# Ten favorite symphonies



## licorice stick

It looks like the last top 10 symphonies thread petered out last year, but I have the urge to share a list of my own and see yours. I will encourage everyone to provide a brief justification of each piece and their favorite recording.

10. Haydn 93
Szell/Cleveland
Hilarity, hijinks, tuneful fodder for whistling

9. Mozart 35
Bohm/BPO
Unrestrained exuberance

8. Mahler 7
Abbado/Lucerne Festival (concert)
Nirvana, hallucination

7. Elgar 2
Davis/BRSO (concert)
Striving, yearning, wistfulness

6. Bruckner 6
Jochum/BRSO (1967)
Solving a difficult enigma

5. Tchaikovsky 6
Jansons/Oslo
Turbulence, bipolarity

4. Brahms 4
Kleiber/Vienna
Coherence, logic, depth

3. Beethoven 6
Vanska/Minnesota
An ecosystem in perfect harmony

2. Mahler 6
Jansons/BRSO (concert)
The existence of hope despite crushing bleakness

1. Schubert 9
Dohnanyi/Cleveland
Nobility, clarity, vitality, a trancelike 45 min of bliss


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## mbhaub

1. Franz Schmidt 4: Mehta/VPO. Beauty, depth, sounds from a world long gone.
2. Elgar 2: Tate/LSO. Powerful, dark, heartbreaking.
3. Mahler 7: Bernstein/NYPO (Sony). Phantasmagoric wizardry. Still my favorite recordings 50 years on.
4. Tchaikovsky 6: Monteux/BSO. Flawlessly paced - doesn't wallow in excess.
5. Ernest Bloch Symphony in C sharp minor: Markiz/BIS. Stunning power and virtuosity and deeply felt.
6. Brahms 1: Munch/BSO. Magnificent, understanding, and thoroughly entertaining.
7. Sibelius 2: Barbirolli/RPO. Thrilling beyond measure - never equalled, let alone surpassed.
8. Rachmaninoff 2: Temirkinov/RPO. Magnificent potent reading - and uncut!
9. Mahler 2: Scherchen/VSO. Crappy playing, sloppy at times. Lousy recording. But no one understood the work as well.
10. Kalinnikov 1: Jarvi/SNO. Joyous, exciting, treats it like the great work it is.


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## MusicSybarite

10. Langgaard 6 'Det Himmelrivende' (Járvi, Royal Danish Radio S.O.): Absolutely stunning, dramatic, intense, powerful, condensed in around 20 minutes.

9. Tubin 2 (Järvi, Swedish Radio S.O.): I like works with fire and this one contents much of it, a really exciting symphony.

8. Atterberg 8 (Rasilainen, cpo): Well crafted, incredible melodies, even Sibelius admired this beautiful creation.

7. Shotakovich 8 (Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra): Utterly bleak, desolate, one of his most pessimistic works, which is not a disadvantage. A very visceral work,

6. Nielsen 5 (Rozhdestvensky, Royal Stockholm P.O.): A benchmark in the 20th century with echoes of war, a wit construction of 2 big movements.

5. Brahms 4 (Karajan, BPO, DG, 1978): Well, it's a masterpiece, an authentic pinnacle of art.

4. Dvorák 8 (Kertesz, LSO): It's one of the happiest works I know, it really exudes bliss, yet there is a little of drama as well, and because its amazing tunes.

3. Tchaikovsky 5 (Karajan, BPO, EMI): Since the first time I heard this work, I fell in love with it. It might not be his best symphony, but I find it utterly appealing and life-affirming.

2. Beethoven 7 (Karajan, BPO, DG, 1962): I don't have to give many explanations about it. You know the answer 

1. Glière 3 (Downes, BBC Philharmonic): I am simply a fan of epic scores, monumental pieces that contain a sort of legend or story behind it, and this work represents masterfully all that.


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## Phil loves classical

interesting thread. I thought it’s a good idea with the blurb. Interesting choices above.

1. Berlioz Symphony Fantastique (Mackerras). Great swagger. A psychedelic trip (as Berstein described)
2. Henze Symphony 7 (Rattle). Proof of great music and orchestration traditionally structured within last 40 years.
3. Mahler Symphony 7 (Klemperer). Mankind and music.
4. Martinu Symphony 4 (Jarvi). Plain and pleasant.
5. Prokofiev Symphony 5 (Karajan). Dissonant, humourous as his music is always.
6. Schubert Symphony 8 (Bohm). Moody. Thankfully he left it that way.
7. Shostakovich Symphony 10 (Karajan). Hell on earth.
8. Haydn Lamentatione Symphony 26 (Kuijken). Unerringly Beautiful Music from Classical Period not Mozart’s or Beethoven’s.
9. Dvorak Symphony 9 (Talich). Big and bold sound.
10. Harty Irish Symphony (Thomson). A pack of good tunes.


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## bz3

1. Beethoven 9: Karajan. Buoyant and alive.
2. Brahms 4: Kleiber. Inscrutably moving.
3. Bruckner 9: Karajan. Somber and hymnic.
4. Sibelius 2: Berglund. Icy.
5. Schumann 3: Gardiner. Naturalistic.
6. Haydn 102: Bernstein. Stately.
7. Mahler 9: Boulez. Swirling.
8. Shostakovich 8: Mravinsky. Haunting.
9. Tchaikovsky 5: Karajan. Addicting.
10. Beethoven 3: Savall. Triumphant.


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## Oldhoosierdude

No.1 - All time favorite symphony is Beethoven 6th. Current favorite recording is Barenboim and the 1999 Statskapelle. Why? Best overall sound quality plus all the right things in all the right places.

Now, in no particular order:

Bizet- Symphony in C. Suitner conducting Staatskapelle Dresden. Blrw me out of the water first time I heard it.

Mahler Symphony 4. Anton Nanut conducting an orchestra I wont attempt to spell. Orchestra is quite good but the boy soloist makes the recording special. It's a childs view of heaven/paradise sung masterfully by a child. 

Beethoven 9th. Hard to choose a favorite Szell or Fricsay? Today I choose Fricsay and the Berliner Philharmoniker for a faultless performance and because 1958 is my year.

Saint Saens Symphony 3. Hans Fagius, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and James DePreist. Gripping performance start to finish, never lags, perfect balance of organ and orchestra. 

Borodin Symphony no. 2. Ansermet and L' Orchestre etc. A thoroughly enjoyable and lively symphony that is the least Russian sounding symphony by a Russian composer I know of.

Mahler Symphony no. 5. Shipway and the RPO. They flat out nail it. 

Mendelssohn Symphony no.1. Abbado and LSO. Not considered one of the composers best efforts and I don't know why. Showcases his early genius. Abbado and LSO don't treat it as a throw away piece.

Schubert symphony no.2. Blomstedt and that Staatskapelle Dresden once again. Each movement different in style and all joined in a magnificently convincing manner. Stunning original genius on the level of Beethoven. 


Mahler Symphony no. 2 . Kaplan and the LSO. I don't even like all Mahler symphonies but 3 make my top 10. Kaplan's love and respect for the music makes this recording exceptional. 

I love my symphonies. Start a honorable mention thread and I have more!


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## D Smith

In alphabetical order, no ranking, one per composer. The recordings mentioned are one of many I enjoy, I went for variety.

Beethoven 6 - Bohm/Vienna. Always brings a smile.
Brahms 3 - Bernstein/NYP. I love all Brahms and like that this symphony ends peacefully. Bernstein and Brahms go together.
Bruckner 7 - Karajan/Berlin. I came to Bruckner late but have grown to appreciate hinm. The seventh speaks to me the most.
Franck - Monteux/Chicago. This recording was the earliest classical record that became a desert island disc for me. Perfect.
Mahler 6 - Bernstein/Vienna. The Mahler I listen to most, but any would be favourites except 8.
Saint Saens 3 - De Waart/Rotterdam or SF. This work never fails to thrill me. De Waart nails it.
Schubert 8 - Wand/Cologne. I’ve always found it haunting.
Shostakovich 10 - Karajan/Berlin. I’m a big Shosty fan and could gave picked 4,5,8,11 or 15 as well. This one is thought provoking and brutal.
Sibelius 2 - Karajan/Berlin. I love all his symphonies for 7 different reasons. This one is stirring.
Tchaikovsky 6 - Mravinsky/Leningrad. Elegiac.


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## Brahmsianhorn

1. Bruckner 8th - Furtwangler 1944
2. Beethoven 9th - Furtwangler 1942
3. Brahms 3rd - Furtwangler 1954
4. Mahler 9th - Barbirolli live 1960
5. Mahler 7th - Klemperer
6. Beethoven 5th - Furtwangler 5/25/47
7. Mahler 5th - Barbirolli
8. Brahms 4th - Furtwangler 1949
9. Beethoven 3rd - Furtwangler 1944
10. Tchaikovsky 6th - Furtwangler 1951
10. (tie) Mahler 4th - Mengelberg


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## Capeditiea

1. Mahler's 10th 
it has a very interesting depiction of death and the last hours of one's life. 

2. Brahms' 1st
the first movement really pulled me back into classical music. 

3. Mahler's 1st "Titan" (tied)
3. Mahler's 2nd "Resurrection" (tied) 
both these pieces remind me of various works i have done in the past. (so the imagery is more personal that the portray Mahler normally gives off.)

5. Kosaku Yamada Symphony in F Minor "triumph and peace" 
you can tell the birth of J-rock (specifically visual kai) happened from this work.

6. Beethoven's 5th 
two reasons, it is one of the few symphonic pieces i can listen to as i am walking to another location... it is energetic enough but not too energetic to make me want to run. and the second, it is Opus 67 (which 67 is my favourite number.)

