really tough choice Sibelius and Arnold!)
6. Pettersson
7. Pettersson
8. Schubert (No. 9, "The Great")
9. Pettersson
10. Pettersson 

So many more!!


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## wolkaaa

1. Prokofiev
2. Mahler
3. Saint-Saens
4. Brahms
5. Mahler
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Shostakovitch
8. Schubert
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich

Named: Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique


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## Bulldog

1. Prokofiev
2. Mahler
3. Mahler
4. Mahler
5. Mahler
6. Mahler
7. Bruckner
8. Bruckner
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich


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## Andrew Grundy

1 Rachmaninoff 
2 Mahler
3 Saens Saens
4 Tchaikovsky 
5 Mahler 
6 Beethoven 
7 Shostakovich 
8 Bruckner 
9 Mahler
10 Mahler


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## Andrew Grundy

I would love to know what people think of my selectoin


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## Larkenfield

Andrew Grundy said:


> I would love to know what people think of my selectoin


Nice list! My only question is why Rachmaninoff for his first symphony? That's the symphony that sent him into a tailspin of depression and was generally not well regarded after its premiere, though it was re-constructed after his death and now more well regarded. Perhaps it's time for me to give it another hearing. Still, I thought yours was an excellent list overall. Congratulations! :clap:


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## Art Rock

Andrew Grundy said:


> I would love to know what people think of my selectoin


Overall a list that looks fine to me (well, except for the spelling of Saint-Saëns) and of course, as it is your personal taste, there's no point in suggesting others. But indeed, Rachmaninoff 1 is a quite "personal" choice.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

1. Berlioz (fantastique is his 1st symphony)
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Sibelius
6. Bruckner
7. Sibelius
8. Beethoven
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich


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## Larkenfield

PS. I must confess that I was underwhelmed after rehearing Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1. I could scarcely recognize it as him and unfortunately it seemed rather disjointed, overly ambitious for what he was trying to accomplish, and noticeably influenced by Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov.

For a first Russian symphony, I believe he has stiff competition with Prokofiev and Shostakovich (with top honors IMO going to Shostakovich at age 19).

Nevertheless, I'm a huge fan of Rachmaninoff and I consider his glorious Symphonyr No. 2 as completely characteristic of himself and as a soulful and emotionally moving masterpiece despite its rather thick orchestration that some do not care for. There's an honesty and sincerity in his music that I find greatly appealing, and his sense of melody can be out of this world. I find a huge world of difference in maturity between his first two symphonies.

My two favorite 2nds are by Andre Previn and the LSO and Eugene Ormandy with the Philadelphia Orchestra, a conductor who knew Rachmaninoff personally and championed his music.

Despite its occasional pops and scratches:


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## Bill Cooke

I tried not to repeat a composer. 

#Only - Korngold
#1 - Walton
#2 - Bax
#3 - William Schuman
#4 - Brahms
#5 - Prokofiev
#6 - Mahler
#7 - Vaughan Williams
#8 - Holmboe
#9 - Beethoven
#10 - Shostakovich


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## SixFootScowl

*1. Mahler
2. Mendelssohn
3. Beethoven
4. Mendelssohn
5. Beethoven
6. Beethoven
7. Mahler
8. Mahler
9. Beethoven
10. Mahler*

Now the fun part would be to put these on my player in this order and listen through.


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## Roger Knox

1. Schumann
2. Schmidt (Franz)
3. Saint-Saens ("Organ")
4. Bruckner
5. Mahler
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Dvorak
8. Schubert (Unfinished)
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich

Wow this is tricky! I'd like to fit Brahms in somehow, and Mozart minus the first digit e.g. (4)1!


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## Roger Knox

Even if "normal" it's all good! -- except I don't know the Davies.


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## Tchaikov6

Andrew Grundy said:


> 1 Rachmaninoff
> 2 Mahler
> 3 Saens Saens
> 4 Tchaikovsky
> 5 Mahler
> 6 Beethoven
> 7 Shostakovich
> 8 Bruckner
> 9 Mahler
> 10 Mahler


You're a big Mahler fan I see. Do you prefer the Cooke's performing version of Mahler 10, or some other less known one? It's one of my favorite Mahler symphonies.


----------



## Tchaikov6

Andrew Grundy said:


> 1 Rachmaninoff
> 2 Mahler
> 3 Saens Saens
> 4 Tchaikovsky
> 5 Mahler
> 6 Beethoven
> 7 Shostakovich
> 8 Bruckner
> 9 Mahler
> 10 Mahler


You're a big Mahler fan I see. Do you prefer the Cooke's performing version of Mahler 10, or some other less known one? It's one of my favorite Mahler symphonies.


----------



## haydnfan

1. Prokofiev
2. Sibelius
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Nielsen
6. Mahler
7. Dvorak
8. Bruckner
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich


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## Pugg

Florestan said:


> *1. Mahler
> 2. Mendelssohn
> 3. Beethoven
> 4. Mendelssohn
> 5. Beethoven
> 6. Beethoven
> 7. Mahler
> 8. Mahler
> 9. Beethoven
> 10. Mahler*
> 
> Now the fun part would be to put these on my player in this order and listen through.


