# Your 10 favourite symphonies!



## Waehnen

I am not asking for the 10 best or objectively most heavyweight symphonies but your 10 favourite symphonies!

Your list does not need to represent your wide taste for different kinds of music. No need to educate the forumists. This list is all about your preferences, no matter how obvious or unobvious or biased they are.

This assignment sure is still a tough one! To make it a bit easier, the symphonies do not need to be in any order.

Mine is indeed a rather ordinary list!

Beethoven: Symphony no. 6
Beethoven: Symphony no. 9
Brahms: Symphony no. 1
Brahms: Symphony no. 2
Brahms: Symphony no. 4
Sibelius: Symphony no. 2
Sibelius: Symphony no. 3
Sibelius: Symphony no. 4
Sibelius: Symphoby no. 7
Tchaikovsky: Symphony no. 6


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## Art Rock

1. Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde
2. Bruckner - Symphony 9 [three movement version]
3. Mahler - Symphony 4
4. Schubert - Symphony 8 'Unfinished'
5. Gorecki - Symphony 3 'Symphony of sorrowful songs'
6. Mahler - Symphony 9
7. Dvorak - Symphony 9 'From the New World'
8. Saint-Saens - Symphony 3 'With organ'
9. Mahler - Symphony 6 'Tragic'
10. Beethoven - Symphony 6 'Pastoral'


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## SixFootScowl

No particular order:

Beethoven 3, 5, 6, 9
Mendelssohn 1, 3, 4
Rachmaninoff 1, 3
Mahler 5 (or maybe 1)


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## Highwayman

Alphabetical order:

Beethoven - Symphony no. 3 "Eroica"
Brahms - Symphony no. 1 
Brahms - Symphony no. 2
Brahms - Symphony no. 3
Brahms - Symphony no. 4
Dvořák - Symphony no. 8
Mahler - Symphony no. 2 "Resurrection"
Mahler - Symphony no. 9
Sibelius - Symphony no. 5
Sibelius - Symphony no. 7


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## RobertJTh

alphabetical order, restricted to only one symphony per composer:

Beethoven 7
Berwald 3
Brahms 3
Bruckner 6
Elgar 1 or 2, can't decide!
Mahler 6
Nielsen 5
Schmidt 4
Schubert 9
Sibelius 5


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## mbhaub

1. Elgar 2
2. Schmidt 4
3. Mahler 7
4. Kalinnikov 1
5. Borodin 2
6. Tchaikovsky 6
7. Dvorak 9
8. Raff 5
9. Mahler 3
10. Balakirev 1


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## jim prideaux

Brahms-2
Brahms-3
Sibelius-5
Sibelius-3
Beethoven-4
Dvorak-5
Nielsen-3
Myaskovsky-27
Schumann-2
Kalinnikov-1

Today!


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## Art Rock

I just checked my list of my top favourite classical music compositions (scoring 6/6 on the Artrockometer). Of these 104 works, 30 are symphonies. The ones who did not make my top 10 above are (alphabetically): Arnold 9, Berlioz 'Fantastique', Brahms 3+4, Bruckner 8, Jongen 'Symphonie concertante', Mahler 1+2+10, Mendelssohn 3, Penderecki 6, Schmidt 4, Shostakovich 7+10+14, Sibelius 4, Suk 'Asrael', Tchaikovsky 6, Vaughan Williams 5+7.


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## Waehnen

RobertJTh said:


> alphabetical order, restricted to only one symphony per composer:
> 
> Beethoven 7
> Berwald 3
> Brahms 3
> Bruckner 6
> Elgar 1 or 2, can't decide!
> Mahler 6
> Nielsen 5
> Schmidt 4
> Schubert 9
> Sibelius 5


Dear fellow forumist, please do not restrict yourself! The point of this thread is NOT to restrict oneself!


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## RobertJTh

Waehnen said:


> Dear fellow forumist, please do not restrict yourself! The point of this thread is NOT to restrict oneself!


Point taken!

Let's try again without the restriction:

Beethoven 7
Brahms 3
Bruckner 6
Elgar 1
Elgar 2
Mahler 6
Mahler 10
Schmidt 4
Sibelius 4
Sibelius 5

Hm... it isn't THAT much different.


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## SuperTonic

Beethoven 3
Schubert 8
Dvorak 9
Tchaikovsky 6
Mahler 2, 3, 6
Shostakovich 4, 5, 10


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## Bulldog

Alphabetical:

Beethoven 9th
Berlioz - Sym. Fantastique
Chausson - Sym. in B flat
Haydn - 104
Mahler - 4th
Nielsen - 3rd
Penderecki - 6th
Pettersson - 7th
Shostakovich - 10th 
Weinberg - 18th


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## starthrower

Good to see Nielsen 3 on some lists. I have more than ten favorites but here are some of them:

Lutoslawski 3
Mahler 2, 7
Honegger 4
Dutilleux 2
Bernstein 2
Brahms 3
Vaughan Williams 7
Schnittke 3 
Schuman 7


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## KevinJS

Well, this should be easy:-

Beethoven 9
7
3
6
5
Mozart 40
41
Mahler 8
4
2

OK. It wasn't easy. I had to leave stuff out. Gotta love top tens. Didn't even get to Brahms and Haydn.