7. Dvorak's 9th (or which ever number you want to give it.) "From the New World" 
personally, it is the most enjoyable structure theory-wise for a symphony. Plus the imaging is fairly beautiful. 

8. Ive's (unfinished) Universe Symphony 
even though he quit it early. I can see the potential of how it would turned out. Which leaves a bunch of room for creative thought... 

9. Beethoven's 9th 
This is the first symphony i ever heard in my life. And probably was the reason i initially loved classical music. 

10. Sorabji's Organ Symphony No. 1 
the opening sounds like something i would do. plus it is long, and has it's own beauty. although i have to be in a decent environment for a few hours... preferably seven since i end up listening to Opus Clavicembalisticum soon after...


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## chill782002

Not in any particular order.

Mahler - Symphony No 7 - Michael Tilson Thomas / London Symphony Orchestra (1999)

Bruckner - Symphony No 9 - Wilhelm Furtwangler / Berliner Philharmoniker (1944)

Beethoven - Symphony No 7 - Wilhelm Furtwangler / Berliner Philharmoniker (1943)

Brahms - Symphony No 3 - Eugen Jochum / Berliner Philharmoniker (1953)

Nielsen - Symphony No 1 - Ole Schmidt / London Symphony Orchestra (1974)

Walton - Symphony No 1 - Sir Hamilton Harty / London Symphony Orchestra (1935)

Shostakovich - Symphony No 5 - Kurt Sanderling / Berliner Sinfonie Orchester (1982)

Sibelius - Symphony No 2 - Sir John Barbirolli / New York Philharmonic Orchestra (1940)

Rachmaninov - Symphony No 2 - Leopold Stokowski / Hollywood Bowl Symphony Orchestra (1946)

Schubert - Symphony No 8 ("Unfinished") - Eugen Jochum / Concertgebouw Orkest (1952)


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## chill782002

Duplicate post, website seems to be having some issues at the moment.


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## Polyphemus

In no particular order a few of the many.

A Mahler 2 Philharmonia O Klemperer

B Bruckner Symph 6 New Philharmonia Klemperer

C Borodin Symph 2 Royal Philharmonic Ashkenazy

D Sibelius Symph 1 Vienna Philharmonic Bernstein

E Mahler Symph 3 LSO Tilson Thomas

F Shostakovich Symph 4 London Philharmonic Haitink

G Beethoven Symph 7 (& 8) Cleveland O Von Dohnanyi

H Tchaikovsky Symph 5 San Francisco Tilson Thomas

I Bruckner Symph 5 Vienna P O Haitink

J Simpson Symph 9 Bournemouth Symphony Handley

Like so many of you I could go on !!! but 10 it is.


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## larold

Mendelssohn 5 - Haitink, London Philharmonic / Toscanini, NBC Orchestra

Bruckner 5 - Horenstin, BBC Philharmonic

Haydn 86 - Dorati

Beethoven 6 - Ansermet, L'orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Brahms 4 - Furtwangler, BPO (Wiesbaden 1949) / Schmidt-Isserstedt, NW German Radio Orchestra

Bruckner 1 & 2 - Jochum, BPO & Bayreuth Radio Orchestra

Bruckner 3 - Schuricht, Vienna Philharmonic (1965)

Haydn 60 - Blum, Esterhazy Orchestra

Shostakovich 8 - Haitink, Concertgebouw

Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements - Stravinsky, New York Philharmonic (1947)


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## larold

Mendelssohn 5 - Haitink, London Philharmonic / Toscanini, NBC Orchestra

Bruckner 5 - Horenstin, BBC Philharmonic

Haydn 86 - Dorati

Beethoven 6 - Ansermet, L'orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Brahms 4 - Furtwangler, BPO (Wiesbaden 1949) / Schmidt-Isserstedt, NW German Radio Orchestra

Bruckner 1 & 2 - Jochum, BPO & Bayreuth Radio Orchestra

Bruckner 3 - Schuricht, Vienna Philharmonic (1965)

Haydn 60 - Blum, Esterhazy Orchestra

Shostakovich 8 - Haitink, Concertgebouw

Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements - Stravinsky, New York Philharmonic (1947)


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## larold

Mendelssohn 5 - Haitink, London Philharmonic / Toscanini, NBC Orchestra

Bruckner 5 - Horenstin, BBC Philharmonic

Haydn 86 - Dorati

Beethoven 6 - Ansermet, L'orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Brahms 4 - Furtwangler, BPO (Wiesbaden 1949) / Schmidt-Isserstedt, NW German Radio Orchestra

Bruckner 1 & 2 - Jochum, BPO & Bayreuth Radio Orchestra

Bruckner 3 - Schuricht, Vienna Philharmonic (1965)

Haydn 60 - Blum, Esterhazy Orchestra

Shostakovich 8 - Haitink, Concertgebouw

Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements - Stravinsky, New York Philharmonic (1947)


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## mathisdermaler

1. Bruckner 9 (mvt 1)
2. Bruckner 8 (mvt 1)
3. Mahler 9 (mvt 1)
4. Bruckner 3 (mvt 2)
5. Mozart 41 (mvt 4)
6. Mahler 6 (Andante)
7. Beethoven 9 (mvt 4)
8. Bruckner 5 (mvt 4)
9. Brahms 4 (mvt 4)
10. Bruckner 6 (mvt 2)

(BEST movement)

Can you guess my favorite composer?


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## Orfeo

*My top ten symphonies (in no particular order)*

Bruckner: Symphony no. VIII (Gunther Wand and the Berlin Philharmonic)
Glazunov: Symphony no. VI (Jose Serebrier and the Royal National Symphony Orchestra)
Charles Ives: Symphony no. II (Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic)***
Mahler: Symphony no. IX (Leonard Bernstein and the Royal Concertgebouw or James Levine and the Philadelphia Orchestra)
Schmidt: Symphony no. IV (Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic)
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no. V (Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic)***
Atterberg: Symphony no. II (Ari Rasilainen and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra)
Braga Santos: Symphony no. IV (Cassuto and the National Symphony Orch. of Ireland)
Sibelius: Symphony no. II (Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic)
Myaskovsky: Symphony no. XVI _*or*_ XXVII, I love them both (Svetlanov & the Federation Symphony of Russia).
* Honorable mentions*

Suk: Asrael Symphony (a tough call, but it is Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic)
Dvorak: Symphony no. VII (Kertesz and the London Symphony)
Dvorak: Symphony no. III (Myung-Whun Chung and the Vienna Philharmonic)
Stanford: Symphony no. V (Handley and the Ulster Orchestra)
Bruckner: Symphony no. IX (Giulini and the Vienna Philharmonic)
Tchaikovsky: Manfred (Simonov and the London Symphony)
Elgar: Symphony no. II (Davis and the London Symphony)
Balakirev: Symphony no. I (Svetlanov and the USSR Symphony)
Rachmaninoff: Symphony no. I (Ashkenazy and the Royal Concertgebouw)
Scriabin: Symphony no. I (Muti and the Philadelphia Symphony)
Dohnanyi: Symphony no. I (Botstein and the London Philharmonic)
Walton: Symphony no. I (Thomson and the London Philharmonic)
Vaughan Williams: Symphony no. II-original (Hickox and the London Symphony)
Parry: Symphony no. IV _*or*_ V (Bamert and the London Philharmonic)
Bainton: Symphony no. II (Handley and the BBC Philharmonic)
Bax: Symphony no. II _*or*_ III (Thomson and the London Philharmonic)
Barisons, Peteris: Symphony no. II (Edgar Tons and the Latvian Radio Symphony)
Skulte: Symphony no. I (Leonids Vigners and the Latvian State Symphony)
Creston: Symphony no. II (Jarvi and the Detroit Symphony)
Shostakovich: Symphony no. VIII (Solti and the Chicago Symphony)
Weinberg: Symphony no. VI (Kondrashin and the Moscow Philharmonic)
Tubin: Symphony no. IV (Volmer and the Estonian National Symphony)
Kapp, Artur: Symphony no. I (Estonian Radio Symphony, cond. by Vallo Jarvi(?))
Nielsen: Symphony no. III (Thomson and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra)
Liszt: Faust Symphony (Solti and the Chicago Symphony _*or*_ Bernstein and the Boston Symphony)
Lloyd, George: Symphony no. XI (Lloyd and the Albany Symphony)
Gliere: Symphony no. III (Edward Downes and the BBC Philharmonic)
Lyatoshynsky: Symphony no. III (Kuchar and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine)
Roussel: Symphony no. I (Dutoit and the French National Orchestra)
Diamond: Symphony no. I _*or*_ IV (Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony)
Hanson: Symphony no. I (Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony)
Still: Symphony no. II (Jarvi and the Detroit Symphony)
Franck: Symphony in D (Bernstein and the French National Orchestra)
Chausson: Symphony in B-flat (Tortelier and the BBC Philharmonic)
Goldmark: Rustic Wedding Symphony (Butt and the Royal Philharmonic)
Melartin: Symphony no. IV (Grin and the Tampere Philharmonic)
***DG recording.