And the symphony numbers?


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## SixFootScowl

> 1. Mahler
> 2. Mendelssohn
> 3. Beethoven
> 4. Mendelssohn
> 5. Beethoven
> 6. Beethoven
> 7. Mahler
> 8. Mahler
> 9. Beethoven
> 10. Mahler





Pugg said:


> And the symphony numbers?


Same as the listing number.


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## David9

1. Brahms
2. Mahler
3. Beethoven
4. Mahler
5. Shostakovich
6. Beethoven
7. Beethoven
8. Dvorak
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich


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## R3PL4Y

1. Rachmaninoff
2. Elgar
3. Saint-Saens
4. Brahms
5. Nielsen
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Sibelius
8. Vaughan Williams
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich


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## MusicSybarite

One by number and composer:

1) Walton
2) Khachaturian
3) Atterberg
4) Brahms
5) Tchaikovsky
6) Mahler
7) Bruckner
8) Dvorák
9) Simpson
10) Shostakovich


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## chill782002

1- Prokofiev
2- Rachmaninov
3- Brahms
4- Vaughan-Williams
5- Sibelius
6- Beethoven
7- Mahler
8- Dvorak
9- Bruckner
10- Raff


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## nobleturtle

Slightly monotonous, but:

1. Mahler
2. Rachmaninov
3. Beethoven
4. Mahler
5. Mahler
6. Mahler
7. Mahler
8. Shostakovich
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich


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## 20centrfuge

1. Barber
2. Maslanka
3. Prokofiev
4. Nielsen
5. Sibelius
6. Prokofiev
7. Beethoven
8. Schubert
9. Dvorak
10. Shostakovich


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## Pat Fairlea

1. Kalinnikov
2. Rachmaninov
3. Vaughan Williams
4. Tchaikovsky
5. Sibelius
6. Sibelius
7. Beethoven
8 Dvorak
9 Vaughan Williams
10 Shostakovich


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## Merl

This week......

1 Mahler
2 Schumann
3 Beethoven
4 Brahms
5 Sibelius
6 Schubert
7 Beethoven
8 Schubert
9 Beethoven
10 Raff


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## Don Fatale

1. Mahler
2. Rachmaninov
3. Beethoven
4. Tchaikovsky
5. Shostakovich
6. Prokofiev
7. Sibelius
8. Dvorak
9. Schubert

Going by the 1 per composer method.


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## hpowders

Tchaikov6 said:


> Interesting list. Could you recommend some recordings of the Schuman symphonies you listed?


Gerard Schwarz conducting the Seattle Symphony for 3-10.

Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic for Schuman symphonies 3 and 8.


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## Tchaikov6

hpowders said:


> Gerard Schwarz conducting the Seattle Symphony for 3-10.
> 
> Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic for Schuman symphonies 3 and 8.


Since the time I asked, I have gotten familiar with the Bernstein recording of Schuman 3 and 8, and I love it! Both are very creative pieces with excellent interpretation.

I'll definitely check out the Schwarz set you recommended as well, thank you.


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## haziz

1. Kalinnikov
2. Tchaikovsky 
3. Beethoven 
4. Tchaikovsky 
5. Beethoven 
6. Tchaikovsky 
7. Beethoven 
8. Dvorak.
9. Beethoven 
10. .....er..... none


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## Gordontrek

1. Brahms
2. Mahler
3. Brahms
4. Tchaikovsky
5. Shostakovich
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Shostakovich
8. Dvorak
9. Beethoven (Bruckner is a close second)
10. Can't say I've ever heard anyone's 10th symphony that really grabbed me.


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## clavichorder

1) Brahms
2) Sibelius
3) Mahler
4) Shostakovich
5) Nielsen
6) Tchaikovsky
7) Beethoven
8) Dvorak
9) Schubert
15) Shostakovich


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## Merl

This week it's....

1 - 4. Brahms
5 - 7 Beethoven
8 - 9 schubert


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## SmokeyBarnable

1. Sibelius
2. Mahler
3. Sibelius
4. Bruckner
5. Bruckner
6. Bruckner
7. Beethoven
8. Bruckner
9. Bruckner
10. Mahler


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## leonsm

Could someone make a voting count until here?


----------



## Pugg

leonsm said:


> Could someone make a voting count until here?


May I ask why? ...................


----------



## Steve1087

1.Vaughan Williams
2.Rachmaninov
3.Gorecki
4.Tchaikovsky
5.Vaughan Williams
6.Tchaikovsky
7.Sibelius
8.Bruckner
9.Beethoven


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## leonsm

Pugg said:


> May I ask why? ...................


To see how many votes every symphony received.


----------



## haziz

leonsm said:


> Could someone make a voting count until here?


I just volunteered you for the task.


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## leonsm

haziz said:


> I just volunteered you for the task.


Maybe I do this in my vocation hehe.