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## KevinJS

(scoring 6/6 on the Artrockometer)

I'm getting one of these. @Art Rock


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## allaroundmusicenthusiast

In no particular order

Mahler 2, 6 and 9
Beethoven 3 and 9
Brahms 3
Berio Sinfonia
Schumann 2
Nielsen 3
Mozart 40


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## Aries

Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 8
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 3
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 4
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 5
Anton Bruckner: Symphony No. 9
Dimitri Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 9
Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5
Alexey Rybnikov: Symphony No. 6
Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 3


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## Orfeo

Tchaikovsky: Manfred Symphony
Glazunov: Symphony no. VI
Balakirev: Symphony no. I
Rachmaninoff: Symphony no. I
Myaskovsky: Symphony no. XVI (or no. XXVII)
Braga-Santos: Symphony no. IV
Bax: Symphony no. II
Atterberg: Symphony no. II
Bruckner: Symphony no. VIII
Mahler: Symphony no. IX


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## Prodromides

1. André Jolivet: Third Symphony
2. Richard Rodney Bennett: Symphony No.1
3. Karol Szymanowski: Symphony No.3 "Song of the Night"
4. Alex North: Symphony for a New Continent
5. Roberto Gerhard: Symphony No.4 "New York"
6. Meyer Kupferman: Jazz Symphony
7. Karl-Birger Blomdahl: Symphony No.3 "Facetter"
8. Humphrey Searle: Symphony No.5
9. Benjamin Frankel: Symphony No.1
10. Isang Yun: Symphony No.2


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## Olias

Haydn 88 100 104
Mozart 41
Beethoven 7 9
Dvorak 7 8 9
Shostakovich 5


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## Andante Largo

Noskowski - Symphony No. 1 in A major (1875)
Brahms - Symphony No. 3 in F major, Op. 90 (1883)
Reinecke - Symphony No. 3 in G minor, Op. 227 (1894)
Sgambati - Symphony No. 2 in E-flat major (1895)
Karłowicz - Symphony "Rebirth" in E minor, Op. 7 (1902)
Noskowski - Symphony No. 3 in F major "From Spring to Spring" (1903)
Sibelius - Symphony No. 4 in A minor, Op 63 (1911)
Melartin - Symphony No. 5 "Sinfonia Brevis" in A minor, Op. 90 (1915)
Peterson-Berger - Symphony No. 3 in F minor, "Lappland Symphony" (1915)
Sibelius - Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 105 (1924)


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## Josquin13

What an impossible question, only ten?

Well okay, here it goes,

Beethoven, Symphony No. 9
Mahler, Symphony No. 9
Mahler, Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection"
Sibelius, Symphony No. 7
Mozart, Symphony No. 31 "Paris"
Mozart, Symphony No. 38 "Prague"
Beethoven, Symphony No. 7
F.J. Haydn, Symphony No. 103 "Drumroll"
Sibelius, Symphony No. 5
Sibelius, Symphony No. 2

I can't stop there, so here's nos. 11-20:

Mozart, Symphony No. 35 "Haffner"
Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral
Beethoven, Symphony No. 5
Beethoven, No. 3 "Eroica"
Mozart, Symphony No. 39
Mozart, Symphony No. 40
Mozart, Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter"
F.J. Haydn, Symphony No. 92 "Oxford"
F.J. Haydn, Symphony No. 104
F.J. Haydn, Symphony No. 99

& I didn't even get to Beethoven's Symphony No. 1, 2, 4 & 8, Mozart's Symphonies Nos. 25 & 36 "Linz", or Haydn's Symphonies No. 44 "Mourning" & No. 49 'La passione", which are great favorites of mine, or any of his 6 "Paris" Symphonies, or the rest of the 12 "London" Symphonies, etc., plus Schubert's 9th, the Mahler 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Bruckner 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 & 9, Schumann 1, 3, & 4, Brahms 1, 3, & 4, Mendelssohn 3, 4, & 5, Prokofiev's 1, 3, 5, 7, etc.

or Debussy's La Mer--which Debussy called a symphony. Speaking of which, if Debussy's "Trois Nocturnes" could be considered a three movement symphony rather than an orchestral triptych (though I've never heard it talked about as such), I'd be tempted to put it in my top 20: due to the 'other worldly' 3rd "Sirenes" movement, which was hugely influential on other composers, such as Maurice Ravel & his ballet, "Daphnis et Chloe"--which is another one of my favorite orchestral works.


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## Neo Romanza

I'll limit my list to one per composer and also only list up to nine symphonies just so I can challenge myself a bit, but here goes nothing:

1 - Brahms
2 - Rachmaninov 
3 - Mahler
4 - Sibelius
5 - Vaughan Williams
6 - Tchaikovsky
7 - Shostakovich
8 - Dvořák
9 - Bruckner


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## HerbertNorman

In no particular order:

Schubert n° 8 "Unfinished"
Beethoven 7 and 9
Shostakovich 7, 10 
Sibelius 5
Dvorak 8th and 9th
Brahms 3d
Mendelssohn 3d

very difficult if you like so many...


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## CnC Bartok

KevinJS said:


> (scoring 6/6 on the Artrockometer)
> 
> I'm getting one of these. @Art Rock


OK, but why only to 6?

