# Favourite symphony recordings 20th and 21st Century



## Paulby (Dec 28, 2017)

I'm a newcomer to this excellent site, and a relative classical music novice, when people ask for recommendations some posters recommend many recordings of the same work. I'm interested if you could only have one recording from the last century and one one from this of your favourite symphonies what would they be?


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

For the last century it's Prokofiev's 6th by Mravinsky 1958 version. For this century, Wuorinen's 8th.


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Serge Koussevitsky's recording of Sibelius's 7th. 

Or, for modern sound, Berglund/Bournemouth.


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## Ravn (Jan 6, 2020)

Bruckner - Symphony 7:
20th century: Simon Rattle & The City of Birmingham SO
21st century: Christian Thielemann & Berliner Philharmoniker.

Reason: Both these recordings boast the «error» in which the timpanist plays a C before he should in the Adagio, which to me makes the climax come alive in a much better way than the way it was originally written. I prefer the Rattle recording of the two. 

I could also have chosen Beethoven’s 9th. In that case I would have selected Bernstein & Vienna for a 20th century recording and Andris Nelsons & Vienna for a 21st century recording.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Off the top of my head...

Schoenberg - Chamber Symphony
Messiaen - Turangalila Symphony
Carter - A Symphony of Three Orchestras
Carter - Symphony 1
Bartok - Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (I believe this qualifies as a symphony)
Karl Amadeus Hartmann - Symphony 6
Anton Webern - Symphony op. 21 (short but great)


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I can't narrow it down to just one.

20th Century Symphonies:

Nielsen No.5
Mahler No.9
Lutoslawski No.3
Honegger No.4
Stravinsky - Symphonies Of Wind Instruments
Shostakovich No.10
Sibelius No.4
Webern Symphony Op. 21
Hindemith - Mathis Der Maler

As of yet I don't have a favorite 21st century symphony.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

I am reading this question as being a recording from 1900-2000 of any work regardless of time period, and a recording from 2000-2020 of any work regardless of time period.

As such, my favorite recording from the 20th century is Karajan's Beethoven cycle recorded from 1975-1977. I love the brisk big band interpretation, and the sound quality rewards good equipment.









My favorite recording of the 21st century so far is probably this recently released Shostakovich cycle by Michael Sanderling and the Dresdner Philharmonie. The recording quality is just stellar, and it really breathed life into Shosty's sound world.









I would be able to provide many, many runners up for 20th century recordings, though. Pinnock's Bach, for instance.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Sergei Rachmaninoff, Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 44, composed 1935/36.


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## Lilijana (Dec 17, 2019)

For those reading it as _recordings from the 20th or 21st century regardless of time period of the composition_ can you please tell us what your favourite symphony recordings from outside that timeframe out of curiosity? I want to know what else is out there so I know why you chose to read the question giving yourself that limitation specifically.

I am going to go with the reading of the question that these are symphonies of the 20th and 21st centuries and I'll pick a couple of recordings of those I love very much:





































If I had to pick one of these: I would pick the Berio.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

^^^
All fine recordings, Jess. Although I have the Chandos recordings of the Norgard.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Great recordings of symphonies from the 20th century sounds like a very long list! But having spent much of yesterday and today listening to Klaus Tennstedt's live recordings of standard works (Brahms, Beethoven, Dvorak symphonies etc), I feel that quite a few of them will easily qualify as among the greats of the century. A very different set of great recordings might be (is for me!) many of the live recordings that Celibidache made in Munich. But these are just a start!


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

composer jess said:


> For those reading it as _recordings from the 20th or 21st century regardless of time period of the composition_ can you please tell us what your favourite symphony recordings from outside that timeframe out of curiosity? I want to know what else is out there so I know why you chose to read the question giving yourself that limitation specifically.


I am well aware that the number of recordings made prior to 1900 is vanishingly small. I just couldn't bring myself to read the grammar of the question any other way.

"I'm interested if you could only have:
*one recording from the last century*;
and *one one from this*;
*of your favourite symphonies*,
what would they be?"

It seems to me there are two categories being proposed: recordings from the last century, and recordings from this one. Then, there is a modifier appended to both categories: of your favorite symphonies.

If the OP had been seeking recordings of symphonies from the 20th century and symphonies from the 21st, it should have been phrased "I'm interested if you could only have *one recording of a symphony from the last century*, and *one recording of a symphony from this century*, what would they be?"