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## larold

Mendelssohn 5 - Haitink, London Philharmonic / Toscanini, NBC Orchestra

Bruckner 5 - Horenstein, BBC Philharmonic

Haydn 86 - Dorati

Beethoven 6 - Ansermet, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande

Stravinsky - Symphony in Three Movements - Stravinsky, New York Philharmonic (1947)

Bruckner 1 & 2 - Jochum, Berlin Philharmonc & Bayreuth Radio Orchestra

Bruckner 3 - Schuricht, Vienna Philharmonic (1965)

Brahms 4 - Furtwangler, Berlin Philharmonic (Wiesbaden 1949)/Schmidt-Isserstedt, Hamburg Radio Orchestra

Shostakovich 8 - Haitink, Concertgebouw Orchestra

Hanson 2 "Romantic" - Hanson, Eastman-Rochester Orchestra


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## Brahmsianhorn

larold said:


> Brahms 4 - Furtwangler, Berlin Philharmonic (Wiesbaden 1949)/Schmidt-Isserstedt, Hamburg Radio Orchestra


Glad you mentioned this particular performance (as did I). People tend to be more familiar with either the wartime Furtwangler 4th or the 1948 one on EMI, but I think this is the greatest of his Brahms 4ths. The Mozart 40 from the same concert is pretty darned good too!


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## Strange Magic

No order:

Prokofiev 3
Brahms 1
Brahms 2
Brahms 4
Martinů 1
Beethoven 3
Beethoven 6
Mozart 41
Sibelius 2
Sibelius 5


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## Room2201974

Brahms 4
Gaspard 3
Beethoven 6
Harris 3
Schumann 4
Beethoven 9
Mahler 5
Mozart 41
Beethoven 7
Ives 2


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## MusicSybarite

Orfeo said:


> *My top ten symphonies (in no particular order)*
> 
> Bruckner: Symphony no. VIII (Gunther Wand and the Berlin Philharmonic)
> Glazunov: Symphony no. VI (Jose Serebrier and the Royal National Symphony Orchestra)
> Charles Ives: Symphony no. II (Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic)***
> Mahler: Symphony no. IX (Leonard Bernstein and the Royal Concertgebouw or James Levine and the Philadelphia Orchestra)
> Schmidt: Symphony no. IV (Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic)
> Tchaikovsky: Symphony no. V (Leonard Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic)***
> Atterberg: Symphony no. II (Ari Rasilainen and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra)
> Braga Santos: Symphony no. IV (Cassuto and the National Symphony Orch. of Ireland)
> Sibelius: Symphony no. II (Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic)
> Myaskovsky: Symphony no. XVI _*or*_ XXVII, I love them both (Svetlanov & the Federation Symphony of Russia).
> * Honorable mentions*
> 
> Suk: Asrael Symphony (a tough call, but it is Belohlavek and the Czech Philharmonic)
> Dvorak: Symphony no. VII (Kertesz and the London Symphony)
> Dvorak: Symphony no. III (Myung-Whun Chung and the Vienna Philharmonic)
> Stanford: Symphony no. V (Handley and the Ulster Orchestra)
> Bruckner: Symphony no. IX (Giulini and the Vienna Philharmonic)
> Tchaikovsky: Manfred (Simonov and the London Symphony)
> Elgar: Symphony no. II (Davis and the London Symphony)
> Balakirev: Symphony no. I (Svetlanov and the USSR Symphony)
> Rachmaninoff: Symphony no. I (Ashkenazy and the Royal Concertgebouw)
> Scriabin: Symphony no. I (Muti and the Philadelphia Symphony)
> Dohnanyi: Symphony no. I (Botstein and the London Philharmonic)
> Walton: Symphony no. I (Thomson and the London Philharmonic)
> Vaughan Williams: Symphony no. II-original (Hickox and the London Symphony)
> Parry: Symphony no. IV _*or*_ V (Bamert and the London Philharmonic)
> Bainton: Symphony no. II (Handley and the BBC Philharmonic)
> Bax: Symphony no. II _*or*_ III (Thomson and the London Philharmonic)
> Barisons, Peteris: Symphony no. II (Edgar Tons and the Latvian Radio Symphony)
> Skulte: Symphony no. I (Leonids Vigners and the Latvian State Symphony)
> Creston: Symphony no. II (Jarvi and the Detroit Symphony)
> Shostakovich: Symphony no. VIII (Solti and the Chicago Symphony)
> Weinberg: Symphony no. VI (Kondrashin and the Moscow Philharmonic)
> Tubin: Symphony no. IV (Volmer and the Estonian National Symphony)
> Kapp, Artur: Symphony no. I (Estonian Radio Symphony, cond. by Vallo Jarvi(?))
> Nielsen: Symphony no. III (Thomson and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra)
> Liszt: Faust Symphony (Solti and the Chicago Symphony _*or*_ Bernstein and the Boston Symphony)
> Lloyd, George: Symphony no. XI (Lloyd and the Albany Symphony)
> Gliere: Symphony no. III (Edward Downes and the BBC Philharmonic)
> Lyatoshynsky: Symphony no. III (Kuchar and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine)
> Roussel: Symphony no. I (Dutoit and the French National Orchestra)
> Diamond: Symphony no. I _*or*_ IV (Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony)
> Hanson: Symphony no. I (Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony)
> Still: Symphony no. II (Jarvi and the Detroit Symphony)
> Franck: Symphony in D (Bernstein and the French National Orchestra)
> Chausson: Symphony in B-flat (Tortelier and the BBC Philharmonic)
> Goldmark: Rustic Wedding Symphony (Butt and the Royal Philharmonic)
> Melartin: Symphony no. IV (Grin and the Tampere Philharmonic)
> ***DG recording.


Many favorite symphonies from here and other ones that I'm not familiar with.


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## Janspe

I'll give five, one from each of my five favourite symphonists. I hope limiting myself to half of the required amount doesn't make me too much of a rebel.

*Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E-flat major*

Really, _really_ difficult to choose my favourite Mahler. It's usually a choice between the 6th and the 8th, but this time the later work won me over. It truly captures everything essential about Mahler's art: building massive and complicated - yet rigorously and carefully crafted - structures out of a few core ideas, brilliant vocal writing, intense expressiveness and of course the feeling of the entire universe being contained in a single musical work. Truly a magnificent piece!

*Bruckner: Symphony No. 8 in C minor*

This symphony was easier a bit easier to choose, but I do love all of Bruckner's symphonies dearly and it feels bad to leave all of them out of this list. The 8th is a gigantic work, hewed from granite from the deep foundations of this earth. The opening of the finale is a truly shattering moment. It feels like a lifetime's worth of experience, contemplation and resignation. I feel so humble when listening to this piece, it makes my own life feel so insignificant yet precious. What else could you ask from art?

*Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68*

No, I wont choose the 9th, even though I'd be the first recognize it's brilliance and genius if it came down to that. But the astonishing 6th is for me the true beginning of romantic music. There's something so pure about the way Beethoven paints this amazing world in front of our eyes, with birds singing and thunder roaring. The opening of the finale is one of the most moving moments in all music for me, so comforting...

*Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op. 63*

For me, the 4th is the greatest, most inwardly expressive work Sibelius ever composed. Very dark. The opening gesture strikes a dirty blade at your heart and only the finale truly pulls it away. I think Simon Rattle once quipped that the first movement is like the entire _Parsifal_ compressed into one symphonic movement, and I find that curiously evocative. There is some deep drama going on beneath the surface, but it's expressed in a very dark, somber and dry way. It might be a difficult work to appreciate at first, but once it opens up to you it's a wonderful journey.

*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43*

I love a lot of Shostakovich's symphonies, but this one - his most Mahlerian one - is the closest to my heart. It's a bit curious that one would even want to let something this intense and depressing close to one's heart. But it's such a strong piece; I don't really know how to describe my feelings towards it. The piece is fueled by such intensity that by the end the listener is completely exhausted, and the final tolling celesta notes are like nails to your coffin... It shakes me to my very core every time, and it's very hard to shake the impression off afterwards. The symphonic direction Shostakovich took after the fourth has always puzzled me a bit, as I consider the fifth a much weaker work even though I like it very much. But luckily there were to be many masterpieces even after his artistic credo, the fourth.


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## Boston Charlie

When it comes to symphony, I'm so devoted to Beethoven, that I really can't list my top ten without having B dominate the charts; yes, all NINE of them are among my favorites. 

Apart from that, I really enjoy the Tchaikovsky symphonies, all SIX plus the non-canonical "Manfred". There's also a non-canonical "7th" that T rightly disowned as well-constructed but uninspired. 

While it took me a really, really long time to fully enjoy the four by Brahms, but I've come recognize all FOUR as wonderful, especially the 2nd. 

I'm not that big on Dvorak's symphonies, but the 9th "New World" sure is great.

As for Bruckner and Mahler, I tend to think that unless you want to count the wonderful, "Das Lied Von Der Erde" as a symphony, Mahler's finest come earlier (1-4) while Bruckner's best comes later (8 & 9). 

On to the great white north, Nielsen and Sibelius are favorites of mine, as well. In that regard, Sibelius' 2nd, 4th, 5th and 7th seem to appeal to me the most, while Nielsen's 3rd and 5th are my favorites of his oeuvre (especially the flaming 3rd "Sinfonia Espansiva). 

Without taking a thing away from Vaughan Williams whose 2nd ("A London Symphony") is a favorite; or Ives, whose 4th is probably the greatest symphony ever composed by an American; Shostakovich is my choice as the greatest symphonist of the 20th century. 

While I don't think it's necessary that I ever get to know all of Mozart's 41 or Haydn's 100+, there are a few I've come to know and love. My favorite by Mozart is #35 "Haffner". With Haydn, it's #85 "The Bear", #94 "Surprise", #97 and #100 "Military". Along that line, Prokofiev's brief but delightful "Classical Symphony" is a fitting tribute to the joyful spirit of Haydn's style. 

Gorecki's 3rd is another favorite; done in the minimalist style, is a moving depiction of the horror of war and the power of the mother-child bond. 

