# What are your 25 favorite epic symphonies?



## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

The ones you consider epic in any sense, or simply your favorites. Your definitive list. My order would be alphabetically, I think it's a fairer fairer sort, but inverted (from Z to A) (only for me): 

Walton: 1
Vaughan Williams: 5
Tubin: 2
Suk: 2 (Asrael)
Sibelius: 7
Shostakovich: 7, 11
Schmidt; 2
Raid: 1
Nielsen: 4, 5
Mahler: 6
Lyatoshinsky: 3
Langgaard: 1, 6
Khachaturian: 2
Holmboe: 8
Gliere: 3
Casella: 2
Braga Santos: 4
Brian: 1
Bloch: in C sharp
Bax: 5
Atterberg: 2
Alwyn: 3

Honorable mentions

Arnold: 5
Hanson: 3
Kinsella: 11
Miaskovsky: 22
Prokofiev: 5
Rosenberg: 2
Villa-Lobos: 4


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

I'm very skewed towards the Classical Period but I find the ones I listen to the most are:

Haydn 82 83 88 92 94 100 101 102 103 104
Mozart 36 40 41
Beethoven all 9
Schubert 5
Dvorak 6 7 8 9
Shostakovich 5
Copland 3
Bernstein 1

That was 30 Symphonies but oh well.


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

In order of preference today:

1. Beethoven - Symphony No. 9 "Choral";
2. Beethoven - Symphony No. 5;
3. Brahms - Symphony No. 4;
4. Schubert - Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished";
5. Mahler - Symphony No. 9;
6. Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 6 "Passionate";
7. Brahms - Symphony No. 3;
8. Beethoven - Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral";
9. Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 5;
10. Brahms - Symphony No. 1;
11. Prokofiev - Symphony No. 7;
12. Mahler - Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection";
13. Brahms - Symphony No. 2;
14. Beethoven - Symphony No. 3 "Eroica";
15. Mozart - Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter";
16. Schubert - Symphony No. 9 "Great";
17. Prokofiev - Symphony No. 5;
18. Dvorak - Symphony No. 9 "From the New World";
19. Mozart - Symphony No. 40;
20. Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 3 "Scottish";
21. Beethoven - Symphony No. 7;
22. Mozart - Symphony No. 38 "Prague";
23. Schumann - Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish";
24. Berlioz - Symphony No. 3 "Roméo et Juliette";
25. Mozart - Symphony No. 39.

Honorable mentions:

26. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 11 "The Year 1905";
27. Mahler - Symphony No. 6;
28. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 5.
29. Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 4;
30. Saint-Saëns - Symphony No. 3 "Organ";
31. Beethoven - Symphony No. 8;
32. Berlioz - Symphony No. 4 "Funèbre et Triomphale";
33. Rachmaninoff - Symphony No. 2;
34. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad";
35. Mahler - Symphony No. 3;
36. Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 4 "Italian";
37. Schumann - Symphony No. 2;
38. Berlioz - Symphony No. 1 "Fantastique";
39. Dvorak - Symphony No. 8;
40. Haydn - Symphony No. 104 "London";
41. Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 1 "Winter Daydreams";
42. Mahler - Symphony No. 8 "Of a Thousand";
43. Dvorak - Symphony No. 7;
44. Mahler - Symphony No. 1 "Titan";
45. Shostakovich - Symphony No. 14;
46. Messiaen - Turangalila Symphony;
47. Mahler - Symphony No. 5;
48. Ives - Symphony No. 4;
49. Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 2 "Hymn of Praise";
50. Tchaikovsky - Manfred Symphony.