I've got one, and it goes to eleven.


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## CnC Bartok

My list of top ten, but avoiding "the usual suspects" or the "Great Symphonists":

In no particular order....

Suk: Asrael Symphony
Magnard: Symphony No.4
Tubin: Symphony No.2
Berwald: Symphony No.3
Holmboe: Symphony No.6
Madetoja: Symphony No.3
Schmidt: Symphony No.4
Bantock: A Celtic Symphony
Diamond: Symphony No.4
Moeran: Symphony in G minor

I must say I am delighted to see that Franz Schmidt's 4th seems to be getting a lot of love here.


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## Art Rock

CnC Bartok said:


> OK, but why only to 6?
> 
> I've got one, and it goes to eleven.


I got the budget version apparently.


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## Jogaga

1. Mahler - Symphony 2

2. Beethoven - Symphony 9 

3. Mahler - Symphony 9

4. Schubert - Symphony 9

5. Brahms - Symphony 4 

6. Dvorak - Symphony 9 

7. Berlioz - Symphonie Fantastique 

8. Gorecki - Symphony 3 

9. Shostakovich - Symphony 15

10. Sibelius - Symphony 7

A lot of 9's


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## Allegro Con Brio

Following CnC Bartok's cue, I offer my top ten favorites regardless of popularity, followed by 10 lesser-known favorites:

1. Bruckner 8
2. Mahler 9
3-6: Brahms 1-4
7. Sibelius 7
8. Bruckner 7
9. Mahler 6
10. Dvorák 8 (previously 9, but overexposure has now gotten to me)

Now the alternate list, in no particular order this time:

1. Magnard 4 
2. Balakirev 1
3. Bowen 2
4. Myaskovsky 27
5. Bax 2
6. Moeran
7. Arnold 5
8. Enescu 3
9. Bliss Color Symphony
10. Nørgård 3


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## Brahmsianhorn

Why do I feel like the only person on this forum who hasn’t clicked with Sibelius 7?

1. Bruckner 8
2. Beethoven 9
3. Mahler 9
4. Brahms 3
5. Bruckner 9
6. Beethoven 5
7. Brahms 4
8. Mahler 5
9. Tchaikovsky 6
10. Beethoven 3
11. Mahler 7
12. Brahms 1
13. Bruckner 7
14. Mahler 4
15. Beethoven 7
16. Bruckner 5
17. Dvorak 8
18. Brahms 2
19. Mozart 40
20. Dvorak 9
21. Bruckner 4
22. Mahler 6
23. Beethoven 6
24. Mozart 38
25. Bruckner 6
26. Schubert 9
27. Shostakovich 5
28. Beethoven 8
29. Beethoven 4
30. Schumann 4


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## Merl

Right I'll limit myself to one composer per symphony.....at the moment... 

Beethoven 7
Mahler 1
Dvorak 7
Schumann 2
Brahms 4
Nielsen 4
Sibelius 7
Balakirev 2
Saint-Saens 2
Moeran Symphony in G


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## SanAntone

Not ranked, and I included "ties" 

Mieczyslaw Weinberg - No. 3 / No. 10
Nikolai Myaskovsky - No. 5 / No. 17 
Dmitri Shostakovich - No. 4 / No. 10 / No. 15 
Vagn Holmboe - Sinfonia in Memoriam, Op. 65
Egon Wellesz - No. 3, Op. 68
Einojuhani Rautavaara - No. 6, "Vincentiana"
Karl Amadeus Hartmann - No. 4
Hans Gál - No. 2
Bernstein - No. 2
Igor Stravinsky - Symphony in C / Symphony in 3 Movements


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## mmsbls

Maybe:

Mozart 40
Mozart 41
Beethoven 7
Beethoven 9
Brahms 3
Brahms 4
Mahler 5
Sibelius 5
Haydn 104
Schubert 9

The last few could have been Dvorak 9, Sibelius 2, Mahler 1 or 2, Beethoven 3 or 5, Mendelssohn 4, Bruckner 7, Haydn 94, or perhaps a few others.


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## Bruckner Anton

I know a lot of great symphonies may deserve a place on the list, but I have to narrow it down to the ones that I love most (which might be overfamiliar to be mentioned here): 
Beethoven 3
Brahms 4
Beethoven 9
Mozart 41
Mahler 9
Bruckner 8
Beethoven 6
Brahms 3
Berlioz Fantastique
Bruckner 9


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## Bill Cooke

Randomly ordered:

Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Brahms: No. 4
Shostakovich: No. 4
Prokofiev: No. 3
Mahler: No. 6
Martinu: No. 1
Roussel: No. 3
Vaughan Williams: No. 4
Suk: 'Asrael'
Bax: No. 2


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## jim prideaux

I forgot Martinu........but unlike Bill Cooke ( previous poster) I would have included the wonderful 2nd!


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## Kiki

Favourites - Ignoring reputation and admiration and going with what has given me the most pleasure, the result is shocking - I realised that I admire the likes of Beethoven, Bruckner, Schubert and Shostakovich more than I’ve got pleasure from listening to their music, even though I listen to them as much as those on my list.