That's about the best I can do for now.


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## Itullian

Brahms all 4, Schumann all 4, Schubert "The Great", Bruckner 8.


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## poconoron

Mozart 39,40,41
Beethoven 4,6,7
Brahms 3
Dvorak - New World
Schubert 9
Haydn 92


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## Genoveva

1	.	Schubert	:	Symphony No 9 "Great"	-	Claudio Abbado	/	Orchestra Mozart
2	.	Beethoven	:	Symphony No 3 "Eroica"	-	Nikolaus Harnoncourt /	Chamber Orchestra of Europe
3	.	Mozart	:	Symphony No 41 "Jupiter"	-	Roger Norrington	/	Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra
4	.	Dvorak	:	Symphony No 8	-	Charles Munch	/	Boston Symphony Orchestra
5	.	Brahms	:	Symphony No 4	-	Carlos Kleiber	/	Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
6	.	Schumann	:	Symphony No 2	-	John Eliot Gardner	/	Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique
7	.	Mendelssohn	:	Symphony No 5 "Reformation"	-	Thomas Fey	/	Heidelberger Sinfoniker
8	.	Sibelius	:	Symphony No 7	-	Osmo Vänskä /	Minnesota Orchestra
9	.	Elgar	:	Symphony No 1	-	John Barbirolli	/	Hallé Orchestra
10	.	Tchaikovsky	:	Symphony No 6 "Pathetique"	-	Herbert von Karajan	/	Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra


----------



## Art Rock

1. Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde
2. Bruckner - Symphony 9
3. Schubert - Symphony 8
4. Mahler - Symphony 4
5. Gorecki - Symphony 3
6. Mahler - Symphony 9
7. Saint-Saens - Symphony 3
8. Brahms - Symphony 4
9. Dvorak - Symphony 9
10. Berlioz - Sinfonie fantastique

Honourable mentions for Mendelssohn 3, Beethoven 6, Tchaikovsky 6, Suk 2, Shostakovich 7, Sibelius 5 and many others......


----------



## SalieriIsInnocent

Mahler 3
Mozart 29
Beethoven 6
Mozart 25
Dvorak 9
Beethoven 9
Mendelssohn 4
Tchaikovsky 1
Beethoven 5
Gorecki 3


----------



## jdec

1. Beethoven - Symphony 3
2. Beethoven - Symphony 9
3. Mahler - Symphony 9
4. Brahms - Symphony 4
5. Mahler - Symphony 6
6. Mozart - Symphony 41
7. Dvorak - Symphony 9
8. Tchaikovsky - Symphony 6
9. Mahler - Symphony 2
10. Schubert - Symphony 9


Honourable mentions for Berlioz Sinfonie Fantastique, Mendelssohn 4, Beethoven 6 and 7, Brahms 1 and 3, Tchaikovsky 5, Shostakovich 5 and 10, Prokofiev 5 and 1, Sibelius 2, 5, 7 and many others......


----------



## hpowders

Haydn: Symphonies 82-87 (Paris); Haydn Symphony 102; Mahler Original Symphony 10; Schumann 2; Schuman 6.


----------



## Brahmsian Colors

Brahms: Symphony 3 Kempe/Berlin Philharmonic. Pushes all the right buttons. Never heard a better B3.
Brahms: Symphony 4 Walter/Columbia Symphony. Poetic, sentimental...and Van Beinum/Amsterdam. Clear, nicely nuanced.
Brahms: Symphony 1 Klemperer/Philharmonia. The Rock of Gibraltar...and Van Beinum/Amsterdam. Beautifully played and grand.
Dvorak: Symphony 8 Kertesz/London Symphony. Handsome, inspired...and Kubelik/Berlin. Melodious, free wheeling.
Schubert: The Great C Major (No. 9) Szell/Cleveland (the late '50s version on Epic lp/Sony cd). Driving, noble, vintage Szell.
Schubert: Symphony 5 Walter/Columbia Symphony. Charming, musical.
Mendelssohn: Symphony 3 ("Scottish") Maag/London Symphony. Wonderfully atmospheric. A classic interpretation.
Vaughan Williams: Symphony 3 ("Pastoral"). Haitink/London Philharmonic. Sensitive, superbly played.
Mahler: Symphony 9 Klemperer/New Philharmonia. Searching, powerful, committed.
Rachmaninoff: Symphony 2 Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra. His 1970's RCA recording. Understanding, on the mark.


----------



## DeepR

Mozart 41 
Beethoven 3
Bruckner 8 
Bruckner 9 (unfinished)
Mahler 2 
Mahler 5
Sibelius 2
Sibelius 7 
Kalinnikov 1
Von Hausegger Nature Symphony

Honorable mentions for Mahler 8, Scriabin 1, Mendelssohn 2, mostly for their great choral finales. 
And Scriabin "4" and "5" are symphonic poems, otherwise I'd have to change the above list.


----------



## Olias

No matter how often I branch out to other styles, composers, etc. I always end up coming back to these:

Haydn 100, 104
Mozart 41
Beethoven 3, 7, 9
Dvorak 7, 8, 9
Copland 3

I like Mackerras for all of them save the Copland which must be Bernstein.


----------



## Judith

The ten that come to mind are:-

Beethoven 2nd & 7th
Mahler 1st
Tchaikovsky 6th
All Brahms 4 symphonies
Schumann 2nd & 3rd

There are many more that I love but Classical Music is a vast subject after all


----------



## Haydn man

Not in any particular order and subject to change by next week

Haydn 104
Haydn 100
Beethoven 7
Schubert 8
Mahler 5
Mozart 38
Sibelius 7
Bruckner 4
Dvorak 7
Brahms 4


----------



## Bill Cooke

In no particular order (and more my "favorites" than an attempt at the "greatest")

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4
Walton: Symphony No. 1
Mahler: Symphony No. 6
Sibelius: Symphony No. 5
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 3
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6
Brahms: Symphony No. 4
Wm. Schuman: Symphony No. 3
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4

Well, that went fast. I can think of dozens more that could qualify.


----------



## 20centrfuge

Current Favorite 10

Prokofiev 3 (Muti) - power, darkness, sometimes feels like golden age “Hollywood”
Prokofiev 5 (Levine) - quirky and hopeful
Prokofiev 6 (Jarvi) - despair and consoling
Sibelius 2 (Bernstein/NY) - slow build to glory
Sibelius 5 (Bernstein/NY) - musical fragments from God’s own mind, assembled by Sibelius
Adams Harmonielehre - a symphony except in name, bold, anguished, peaceful
Bruckner 5 (Herreweghe) - a new find for me
Franck (Herreweghe) - nostalgia and beauty
Tchaikovsky 5 - romance
Barber 1 (Slatkin) - progressive and poignant


----------



## leonsm

Current top 10:

Atterberg: no. 3
Brahms: no. 4
Bruckner: no. 8
Khachaturian: no. 2
Mahler: nos. 5 & 6
Saint-Saens: no. 3
Shostakovich: no. 5
Szymanowski: no. 4
Walton: no. 1


----------



## Gottfried

Not easy!

Mahler 2
Beethoven 7
Mahler 1
Shostakovich 5
Haydn 31
Brahms 3
Berlioz SF
Sibelius 5
Bruckner 5
Schumann 4


----------



## Beet131

1 Beethoven 9 - Barenboim & Staatskapelle Berlin
2 Beethoven 5 - Carlos Kleiber & Wiener Philharmoniker
3 Beethoven 7 - Carlos Kleiber & Wiener Philharmoniker
4 Brahms 4 - Carlos Kleiber & Wiener Philharmoniker
5 Beethoven 3 - Karajan & Berliner Philharmoniker
6 Brahms 3 - Levine & Wiener Philharmoniker
7 Dvorak 9 - Previn & Los Angeles Philharmonic
8 Brahms 1 - Bruno Walter & Columbia Symphony Orchestra
9 Mozart 40 - Levine & Chicago Symphony Orchestra
10 Mahler 5 - Abbado & Chicago Symphony Orchestra


----------



## Captainnumber36

10 is a bit too many for me to put together at this point in my exposure, so I'll do a list of top 5:

1. Mozart 41
2. Mozart 40
3. Beethoven 6
4. Mahler 5
5. Beethoven 1

That's off the top of my head, I feel my list will constantly be changing depending on my mood.


----------



## Vadlo

It might be a bit exotic but here is my list. I don’t have any musical education.

1. Bruckner 7th
2. Mahler 2nd
3. Bruckner 1st
4. Dvorak 9th
5. Mahler 5th
6. Mahler 9th
7. Bruckner 9th
8. Tchaikovsky 5th
9. Schubert Unfinished
10. Schumann 3d


----------



## Bulldog

Alphabetical Order:

Beethoven - Symphony 9
Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique
Brahms - Symphony 4
Mahler - Symphony 4
Mahler - Symphony 2
Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde
Nielsen - Symphony 3
Shostakovich - Symphony 10
Silvestrov - Symphony 4
Zemlinsky - Lyric Symphony


----------



## PlaySalieri

Excluding Mozart

Beet 3
Berlioz
Franck
Sibelius 5
Shostakovich 5
Dvorak 7
Schubert 8, 9
Mahler 1
Mendelssohn 3


----------



## Steve Mc

Random:
Bruckner 9
Beethoven 6
Beethoven 7
Mendelssohn 3
Mendelssohn 4
Mozart 41
Mozart 40
Dvorak 9
Sibelius 5
Brahms 3


----------



## Merl

As usual with me, this is a CURRENT list only....it will change dramatically in a fortnight. 