I only know the Bruckner, Sibelius and Vaughan-Williams symphonies superficially and thus decided not to place them on the list.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

"Epic" is a tricky word to define in art, but here's my list in descending order, according to many varying definitions of the term:

1. Bruckner 8
2. Mahler 9
3. Sibelius 7
4. Brahms 4
5. Dvorak 9
6. Beethoven 9
7. Brahms 1
8. Sibelius 4
9. Beethoven 5
10. Mahler 6
11. Mahler 2
12. Bruckner 9
13. Beethoven 3
14. Sibelius 2
15. Elgar 1
16. Shostakovich 10
17. Mahler 3
18. Schubert 9
19. Shostakovich 5
20. Prokofiev 5
21. Martinu 1
22. Schmidt 4
23. Vaughan Williams 5
24. Bruckner 5
25. Franck


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Alphabetical Order:

Bax 5th
Beethoven 9th
Berlioz Sym. Fantastique
Brahms 4th
Bruckner 8th
Chausson Sym. in B flat major
Copland 3rd
Dutilleux 1st
Enescu 3rd
Franck Sym. in D minor
Gorecki - 3rd
Haydn 82nd
Haydn 104th
Mahler 2nd
Mahler 4th
Mahler 5th
Martinu 1st
Mozart - 39th
Myaskovsky 16th "Aviation"
Myaskovsky 19th for band
Nielsen 3rd
Prokofiev 5th
Schmidt - 4th
Saint-Saens 3rd
Schnittke - 5th
Shostakovich 5th
Shostakovich 10th
Shostakovich 13th
Weinberg 4th
Zemlinsky - Lyric Symphony


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

MusicSybarite said:


> The ones you consider epic in any sense, or simply your favorites. Your definitive list. My order would be alphabetically, I think it's a fairer fairer sort, but inverted (from Z to A) (only for me):
> 
> Walton: 1
> Vaughan Williams: 5
> ...


You can always make a poll / game on it.


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## StDior (May 28, 2015)

With the same method as the thread initiator:	

Tchaikovsky 6
Shostakovich 5
Schubert 8, 9
Mozart 40
Mahler 2, 3, 6, 7, 8
Haydn 6, 43, 88, 97, 102, 104
Brahms 1, 2, 3, 4
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Beethoven	3, 5, 6, 9


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## Trout (Apr 11, 2011)

Simply my 25 favorites:

Atterberg 3
Beethoven 3, 4, 5, 6, 9
Berlioz Fantastique
Bruckner 8, 9
Ives 4
Magnard 4
Mahler 1, 2, 5, 9
Messiaen Turangalila
Nielsen 5
Pettersson 7
Rochberg 2
Schnittke 5
Sessions 3
Sibelius 4, 5, 7
Tchaikovsky 6


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

With the same fashion stated in the OP, but inverted:

Alfvén: 3
Atterberg: 3
Beethoven: 3, 5, 6
Brahms: 1, 2, 3, 4
Dvořák: 8, 9
Haydn: 45, 49
Mahler: 2, 5
Mendelssohn: 3
Raff: 3
Schubert: 8
Schumann: 4
Sibelius: 2, 5, 7
Stenhammar: 2
Tchaikovsky: 1
Vaughan Williams: 2


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## larold (Jul 20, 2017)

Agree not all exactly "epic" but all worthwhile …

Bruckner 5
Brahms 4
Mendelssohn 5 and 2
Shostakovich 8 and 10
Walton 1
Beethoven 6 
Sibelius 4 and 7
Haydn 13, 52, 60, 70, 72, 86
Masek Symphony in D
Elgar 2
Weber 1
Stravinsky Symphony in Three Movements
Piston 2
Thomson Symphony On A Hymn Tune
St. Saens 3
Franck in D minor
Tchaikovsky 1


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Only 25? Alphabetically:

Bax 6
Beethoven 6
Berlioz 'Fantastique'
Brahms 3,4
Bruckner 8,9
Dvorak 9
Gorecki 3
Mahler 2,4,6,9,DLVDE
Mendelssohn 3
Saint-Saens 3
Schubert 8
Shostakovich 5,7,10
Sibelius 2,5
Suk 'Asrael'
Tchaikovsky 6
Vaughan Williams 5


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Here are 30 symphonies I like, in no order:

Brahms: 1, 2, 3, 4
Schumann: 1, 2, 3, 4
Mozart: 38, 39, 40, 41
Tchaikovsky: 4
Martinů: 1
Bliss: A Colour Symphony
Prokofiev: 3, 5, 7
Shostakovich: 5
Rachmaninoff: 2
Beethoven: 3, 6
d'Indy: Symphony on a French Mountain Air
Sibelius: 1, 2, 5, 7
Walton: 1
Dvořák: 7
Saint-Saëns: 3