Yes, I am a Martinů addict.

Aho 13
Glazunov 4
Glazunov 5
Glazunov 6
Haydn 103
Janáček Sinfonietta
Mahler 7
Mahler 10
Martinů 1
Martinů 2
Martinů 3
Martinů 4
Martinů 5
Martinů 6
Mendelssohn 1
Messiaen Turangalîla
Nielsen 3
Nielsen 4
Panufnik Sinfonia Sacra
Penderecki 5
Prokofiev 5
Prokofiev 6
Schnittke 5
Schumann 4 (1841)
Sibelius 2
Sibelius 6
Sibelius 7
Stenhammar 1
R.Strauss Eine Alpensinfonie
Rachmaninov 3
Rautavaara 6
Rautavaara 7
Tchaikovsky Manfred


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## CnC Bartok

jim prideaux said:


> I forgot Martinu........but unlike Bill Cooke ( previous poster) I would have included the wonderful 2nd!


I left out Martinu, because I see him as one of the Great Symphonists. And I would have chosen No.5.


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

Mozart 25
Mozart 29
Mozart 33
Mozart 35
Mozart 36
Mozart 38
Mozart 39
Mozart 40
Mozart 41
Haydn 104


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## Forster

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> Mozart 25
> Mozart 29
> Mozart 33
> Mozart 35
> Mozart 36
> Mozart 38
> Mozart 39
> Mozart 40
> Mozart 41
> Haydn 104


So, Brahms may have been a great melodist...but not a great symphonist...


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## Forster

Beethoven 8, 9
Sibelius 6, 7
Vaughan Williams 3
Haydn 99, 101
Berlioz Fantastique
Messiaen Turangalila
Shostakovich 11
Prokofiev 1, 5


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## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist

Forster said:


> So, Brahms may have been a great melodist...but not a great symphonist...


He was most definitely a great symphonist!


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## Forster

BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist said:


> He was most definitely a great symphonist!


But not as great as Mozart :lol:


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## leonsm

1. Bruckner - 8
2. Mahler - 2
3. Mahler - 5
4. Walton - 1
5. Shostakovich - 5
6. Beethoven - 3
7. Atterberg - 3
8. Saint-Säens - 3
9. Szymanowski - 4
10. Brahms - 4

If I could choose more:

11. Prokofiev - 5
12. Atterberg - 5
13. Dvorak - 7
14. Dvorak - 9
15. Shostakovich - 8
16. Khachaturian - 2 (Bell)
17. Nielsen - 4
18. Pettersson - 7
19. Rimsky-Korsakov - 2 (Antar)
20. Villa-Lobos - 3 (War)


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## StDior

Top 10:

Beethoven 3
Beethoven 5
Beethoven 9
Mahler 2
Mahler 6
Mahler 7
Mahler 8
Schubert 8
Schubert 9
Shostakovich 5

HM: Beethoven 6, Berlioz Fantastique and about 30ea Haydn symphonies


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## Heck148

Can't do it, too many great symphonies....


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## MusicSybarite

CnC Bartok said:


> My list of top ten, but avoiding "the usual suspects" or the "Great Symphonists":
> 
> In no particular order....
> 
> Suk: Asrael Symphony
> Magnard: Symphony No.4
> Tubin: Symphony No.2
> Berwald: Symphony No.3
> Holmboe: Symphony No.6
> Madetoja: Symphony No.3
> Schmidt: Symphony No.4
> Bantock: A Celtic Symphony
> Diamond: Symphony No.4
> Moeran: Symphony in G minor
> 
> I must say I am delighted to see that Franz Schmidt's 4th seems to be getting a lot of love here.


Very good list!


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## MusicSybarite

I couldn't go with only 10, but with 11:

*Shostakovich 8
Mahler 6
Sibelius 7
Nielsen 5
Langgaard 6
Dvorak 8
Holmboe 8
Vaughan Williams 9
Roussel 2
Tubin 2
Walton 1*


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## Brahmsian Colors

Alphabetical order: 

Brahms #1
Brahms #2
Brahms #3
Brahms #4
Dvorak #7
Dvorak #8
Schubert #9 ("Great C Major")
Sibelius #4
Sibelius #6
Vaughan Williams #3 (*Pastoral")


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## MusicSybarite

Ten more:

*Brahms 4
Tchaikovsky 5
Beethoven 3
Rachmaninov 2
Prokofiev 5
Casella 2
Bax 6
Martinu 6
Braga Santos 4
Atterberg 3*


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## MusicSybarite

And ten more: :devil:

*Madetoja 2
Bantock A Celtic Symphony
Bruckner 7
Mendelssohn 3 Scottish
Bloch in C sharp minor
Schmidt 4
Elgar 2
Arnold 7
L. Nielsen 3
Magnard 4*


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## SanAntone

I am really enjoying this thread; so many symphonies to discover. :tiphat: to all the contributors.


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## Waehnen

SanAntone said:


> I am really enjoying this thread; so many symphonies to discover. :tiphat: to all the contributors.


I was thinking that I would create a list at one point. In order of number of mentions of the symphonies on this thread.


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## Cristian Lee

Heck148 said:


> Can't do it, too many great symphonies....