Kalinnikov 1 - Bakels
Beethoven 7 - Dausgaard
Dvorak 5 - Rowicki
Mahler 6 ' Barshai
Sibelius 5 - various versions
Brahms 4 - Ticciati
Schumann 2 - Dohnanyi
Beethoven 8 - Scherchen
Dvorak 7 - Dohnanyi
Schubert 5 - Davis


----------



## MusicSybarite

Vadlo said:


> It might be a bit exotic but here is my list. I don't have any musical education.
> 
> 1. Bruckner 7th
> 2. Mahler 2nd
> 3. Bruckner 1st
> 4. Dvorak 9th
> 5. Mahler 5th
> 6. Mahler 9th
> 7. Bruckner 9th
> 8. Tchaikovsky 5th
> 9. Schubert Unfinished
> 10. Schumann 3d


It's a superb list, Vadlo! Even the 1st by Bruckner, which I consider better than the 2nd.


----------



## AfterHours

1. Symphony No. 9 in D Minor "Choral" - Ludwig van Beethoven (1824) / Herbert von Karajan - Berlin Philharmonic (1968 - Video Recording) 





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

3. Symphony No. 9 in C Major "The Great" - Franz Schubert (1826) / Herbert von Karajan - Berliner Philharmoniker (1968 - DG)
https://cps-static.rovicorp.com/3/JPG_500/MI0001/157/MI0001157695.jpg?partner=allrovi.com

4. Symphony No. 15 in A Major - Dmitri Shostakovich (1971) / Bernard Haitink - London Philharmonic Orchestra (1978 - Decca) 
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/519lIcNcN9L.jpg

5. Symphony No. 5 in C Minor - Ludwig van Beethoven (1808) / John Eliot Gardiner - Orchestre Révolutionnaire Et Romantique (2016 - BBC Video Recording) 





6. Symphony No. 4 in E Minor - Johannes Brahms (1884) / James Levine - Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1978 - RCA) 





7. Symphony No. 9 in E Minor "From the New World" - Antonin Dvorak (1893) / Leonard Bernstein - New York Philharmonic (1962 - Sony) 
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/81YQUy2Z4vL._SL1500_.jpg

8. Symphonie Fantastique - Hector Berlioz (1830) / Herbert von Karajan - Berlin Philharmonic (1975 - DG) 
https://i.scdn.co/image/a4757706d801b16068a2e7490174d26675849600

9. Symphony No. 41 in C Major - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1788) / Karl Bohm - Berlin Philharmonic (1962 - DG) 
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/615z5uB1vxL._SY355_.jpg

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





I provided image links if they are available on Spotify and Youtube video links where they were not.


----------



## MarkW

Linited (with difficulty) to one per composer or some would dominate.

Beethoven -- 3 (Toscanini/NBC --Carnegie Hall)
Brahms -- 4 (various)
Mozart -- 38 (Kubelik/CSO)
Haydn -- 101 (Don't shoot me --Ormandy/Phila.)
Schumann -- 3 (Gardiner/ORR)
Mahler -- 6 (Leinsdorf/BSO)
Vaughan Wiliiams -- 5 (Previn/LSO)
Nielsen -- 5 (Horenstein/LSO)
Prokofiev - 5 (Leinsdorf/BSO)
Tippett -- 2 (Davis/LSO)
Dvorak -- 6 (Kertesz/LSO)

(Okay, that's eleven. Sue me. )


----------



## juliante

Brahmsianhorn said:


> 1. Bruckner 8th - Furtwangler 1944
> 2. Beethoven 9th - Furtwangler 1942
> 3. Brahms 3rd - Furtwangler 1954
> 4. Mahler 9th - Barbirolli live 1960
> 5. Mahler 7th - Klemperer
> 6. Beethoven 5th - Furtwangler 5/25/47
> 7. Mahler 5th - Barbirolli
> 8. Brahms 4th - Furtwangler 1949
> 9. Beethoven 3rd - Furtwangler 1944
> 10. Tchaikovsky 6th - Furtwangler 1951
> 10. (tie) Mahler 4th - Mengelberg


Who's your favourite conductor?


----------



## joen_cph

Some candidates would be

Beethoven 9
Bruckner 8
Mahler/Cooke 10
Sibelius 4
Nielsen 4
Elgar 1
Vaughan-Williams 4
Martinu 6
Pettersson 8
Shostakovich 15

Another set of candidates would be

Beethoven 3
Schubert 9
Bruckner 4
Mahler 9
Sibelius Kullervo
Elgar 2
Dvorak 9
Nielsen 5
Shostakovich 8
Nørgård 5


----------



## endelbendel

Favorite would mean i listen frequently.

Beethoven 6 and 3.
Bruckner 6.
Prokofiev Sym Concertante.
Vivaldi, Seasons.
Rameau, theater music.
Shostakovich 7 (painful but i listen).
Schubert Rosamunde.
Mahler 2.


----------



## Vadlo

MusicSybarite said:


> It's a superb list, Vadlo! Even the 1st by Bruckner, which I consider better than the 2nd.


I rate 1st of Bruckner very high. It's very underestimated. A perfect combination of tensions and discharges. The ending of the first part is probably my favorite moment in classic music.

For some reason I lack discharges in Beethoven and all earlier composers. I consider them incomplete and lightweight. The modern composers are vice verca - they have a lot of tensions which make them difficult to listen to. So Mahler, Bruckner and Rott, who fills the gap between these two with his tremendous symphony are the best for me.


----------



## Dimace

This is VERY intriguing!! 


1. Tschaikowkys 5th

2. Mahlers 2nd

3. Beethovens 7th

4. Beethovens 9th

5. Bruckners 4th

6. Mahlers 8th

7. Beethovens 3rd

8. Tschaikowkys Manfred Symphony

9. Wallaces Creation Symphony

10. Schuberts Unvollendete


----------



## Becca

There are many which I put high on the list so the bar is set very high for a top 10... (subject to change without notice)

Bantock - Pagan Symphony
Bruckner - 7th
Chavez - 2nd - Sinfonia India
Mahler - 8th
Rubbra - 5th
Nielsen - 5th
Sibelius - 3rd
Sibelius - 5th
Vaughan Williams 5th
Vaughan Williams - 2nd - London Symphony - 1913 version

Others that might make it into the 2nd 10...

Bantock - Hebridean
Berlioz - Fantastique
Bliss - Colour
Lloyd - 11th
Mahler - 2nd - Resurrection
Mahler - 3rd
Mahler - 5th
Martinu - 2nd
Nielsen - 3rd - Espansiva
Nielsen - 4th - 
Rott - 1st (yes there is part of a 2nd)
Sibelius - 6th
Tubin - 4th - Lirica
Vaughan Williams - 1st - Sea


----------



## Malx

Becca said:


> There are many which I put high on the list so the bar is set very high for a top 10... (subject to change without notice)
> 
> Bantock - Pagan Symphony
> Bruckner - 7th
> Chavez - 2nd - Sinfonia India
> Mahler - 8th
> Rubbra - 5th
> Nielsen - 5th
> Sibelius - 3rd
> Sibelius - 5th
> Vaughan Williams 5th
> Vaughan Williams - 2nd - London Symphony - 1913 version
> 
> Others that might make it into the 2nd 10...
> 
> Bantock - Hebridean
> Berlioz - Fantastique
> Bliss - Colour
> Lloyd - 11th
> Mahler - 2nd - Resurrection
> Mahler - 3rd
> Mahler - 5th
> Martinu - 2nd
> Nielsen - 3rd - Espansiva
> Nielsen - 4th -
> Rott - 1st (yes there is part of a 2nd)
> Sibelius - 6th
> Tubin - 4th - Lirica
> Vaughan Williams - 1st - Sea


Well that list saved me time deliberating over what to select - that is a very fine selection Becca.


----------



## Templeton

Not in any order, other than alphabetical.

Beethoven - 7th
Brahms - 3rd
Bruckner - 7th
Bruckner - 9th
Dvořák - 8th
Joseph Marx - Eine Herbstsymphonie
Franz Schmidt - 2nd
Franz Schmidt - 4th
Vaughan Williams - 2nd 'London'
Vaughan Williams - 5th


----------



## Pat Fairlea

It's a bit obvious to say this is difficult. But it is.

Here goes...

Beethoven 7
Sibelius 6
Sibelius 4
Rachmaninoff 3
Vaughan Williams 5
Vaughan Williams 8
Borodin 2
Shostakovich 7 (not that I listen to it often - it scares me)
Tchaikovsky 4
Britten 'Spring'

Dvorak 8 just missed the cut.


----------



## Rach Man

Pat Fairlea said:


> Dvorak 8 just missed the cut.


Is that like getting relegated to the Championship League?


----------



## Rach Man

I did a different take and picked one symphony per number, with one un-numbered, plus the high-numbered symphonies.

As others stated, this is a difficult task, but here goes.