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## D Smith (Sep 13, 2014)

‘Epic’ to me connotes being taken on a long journey and having a big, smashing ending. With that in mind:

Beethoven 3, 5, 7, 9
Berlioz Fantastique
Brahms 1, 4
Bruckner 5, 7, 8
Copland 3
Dvorak 9
Franck
Mahler 1, 2, 3, 6, 7
Mozart 41
Saint-Saens 3
Schubert 9
Shostakovich 5, 10
Sibelius 2
Tchaikovsky 5

Nearly all of Mahler and Bruckner would qualify but the OP said only 25.


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

My top 25 today, in alphabetical order:

Beethoven 3, 5, 7
Berio Sinfonia
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Brahms 1, 4
Dvorak 9
Mahler 2, 3, 6
Mendelssohn 3, 4
Messiaen Turangalila-Symphonie
Prokofiev 5
Saint-Saens 3
Schubert 8
Schumann 1, 3, 4
Shostakovich 4, 5, 10
Tchaikovsky 5, 6


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## Lilijana (Dec 17, 2019)

Ok 25 symphonies I really love? I'll do one symphony per composer just to keep things spicy. Let's do this...

Berio _Sinfonia_
Lutosławski 3
Carter _ Symphonia: Sum Fluxae Pretium Spei_
Messiaen _Turangalîla-Symphonie_
Schnittke 1
Gerhard 4
Searle 5
Schoenberg 1
Webern
Schreker _Kammersymphonie_
Henze 7
Nørgård 5
B.A. Zimmermann _Die Soldaten - Vocal Symphony_
Davies 1
Ives 4
Knussen 2
Bruckner 4
Mahler 7
Shostakovich 2
Coates 14
Berlioz _Romeo & Juliet_
Roy Harris 3
Sibelius 7
Stravinsky _Symphony of Psalms_
Ustvolskaya 5
Haydn 52
Honegger 1

OK so that's 27, I guess.


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## peleshyan (Dec 3, 2017)

I'll take a jab at it although me being yet novice to the whole classical scheme tells this list's bound to change DRASTICALLY over time

In order of preference,

Symphony 41 Mozart "Jupiter"
Symphony 9 Schubert "Great"
Symphony 8 Schubert "Unfinished"
Symphony 6 Tchaikovsky "Pathétique"
Symphony 3 Beethoven "Eroica"
Symphony 9 Beethoven "Choral"
Symphony 2 Mahler "Resurrection"
Symphony 4 Brahms
Symphony 5 Mahler
Symphony 8 Bruckner "The Apocalyptic"
Symphony 5 Beethoven "Faith"
Symphony 9 Mahler
Symphony 9 Bruckner
Symphony 6 Beethoven "Pastoral"
Symphony 7 Beethoven
Symphony 8 Shostakovich
Symphony 5 Shostakovich
Symphony 40 Mozart "Great"

I definitely need more exposure to modern composers


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

I am a symphonic addict so, in possible to choose .


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## Paulby (Dec 28, 2017)

Beethoven 3,5,6,7,9
Brahms 1,2,3,4
Dvorak 7,8,9
Sibelius 2,3,5
Tchaikovsky 5,6
Schubert 5,8,9
Mozart 40,41
Nielsen 4,5
Mahler 1

Another novices list


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## janxharris (May 24, 2010)

I only managed eleven symphonies that I consider to be good all the way through.

Sibelius 7, 5, Tapiola (well, it is symphonic), 6, 4
Shostakovich 5
Beethoven 5, 6, 9
Vaughan Williams 3, 5


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

Here's a few without really thinking too hard, if I
did it'd be a long list...