True, but I will make a list anyway, maybe others will discover new symphonies to enjoy.

In no particular order:

Alla Pavlova - Symphony No. 3
Kurt Atterberg - Symphony No. 5
Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 2
Vasili Kalinnikov - Symphony No. 1
Erkki Melartin - Symphony No.4
Alexander Glazunov - Symphony No. 4
Sergei Bortkiewicz - Symphony No. 1
Felix Weingartner - Symphony No. 4 
Thomas Schmidt-Kowalski - Symphony No. 4
Anton Bruckner - Symphony No. 4


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## haziz

Tchaikovsky 2, 4, 5, 6
Beethoven 3, 5, 9
Dvorak 5, 8, 9
Borodin 2
Kalinnikov 1

I can't do 10, so I gave you a dozen.


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## Heck148

I'll do a list - Americans only:

Schuman - 3, 9, 10
Hanson - 1,3
Copland - Dance, 3
Mennin - 7
Harris - 3
Diamond - 3
Bernstein - 1


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## Phil loves classical

Prokofiev's 6th 
Berlioz's Symphonie F.
Arnold's 7th
Shostakovich's 9th
CPE Bach's H. 663
Piston's 2nd
Lutoslawski's 3rd
Haydn's 26th Lamentatione
Stravinsky Symphony in 3 Movements
Bizet's 2nd "Roma"


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## Ned Low

Schubert no.5
Schubert the Unfinished *NO.7*
Schubert the Great symphony in C major *NO.8*
I'm a bit obsessed with Schubert, hence my emphasis over the numbers.
Bruckner no.4
Bruckner no.5
Bruckner no.6
Bruckner no.7
Sibelius no.3
Sibelius no.5
Mahler no.1


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## RobertJTh

Ned Low said:


> Schubert the Unfinished *NO.7*
> Schubert the Great symphony in C major *NO.8*
> I'm a bit obsessed with Schubert, hence my emphasis over the numbers.


I'd say that if the unfinished is given a number, the E major should have one too, since it's structurally a more complete piece than the B minor... of course there's no orchestration, but the B minor is just half of a symphony, so what's more important?
Hm, perhaps the quality of the music is, so if you want to argue that while the B minor is an absolute masterpiece, the E major is 3rd rate Schubert that even the lush Weinberger orchestration (let alone the dry as dust Newbould one) couldn't save, i can only agree...

Also kudos for including the Bruckner major key tetralogy. I always thought that he was at the heights of his powers in those four works, and that the 8th and 9th aren't necessarily an improvement, as often thought.


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## Aries

RobertJTh said:


> I'd say that if the unfinished is given a number, the E major should have one too, since it's structurally a more complete piece than the B minor... of course there's no orchestration, but the B minor is just half of a symphony, so what's more important?


Either don't use numbers or stick with the traditional numbers. 8 = "the" unfinished, 9 = great

Changing the numbers is not a good idea. There are already two other unfinished Schubert symphonies sometimes given the number 7, D 708A and D729. Don't make it three.


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## Xisten267

By order of preference today:

1. Beethoven - Symphony no. 9 "Choral"
2. Bruckner - Symphony no. 8
3. Beethoven - Symphony no. 5
4. Schubert - Symphony no. 8 "Unfinished"
5. Tchaikovsky - Symphony no. 6 "Pathétique"
6. Bruckner - Symphony no. 9
7. Brahms - Symphony no. 4
8. Bruckner - Symphony no. 7
9. Mahler - Symphony no. 9
10. Beethoven - Symphony no. 3 "Eroica"


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## kyjo

*1-10:
Sibelius 2
Dvořák 7* (since MusicSybrarite chose 8 )
*Atterberg 2* (since MS chose 3)
*Rachmaninoff 2
Nielsen 5
Vaughan Williams 2
Braga Santos 4
Korngold (F-sharp)
Damase (Symphonie)
Prokofiev 5

11-20:
Arnold 5
Lloyd 4
Saint-Saëns 3
Schmidt 4
Bruckner 9
Elgar 2
Walton 1
Brahms 4
Peterson-Berger 3
Casella 3
*

Always interesting to see the divide on TC between listeners whose favorites consist solely of the established, canonical "greats" (Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, etc.) and those whose favorites have come to include a number of *equally* wonderful works outside of the mainstream. I, of course, fall into the latter category, in fact preferring many lesser-known works to those which get all the exposure.


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## Ned Low

RobertJTh said:


> Also kudos for including the Bruckner major key tetralogy. I always thought that he was at the heights of his powers in those four works, and that the 8th and 9th aren't necessarily an improvement, as often thought.


Bruckner's middle symphonies are the fruits of his imagination. Unique and original. Also, i think of Bruckner as of one the most passionate late romantic composers : outbursts of emotion in the 6th( though it might be a crude way to say it) or the moving adagio of the 5th which i most humbly would like to call Pathetique movement. 
To be honest, i don't get the 8th. That might partly be because i don't like the adagio, which might be the core of Bruckner's symphony.
Before i get to the 9th, i have to explain something. Music isn't about sth ; it just is. Like Reality. You can't explain it verbally. And if a work of music can impress you, it's because it resonates with your soul. so with that out of the way, in my opinion, The 9th is his most perfect achievement. Each note is in the right place.
But ,sadly, i don't really feel it. It's great but not my favourite.


