Your Favorite Symphonies

Posted by: Todd A on 23 February 2002

Alright ‘fess up. What are your favorites? And I do mean your favorites rather than a list of the “greatest’ symphonies ever written. I do expect a great deal of overlap, of course, but surely there are some not-so-great symphonies that someone out there just loves. Likewise, I’ll bet that some much-feted symphonies are not exactly played with great frequency. I’ll use myself as an example. I love and adore Beethoven’s 9th, but I would not rank it as one of my favorites in that I do not listen to it very often. In fact, I don’t listen to many of Beethoven’s symphonies very often. Are Ludwig van’s symphonies among the “greatest” ever written? Well, yes. So below is my current list. Were I to revisit this subject in a few years the list would be different.

Beethoven – 3rd, 6th, and 7th (I do listen to Beethoven)

Barber – 1st

Hartmann – 7th and 8th

Brahms – 1st and 4th

Bruckner – 1st, 2nd, 7th, 8th

Korngold – Symphony in F-sharp

Mozart – 25th, 40th, 41st

Sibelius – 4th, 5th, 7th

Dvorak – 6th, 9th

Mahler – 1st, 9th

Honneger – 3rd

Enescu – 3rd

Haydn – 6th, 7th, 8th, 48th, 82nd, 87th, 94th, 97th, 100th, and the 104th

Prokofiev – 5th

Schubert – 3rd and 5th

Stravinsky – Symphony in Three Movements

Scriabin – 3rd and 4th (Poem of Ecstacy)

Posted on: 08 May 2002 by David Hobbs-Mallyon
Nick,

The VW2 disc is one that I've been holding back on buying - when Hickox did his VW cycle at the Barbican a 2-3 years ago I didn't feel he was quite into the VW idiom. Sounds like you're saying it's worth it anyway.

David
Posted on: 08 May 2002 by David Hobbs-Mallyon
Hmmm....you don't sound entirely dispassionate, but I'll probably buy it anyway. Any recommendatons as to where to get it cheapest?

Any recommendations on Symphony No 3 - I have Slatkin's recording, but would like to get at least one other.

David
Posted on: 09 May 2002 by David Hobbs-Mallyon
I'm surprised, the recording quality of the Handley set is usually very good - they have just been rereleased on EMI's classic's for pleasure label at budget price. A recommendation to anyone who wants to get into these symphonies.

BTW Nick, do you have the Matthew Best recording of Serenade to Music - one of my favourite VW discs.

David
Posted on: 09 May 2002 by DJH
Mahler's sixth, one of the greatest symphonies ever written, doesn't seem to have been mentioned. Try Szell's version on CBS.
Posted on: 10 May 2002 by David Hobbs-Mallyon
...might have to try those discs some time. VW deserves a thread of his own at some point. He certainly gets my vote for greatest symphonic composer of the 20th Century.

David