Tippet 2, 3+4
Walton 1st
McCabe..no2
Dutilleux - both
Bernstein nos 1+2
Lutoslawski 2nd and 4th.
Messiaen Turangalila
Shostakovich no 4,10,5, 11, 12
Rachmaninov no2
V. Williams Sea Symphony, no5
Henze no3,4,5,
D.Matthews no.2
Mahler nos 1,2 8,9.
Sibelius...most of them.
Britten Sinfonia Da Requiem, Cello Symphony
Daugherty..Metropolis Symphony
Elgar.no1
Stravinsky.. both and 'Psalms'
W.Schumann, Kernis, Harris, 
etc. etc.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Is there any way that "great epic symphonies" differ from "great symphonies". Not that many of those suggested so far seem particularly epic and even the OP contained a good few that do not strike me as particularly epic. Since late Mozart, symphonies have tended to be big statements but I'd find it hard to come up with my top 25. Symphonies that are truly epic, however, are not that common and some composers probably dominate the field.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

Enthusiast said:


> Is there any way that "great epic symphonies" differ from "great symphonies". Not that many of those suggested so far seem particularly epic and even the OP contained a good few that do not strike me as particularly epic. Since late Mozart, symphonies have tended to be big statements but I'd find it hard to come up with my top 25. Symphonies that are truly epic, however, are not that common and some composers probably dominate the field.


Thank you. I kept hoping someone would say what you wrote. When I think of "epic" symphonies, I relate it to epic movies: and not every blockbuster is epic. Epic implies a certain grandeur, length - and a well-told story. The battle is over, the victor is redeemed - that sort of thing. Movies like Lawrence of Arabia and The Ten Commandments - those are epic films. And Enthusiast is correct - there aren't really that many epic symphonies. Just because it's long like Mahler or Bruckner doesn't mean it's epic. A certain emotional ride must be there. Maybe it's just another term that we toss around too casually without really thinking about the meaning, kind of like what's happened to "great". Now that that's off my chest, I will offer up a few symphonies that I really do meet the meaning of epic, and note, they are not all really "great" symphonies - just hugely entertaining ones:

1) Gliere 3rd - Ilya Murometz. If this isn't epic, nothing is.
2) Bloch - Symphony in C sharp minor
3) Mahler 2nd
4) Tchaikovsky - Manfred Symphony


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## Jacck (Dec 24, 2017)

mbhaub said:


> *1) Gliere 3rd - Ilya Murometz. If this isn't epic, nothing is.*
> 2) Bloch - Symphony in C sharp minor
> 3) Mahler 2nd
> 4) Tchaikovsky - Manfred Symphony


When I read the title of the thread, the Gliere 3rd was the 1st thing that came to my mind


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

Enthusiast said:


> Is there any way that "great epic symphonies" differ from "great symphonies". Not that many of those suggested so far seem particularly epic and even the OP contained a good few that do not strike me as particularly epic. Since late Mozart, symphonies have tended to be big statements but I'd find it hard to come up with my top 25. Symphonies that are truly epic, however, are not that common and some composers probably dominate the field.


The OP did qualify his opening question in the body of his post:


MusicSybarite said:


> The ones you consider epic in any sense, or simply your favorites.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Enthusiast said:


> Is there any way that "great epic symphonies" differ from "great symphonies". Not that many of those suggested so far seem particularly epic and even the OP contained a good few that do not strike me as particularly epic. Since late Mozart, symphonies have tended to be big statements but I'd find it hard to come up with my top 25. Symphonies that are truly epic, however, are not that common and some composers probably dominate the field.


The ones you consider epic, there is no any rule to make this thread strict, just for fun!


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

mbhaub said:


> Thank you. I kept hoping someone would say what you wrote. When I think of "epic" symphonies, I relate it to epic movies: and not every blockbuster is epic. Epic implies a certain grandeur, length - and a well-told story. The battle is over, the victor is redeemed - that sort of thing. Movies like Lawrence of Arabia and The Ten Commandments - those are epic films. And Enthusiast is correct - there aren't really that many epic symphonies. Just because it's long like Mahler or Bruckner doesn't mean it's epic. A certain emotional ride must be there. Maybe it's just another term that we toss around too casually without really thinking about the meaning, kind of like what's happened to "great". Now that that's off my chest, I will offer up a few symphonies that I really do meet the meaning of epic, and note, they are not all really "great" symphonies - just hugely entertaining ones:
> 
> 1) Gliere 3rd - Ilya Murometz. If this isn't epic, nothing is.
> 2) Bloch - Symphony in C sharp minor
> ...


