Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

[Florestan]

Any other fans of LvB's 8th? I've heard it a few times over the past few days. The finale reminds me a bit of the finale from Schumann's 2nd. I love it.

Count me in as well. Sadly underrated (not by Beethoven, though).

[North Star]

Was Stravinsky well-known to particularly like it?

I love the sudden key changes in the finale from E to F (the quiet pulsing quarter notes in the lower sections of the orchestra -- happens twice, I think). It sounds too modern for LvB!

I recall seeing a video where he speaks of it. It was a shortish clip, but possibly from the document below.
On Wikipedia, there's only this: 'Igor Stravinsky praised the "incomparable instrumental thought" shown in Beethoven's orchestration of the trio section.'

https://www.youtube.com/v/FSJQwkBKKBo

[Jo498]

I think the trio section was partly borrowed from a much earlier piece (do not remember if piano piece or some German Dance or whatever). I also like the symphony a lot.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

The 8th is awesome. I think the symphony of his I like least is probably no. 4 and it's far from a bad.

[amw]

I like all the Beethoven symphonies, but if I had to put them into order...

9 3 8 2 7 4 5 1 6

or maybe 9 3 2 8 4 7 5 1 6

8's in the top... like... five or something though. >.>

[Linus]

I like all the Beethoven symphonies, but if I had to put them into order...

9 3 8 2 7 4 5 1 6

or maybe 9 3 2 8 4 7 5 1 6

8's in the top... like... five or something though. >.>

What about the individual movements?

There's a top list I'd like to see.

[Florestan]

What about the individual movements?

There's a top list I'd like to see.

Start a poll! 

[Jo498]

Top individual movements: Eroica, i and 9th, i + iii. Then 7th,i, Eroica, funeral march. Just spontaneously (and I also rate the 9th finale higher than many other listeners although it is so unique that it is very hard to compare it).

[amw]

top indiv movements for me in approx order of preference

3/i - 9/iv
7/ii
9/ii - 2/ii - 8/iv
7/iv - 3/ii
9/i
8/ii - 4/iii - 7/i
etc

something like that. The last movement of the 9th is great, fight me

Least favourites are a lot easier to pin down:
1/ii
6/ii
7/iii
5/ii

[Karl Henning]

I don't have any non-favorites among the LvB symphony movements.  Is that peculiar of me?  If so, I can live with it.

[Jo498]

I certainly will not fight you as I have been defending the finale of the 9th against Philistine criticisms since Louis Spohr (almost). But you seem to rate it even higher than I do.

Least favorites are hard for me. I tend to agree wrt the 2nd movements of the 1st and 6th but I quite like the one from the 5th. And as it's Beethoven I usually like even the stuff I like less still quite a bit..

[Jubal Slate]

Bah.

[Pat B]

I don't think I can rank the symphonies, much less the movements.

For a while I liked 4-7+9 about equally. But in the case of the 3 and 8, I think part of the problem was the specific recordings I had (Solti 1989 for 3 and Abbado 1987 for 8 ). Bernstein's Eroica lecture probably helped me too. Now 3 is right up there with the others.

But I like 2 and 8 more with each listen. And I should probably listen to 1 more often.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Favorite movement? Several likely candidates such as movements I and II from 7th and 6th, movement IV from 5th, II from Eroica and naturally scherzo and  last movement of 9th. But I would probably go with movement IV from Pastoral Symphony.

[Brian]

I can rank the Beethoven symphonies in brackets...

Like: 1, 2
Love: 4, 6, 9
Super Ultra Love: 3, 5, 7, 8

Likewise the movements:

Meh: 1/ii
Like: 1/i, iii, iv; 2/iii, iv; 4/ii, iii; 6/ii, 9/iv
Love: all not specified in another category
Super Ultra Love: 3/ii, iii; 4/i; 6/v; 8/ii, iii; 9/i
Maximum Super Mega Favorite: 3/i, iv; 5/i, iii; 7/ii, iv; 8/iv

[(poco) Sforzando]

Only I/ii gets a "meh"?

[Sergeant Rock]

top indiv movements for me in approx order of preference
3/i  9/iv
7/ii

Bingo

Sarge

[Brian]

Only I/ii gets a "meh"?

I feel bad for singling it out, but is there much in any Beethoven symphony that deserves a "meh"?

[(poco) Sforzando]

I feel bad for singling it out, but is there much in any Beethoven symphony that deserves a "meh"?

I have a few "mehs" among the piano sonatas:

Op. 7
Op. 22
Op. 27/1

All rather uninspired in my opinion.

[Ken B]

I can rank the Beethoven symphonies in brackets...

Like: 1, 2
Love: 4, 6, 9
Super Ultra Love: 3, 5, 7, 8

Likewise the movements:

Meh: 1/ii
Like: 1/i, iii, iv; 2/iii, iv; 4/ii, iii; 6/ii, 9/iv
Love: all not specified in another category
Super Ultra Love: 3/ii, iii; 4/i; 6/v; 8/ii, iii; 9/i
Maximum Super Mega Favorite: 3/i, iv; 5/i, iii; 7/ii, iv; 8/iv

Ranking Beethoven movements?  I have this vision of a future Grandpa Brian, ranking grandchildren ...