# Best Symphonies in C minor



## ScipioAfricanus (Jan 7, 2010)

I will piggy back on the recent success of the thread entitled "Best Symphonies in F major" with this aforementioned thread.
C minor has many master pieces
we have Beethoven's 5, Tchaikovsky's 2nd, Brahms 1st, Wetz's 1st, Schubert's 4th, Bruckner's 1,2&8, Mendelssohn's 1st, Mahler's 2nd, Dvorak's 1st, Herzogenberg's 1st Gernsheim's 3rd, Saint Saens 3rd.

I think its pretty obvious. My ranking is as follows
1. Beethoven's 5th
2. Bruckner's 8th
3. Brahms 1st
4. Mahler's 2nd
5. Mendelssohn's 1st.

What sayest thou?


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## Guest (Jun 3, 2010)

Brahms. Easily.


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## Sorin Eushayson (May 10, 2009)

Beethoven and Brahms are too obvious... Mendelssohn's C-Moll is underrated... Try out Grieg's C Minor, though!


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## ScipioAfricanus (Jan 7, 2010)

Haven't you guys heard Bruckner's 8th?


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

I'm going to waffle a little bit here- apologies in advance for the digression...

A while back- sometime even before joining the Classical Music Message Board community, I made parallel lists of major symphonies by number- and major symphonies by tonality (listed key). My dilettante conclusion was that the memorability of a symphony was more directly related to its number than its key. Put another way, it seemed like a composer was more likely to think "this is my 9th symphony- I'd like to do something extra" than to think "this is my F-major symphony- I'd like to do something extra."

That having been said, I think that C-minor is a special case. Probably D-minor falls into that category, too. Don't think it's too improbable a premise that Brahms was aware that he was composing his First symphony in the key of the mighty 5th- and was greatly aware of its presence and place. Bruckner, too- as he proceeded with his sprawling 8th.


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## Edward Elgar (Mar 22, 2006)

1 - Brahms' 3rd
2 - Beethoven's 5th

I think D minor is a fruitful key for symphonies.


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## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

In no particular order (except this order I'm thinking of them of course)

Mahler 2
Bruckner 8
Beethoven 5
Brahms 1
Foerster 4 (Bet you didn't see that one coming! )


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## TWhite (Feb 23, 2010)

Well, the Brahms First and the Beethoven Fifth, naturally, but I'd also include the Tchiakovsky Second ("Little Russian") I like that one a lot, it's quite 'fresh' sounding to me, not nearly as intensly 'personal' as some of the other Tchiakovsky symphonies, and I still get a large kick out of how much mileage Tchiakovsky gets with that simple little four-bar phrase that makes up the majority of the colorful Finale. 

Tom


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## Bobotox (May 3, 2009)

1. Lachner's 5th. Very good symphony. Addicting like you wouldn't believe. 
2. Brahms 1st. Pretty much brought back the symphony form death in general.
3. Mahler's 2nd. Epic.
4. Scharwenka. Good overall.


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## anshuman (Jul 6, 2010)

Well this also depends on the performance. Muti's Beethoven 5th with the Philadelphia Orch. and Solti's Brahms 1st with Chicago Symphony to start with.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Scriabin Symphony No. 2.

SKRYAAHHH! - bin.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Mahler 2 and Bruckner 8 are about as far as I go with the more popular symphonies. I'm not terribly sure about the keys of the Rubbra symphonies, but if any of those are in C minor they will probably be a favorite of mine once I hear them...


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## topfer (Jul 27, 2010)

Another favourite of mine that doesn't get mentioned very often is Shostakovich 6. I also like the usual suspects, Borodin 2 and Tchaikovsky 6.

___________________

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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

topfer said:


> Another favourite of mine that doesn't get mentioned very often is Shostakovich 6. I also like the usual suspects, Borodin 2 and Tchaikovsky 6.
> 
> ___________________
> 
> Download Vlc Player


Those are B minor symphonies.

Seems to me that C minor works better with the German Composers... that's only a correlation I see.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Seems to me that C minor works better with the German Composers... that's only a correlation I see.


And Austrians.


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## gmt (Aug 20, 2010)

More or less in that order, my favourites would be:
Bruckner 8
Beethoven 5
Saint-Saens 3
Mahler 2
Alfvén 4
Foerster 4
Brahms 1
Scriabin 2
Bruckner 2
Eller 3
Bruckner 1
Spohr 3
Schnyder von Wartensee 2
etc.


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## gmt (Aug 20, 2010)

Did I forget Willan's 2nd and Bainton's 3rd? I did.


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