I had what you wrote in mind, it would be the most appropriate definition, but for others epic may mean other thing or imply other elements.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Rogerx said:


> I am a symphonic addict so, in possible to choose .


Me too, but I did a huge effort, nonetheless.


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

Enthusiast said:


> Since late Mozart, symphonies have tended to be big statements but I'd find it hard to come up with my top 25.


I tend to think "big symphonies" in early Mozart are his divertimentos and serenades, (like how baroque concertos can be considered chamber works as well as orchestral works)
I find these contrasting passages of chromaticism in K334 especially memorable, more than symphony K183 for example.

3:00~3:40
7:45~8:45
9:50~10:10
14:10~14:40
20:20~20:40
25:00~26:00


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## jim prideaux (May 30, 2013)

Atterberg 6
Sibelius 3,5,6
Dvorak 3,5,7,8,9
Schumann 2
Brahms 2,3
Schubert 4,5,8,9
Beethoven 1,2,3,4,7
Myaskovsky 27
Nielsen 3,4,5

Cannot find room for Mahler, Walton, Prokofiev etc etc.....give up!


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Until I can think it through further,

2-9 of Beethoven
Nine of Mahler
Five of Mendelssohn
Three of Rachmaninoff

But I think I want to add Shostakovich's Lenningrad symphony, so maybe axe a second one from Beethoven.


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Arnold 5
Barber 1
Beethoven 6, 7, 9
Brahms 3, 4
Bruckner 5
Copland 3
Corigliano 1
Dvořák 9
Harris 3
Messiaen Turangalila-Symphonie
Nielsen 4
Prokofiev 3, 5, 6
Ruders 4
Schuman (William) 3
Sibelius 2, 5
Stravinsky Symphonies of Wind Instruments, Symphony of Psalms
Tchaikovsky 4, 5


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## Joachim Raff (Jan 31, 2020)

Alfvén: 3
Arensky 1
Atterberg: 3
Balakirev 1
Bantock: Hebridean Symphony 
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Farrenc: 3
Franck in D minor
Glazunov 6
Glière: 3
Goldmark 1
Ippolitov Ivanov 1
Kalinnikov 1
Khachaturian 2
Liszt: Faust, Dante
Lyapunov 2
Noskowski 2
Olsen: Symphony in G
Parry 5
Raff: 3,4,5
Rimsky-Korsakov 2
Saint-Saens 3
Sgambati 1
Stenhammar: 2
Taneyev 4
Tchaikovsky: 6
Vorisek Symphony D Major
Weber 1
Widor 2


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Favorites in no particular order:

Beethoven 5,9
Brahms 1,2,3,4
Dvorak 7,8
Haydn 31,38,92,97
Mahler 4,9
Mendelssohn 3,4
Rachmaninoff 2
Schubert 9
Schumann 3
Scott 1
Sibelius 5,6
Tchaikovsky 5
Vaughan Williams 3,5


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

I'm late to the party.

Barber 1
LvB 3, 6
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Brahms 1
Chausson Bb
Dvorak 8
Ives 3
Lutoslawski 3
Mahler 2, 4, 5, 9
Prokofiev 1, 5
RVW 3, 7
Shostakovich 5, 10
Sibelius 2, 5, 7
Tchaikovsky 6
Tippett 4
Walton 1


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

senza sordino said:


> I'm late to the party.
> 
> Barber 1
> LvB 3, 6
> ...


Better late than never.


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## leonsm (Jan 15, 2011)

In no particular order:

Mahler: 2, 5
Bruckner: 8, 9
Brahms: 4
Dvorak: 7, 9
Atterberg: 2, 3, 5
Prokofiev: 3, 5
Shostakovich: 5, 8
Beethoven: 3
Khachaturian: 2
Sibelius: 2
Saint-Saens: 3
Villa-Lobos: 3
Walton: 1
Pettersson: 7 
Elgar: 1
Szymanowski: 4
Nielsen: 4
Bloch: C-Sharp Minor Symphony


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