1. Mahler - Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra (beat Honeck: PSO by a whisker)
2. Mahler - Solti: London Symphony Orchestra
3. Mahler - Honeck: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
4. Tchaikovsky - Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
5. Shostakovich - Honeck: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
6. Tchaikovsky - Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
7. Dvorak - Dohnanyi: Cleveland Orchestra
8. Dvorak - Honeck: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
9. Dvorak - Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
10. Mahler - Wigglesworth: BBC National Orchestra Of Wales
Not Numbered - Symphonie Fantastique (Berlioz) - Janowski: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

93-104. Haydn (not as much difficulty with these numbered symphonies) :lol:


----------



## joen_cph

Rach Man said:


> I did a different take and picked one symphony per number, with one un-numbered, plus the high-numbered symphonies.
> 
> As others stated, this is a difficult task, but here goes.
> 
> 1. Mahler - Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra (beat Honeck: PSO by a whisker)
> 2. Mahler - Solti: London Symphony Orchestra
> 3. Mahler - Honeck: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
> 4. Tchaikovsky - Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
> 5. Shostakovich - Honeck: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
> 6. Tchaikovsky - Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
> 7. Dvorak - Dohnanyi: Cleveland Orchestra
> 8. Dvorak - Honeck: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
> 9. Dvorak - Solti: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
> 10. Mahler - *Wigglesworth: BBC National Orchestra Of Wales*
> Not Numbered - Symphonie Fantastique (Berlioz) - Janowski: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
> 
> 93-104. Haydn (not as much difficulty with these numbered symphonies) :lol:


Nice to see Wigglesworth mentioned, I like that one, and Rattle´s first recording.


----------



## Blancrocher

Current 10

Rameau, "Une symphonie imaginaire" - Minkowski
Haydn 83 "The Hen" - Bernstein
Haydn 92 "Oxford" - Szell
Beethoven 4 - Walter
Beethoven 6 - Walter
Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique - Davis/Vienna
Mahler 4 - Bernstein/NY
Sibelius 6 - Karajan/Philharmonia
Rachmaninov, Symphonic Dances (Jansons)
Stravinsky, Symphony in C (Stravinsky cond.)


----------



## Dimace

Becca said:


> There are many which I put high on the list so the bar is set very high for a top 10... (subject to change without notice)
> 
> Bantock - Pagan Symphony
> Bruckner - 7th
> *Chavez - 2nd - Sinfonia India*
> Mahler - 8th
> *Rubbra - 5th*
> Nielsen - 5th
> Sibelius - 3rd
> Sibelius - 5th
> Vaughan Williams 5th
> Vaughan Williams - 2nd - London Symphony - 1913 version
> 
> Others that might make it into the 2nd 10...
> 
> Bantock - Hebridean
> Berlioz - Fantastique
> Bliss - Colour
> *Lloyd - 11th*
> Mahler - 2nd - Resurrection
> Mahler - 3rd
> Mahler - 5th
> Martinu - 2nd
> Nielsen - 3rd - Espansiva
> Nielsen - 4th -
> Rott - 1st (yes there is part of a 2nd)
> Sibelius - 6th
> *Tubin - 4th - Lirica*
> Vaughan Williams - 1st - Sea


Very advanced list! (Bold = I have no idea = completely unknown!)


----------



## Becca

Dimace said:


> Very advanced list! (Bold = I have no idea = completely unknown!)


All are 20th century...

Carlos Chavez - Mexico - 1935
Eduard Tubin - Estonia - 1943
Edmund Rubbra - Britain - 1947
George Lloyd - Britain - 1985


----------



## tdc

Brahms 4
Brahms 2
Ives 3
Ives 4
Bruckner 9
Schubert 9
Mahler DLVDE
Prokofiev 2
Rachmaninov 3
Mozart 38


----------



## Pat Fairlea

Rach Man said:


> Is that like getting relegated to the Championship League?


No, it's like a golf major. You go home after two rounds, feeling embarassed.


----------



## Dimace

Becca said:


> All are 20th century...
> 
> Carlos Chavez - Mexico - 1935
> Eduard Tubin - Estonia - 1943
> Edmund Rubbra - Britain - 1947
> George Lloyd - Britain - 1985


You sent me back to the school! :tiphat:


----------



## Brahmsianhorn

Having already listed my favorites on page 1, I'm going to digress and list my favorite individual symphonic movements:

1. Bruckner 8: III
2. Beethoven 9: I
3. Mahler 9: IV
4. Brahms 3: III
5. Beethoven 3: II
6. Mahler 5: IV
7. Beethoven 9: IV
8. Tchaikovsky 6: I
9. Mahler 4: II
10. Rachmaninoff 2: III


----------



## Xisten267

licorice stick said:


> It looks like the last top 10 symphonies thread petered out last year, but I have the urge to share a list of my own and see yours. I will encourage everyone to provide a brief justification of each piece and their favorite recording.


I wanted to revive this thread, so...

1. Beethoven #9: Toscanini/NBCSO (1952)
2. Bruckner #8: Furtwängler/WPO (1944)
3. Beethoven #5: Karajan/BPO (1963)
4. Schubert #8: Kleiber/WPO (1978)
5. Tchaikovsky #6: Mravinsky/LPO (1960)
6. Bruckner #9: Giulini/WPO (1988)
7. Mahler #9: Haitink/RCO (1987)
8. Bruckner #7: Karajan/WPO (1989)
9. Beethoven #3: Bernstein/NYPO (1964)
10. Brahms #3: Karajan/BPO (1964)


----------



## haziz

*Favorite 10 symphonies roughly in descending order:*

*Beethoven 5th - Carlos Kleiber
Beethoven 9th - Karajan BPO 1963
Beethoven 3rd - Honeck Pittsburgh
Tchaikovsky 4th - Mravinsky Leningrad (1960 - stereo)
Tchaikovsky 6th - Mravisnky Leningrad (1960 - stereo)
Tchaikovsky 2nd - Abbado - Philharmonia
Tchaikovsky 1st - Tilson Thomas BSO
Dvorak 5th - Suitner or Rowicki
Dvorak 3rd - Suitner or Anguelov
Dvorak 6th - Rowicki
*

*
Runners up more or less in descending order:*

Borodin 2
Kalinnikov 1
Kalinnikov 2
Rimsky-korsakov 2 (Antar)
Beethoven 7th - Kleiber
Tchaikovsky 5th - Mravinsky Leningrad (1960 -stereo)
Dvorak 8th
Dvorak 9th
Beethoven 6th - Bohm
Tchaikovsky 3rd
Beethoven 4
Beethoven 8
Sibelius 1
Sibelius 2
Sibelius 5
Brahms 1
Shostakovich 5
Shostakovich 9
Shostakovich 10
Mendelssohn 4
Mendelssohn 3
Borodin 1
Borodin 3
Schubert 8


----------



## Philidor

For the time being ...

1. Mahler 9 - Bruno Walter, Columbia SO, 1961
2. Mahler 6 - Mariss Jansons, LSO live, Nov 2002
3. Bruckner 8 - Sergiu Celibidache, SWR Radio Symphony Orchestra, Nov 1976
4. Bruckner 9 - Claudio Abbado, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, 2013
5. Bruckner 5 - Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, June 2004
6. Mahler 3 - Leonard Bernstein, New York Philharmonic (DG)
7. Tschaikowsky 6 - Willem Mengelberg, Concertgebouw, 1941
8. Beethoven 3 - Arturo Toscanini, 1939
9. Beethoven 9 - Philharmonia Orchestra, live 1957
10. Mozart 40 - Ensemble Resonanz, Riccardo Minasi


----------



## Simon Moon

I'll give it a try...

Elliott Carter - Symphony for Three Orchestras
Charles Wuorinen - Two Part Symphony (1978)
Charles Wuorinen - Microsymphony (1992)
Magnus Lindberg - Sculpture (2005)
Krysztof Penderecki - Symphony No. 4
Peter Maxwell Davies - Symphony No. 2
Sofia Gubaidulina - Stimmen...Verstummen", Symphony in 12 movements (1986)
Stefan Wolpe - Symphony (1956)
Erkki-Sven Tüür - Symphony No. 9 "Mythos"
Roger Sessions - Symphony No. 8 (1968)

I can already see quite a few others that, on other days, would be in my top 10.


----------



## Waehnen

For the time being:

Sibelius: Symphony no. 7
Beethoven: Symphony no. 9
Brahms: Symphony no. 4
Mahler: Symphony no. 2
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no. 6
Bruckner: Symphony no. 7
Sibelius: Symphony no. 4
Sibelius: Symphony no. 5
Beethoven: Symphony no. 6
Mahler: Symphony no. 3


----------



## Prodromides

licorice stick said:


> I will encourage everyone to provide a brief justification of each piece and their favorite recording.


Justification? Our favo(u)rites likely need no justification. My pleading would be too wordy to be brief, besides. I'll attempt single-word descriptors as the OP had done:

10. *Benjamin Frankel*: Symphony No.1
W. A. Albert & the Queensland Symphony Orchestra on CPO
After composer's age 50, he adapts 12-tone techniques to create his first symphony

9. *Isang Yun*: Symphony No.2
T. Ukigaya & Pomeranian Philharmonic Orchestra on CPO
Unique blend of Korean scales/intervals with Germanic modernity

8. *Humphrey Searle*: Symphony No.5
Hallé Orchestra/Lawrence Leonard; BBC Broadcast 12 March 1966 (monaural)
Post-WWII serialism with Webern-like crystallization

7. *Meyer Kupferman*: Jazz Symphony
Domarkas & the Lithuanian National Philharmonic (with solo saxophone & mezzo-soprano) Soundspells
1960s-style third-stream avant-garde atonal jazz with late-1980s European orchestral recording.

6. *William Walton*: Symphony No.1
B. Thomson & London Philharmonic on Chandos
tempestuous intensity

5. *Karl-Birger Blomdahl*: Symphony No.3 "Facetter"
Sixten Ehrling & Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra on Caprice
Ominous, kinetic, expressionism

4. *Alex North*: Symphony for a New Continent
Graunke Symphony Orchestra of Munich conducted by North on Prometheus CD
Primordial, percussive, freely atonal

3. *Karol Szymanowski*: Symphony No.3 "Song of the Night"
K. Stryja Polish State Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus on Marco Polo CD
Dionysian & hedonistic chromaticism

2. *Richard Rodney Bennett*: Symphony No.1
Igor Buketoff conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on RCA LP
Virtuoso & extrovert serialism

1. *André Jolivet*: Troisieme Symphonie
Orchestre National de France directed by André Jolivet (live 1966 recording) on Solstice CD
Obstinate, vehement, sound-mass projections.