But I thought could be some macro to do this.


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## jlspinks

Here is my lot for the moment:

1. Prokofiev
2. Vaughan Williams
3. Atterberg
4. Bruckner
5. Sibelius
6. Beethoven
7. Dvorak
8. Schubert
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich


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## Pesaro

1. Tchaikovsky
2. Mahler
3. Schumann
4. Mahler
5. Schubert
6. Mahler
7. Mahler
8. Dvorak
9. Mahler
10. Mahler

Three, four and five were tough decisions. The Eroica really deserves to be on any list but since the thread asks for favorites, the Schumann got the nod since it is my most listened to symphony. The Brahms 4th also deserves inclusion but Mahler 4 is so special to me, I had to name it. As for 5, I thought about Beethoven, Mahler and Shostakovich but the little Schubert 5th is amazingly charming and so I decided to include it. The rest of the decisions were a tad easier. Had Tchaikovsky given a number to his Manfred Symphony, it had a very good chance of making my list.


----------



## Brahmsian Colors

I especially like and agree with your choices of the Schubert Fifth and Dvorak Eighth. Both works are wonderfully melodious.


----------



## Pesaro

Haydn67,

Thanks for the kind words. I also live in Florida, Coconut Creek, which is just south of Boca Raton, in Broward County.


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## juliante

This is the correct list: 

1. Berlioz
2. Mahler 
3. Beethoven
4. Brahms
5. Beethoven
6. Mahler
7. Sibelius (Well ok Beethoven, but variety is the spice of life etc.)
8. Dvorak
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich


----------



## SONDEK

I thought it would be fun to go a step further and include my favourite reading of each. I have included my hard choice alternatives (in brackets) as follows: -

1: PROKOFIEV - ORPHEUS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA / DG (BRAHMS and MAHLER)

2: SIBELIUS - ASHKENAZY with BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA / DECCA (RACHMANINOV)

3. DVORAK - GUNZENHAUSER with SLOVAK PHILHARMONIC / NAXOS (GORECKI and SCHUBERT)

4: MAHLER - SZELL with CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA / CBS (TCHAIKOVSKY)

5: TCHAIKOVSKY - MUTI with PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA / EMI (SIBELIUS)

6: TCHAIKOVSKY (PATHETIQUE) - ASHKENAZY with PHILHARMONIA / DECCA (BEETHOVEN)

7: BRUCKNER - KARAJAN with BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER / EMI (PROKOFIEV)

8: SCHUBERT - SINOPOLI with PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA / DG (DVORAK)

9: DVORAK (NEW WORLD) - KONDRASHIN with VIENNA PHILHARMONIC / DECCA (BEETHOVEN)

10: Like some others, I simply have not got a favourite 10th. 

Truthfully, I've not heard a 10th that I even enjoy. But I am enjoying listeing to all of your choices for a best 10th!
(Thank you all...)

:tiphat:


----------



## SONDEK

After an overnight think - and a sleep on it - I really had to make a few changes.


1: PROKOFIEV - ORPHEUS CHAMBER ORCHESTRA / DG (BRAHMS and MAHLER)

2: SIBELIUS - ASHKENAZY with BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA / DECCA (RACHMANINOV, ELGAR and VAUGHN WILLIAMS)

3. SCHUBERT- BEECHAM with ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA / EMI (GORECKI and DVORAK)

4: MAHLER - SZELL with CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA / CBS (TCHAIKOVSKY)

5: TCHAIKOVSKY - MUTI with PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA / EMI (SIBELIUS and SCHUBERT)

6: TCHAIKOVSKY (PATHETIQUE) - ASHKENAZY with PHILHARMONIA / DECCA (BEETHOVEN and DVORAK)

7: BRUCKNER - KARAJAN with BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER / EMI (PROKOFIEV and BEETHOVEN)

8: SCHUBERT - SINOPOLI with PHILHARMONIA ORCHESTRA / DG (DVORAK and BRUCKNER)

9: DVORAK (NEW WORLD) - KONDRASHIN with VIENNA PHILHARMONIC / DECCA (SCHUBERT and BEETHOVEN)

10: Like some others, I simply have not got a favourite 10th. 

Truthfully, I've not heard a 10th that I even enjoy. But I am enjoying listeing to all of your choices for a best 10th!
(Thank you all...)


----------



## SONDEK

First Five...


----------



## SONDEK

Second Five...