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## MusicSybarite

kyjo said:


> *1-10:
> Sibelius 2
> Dvořák 7* (since MusicSybrarite chose 8 )
> *Atterberg 2* (since MS chose 3)
> *Rachmaninoff 2
> Nielsen 5
> Vaughan Williams 2
> Braga Santos 4
> Korngold (F-sharp)
> Damase (Symphonie)
> Prokofiev 5
> 
> 11-20:
> Arnold 5
> Lloyd 4
> Saint-Saëns 3
> Schmidt 4
> Bruckner 9
> Elgar 2
> Walton 1
> Brahms 4
> Peterson-Berger 3
> Casella 3
> *
> 
> Always interesting to see the divide on TC between listeners whose favorites consist solely of the established, canonical "greats" (Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, etc.) and those whose favorites have come to include a number of *equally* wonderful works outside of the mainstream. *I, of course, fall into the latter category, in fact preferring many lesser-known works to those which get all the exposure.*


That's exactly me as well.


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## arpeggio

No way can I give list of just ten symphonies. Nine of my favorite symphonies were composed by Mahler.

However, I can provide a doable list of ten of my favorite band symphonies.

Paul Hindemith: _Symphony in Bb._
Morton Gould: _West Point Symphony_
Vincent Persichetti: _Symphony Number Six_
Vittorio Giannini: _Symphony Number Three_
Nikolai Miaskovsky: _Symphony Number Nineteen_
David Maslanka: _Symphony Number Four_
H. Owen Reed: _La Fiesta Mexicana: "A Mexican Folk Song Symphony for Concert Band"_
Donald Grantham: _Symphony for Winds and Percussion_
John Corigliano: _Symphony Number Three: "Circus Maximus"_
Ingolf Dahl: _Sinfonietta for Band_

Darn, I have to include an eleventh.

Frank Ticheli: _Symphony Number Two_ (I am listening to it while I am typing this.)

I better stop before I add a bunch more.


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## Forster

kyjo said:


> *1-10:
> Sibelius 2
> Dvořák 7* (since MusicSybrarite chose 8 )
> *Atterberg 2* (since MS chose 3)
> *Rachmaninoff 2
> Nielsen 5
> Vaughan Williams 2
> Braga Santos 4
> Korngold (F-sharp)
> Damase (Symphonie)
> Prokofiev 5
> 
> 11-20:
> Arnold 5
> Lloyd 4
> Saint-Saëns 3
> Schmidt 4
> Bruckner 9
> Elgar 2
> Walton 1
> Brahms 4
> Peterson-Berger 3
> Casella 3
> *
> 
> Always interesting to see the divide on TC between listeners whose favorites consist solely of the established, canonical "greats" (Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, etc.) and those whose favorites have come to include a number of *equally* wonderful works outside of the mainstream. I, of course, fall into the latter category, in fact preferring many lesser-known works to those which get all the exposure.


No "divide", just the inevitable differences between people's journeys through the repertoire...and between those who play by the rules of the thread and those who play by their own. I offered 12 rather than 10, others complain that 10 is too few and offer 20, but that means we've defeated the point of the question.


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## Waehnen

Forster said:


> No "divide", just the inevitable differences between people's journeys through the repertoire...and between those who play by the rules of the thread and those who play by their own. I offered 12 rather than 10, others complain that 10 is too few and offer 20, but that means we've defeated the point of the question.


Precisely! If 9 Mahler Symphonies are your favourites, then that +1 ought to be your list on this thread.

I know a lot of rare symphonies, too, but had to pick the ones that mean the most to me. The point of this thread is not "let's explore curiosities" or "let's educate the forumists" or "let's represent our sophisticated knowledge of the repertoire!"


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## Heck148

arpeggio said:


> However, I can provide a doable list of ten of my favorite band symphonies.
> 
> Paul Hindemith: _Symphony in Bb._
> Morton Gould: _West Point Symphony_
> Vincent Persichetti: _Symphony Number Six_
> Vittorio Giannini: _Symphony Number Three_
> Nikolai Miaskovsky: _Symphony Number Nineteen_
> David Maslanka: _Symphony Number Four_
> H. Owen Reed: _La Fiesta Mexicana: "A Mexican Folk Song Symphony for Concert Band"_
> Donald Grantham: _Symphony for Winds and Percussion_
> John Corigliano: _Symphony Number Three: "Circus Maximus"_
> Ingolf Dahl: _Sinfonietta for Band_


Excellent list!! with some great pieces included - Corigliano, Hindemith, Reed are outstanding; Gould, Giannini, Persichetti are really fine, also...


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## Xisten267

kyjo said:


> Always interesting to see the divide on TC between listeners whose favorites consist solely of the established, canonical "greats" (Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Mahler, Tchaikovsky, etc.) and those whose favorites have come to include a number of equally wonderful works outside of the mainstream. I, of course, fall into the latter category, in fact preferring many lesser-known works to those which get all the exposure.


I've been familiarizing myself with these "equally wonderful works outside of the mainstream" in the last years, but most of the time they just don't click with me, and when they do, it's unusual for me to rate them as high as my favorite famous established works of the repertoire, although I may of course enjoy them and have enthusiasm by the discovery. At least in my view, the "canonical greats" do deserve their reputation.