In that case, for me, the answers would be: 
1. Seiji Ozawa/BPO Prokofiev 1, and Karajan/BPO Sibelius 7;
2. No earthly clue because I don't listen to much music composed after 2000, let alone "symphonies."


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

MatthewWeflen said:


> I am reading this question as being a recording from 1900-2000 of any work regardless of time period, and a recording from 2000-2020 of any work regardless of time period.
> 
> As such, my favorite recording from the 20th century is Karajan's Beethoven cycle recorded from 1975-1977. I love the brisk big band interpretation, and the sound quality rewards good equipment.
> 
> ...


While I know the OP is worded in such a way that could be understood to mean, a favorite recording from the 20th and 21st century, regardless of the period the music was composed in, on the face of it, that seems like a very strange request.

Seriously, how many people here, in the 21st century, have recordings from the 19th century, or the ability to play them? It seems like we all _only_ own recordings, no matter what period the music is from, recorded in the 20th and 21st centuries.

It would seem pretty obvious to me, that the OP meant favorite symphonies composed in the 20th and 21st century.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

EDIT: let me add, that since the LP was not even invented until 1948, I would bet that the vast majority of us on TC only have recordings after that date.


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## Paulby (Dec 28, 2017)

Simon Moon said:


> While I know the OP is worded in such a way that could be understood to mean, a favorite recording from the 20th and 21st century, regardless of the period the music was composed in, on the face of it, that seems like a very strange request.
> 
> Seriously, how many people here, in the 21st century, have recordings from the 19th century, or the ability to play them? It seems like we all _only_ own recordings, no matter what period the music is from, recorded in the 20th and 21st centuries.
> 
> ...


You are quite correct as the title of the post makes clear "Favourite symphony recordings 20th and 21st Century"


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Simon Moon said:


> While I know the OP is worded in such a way that could be understood to mean, a favorite recording from the 20th and 21st century, regardless of the period the music was composed in, on the face of it, that seems like a very strange request.
> 
> Seriously, how many people here, in the 21st century, have recordings from the 19th century, or the ability to play them? It seems like we all _only_ own recordings, no matter what period the music is from, recorded in the 20th and 21st centuries.
> 
> ...


Look, I don't want to belabor the point, but then, this is the internet, so here goes.

There is no reading of the original post or its title that makes it unambiguously clear that the OP is seeking recordings of *works from *the 20th and 21st centuries. By far the more consistent reading of the words on the page are that he is looking for *recordings from* the 20th and 21st centuries of any piece.

The title reads "Favourite symphony recordings 20th and 21st Century." There are several interstitial words lacking that would make the meaning clear. Are the dates modifying "symphony" or "recordings?" Since the words are placed together without any clarifying words to follow, it is more parsimonious to read them as "favorite symphony recordings *of the* 20th and 21st century" rather than ""Favourite symphony recordings *of symphonies written during the *20th and 21st Century *[ies]*."

Here is an example of a clear title that would lead to no ambiguity: "Favorite Recordings of 20th and 21st century symphonic works."

I discussed the body of the post above.

And, on its face, the request for "symphonies" written between 2000 and 2020 is nearly as strange a request on its face, given that the vast, vast, VAST majority of works in the repertoire, let alone works called symphonies, come from before those dates.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter, since the OP has now clarified his quite ambiguous original post. But I don't think it's fair to claim that I was being intentionally obtuse. The OP was simply not written clearly.


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Welcome, Paulby, to TC. I'll give you what your after, though I will have to add a few honorable mentions afterwards, but, anyhoo:

20th century, for a relative newcomer to classical music, I would say Prokofiev Symphony No.5 (1944) with James Levine and the Chicago Symphony









21st century, I will actually pick a recording from 1985. Though it is not technically 21st century, it is light years from most 20th century music and still feels very "new": Adams Harmonielehre with San Francisco Symphony, Edo de Waart conducting. It is a symphony except in name.









Two other symphonic works that are so ridiculously good, you MUST check them out: Stravinsky: Rite of Spring (My favorite is Boston Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas), and Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra (I'm partial to George Solti and the Chicago Symphony)

I hope you find some good music to sink into!


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

Only a few among my go-to recordings come from this century.

So for the 21st:
Bruckner - Symphony No. 4 (version 1878/80)
Valery Gergiev & Münchner Philharmoniker (2015)

And for the 20th, on a completely different level:

Beethoven - Symphony No. 9
Hermann Abendroth & Rundfunk Sinfonie-Orchester Leipzig (1951)


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