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## RobertJTh

In alphabetical order:

Beethoven 7
Brahms 3
Bruckner 6
Elgar 2
Mahler 6
Nielsen 4
Schmidt 4
Schubert 9
Shostakovitch 8
Sibelius 5


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## PathfinderCS

These position aren't exactly set in stone and I really need to expose myself to more, but I also have a certain taste as I prefer symphonies that have a prominent organ part.

10. Widor: Symphony for Organ and Orchestra
9. Guilmant: Symphony for Organ and Orchestra 1
8. Havergal Brian: Symphony 2
7. Havergal Brian: Symphony 1 "Gothic"
6. Beethoven: Symphony 6 "Pastorale"
5. Beethoven: Symphony 9
4. Beethoven: Symphony 3 "Eroica"
3. Saint-Saens: Symphony 3 "Organ"
2. Widor: Symphonie Antique
1. Mahler: Symphony 8


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## Anooj

Limiting myself to just 1 symphony per composer, as this would be way too difficult otherwise:

Beethoven 7
Bortkiewicz 1
Mahler 8
Rachmaninov 2
Tchaikovsky 5
Mozart 40
Glazunov 5
Taneyev 4
Kalinnikov 1
Saint-Saens 3


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## juliante

Fairly standard list with a couple of less common ones 

Beethoven 3 - Eternal and immutable no.1 for me
Brahms 4 - Bored of it now, but it was such a key work when i fell in love with CM that it has to be here
Vaughan Williams 5 - Not a truly great work imo overall...but has to be in my top 10 for the slow movement 
Elgar 2 - 2nd movement...
Mahler 9 
Mahler 2
Mozart 41 
Berlioz Phantastique 
Nielsen 5
Schubert 9


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## Terrapin

12-way tie for first, in chronological order:
Mozart 41
Beethoven 3, 5, 6, 7, 9
Schubert 8
Brahms 1
Tchaikovsky 5, 6
Dvorak 9
Mahler 9


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## tbazar

Here we go...
1. Beethoven 9, Abendroth, Berlin RSO
2. Stravinsky, Rite of Spring, Monteux, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra
3. Brahms 1, Van Beinum, Concertgebouw Amsterdam
4. Beethoven 5, Prohaska, Vienna State Opera Orchestra
5. Bruckner 7, Ormandy, Philadelphia Orch.
6. Schumann 2, Paray, Detroit Orch.
7. Honegger 2&3, Baudo, Czech Phil.
8. Shostakovich 10, Mitropoulos, NY Phil.
9. Brahms 4, Paray, Detroit
10. Mahler 2, Scherchen, Vienna Opera Orch.


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## Xisten267

I'm very interested in the preferred performances of the favorite symphonies of the members, so anyone naming them along with the works will be getting my like in this thread.



Waehnen said:


> For the time being:
> 
> *Sibelius: Symphony no. 7*
> Beethoven: Symphony no. 9
> Brahms: Symphony no. 4
> Mahler: Symphony no. 2
> Tchaikovsky: Symphony no. 6
> Bruckner: Symphony no. 7
> Sibelius: Symphony no. 4
> Sibelius: Symphony no. 5
> Beethoven: Symphony no. 6
> Mahler: Symphony no. 3


I have little experience with recordings of the Sibelius' symphonies. Do you have a favorite performance for Sibelius' seventh?


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## Bruckner Anton

1. Beethoven 3
2. Brahms 4
3. Beethoven 9
4. Mozart 41
5. Beethoven 6
6. Berlioz SF
7. Brahms 3
8. Sibelius 7
9. Mahler 9
10. Bruckner 8


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## szabomd

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


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## MusicSybarite

An updated list is needed from me (in any order):

*Langgaard 6
Walton 1
Mahler 6
Shostakovich 8
Tubin 2
Sibelius 6
Nielsen 5
Vaughan Williams 9
Dvorak 8
Roussel 2*


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## tbazar

Try Sibelius 7 with Colin Davis and the Boston Symphony.
Also, check out Sibelius 4 with the same.
I prefer 4 over 7.


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## OCEANE

licorice stick said:


> It looks like the last top 10 symphonies thread petered out last year, but I have the urge to share a list of my own and see yours. I will encourage everyone to provide a brief justification of each piece and their favorite recording.
> 
> 10. Haydn 93
> Szell/Cleveland
> Hilarity, hijinks, tuneful fodder for whistling
> 
> 9. Mozart 35
> Bohm/BPO
> Unrestrained exuberance
> 
> 8. Mahler 7
> Abbado/Lucerne Festival (concert)
> Nirvana, hallucination
> 
> 7. Elgar 2
> Davis/BRSO (concert)
> Striving, yearning, wistfulness
> 
> 6. Bruckner 6
> Jochum/BRSO (1967)
> Solving a difficult enigma
> 
> 5. Tchaikovsky 6
> Jansons/Oslo
> Turbulence, bipolarity
> 
> 4. Brahms 4
> Kleiber/Vienna
> Coherence, logic, depth
> 
> 3. Beethoven 6
> Vanska/Minnesota
> An ecosystem in perfect harmony
> 
> 2. Mahler 6
> Jansons/BRSO (concert)
> The existence of hope despite crushing bleakness
> 
> 1. Schubert 9
> Dohnanyi/Cleveland
> Nobility, clarity, vitality, a trancelike 45 min of bliss


It's a very encouraging sharing. I could see your point but it's hard for me to briefly explain the justification for my loved symphonies because the absolute music is very much a sense of expression and feeling.

The following are my 10 favorite symphonies (there are many others) and I list out the versions that I like and listen to lately...or at the time being.

Mahler 1 - Lutin, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Mahler 3 - Michael Gielen SWR
Mahler 6 - Tennstedt LSO
Bruckner 3 - Marek Janowski, Swiss Romande Orchestra
Bruckner 4 - Celibidache Munich Phil.
Beethoven 5 - Karajan, Berlin Phil 1963
Beethoven 6 - Bruno Walter, Columbia 1951
Beethoven 9 - Riccardo Chailly, Gewandhausorchester
Mozart 40 - Bohm, Vienna Phil
Tchaikovsky 6 - Honeck Pitsburgh Symphony Orchestra (Reference Recording - outstanding sound quality)


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## juliante

Interested in VW 9 being in there. Can you say what you like about it? There's a few on yr list i will explore but will start with VW 9.


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## dko22

I had to compile a list a little while ago -- actually of the top 20 -- to go through together with my wife. The top 3 are fairly clear but the rest don't have much daylight between them.

1. *Suk "Asrael"*. Of the late Romantic tragedies, this scrapes home. Has to be Talich though Weller runs him close. 
2. * Bruckner 6 * Jochum or Celi.
3. *Bruckner 9* probably Jochum Dresden though a good deal of competition
4. *Weinberg 19 * Fedoseyev probably but Lande the only one you can actually buy. 
5. * Schmidt 2 * Schmidt's 4th is tolerably well known but this joyful work is arguably more typical of the composer. 
6.* Sibelius 7 * Sanderling. Most performances of this extraordinary work are dreadful but Berglund is another decent one.
7. * Weinberg 17 * You need all three (Fedoseyev x2 and Lande) as they're completely different from each other. I would claim (and am far from alone among those who have discovered him) that Weinberg's 26 symphonies, including 4 chamber works, are more important than even the cycle by his friend and mentor Shostakovich -- the music is more varied and less uneven. 
8* Mahler 10 * has to be Sanderling here.
9. *Nielsen 3 * Ole Schmidt.
10. *Alexander Brincken 4th* this has just replaced Rachmaninov's 2nd. The slow movement contains probably the most heavenly melody of the 21st century.


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## ronsoccer

Ten favorite symphonies - the top three are interchangeable based on any given day-

*Beethoven* #6 - Walter CSO
*Brahms* #2 - Karajan BSO '87
*Mahle*r #1 - Bernstein - NYP '67
*Fibich* #2 - Waldhans - BRNO State Philharmonic
*Berwald* "Singuliere" - N. Jarvi - GSO
*Tschaikowsky* #4 - Karajan - BSO '85
*Mozart* #40 - Blomstedt - Staatskapelle Dresden
*Brahms* #3 - Walter - CSO
*Mahle*r #4 - Inbal - FRSO
*Beethoven* #7 - Suitner - Staatskapelle Berlin

I also have complete cycles of Bernstein, Bruckner, Dvorak, Elgar, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninov, Rimsky-Korsakov, Schubert, Schumann, and Sibelius. Trying to get into Bruckner and Schubert. 
Its pleasant but nothing really stands out. Hayden and Dvorak are good but not exciting. Do not get the excitement about Prokofiev and Shostakovich.


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## 59540

Mozart: 35 and 41
Haydn: 104
Beethoven: 3, 8 and 9
Bruckner 8 
Mahler 6 and 9
Sibelius 5


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## Eva Yojimbo

Mozart: 41
Beethoven: 3, 9
Mahler: 2, 5, 9
Brahms: 4
Bruckner: 8
Haydn: 93
Sibelius: 7


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

dissident said:


> Mozart: 35 and 41
> Haydn: 104
> Beethoven: 3, 8 and 9
> Bruckner 8
> Mahler 6 and 9
> Sibelius 5


While my favourite Mahler is very different from yours (1, 2 and 5), I love that you didn't include Beethoven's 6th and included the 8th instead. I think that for those who find Beethoven's 6th to be their favourite symphony, they don't quite understand Beethoven for it is the least Beethovenian of all his symphonies. Still a great symphony.


