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: 10 March 2002 by Former member
But Brahms really sucks.
Regards
Ferror
Ballroom Blitz.
Posted on: 10 March 2002 by herm
Ferror wrote:
"A really nice thread.
But Brahms really sucks."
-----
Wel, Ferror, clearly you've put a lot of thought into this. So what kind of symphonic stuff do you approve of?
Herman
Posted on: 10 March 2002 by Former member
I found this thread nice because I have learned a lot from other folks.
As a novice in classical music I have started my listening with composers like Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Bach, Shostakovic, Bruckner and 5 years of BBC Music Magazine.
I like almost all of them but not Brahms, I find his music rather boring with a rather small amount of originality.
I am no expert I only use my ears and feelings when listening.
Ferror
Ballroom Blitz.
Posted on: 10 March 2002 by herm
Hi Ferror,of course there's no need to like Brahms. If you like the composers you mentioned, you've got your work cut out for you for ages to come.
The concept of originality, though, is a difficult one. Composing, as the word implies, is to a large degree the art of combing.
Bach, one of the greatest geniuses in music, was a very conservative composer. He was not as famous as his sons and cousins, because he stuck to the traditional forms (counterpoint, fugue, canon, what have you), while his famous cousin Carl Philip Emmanuel B composed these brilliant loose crazy pieces on the keyboard. He was a major influence on Joseph Haydn and even on Mozart. Still J. S. is the Bach genius.
Even Mozart's genius and originality is to a large extent based on his astounding flair for making unusual combinations. So often you can tell he's thinking: "Oh, I'm going to do a Haydn finale here, or let's do a Johan Christian Bach here." The instinctive way Mozart used his flabbergasting erudition in music history (in an age when there were virtually no music libraries: he just ran into a shelf of J.S. Bach at one of his patrons, he literally hoovered his way through those scores, and thus kick-started his musical maturity.
Brahms often is described as dour and dull. It was a very stupid move of his to position himself as a latter day Beethoven symphonist. Yet, there's no comparison: his language is completely different, having Schumann and Mendelsohn in the back of his mind, too, and his own unique personality. Remember Schoenberg called him a progressive - not an imitator, but an initiator.
Or let's take Shostakovich, whom we've been discussing last week. A combinator-composer. After playing through his 14th quartet he said, "And did you like the Italian bit?" He was talking about the second track, that romantic solo for the first violin. Clearly he had had a "Italian" model in mind, though you can tell he had been thinking of Beethoven's Op 130 Cavatina, too - and Beethoven had clearly been borrowing from Mozart's late quartets and Italian opera.
So I don't know about originality.
Nonetheless: enjoy whatever you're enjoying. There's enough for all of us out there.
Herman
Posted on: 10 March 2002 by Former member
I'm not a big fan of 19th Century Symphonies, especially the Germanic style. Partly that was growing up hearing what I considered to be rather stodgy and soupy sounds coming from the speakers.
It's difficult to blow one's credibility once I've so firmly established by the above statement that I have none to start off with, however...
I did find that I came to like this lot and even Brahms (who I considered to be the soupiest of the bunch) when I discovered period instrument versions, especially Norrington's EMI versions. There isn't nearly so much vibrato, the lines are much cleaner, and they're generally played faster and the orchestras smaller.
Might be worth a try...
Posted on: 10 March 2002 by Former member
quote:
I'm not a big fan of 19th Century Symphonies, especially the Germanic style.
That is an open invitation to be called a "sissy" by Vuk.
Ross
Posted on: 11 March 2002 by Darius
Hi Herman,
You are intrigued why I choose records with American Orch. ?
Hmmm...
statistically there is 60/40 for Europe on my list, so not so bad !
The reason why I proposed Boston Symh. Orch./Leinsdorf or CSO/Solti is that I simply like this records, and this recordings are available in whole world. I think.
There are few recordings of listed symphonies that I like, but the availability of this CD's for western clients is limited. So I omit them.
BTW. Mahler5 BSO/Leinsdorf version is the best I ever heard. Wasn't it used as a soundtrack in Visconti's "Death in Venice" ? It sounds alike.
Dariusz
Posted on: 11 March 2002 by Former member
quote:
Originally posted by Ross Blackman:
Quote: " I'm not a big fan of 19th Century Symphonies, especially the Germanic style."That is an open invitation to be called a "sissy" by Vuk.
Ross
I could wax lyrical about German symphonies conducted by dead men 50 years ago till the cows came home and I'd still be a sissy in Vuk's eyes! He might even be right - the only point of cross-over I can see with him is a liking for Daft Punk...
So to heck with it. I'd far rather listen to a Debussy or Ravel (excepting Bolero!) orchestral piece, a rambunctious piece of Rimsky-Korsakov or all of Vaughan Willaims orchestral works to Beethoven or Mahler, and I far prefer period performances in modern recordings.
Oh, and while I'm at it, I don't like any opera written since Handel died. So there!
Posted on: 13 March 2002 by stephenjohn
Thanks for the encouragement. I guess I'll buy the Haitink too and the Wuorinen, not solo pianno, when my credit card recovers from it's recent bashing. [I went on holiday too and can't help equating the cost to CDs.]
Steve
Posted on: 08 May 2002 by Former member
I got the Hickox "original" Vaughan Williams London Symphony today (Chandos, LSO).
It may not be as taut a symphony as it should be, and maybe the overall perfromance isn't as good as Haitink's, but I don't care - I love the extra bits, and the more elegaic feel to it makes it a lovely way to ease yourself into a grey spring day.
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 Former member
Given that:
a) I'm a VW nut
b) The 'uniqueness' of the recording (though Ursula VW has relented on the no public performances - I think there'll be one)
c) I'm a nut
I'd go for it...
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: 08 May 2002 by Former member
quote:
Originally posted 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
I'm not even slightly dispassionate where VW is concerned!
I have the EMI Eminence Handley/Liverpool Phil version, but though the performance is fine, the CD is recorded a bit low.
I keep meaning to get the Haitink version. I love all the others he's done...
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: 09 May 2002 by Former member
quote:
Originally posted by David Hobbs-Mallyon:
BTW Nick, do you have the Matthew Best recording of Serenade to Music - one of my favourite VW discs.
David
Yes, along with The Pilgrim's Progress and The Speherds of the Delectable Mountains discs by him too. I agree with you - Serenade is excellent, the others are very good, but I have to be in the right mood...
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
Posted on: 12 May 2002 by Former member
quote:
Originally posted by fred simon:
Just a few of my faves:
Shostakovich 11
Brahms 3
Beethoven 7
Hehehe, I wish everyone could picks fav's as easily as Fred. Not saying it was an easy choice, but you eliminated a lot of maybes.
Posted on: 12 May 2002 by Former member
Oh and, has anyone heard Bruckner 7th with Bruno Walter? (Columbia Symphony/Sony)
I own that version and was pondering your opinions...
The 7th is a favourite of mine so perhaps you could suggest other versions (not mono or AAD is all I ask
)