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## Bulldog

Xisten267 said:


> I've been familiarizing myself with these "equally wonderful works outside of the mainstream" in the last years, but most of the time they just don't click with me. At least in my view, the "canonical greats" do deserve their reputation.


I agree. Most obscure works deserve their obscurity. However, I can't deny that I get excited when I find an unheralded composition that greatly impresses me such as Penderecki's Sym. 6 or Weinberg's String Quartet no. 5.


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## Kreisler jr

Unfortunately, it's almost impossible to tell beforehand... 
Probably the first "obscure" symphony I encountered was the "Rott Symphony". It was praised as a "dark horse" ca. 1995 in classical music discussion boards on the text-based "usenet" and I think the hyperion recording was the only one that existed. I'd say that this is an interesting and worthwhile discovery (and I even had the pleasure to see it in concert with the Berlin Philharmonic, cond. N. Järvi) but by now I think even this one have been overhyped a little bit and it would never have come close to my 30 favorite symphonies or so. And in the last 10 years or some I have become more and more wary about the myriads of obscure too late romantic or early modern symphonies dug out by somebody... because too many of the ones I tried turned out to be rather deservedly obscure.

BTW that canonical greats deserve their reputation (a statement I generally agree with) does not contradict that there are many "undeservedly obscure" pieces out there.


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## D Smith

Alphabetical

Beethoven 6
Brahms 3
Bruckner 5
Mahler 6
Mozart 40
Saint Saens 3
Schubert 8
Schumann 3
Shostakovich 10
Sibelius 5


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## Roger Knox

Favorites I keep tossing on the CD player, not the most important or greatest:

Beethoven 2
Bruckner 4
Schmidt 2
Marx "Herbstsymphonie"
Bizet 1
Guilmont Symphony for Organ and Orchestra 1
Magnard 3
Vaughan Williams 5
Melartin 3
Bernstein 2 "The Age of Anxiety"


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## Ravn

1. Bruckner 9 (3 mvt. version)
2. Bruckner 8
3. Mahler 9
4. Mahler "Das Lied von der Erde"
5. Bruckner 4
6. Mahler 6
7. Ives 2
8. Sibelius 5
9. Beethoven 5
10. Penderecki 6

Honorary mentions

11. Petterson 8
12. Vaughan-Williams 4
13. Mahler 1
14. Atterberg 3
15. Beethoven 6
16. Saint-Saëns 3
17. Schubert 8 (unfinished)
18. Shostakovich 4
19. Berio sinfonia
20. Rautavaara 7


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## david johnson

Schubert 8
Beethoven 3, 5
Prokofiev 5
Mahler 2
Copland 3
Haydn 100
Tchaikovsky 4
Bruckner 8
Shostakovich 5


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## verandai

Unsorted list:


Tchaikovsky 4, 5, 6
Mahler 8
Bruckner 4, 8
Dvorak 9
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Beethoven 5, 6

Among those, Dvorak 9 is my favourite. But I must admit, that I still haven't listened to many symbphonic composers like Prokofiev - it's quite probable that this list will change in some years!


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## juliante

Sticking to 1 per composer:

Beethoven 3 
Nielsen 5 
Elgar 2 
Shostakovich 5
Vaughan Williams 2 
Mahler 9
Schubert 9 
Berlioz Phantastique 
Sibelius 7 
Mozart 39


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## poconoron

Mozart 38,39,40,41
Beethoven 3,4,6,7
Brahms 3
Schubert 9


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## ScottK

So this at first felt like a just-for-fun indulgence but it definitely has an upside! Looking at my list makes it clear that its time to look at other people's lists and find a few more off-the-beaten-path choices!......need some novel names to be able to drop into my conversation:lol:!!!

Bruckner 9 - my Bruckner changes all the time but 9 has held the spot the longest!
Mozart 36 - see note above!
Prokofiev 5
Brahms 4 (or maybe 3)
Beethoven 7
Schumann 3
Mahler 6
Schubert 5
Rachmaninov 2

Following the lead of other posters....10 - 18

Nielsen 1 
Ives 2
Schostakovich 7
Haydn 99
Dvorak 7
Tchaikovsky 5
Beethoven 6
Brahms 2
Mahler 4


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## Tarneem

No particular order:

Beethoven 3 4 5 6 7 9

Mahlers 2 4

Górecki 3

yoshimatsu 6


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## Coach G

My Top Ten (Excluding Haydn, Mozart & Beethoven):
1. Dvorak 9
2. Brahms 2
3. Bruckner 9
4. Mahler 4
5. Tchaikovsky 4
6. Tchaikovsky 6 "Pathetique"
7. St. Seans 3
8. Sibelius 4
9. Nielsen 3 "Sinfonia Espnansiva"
10. Shostakovich 5

Top Ten Symphonies by an American:
1. Ives 4
2. Copland 3
3. Florence Price 1
4. Roy Harris (1933)
5. Walter Piston 8
6. William Schuman 9 "The Ardeatine Caves"
7. Alan Hovhaness 2 "Mysterious Mountain"
8. Lou Harrison 2 "Elegiac Symphony"
9. Ned Rorem 3
10. Philip Glass 11