----------



## SONDEK

PS: Yeah I know.  I changed my favourite version of TCHAIKOVSKY's 5th. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy the MARKEVITCH / LSO classic version on PHILIPS...  -SONDEK


----------



## Ralphus

1. Mahler [Bernstein/Concertgebouw/DG] (Prokofiev, Martinu)
2. Mahler [Tennstedt/LSO/LSO Live] (Sibelius)
3. Nielsen [Oramo/Stockholm/Bis] (Schumann, Sibelius, Panufnik, Gorecki)
4. Beethoven [Kleiber/Bavarian State/Orfeo] (Brahms, Shostakovich, Ives)
5. Mahler [Bernstein/VPO/DG] (Nielsen, Sibelius, Shostakovich, Schubert)
6. Beethoven [Walter/Columbia/Sony] (Tchaikovsky, Dvorak)
7. Dvorak [Harnoncourt/Concertgebouw/Teldec] (Beethoven)
8. Schubert [Wand/Cologne Radio/RCA] (Shostakovich)
9. Dvorak [Tennstedt/BPO Live/Testament] (Mahler, Vaughan Williams)
10. Mahler [Chailly/Deutsche/Decca]


----------



## Rach Man

juliante said:


> This is the correct list:
> 
> 1. Berlioz
> 2. Mahler
> 3. Beethoven
> 4. Brahms
> 5. Beethoven
> 6. Mahler
> 7. Sibelius (Well ok Beethoven, but variety is the spice of life etc.)
> 8. Dvorak
> 9. Beethoven
> 10. Shostakovich


You were so close to having the correct answer. But, unfortunately, you didn't read the rules. The rules stated: Ten Favorite Symphonies: One per Number. Symphonie Fantastique was Berlioz's first symphony. But it wasn't numbered. But try again next week with whatever other poll we have offered.


----------



## Art Rock

It's been 8 years since my first post in this thread. Time for a new list, including runners-up:

1 Berlioz (Brahms, Mahler)
2 Mahler (Brahms, Bax)
3 Gorecki (Saint-Saens, Mendelssohn)
4 Mahler (Brahms, Schmidt)
5 Vaughan Williams (Sibelius, Beethoven)
6 Beethoven (Mahler, Sibelius)
7 Shostakovich (Vaughan Williams, Mahler)
8 Schubert (Bruckner, Dvorak)
9 Bruckner (Mahler, Dvorak)
10 Shostakovich (Mahler, Davies)


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## Merl

This week:

1. Mehul (Swierczewski)
2. Mahler (Jansons)
3. Brahms (Levine)
4. Schumann (Ticciati)
5. Beethoven (Honeck)
6. Mahler (Jansons)
7. Dvorak (Serebrier)
8. Schubert (Bruggen)
9. Beethoven (Haselbock)
10. Shostakovich (Petrenko)


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## SONDEK

Hey Merl

I see - like me - you are a big fan of BRAHMS (Sadly much underrated, I fear) SYMPHONY NO.3.

I also see you have listed the LEVINE version as your current fave, so I will give it a listen today.

I recently did a bit of a survey on this piece (Somehow, I missed LEVINE...) as in a few weeks time EDO DE WAART will be conducting the AUCKLAND PHILHARMONIC in this piece locally - and my wife and I will be there. So I was trying to choose the most accessible reading of the 3RD that I could find, to help ease my wife into the piece. 
(As you do... LOL!)

My go-to version - which I own on an old English HELIODOR (DG) LP pressing - has always been the classic MAAZEL/BPO version from the late 1950s. I also enjoy the old KEMPE/BERLIN PHILHARMONIKER version.

(Frankly, the critically acclaimed ABBADO/BPO version on DG just doesn't seem to do it for me...)

Anyway, I recently found a stunning modern version by *GARDINER / ORCHESTRA REVOLUTIONNAIRE ET ROMANTIQUE.*

This GARDINER BRAHMS 3rd is most definitely worth a serious listen, as GARDINER seems to extract a sumptuous tone from this orchestra, right from the opening bars.

I'd like to recommend it here - to others.

Here's some cover art... Enjoy!


----------



## Merl

SONDEK said:


> Hey Merl
> 
> I see - like me - you are a big fan of BRAHMS (Sadly much underrated, I fear) SYMPHONY NO.3.
> 
> I also see you have listed the LEVINE version as your current fave, so I will give it a listen today.


That Levine cycle is my favourite Brahms set. Superbly played and recorded. You need to give it a serious listen, SONDEK.


----------



## Bernamej

Love the Doernberg quote !!


----------



## SONDEK

Merl

I managed to find this BRAHMS SYMPHONY set, by LEVINE/CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - and gave it a listen.









This is a very impressive recording with some wonderful and enjoyable passages.

In the BRAHMS 3RD, I felt LEVINE pressed a bit hard at times - not dissimilar to the way that SOLTI used to (occasionally) press too hard (IMHO) in days gone by. Many people loved SOLTI's driven approach to many well-known orchestral works, but it was just not for me. That said, Solti also delivered some sublimely tender orchestral moments - some of which remain the finest in the recorded repertoire.

I feel that LEVINE's approach on this BRAHMS 3RD is so very much in the hard-pressed SOLTI style - which may work for you and many others.

I guess it depends how one has come to know these pieces. Early musical impressions of a work are so very stubborn.

Was this the version that you were referring too? Or is there another?

I'm also keen to see what you thought of my recommendation, as follows: -
(Possibly a bit too gentle a hand for your tastes perhaps...?)


