Your top 3 symphonists

[springrite]

Mahler
Beethoven
Rubbra


The above is based on my listening pattern over the past 5 years or so.

[lescamil]

Haydn
Havergal Brian
Alan Hovhaness




just kidding

Ha! I especially laughed at the last name on this list.

[springrite]

Ha! I especially laughed at the last name on this list.

What he didn't tell you is that Segerstam is at #4!

[lescamil]

What he didn't tell you is that Segerstam is at #4!

I really doubt that any of us have heard a significant amount of his oeuvre to really say anything significant about him. He has over 250 symphonies now! I've heard a few that have really caught my ear, like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAydCG0KTdQ

[Scion7]

He has over 250 symphonies now!

Never heard of him, but there's no way high quality could have been maintained over anywhere near that many ... I'll check him out.

update:  Oops! I see I have a Scriabin LP that he conducted the Stockholm Phil on.

[jlaurson]

The Voting so Far:
I've counted only entries mentioning exactly three composers;
I've not counted obvious "I'm-so-clever" entries.
I've tried not to count repeat entries, but may have failed.

Beethoven	x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x
Mahler	x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x
Bruckner	x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x
Sibelius	x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x
Shostakovich	x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x
Haydn	x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x
Brahms	x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x
Mozart	x   x   x   x   x   x   x
Vaughan Williams	x   x   x   x   x   x   x
Tchaikovsky	x   x   x   x
Nielsen	x   x   x
Dvorak	x   x   x
Brian	x   x   x
Hartmann	x   x
Miaskovsky	x   x
Pettersson	x   x
Ives	x
Schubert	x
Prokofiev	x
Elgar	x
Rubbra	x

[fridden]

Beethoven
Mahler
Sibelius

/fridden

[Karl Henning]

.......but Mahler had been a better choice

Oh, no, you don't! ; )

[Karl Henning]

Beethoven
Mozart
Vaughan Williams....at least I believe he is moving into this position.

Cool, Bill!

[Karl Henning]

Bruckner, Mahler, Hartmann.

Cool, Cato!

Bruckner is my big surprise this week.  I do need to dig more into the Hartmann set.

If pressed, though, I guess my own response here would be:

Shostakovich
Sibelius
… can't find it in me to commit to a 3rd!

[Mirror Image]

Cool, Cato!

Bruckner is my big surprise this week.  I do need to dig more into the Hartmann set.

If pressed, though, I guess my own response here would be:

Shostakovich
Sibelius
... can't find it in me to commit to a 3rd!

So far, Karl, you and I have the exact same composers in our top two. We must be brothers from another mother.

[mszczuj]

Beethoven	x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x
Mahler	x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x
Bruckner	x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x   x

I have voted for the three leaders. What a shame!

[Sergeant Rock]

Shostakovich
Sibelius
... can't find it in me to commit to a 3rd!

That's my problem. The first two are easy for me (Mahler, Bruckner); it's the third that tough. Brian? Haydn? Beethoven? Sibelius? Vaughan Williams? Shostakovich?

Sarge

[Lisztianwagner]

Oh, no, you don't! ; )

[mahler10th]

Hans Rott
Kurt Atterberg
Bruckner

In that order.  Just missing out are Mahler, Sibelius, Shostakovich, Rangstrom and Martinu.  For some reason I have gone off Brian a bit.

[vandermolen]

Greatest:

Sibelius
Bruckner
Shostakovich


My favourites:

Miaskovsky
Vaughan Williams
Tubin

[Mirror Image]

Greatest:

Sibelius
Bruckner
Shostakovich


My favourites:

Miaskovsky
Vaughan Williams
Tubin

All of these composers are outstanding and are some of my favorites. Glad to see Myaskovsky and Tubin on your list, Jeffrey. Their music is simply stunning. I'm surprised Braga Santos isn't one of your favorites though.

[Mirror Image]

Some of my runners-up in my list are Honegger, Myaskovsky, Tubin, Prokofiev, Milhaud, Villa-Lobos, Nielsen, Roussel, Martinu, Braga Santos, Tchaikovsky, and Ives (as an American I feel Ives' music more than ever now).

[kentel]

Maxwell-Davies
Nørgård
Nielsen

That's an affective choice. However, if I was to make a purely formal ranking based upon the one who have impressed me the most in respect with the perfection of their writing (fluency of melodic ideas, orchestral creativity, perfect adjustement of the rhythmic and the melodic lines and so on -   in my subjective opinion), it would be :

Elgar
Dutilleux
Mahler

[Mirror Image]

Maxwell-Davies

Maxwell-Davies? Hmmm...I have heard his name for years but haven't heard any of his symphonies. What is his music like?