Top Ten Symphonies in Five Movements:
1. Beethoven 6 "Pastorale"
2. Schuman 3 "Rhenish"
3. Tchaikovsky 3 "Polish"
4. Berlioz "Fantastic Symphony"
5. Mahler 2 "Resurrection"
6. Mahler 5
7. Mahler 7 "Song of the Night"
8. Shostakovich 9
9. Shostakovich 13 "Baba Yar"
10. Vaughan Williams 7 "Sinfonia Antarctica"


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## Xisten267

Coach G said:


> My Top Ten (Excluding Haydn, Mozart & Beethoven):
> 1. Dvorak 9
> 2. Brahms 2
> 3. Bruckner 9
> 4. Mahler 4
> 5. Tchaikovsky 4
> 6. Tchaikovsky 6 "Pathetique"
> 7. St. Seans 3
> 8. Sibelius 4
> 9. Nielsen 3 "Sinfonia Espnansiva"
> 10. Shostakovich 5


Beautiful list! Which would be your choices if Haydn and Mozart (but not Beethoven) were included?


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## Coach G

Xisten267 said:


> Beautiful list! Which would be your choices if Haydn and Mozart (but not Beethoven) were included?


Probably:

1. Mozart 35 "Haffner"
2. Mozart 41 "Jupiter"
3. Mozart 25
4. Mozart 38 "Prague"
5. Mozart 39
6. Haydn 82 "Bear"
7. Haydn 94 "Surprise"
8. Haydn 97
9. Haydn 100 "Military"
10. Mozart 40

That said, the symphonies of Haydn and Mozart are not always "favorites". There are lots of symphonies and other works by Haydn and Mozart that I don't know well or that I don't know at all. It's not like a symphony by Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Sibelius, or Shostakovich where one needs time to digest it over several hearings in order to find the composers musical vision. To me the Haydn and Mozart symphonies are more like a breath of fresh air, cool, refreshing, tasty, easy to digest, and beautiful. I can almost pick any symphony by Haydn or Mozart and can be sure to hear something happy and beautiful. Comparing Haydn and Mozart to the likes of Brahms or Tchaikovsky; let alone the monster symphonies by Bruckner, Mahler and Shostakovich is like comparing a ripe orange to a huge surf and turf dinner.


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## ansfelden

almost impossible to choose

one possibility:

Bruckner - 2,4,8
Prokofiev - 1,7
Beethoven - 1,7
Sibelius - 2
Tchaikovsky - 5
Dvorak - 7
Shostakovitch - 9


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## EvaBaron

Keep in mind that i'm only 17 and just started with classical music seriously, i have always liked it. In no particular order:
Beethoven 9
Beethoven 5
Beethoven 7
Beethoven 4
Beethoven 3
Beethoven 6
Brahms 4
Schubert 8
Mozart 40
Haydn 83


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## ORigel

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

11. Tchaikovsky 6
12. Beethoven 5
13. Brahms 4
14. Brahms 1
15. Mozart 41


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## ORigel

EvaBaron said:


> Keep in mind that i'm only 17 and just started with classical music seriously, i have always liked it. In no particular order:
> Beethoven 9
> Beethoven 5
> Beethoven 7
> Beethoven 4
> Beethoven 3
> Beethoven 6
> Brahms 4
> Schubert 8
> Mozart 40
> Haydn 83


Have you listened to Mahler, Bruckner, and Sibelius yet? Those very popular symphonists are not on your list. Not that they need to be included.

Your inclusion of Haydn 83 is interesting-- most people if they were to include a Haydn symphony in their list would choose 44, 49, 88, or one of the London symphonies.


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## Knight769

1. Mozart #41 (Jupiter)
2. Mozart #39 
3. Schubert #2
4. Brahms #4
5. Beethoven #3 (Eroica)
6. Tchaikovsky #6
7. Mendelssohn #4
8. Mozart #40
9. Haydn #104
10. Mahler #9


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## Szilgyo

Beethoven 5
Beethoven 7
Brahms 2
Brahms 3
Dvorak 8
Dvorak 9
Mahler 1
Prokofiev 1
Schubert 9
Tchaikovsky 6


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## brucknerian1874

These are my most often listened to symphonies by the respective composers.

Bruckner 5
Brahms 4
Schumann 2
Lutoslawski 4
VW 4
Pettersson 7
Sibelius 7
Nielsen 4
Prokofiev 5
Dvorak 7


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## Agamenon

This day...

Haydn -104,
Mozart -Jupiter.
Beethoven -3rd.
Beethoven -9th.
Brahms -4th.
Schumann -4th
Bruckner -5th
Mahler -9th
Sibelius -5th
Shostakovich -4th


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## haziz

Beethoven 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Tchaikovsky 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Dvořák 3, 5, 6, 8, 9
Borodin 2
Kalinnikov 1, 2
Glazunov 4, 5
Rimsky-Korsakov 2 'Antar'
Mendelssohn 3, 4
Sibelius 1, 2, 5
Shostakovich 5, 7, 9, 10


Well, more than ten (actually I just listed 33 symphonies), but these are my favorites anyway.


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