----------



## Merl

SONDEK said:


> Merl
> 
> I managed to find this BRAHMS SYMPHONY set, by LEVINE/CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - and gave it a listen.
> 
> View attachment 98778
> 
> 
> Was this the version that you were referring too? Or is there another?
> 
> I'm also keen to see what you thought of my recommendation, as follows: -
> (Possibly a bit too gentle a hand for your tastes perhaps...?)
> 
> View attachment 98779


Yes, Sondek, that was the Levine Brahms cycle I was referring to and love. As for Gardiner's Brahms, I have them and like them (I love Gardiner's way with tempos - he often judges it just right) but I do prefer a bit more 'meat on the bones', driven Brahms (as you say it's different for others).

Anyhoo, this week my favourite symphonies per number are:

1. Schumann (Ticciati)
2. Balakirev (Svetlanov)
3. Beethoven (Weil)
4. Brahms (Dudamel)
5. Beethoven (Markevitch)
6. Mahler (Tilson Thomas)
7. Beethoven (Tilson Thomas)
8. Bruckner (Thielemann)
9. Schubert (Dausgaard)
10. <none>


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## AfterHours

1st Choices...

*1. Symphonie Fantastique - Hector Berlioz (1830) / Herbert von Karajan - Berlin Philharmonic (1975)* 
*Spotify:*
https://i.scdn.co/image/a4757706d801b16068a2e7490174d26675849600 
*Youtube:* 




*2. Symphony No. 2 in D Major - Jean Sibelius (1902) / Leonard Bernstein - New York Philharmonic (1966)*
*Spotify:* https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51OZXEExy9L.jpg
*Youtube: (1st Mov)* 



 *(2nd Mov)* 




 *(3rd Mov)* 



 *(4th Mov)* 




*3. Symphony No. 3 in F Major - Johannes Brahms (1883) / Gunter Wand - Sinfonieorchester des NDR (1983)*
*Spotify:* https://static.raru.co.za/cover/2015/11/05-06/4021197-l.jpg?v=1446678000
*Youtube:* 




*4. Symphony No. 4 in E Minor - Johannes Brahms (1884) / Carlos Kleiber - Wiener Philarmoniker (1980)*
*Spotify:* https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51oXj97T7LL.jpg 
*Youtube:* 




*5. Symphony No. 5 in C Minor - Ludwig van Beethoven (1808) / John Eliot Gardiner - Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique (2016)* 
*Youtube:* 




*6. Symphony No. 6 in B Minor "Pathetique" - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1893) / Evgeny Mravinsky - Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra (1961)* 
*Spotify:* https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51jSLwItstL.jpg 
*Youtube:* 




*7. Symphony No. 7 in A Major - Ludwig van Beethoven (1812) / Manfred Honeck - Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (2015)*
*Spotify:* http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M3xjpbXxeps/VjIpEZzI_JI/AAAAAAAABU8/KrsG1W0RAhI/s1600/FR-718_Cov

*8. Symphony No. 8 in B Minor "Unfinished" - Franz Schubert (1822) / Carlos Kleiber - Vienna Philharmonic (1978)* 
*Spotify:* https://i.scdn.co/image/8dbc0b47757138cdcf3677d145cd7bda34d4a82c 
*Youtube:* 




*9. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor "Choral" - Ludwig van Beethoven (1824) / Herbert von Karajan - Berlin Philharmonic (1963)* 
*Spotify:* http://g-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/ciu/a0/0a/a2ff224128a0ad662e3fb010.L.jpg *Youtube:* 




*10. Symphony No. 10 in E Minor - Dmitri Shostakovich (circa 1951-1953) / Vasily Petrenko - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (2009)* 
*Spotify:* https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A3XJJX_qEQ4/maxresdefault.jpg
*Youtube:* 




2nd Choices...

*1. Symphony in D Minor - Cesar Franck (1888) / Pierre Monteux - Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1961)*
*Spotify:* https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/813M1UWNeWL._SX355_.jpg 
*Youtube:*
https://www.youtube.com/watchv=C4XeZZ3Rnxk&list=PLn7onsys1BkaviafTC4uhqWgruQ_omUL8

*2. Symphony No. 2 in D Major - Johannes Brahms (1877) / Herbert von Karajan - Berlin Philharmonic (1987)*
*Spotify:* http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_400/MI0001/070/MI0001070185.jpg?partner=allrovi.com
*Youtube:* 




*3. Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major "Eroica" - Ludwig van Beethoven (1804) / Klaus Tennstedt - NDR Sinfonieorchester (1979)* 
*Spotify:* https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51mjIr9aLFL._SY300_.jpg 
*Youtube:* *(1st Mov)* 



 *(2nd Mov)* 



 *(3rd Mov)* 



 *(4th Mov)* 




*4. Symphony No. 4 - Charles Ives (1924) / Michael Tilson Thomas - Chicago Symphony & Chorus (1989)*
*Spotify:* http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61NZMNSRQ1L._SY355_.jpg
*Youtube: (1st Mov)* 



