Top 10 Favorite Symphonies of the 20th Century

[Sergeant Rock]

He's just pulling our legs with these random choices. He could pull out another ten sets any time 

I hadn't considered that. Damn... But you know, I have known him to wax eloquent about Prok 2 and Shosty 4 and Nielsen 6. I think we can believe in that much of the list 

Sarge

[starrynight]

Stephen Albert, Symphony riverrun

I remember liking that in the past.  Sad that he died young.

[Mirror Image]

Ten more from me:

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
Mahler: Symphony No. 7
Roussel: Symphony No. 3
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
Nielsen: Symphony No. 5
Martinu: Symphony No. 4
Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem
Alwyn: Symphony No. 3
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4
Ives: Holidays Symphony

[springrite]

Ten more from me:

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
Mahler: Symphony No. 7
Roussel: Symphony No. 3
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
Nielsen: Symphony No. 5
Martinu: Symphony No. 4
Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem
Alwyn: Symphony No. 3
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4
Ives: Holidays Symphony

I like your second ten better than your first ten. 

Maybe you will like my 10th ten better than my first. It will include H V-L, Milhaud, Tippett, etc. 

[Sergeant Rock]

Ten more from me:

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5
Mahler: Symphony No. 7
Roussel: Symphony No. 3
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5
Nielsen: Symphony No. 5
Martinu: Symphony No. 4
Britten: Sinfonia da Requiem
Alwyn: Symphony No. 3
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4
Ives: Holidays Symphony

Hey, you're cheating! You just made a list of 20!

Sarge

[Mirror Image]

I like your second ten better than your first ten. 

Maybe you will like my 10th ten better than my first. It will include H V-L, Milhaud, Tippett, etc. 

Lol....

[Mirror Image]

Hey, you're cheating! You just made a list of 20!

Sarge

Yeah, I know. Isn't it fun?

[snyprrr]

1900-1950

1) Harris 3                                           Schuman 3
2) Sibelius 7
3) Honegger 4
4) Vaughn Williams 5
5) Hindemith Mathis der Maler
6) Milhaud 6?? (one of them)
7) Messiaen Turangalila
8  Malipiero 7
9) Pettersson 3
10) Diamond 4

1950-1999

1) Lutoslawski 2              Schuman 8
2) Lutoslawski 3
3) Penderecki 1
4) Penderecki 2
5) Pettersson 8
6) Harrison Elegiac
7) Henze 2-5
8  Pettersson 10-11
9) Gerhard 1-4 (especially 2/4)
10) Malipiero 8-11


more:

Schnittke 1,3,4,6,7... haven't heard 8
Simpson 8-10
Brian
Tippett 1-3
Segerstam??

[madaboutmahler]

I wonder who you could be referring to? Hmmm...

Glad to see you included him in your other top 10 list, John!

I'm not sure about my list exactly, but 10 of them would be Mahler 5,6,7,9, VW 6, Casella 3, Roussel 3, Sibelius 5, Nielsen 5, Simpson 4/9 and the Elgar symphonies. (oops, that's not quite 10, I suppose I'm cheating a little.... and I'm just going to count the Alpine Symphony as a tone poem )

Are we allowed to follow your example of doing another 10 as well then, John?

[springrite]

Segerstam??

No, you'd have to wait till the "Top 216 Favorite Symphonies of the 20th and 21st Century" before you mention him. Then you can put all of them in.

[Mirror Image]

Glad to see you included him in your other top 10 list, John!

I'm not sure about my list exactly, but 10 of them would be Mahler 5,6,7,9, VW 6, Casella 3, Roussel 3, Sibelius 5, Nielsen 5, Simpson 4/9 and the Elgar symphonies. (oops, that's not quite 10, I suppose I'm cheating a little.... and I'm just going to count the Alpine Symphony as a tone poem )

Are we allowed to follow your example of doing another 10 as well then, John?

Great list so far, Daniel! Yeah, since we're all nuts here, we're allowed to compose more than one list of favorites.

[springrite]

since we're all nuts here

While some of us are nuttier than others (and you guys can take care of the rankings in the poll section), collectively, we are surely The Best of Planter's Assorted Nuts!

[Sergeant Rock]

Are we allowed to follow your example of doing another 10 as well then, John?

If he follows his usual MO for this type of thread, he'll give us at least four or five more "Top 10s"     Assume he leads by example. Go ahead, give us as many symphonies as you wish 

Sarge

[DieNacht]

A sketchy list:

- Mahler 10 (finished)
- Nielsen 5
- Langgaard 4
- Sibelius 6
- Martinu 6
- Pettersson 8
- Nørgård 5
- Henze 1
- Shostakovich 8
- V-Williams 4 or Honegger 3

[Mirror Image]

While some of us are nuttier than others (and you guys can take care of the rankings in the poll section), collectively, we are surely The Best of Planter's Assorted Nuts!

The Best of Planter's Assorted Nuts? HA! I love it! That would be a good bumper sticker.

[Mirror Image]

If he follows his usual MO for this type of thread, he'll give us at least four or five more "Top 10s"     Assume he leads by example. Go ahead, give us as many symphonies as you wish 

Sarge

HAHA!

[springrite]

The Best of Planter's Assorted Nuts? HA! I love it! That would be a good bumper sticker.

Or the title of a family portrait.

[AnthonyAthletic]

Bax : Symphony No.1
Gillis : Symphony No.5.5
Gorecki : Symphony No.3 'Sorrowful Songs' - [Is there only myself on the forum who loves this work]? 
Sauguet : Symphony No.2 'Allegorique' - [Long in length, but quality assured, a 20th Century Gem]
Shostakovich : Symphony No.5
Shostakovich : Symphony No.11
Sibelius : Symphony No.2
Suk : Asrael
Truscott : Symphony in E - [Short but desirable]
Walton : Symphony No.1

So hoping that C. V. Stanford's Symphony No.1 was 190- but alas 1870's....shame as that's a lovely work. 

Disclaimer: List compiled without the aid of Rachmaninov, Elgar and even Mahler 

[springrite]

Sauguet : Symphony No.2 'Allegorique' - [Long in length, but quality assured, a 20th Century Gem]
Shostakovich : Symphony No.11
Suk : Asrael
Truscott : Symphony in E - [Short but desirable]

Disclaimer: List compiled without the aid of Rachmaninov, Elgar and even Mahler 

Loves your inclusion of these works. That AND the exclusion of Rachmaninov and Elgar is more than sufficient for me to excuse you for the exclusion of Mahler.

[DieNacht]

just throwing this out there .. a question to throw into this mix here is perhaps .. does the form (or the symphony orchestra even) have much relevance in today's world (21st century)? i'd like to read some perspectives from members here on that, including those who write music themselves ..

To me the Symphony is more of a name, a box suggesting a certain level of ambition (or it can be even half-way or whole-heartedly ironical, like in Gudmundsen-Holmgreen´s "Symphony - Antiphony" for instance) - one can put any kind of musical or literary material in it. Composers keep renewing the content, I think.

But collage-like works like Schnittke´s 1st or Berio´s are probably some of the "truest" symphonies in a more modern sense.