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## TwoFlutesOneTrumpet

Beethoven 3, 5, 7
Brahms 3, 4
Sibelius 3, 5, 7
Shostakovich 5
Mahler 2

Bah, this is impossible. I already have another top 10 
Beethoven 4, 8, 9
Brahms 1, 2
Sibelius 1, 2
Mahler 1
Bruckner 9
Shostakovich 10

And another top 10 ... I think I'll have to do top 50.


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## Ludwig Schon

dko22 said:


> I had to compile a list a little while ago -- actually of the top 20 -- to go through together with my wife. The top 3 are fairly clear but the rest don't have much daylight between them.
> 
> 1. *Suk "Asrael"*. Of the late Romantic tragedies, this scrapes home. Has to be Talich though Weller runs him close.
> 2. * Bruckner 6 * Jochum or Celi.
> 3. *Bruckner 9* probably Jochum Dresden though a good deal of competition
> 4. *Weinberg 19 * Fedoseyev probably but Lande the only one you can actually buy.
> 5. * Schmidt 2 * Schmidt's 4th is tolerably well known but this joyful work is arguably more typical of the composer.
> 6.* Sibelius 7 * Sanderling. Most performances of this extraordinary work are dreadful but Berglund is another decent one.
> 7. * Weinberg 17 * You need all three (Fedoseyev x2 and Lande) as they're completely different from each other. I would claim (and am far from alone among those who have discovered him) that Weinberg's 26 symphonies, including 4 chamber works, are more important than even the cycle by his friend and mentor Shostakovich -- the music is more varied and less uneven.
> 8* Mahler 10 * has to be Sanderling here.
> 9. *Nielsen 3 * Ole Schmidt.
> 10. *Alexander Brincken 4th* this has just replaced Rachmaninov's 2nd. The slow movement contains probably the most heavenly melody of the 21st century.


Just listened to the opening movement of Brincken’s 4th. Like a recently executed, exquisite cubist painting, it’s very pretty, but over a hundred years out of date, and thus unworthy of serious consideration...


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## Becca

Ludwig Schon said:


> Just listened to the opening movement of Brincken’s 4th. Like a recently executed, exquisite cubist painting, it’s very pretty, but over a hundred years out of date, and *u worthy of serious discussion...*


Just because you don't think much of it has no bearing on how others my value it. Quite frankly, such a statement is demeaning and unworthy of being made, and says far more about you than the music in question.


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## dko22

it's precisely because it's a hundred years out of date that it's worthy of serious consideration. Unlike the often depressing music situation nowadays, this was a golden era which passed all too quickly and any attempt to revitalise it should be given maximum attention when it's done as well as this. For what it's worth, Brincken's 1st symphony is arguably even better, though more chromatic, but the composer doesn't want the recording (other than a four minute clip from the adagio) from the premiere back in 1986 to be put on YouTube as he's dissatisfied with the performance and recording. A crying shame in my view as this is perhaps the greatest Brucknerian/Schmidtian symphony since then.


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## Ludwig Schon

dko22 said:


> it's precisely because it's a hundred years out of date that it's worthy of serious consideration. Unlike the often depressing music situation nowadays, this was a golden era which passed all too quickly and any attempt to revitalise it should be given maximum attention when it's done as well as this. For what it's worth, Brincken's 1st symphony is arguably even better, though more chromatic, but the composer doesn't want the recording (other than a four minute clip from the adagio) from the premiere back in 1986 to be put on YouTube as he's dissatisfied with the performance and recording. A crying shame in my view as this is perhaps the greatest Brucknerian/Schmidtian symphony since then.


As Brexit has proven, it is a natural human failing to pine for an age that never existed. I meet many children these days whose only interest in music is Rick Ashley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up!”. They‘re not even being ironic (rather moronic). These days, I struggle to hide my contempt for the English people and how they have dragged their country and my city (London) into an Orwellian sewer of penury and doublespeak… I cannot wait to sell my house and return to an advanced economy in the first world (Ireland)…


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## dko22

The 1920's did exist and it was musically a much richer and diverse time than what we have now -- indeed arguably richer than just about any other in history. But in general, as a Scot, I must agree with your sentiments, particularly on Brexit....


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## dko22

MusicSybarite said:


> An updated list is needed from me (in any order):
> 
> *Langgaard 6
> Walton 1
> Mahler 6
> Shostakovich 8
> Tubin 2
> Sibelius 6
> Nielsen 5
> Vaughan Williams 9
> Dvorak 8
> Roussel 2*


an interestingly in part eccentric list with a strong Nordic emphasis. I'm a big fan of Tubin but no.2 never entirely registered -- parts of it see him at his most bombastic though it starts and ends well. Likewise Roussel's no.3 (which made a big impression when I heard Jarvi doing it live) seems much better know than his second which didn't do much for me when I heard it -- perhaps I should try that one again as well. The discovery is Langgard, though. This composer is maddeningly inconsistent but no. 6 seems to be the best of the symphonies I've tried. Still, it's surely _Music of the Spheres_ which makes him stand out from the crowd


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## Brahmsian Colors

Four year revision (alphabetically)....

Brahms: Symphony 3 Kempe/Berlin Philharmonic; Solti/Chicago Symphony; Walter/Columbia Symphony; Barbirolli/Vienna Philharmonic
Brahms: Symphony 2 Monteux/London Symphony; Walter/Columbia Symphony; Klemperer/Philharmonia Orchestra
Brahms: Symphony 1 Van Beinum/Amsterdam (Royal) Concertgebouw; Klemperer/Philharmonia Orchestra; Ormandy/Philadelphia Orchestra (1959)
Dvorak: Symphony 7 Szell/Cleveland Orchestra; Monteux/London Symphony
Dvorak: Symphony 8 Kertesz/London Symphony; Kubelik/Berlin Philharmonic
Franck: Symphony in D minor Monteux/Chicago Symphony
Mahler: Symphony 9 Barbirolli/Berlin Philharmonic
Schubert: Symphony 9 "Great" Szell/Cleveland Orchestra (1959 version Epic/Sony)
Sibelius: Symphony 6 Sanderling/Berlin Symphony Orchestra
Vaughan Williams: Symphony 3 "Pastoral" Haitink/London Philharmonic; Previn/London Symphony


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## MusicSybarite

dko22 said:


> an interestingly in part eccentric list with a strong Nordic emphasis. I'm a big fan of Tubin but no.2 never entirely registered -- parts of it see him at his most bombastic though it starts and ends well. Likewise Roussel's no.3 (which made a big impression when I heard Jarvi doing it live) seems much better know than his second which didn't do much for me when I heard it -- perhaps I should try that one again as well. The discovery is Langgard, though. This composer is maddeningly inconsistent but no. 6 seems to be the best of the symphonies I've tried. Still, it's surely _Music of the Spheres_ which makes him stand out from the crowd


Langgaard was not a very consistent composer as you mention. However, some of his symphonies do resonate with me powerfully, namely 1-6 (1, 4 and 6 being remarkable), 10 and 13. No. 11 is an exhilarating "musical joke" which I also enjoy. _Music of the Spheres_, the opera _Antikrist_, some orchestral works and string quartets belong to my favorite pieces of his. If you don't know the Chandos recording of the Symphony No. 6, please, give that recording a listen. It's tremendous!


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## MusicSybarite

juliante said:


> Interested in VW 9 being in there. Can you say what you like about it? There's a few on yr list i will explore but will start with VW 9.


Sorry for my delayed reply. For me, it's the most enigmatic and visionary of his symphonies, also somewhat violent in the style of his Sixth. VW knew how to stamp that "raw" and intriguing element on the score and he suceeded at it quite well. I can't speak in a more musical language, but I hope my subjective view of the piece makes any sense on you.


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## Ludwig Schon

dko22 said:


> an interestingly in part eccentric list with a strong Nordic emphasis. I'm a big fan of Tubin but no.2 never entirely registered -- parts of it see him at his most bombastic though it starts and ends well. Likewise Roussel's no.3 (which made a big impression when I heard Jarvi doing it live) seems much better know than his second which didn't do much for me when I heard it -- perhaps I should try that one again as well. The discovery is Langgard, though. This composer is maddeningly inconsistent but no. 6 seems to be the best of the symphonies I've tried. Still, it's surely _Music of the Spheres_ which makes him stand out from the crowd


I love the last movement in Tubin’s 2nd. Real Rock’n’Roller! Overall, I think the 7th & 8th are his greatest works.


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## dko22

Ludwig Schon said:


> I love the last movement in Tubin’s 2nd. Real Rock’n’Roller! Overall, I think the 7th & 8th are his greatest works.


the 8th is certainly among the greatest. I can't remember 7 now which means I probably wasn't that impressed when I went through the complete cycle quite a long time ago (I only bought 3,4,5 and 8 so far)


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## Ludwig Schon

dko22 said:


> the 8th is certainly among the greatest. I can't remember 7 now which means I probably wasn't that impressed when I went through the complete cycle quite a long time ago (I only bought 3,4,5 and 8 so far)


The 2nd reminds me of the theme tune from Sapphire & Steel, so I love it!

Tubin’s 7th is very much a companion piece to the incredible 8th. 

I consider the 4th to be an overrated, bloated mess…


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## dko22

the 4th was my first introduction to the composer, hearing it live in Edinburgh with Jarvi, needless to say. This overrated bloated mess remains my favourite.


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