 *(2nd Mov)* 



 *(3rd Mov)* 



 *(4th Mov)* 




*5. Symphony No. 5 - Gustav Mahler (1902) / Rudolf Barshai - Junge Deutsche Philharmonie (1999)* 
*Youtube:* 




*6. Symphony No. 6 in A minor "Tragic" - Gustav Mahler (1904; 1906) / Leonard Bernstein - Vienna Philharmonic (1988)*
*Spotify:* https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51w35wTptZL.jpg
*Youtube: (1st Mov)* 



 *(2nd Mov)* 



 *(3rd Mov)* 



 *(4th Mov)* 




*7. Symphony No. 7 in C Major "Leningrad" - Dmitri Shostakovich (1940) / Leonard Bernstein - Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1988)*
*Spotify:* https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81296-SqlzL._SX355_.jpg
*Youtube:* 




*8. Symphony No. 8 - Alfred Schnittke (1994) / Gennady Rozhdestvensky - Royal Stockholm Philharmonic (1994)*
*Spotify:* http://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0000/955/MI0000955180.jpg?partner=allrovi.com
*Youtube: (1st Mov)* 



 *(2nd Mov)* 



 *(3rd Mov)* 



 *(4th Mov)* 



 (5th Mov) 




*9. Symphony No. 9 in D Major - Gustav Mahler (1910) / Herbert von Karajan - Berlin Philharmonic (1982)*
*Spotify:* https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51hh8swzgSL._SS500.jpg

*10. Symphony No. 10 - Eduard Tubin / Neeme Jarvi - Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra*
*Spotify:* http://losslessclassics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/jarvi_tubin_the_symphonies.jpg
*Youtube:*


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## MusicSybarite

1. Walton (alternative: Bax)
2. Khachaturian (alternative: Tubin)
3. Glière (alternative: Peterson-Berger)
4. Brahms (alternative: Martinu)
5. Nielsen (alternative: Tchaikovsky)
6. Mahler (alternative: Prokofiev)
7. Bruckner (alternative: Vaughan Williams)
8. Dvorák (alternative: Holmboe)
9. Schubert (alternative: Shostakovich)
10. Langgaard (alternative: Villa-Lobos)


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## cougarjuno

1. Mahler (alt Walton)
2. Borodin (alt Brahms)
3. Sibelius (alt Harris)
4. Nielsen (alt Bruckner)
5. Vaughan Williams (alt Nielsen)
6. Myaskovsky (alt Hovhaness)
7. Beethoven (alt Shostakovich)
8. Schubert (alt Dvorak)
9. Dvorak (alt Schubert)
10. Shostakovich (alt Henze)


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## SONDEK

After much deliberation, here is my 1-10 Favourite Symphonies list - complete with favourite actual recordings.

As others will attest, it was no easy task to settle on any of these symphony positions, with my personal favourites like Prokofiev's 1st, Sibelius' 1st and 5th, Schubert's 3rd, Tchaikovsky's 4th, Beethoven's 6th and Dvorak's 8th being edged-out by a whisker.

In the end, two real battles were waged.

*First battle:* Best 7th symphony. I enjoy Bruckner's 7th, largely due to the ravishing adagio, but struggle to get through the entire symphony. So in good conscience, I could not nominate a symphony that I only partly enjoy. Likewise with the Dvorak 7th; it has its moments, but does not endear itself to me the way Dvorak's 3rd, 8th and 9th do. Even Haydn's 7th and Potter's 7th got a look-in here. In the end Glazunov's sunny and uplifting 7th took it out for me.

*Second battle:* Best 10th symphony. I have heard very few 10th symphonies that I care to hear again. Haydn, Mozart and Potter provide the most listenable 10ths to my ears. Potter's wonderful 10th does make the (early) Haydn and Mozart works sound somewhat lightweight - highly enjoyable nonetheless - so, Potter's 10th it is.

Brahms Symphony No. 1 [London/Decca: Solti, Chicago SO]
Sibelius Symphony No. 2 [Decca: Ashkenazy, Boston SO]
Dvorak Symphony No. 3 (So very underrated) [Naxos: Gunzenhauser, Slovak SO]
Mahler Symphony No. 4 [Sony/Columbia: Szell, Cleveland O]
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5 [Philips: Markevitch, London SO]
Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 [Virgin: Pletnev, Russian NO]
*Glazunov Symphony No. 7 [Melodya: Fedoseyev, Moscow Radio SO]*
Schubert Symphony No. 8 [Deutsch Grammophon: Sinopoli, Philharmonia O]
Dvorak Symphony No. 9 [Decca: Kondrashin, Vienna Philharmonic ]
*Potter Symphony No. 10 [Unicorn: Davan Whetton, Milton Keynes Chamber O]*


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## Aries

Aries said:


> 1. Furtwängler
> 2. Bruckner
> 3. Bruckner
> 4. Bruckner
> 5. Bruckner
> 6. Tchaikovsky
> 7. Bruckner
> 8. Bruckner
> 9. Bruckner


Nine years later my opinion is now drastically different:

0. Bruckner 
1. Furtwängler
2. Bruckner
3. Bruckner
4. Bruckner
5. Bruckner
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Shostakovich
8. Bruckner
9. Bruckner


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## ORigel

1 Brahms (second choice: Mahler)
2 Mahler (second choice: Brahms)
3 Mahler (second choice: Brahms)
4 Brahms (second choice: can't choose between Bruckner, Beethoven, and Nielsen)
5 Beethoven (second choice: Bruckner)
6 Tchaikovsky (second choice: Mahler)
7 Bruckner (second choice: Beethoven)
8 Bruckner (second choice: Beethoven)
9 Beethoven (second choice: Schubert, narrowly)


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## Bill Cooke

1. Rachmaninov
2. Bax
3. Gerhard
4. Vaughan Williams
5. Prokofiev
6. Mahler
7. Dvorak
8. Holmboe
9. Beethoven
10. Shostakovich


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## Heck148

I can't do this - too many great symphonies - 
I can't get past Sym #1!! - 

Sibelius, Shostakovich, Walton....all favorites..


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## Prodromides

10? Here are a dozen with which to fill an egg carton:

#1 (1965) by Richard Rodney Bennett
#2 (1984) by Isang Yun
#3 (1964) by André Jolivet
#4 "New York" (1967) by Roberto Gerhard
#5 Op. 43 (1964) by Humphrey Searle
#6 Op. 49 (1969) by Benjamin Frankel
#7 Op. 113 (1973) by Malcolm Arnold
#8 Op. 110 (1969) by Egon Wellesz
#9 (1978) by Roger Sessions
#10 "AmerIndia" (1952) by Heitor Villa-Lobos
#11 Op. 144 (1980) by Vagn Holmboe
#12 (1957) by Havergal Brian


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## Xisten267

Let me try:

#1: Brahms
#2: Mendelssohn*
#3: Beethoven
#4: Brahms
#5: Beethoven
#6: Tchaikovsky
#7: Bruckner
#8: Bruckner
#9: Beethoven
#10: Shostakovich

*: I mean the _Lobgesang_ symphony, that chronologically is Mendelssohn's fourth finished work in the genre, not the _Reformation_ symphony, which is numbered as his fifth officially but actually is his second.


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## Art Rock

For info:
"After the composer's death it was published as his Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, a naming and a numbering that are not his. ..... The new Mendelssohn-Werkverzeichnis (MWV), published in 2009 by the Saxonian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, no longer lists Lobgesang among the symphonies, but rather among the sacred vocal works." (Wiki)


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## SixFootScowl

Art Rock said:


> For info:
> "After the composer's death it was published as his Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, a naming and a numbering that are not his. ..... The new Mendelssohn-Werkverzeichnis (MWV), published in 2009 by the Saxonian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, no longer lists Lobgesang among the symphonies, but rather among the sacred vocal works." (Wiki)


It is almost like a symphony in the first parts and the rest a choral work.


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## Xisten267

Art Rock said:


> For info:
> "After the composer's death it was published as his Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major, a naming and a numbering that are not his. ..... The new Mendelssohn-Werkverzeichnis (MWV), published in 2009 by the Saxonian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, no longer lists Lobgesang among the symphonies, but rather among the sacred vocal works." (Wiki)


I found this article looking for the _Lobgesang_ in google. Here is what it says on the issue in question:

"Symphony No.2 Lobgesang. It is easy to misunderstand that this is Mendelssohn's second symphony, subtitled Lobgesang. This was not the case. If we look at when Mendelssohn's symphonies were composed - No.3 Scottish was done in 1829-1842. No.4 Italian in 1833 and revised in 1834. Lobgesang? 1840. By timing alone Lobgesang couldn't have been the 2nd symphony. What happened then?

Turns out that when Mendelssohn published his Scottish Symphony, he published it as No.3. Perhaps "No.2" was reserved for the Italian Symphony that eventually became his No.4 when it was published after the composer's death. No.2 was left empty until an editor of the Mendelssohn complete edition entered Lobgesang as No.2. In the latest editions, however, it is no longer "Symphony No.2" - but it is already known as such!

Anyway, what's in a name? Be it Symphony No.2 or Lobgesang, this is 70 minutes of pure vocal and orchestral bliss..."

It sounds like a choral symphony to me. Both the english and german wikipedias place it together with other choral symphonies. But if for the purposes of the thread it can't be chosen, then my #2 goes to Mahler's _Resurrection_.


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## Waehnen

Brahms 1
Sibelius 2
Kokkonen 3
Bruckner 4
Mahler 5
Tchaikovsky 6
Beethoven 7
Schubert (Unfinished) 8
Dvorak 9
Shostakovich 10

Not a bad list. Like at all!


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## RobertJTh

1. Elgar
2. Prokofiev
3. Brahms
4. Schmidt
5. Sibelius
6. Bruckner
7. Beethoven
8. Shostakovich
9. Schubert
10. Mahler

This is pretty hard to do without duplications. Chosing between Mahler 6 and Bruckner 6 is almost impossible.
I guess Prokofiev 2 is the odd one here - but I seriously think it's his best symphony.


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## Haydn man

Interesting to try a list without duplicating composers
1. Elgar
2. Rachmaninov
3. Brahms
4. Bruckner 
5. Mendelssohn 
6. Beethoven
7. Sibelius
8. Schubert
9. Mahler
10 Shostakovich


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## Heck148

Excluding Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner :devil:

1. Walton
2. Hindemith Eb
3. Wm Schuman
4. Vaughan Williams
5. Sibelius
6. Prokofiev
7. Mennin
8. Diamond
9. Mahler
10. Shostakovich


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## MusicSybarite

Walton 1
Tubin 2
Melartin 3
Brahms 4
Nielsen 5
Langgaard 6
Sibelius 7
Dvorak 8
Vaughan Williams 9
Shostakovich 10


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## szabomd

1 Tchaikovsky
2 Sibelius
3 Saint Saens
4 Brahms
5 Mahler
6 Tchaikovsky
7 Shostakovich
8 Dvorak
9 Beethoven
10 Shostakovich


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## HenryPenfold

1. Havergal Brian
2. Mahler
3. Bruckner
4. Schumann
5. Nielsen
6. Mahler
7. Sibelius
8. Bruckner
9. Beethoven
10. DSCH


I know my list will change .......... (except #3)

Update: I already swapped out RVW 5 for Nielsen (my list didn't last long!). Tchaikovsky's knocking on Mahler's door for number 6!


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## RobertJTh

HenryPenfold said:


> Tchaikovsky's knocking on Mahler's door for number 6!


I'd say, let it knock and bolt the door


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## Kreisler jr

Heck148 said:


> Excluding Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner :devil:


and Mahler

1. Franck
2. Prokofiev
3. Mendelssohn
4. Schumann
5. Nielsen
6. K.A. Hartmann
7. Sibelius
8. Haydn (Le soir)
9. Schubert (old numbering)
10. Shostakovich


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## HenryPenfold

RobertJTh said:


> I'd say, let it knock and bolt the door




,,,,,,,,,,,,,


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## StDior

Favorite symphonies by Number. Second favorites in parentheses:

1 Berlioz (Brahms)
2 Mahler (Brahms)
3 Beethoven (Mahler)
4 Mahler (Brahms)
5 Shostakovich (Beethoven)
6 Mahler (J.Haydn)
7 Mahler (J.Haydn)
8 Mahler (Schubert)
9 Beethoven (Schubert)
10 Mahler (M.Haydn)

Without duplicating composer:

1 Berlioz
2 Mahler
3 Lutoslawski
4 Brahms
5 Shostakovich
6 Tchaikovsky
7 J.Haydn
8 Schubert
9 Beethoven
10 M.Haydn


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## ScottK

1 Nielsen
2 Ives
3 Schumann
4 Brahms
5 Schubert
6 Mahler
7 Beethoven
8 Bruckner
9 Dvorak


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## Ravn

List without duplicate composers

1. Brahms
2. Ives
3. Saint-Saëns (or Atterberg, depends on mood)
4. Sibelius
5. Beethoven
6. Mahler
7. Pettersson
8. Schubert (Unfinished)
9. Bruckner
10. Shostakovich


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## SuperTonic

Brahms 1
Mahler 2
Beethoven 3
Mendelssohn 4
Shostakovich 5
Tchaikovsky 6
Beethoven 7
Schubert 8
Dvorak 9
Shostakovich 10

I'll just give Shostakovich 10 through 15 since I can't think of any other significant symphonies that have left an impression on me with those numbers (I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any; I'll admit I need to explore Weinberg further).

Mozart 25
Mozart 40
Mozart 41

I guess you can fill in all the remaining gaps through 104 with Haydn.

The 3rd symphony was the most difficult for me. It pains me to leave out Mahler's 3rd which has my favorite ending in all of the symphonic literature, but I had to include the Eroica which is just a towering masterpiece from beginning to end.


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## Prodromides

SuperTonic said:


> I'll just give Shostakovich 10 through 15 since I can't think of any other significant symphonies that have left an impression on me with those numbers (I'm open to suggestions if anyone has any ...


There are around a dozen (likely many more) who wrote more than 9 symphonies; from my memory ...

Henk Badings
Havergal Brian
Henry Cowell
Peter M. Davies
Vagn Holmboe
Alan Hovhaness
Rued Langgaard
Aubert Lemeland
Nikolai Myaskovsky
Leif Segerstam
Villa-Lobos, 
etc.


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## ansfelden

Prokofiev 1
Sibelius 2 
Brahms 3
Bruckner 4
Tchaikovsky 5
Beethoven 6
Dvorak 7
Bruckner 8
Shostakovich 9
Shostakovich 10


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## Aldarion

Brahms 1
Schumann 2
Sibelius 3
Bruckner 4
Mendelssohn 5
Beethoven 6
Vaughan Williams 7
Mahler 8
Schubert 9
Shostakovich 10


----------

