Five Most Underrated Symphonists

[kyjo]

Let the polling madness continue! My five main criteria for this poll, which some will doubtlessly disagree with, are:

1. The composer in question must have written three or more symphonies. The only composer who I have made an exception to this rule is Elgar, who composed two magnificent, large-scale symphonies, but since this is a poll about underrated symphonists, we needn't worry about him! Edit: I shall include Stenhammar and Suk, who composed two excellent, large-scale symphonies. It would pain me to leave them out.

2. The composer in question must be reasonably "unsung" (as a symphonist, at least). No matter how much you love Beethoven, Bruckner, Mahler or Shostakovich they are not underrated! I have, however, included relatively "sung" composers whose symphonies are not among their most-heralded works, such as Prokofiev, Rimsky-Korsakov, Khachaturian, Britten, Bernstein, Scriabin and Saint-Saens.

3. At least one of the symphonies of the composer in question has to be available in a recording.

4. I have initially left out Classical Era symphonists, because there are so many of them which I did not feel like listing. Apologies if my observation is inaccurate, but there seems to be little interest in obscure classical era composers here. If you want to vote for a Classical Era symphonist, I shall add the composer in question to the poll, but please vote for him!

5. Don't necessarily vote for the "greatest" or your favorites on the list, just the composers who you believe are the most underrated.

I will have doubtlessly left some out, so please speak up if I have left someone out that you want to vote for. My list is in chronological order, as I am using Wikipedia's List of Symphony Composers, which goes in chronological order, as a reference.

OK, now for my top five (in order):

1. Holmboe
2. Miaskovsky
3. Rubbra
4. Atterberg
5. Hartmann

Now, it's your turn! You got 249 to choose from!

[Mirror Image]

Tough choices, but my votes ended being for Schnittke, Aho, Diamond, Schuman, and Hartmann.

[kyjo]

Tough choices, but my votes ended being for Schnittke, Aho, Diamond, Schuman, and Hartmann.

Damn, I really wanted to vote for Diamond as well, but at least you voted for him!

[Mirror Image]

Damn, I really wanted to vote for Diamond as well, but at least you voted for him!

Diamond was an easy vote for me because I looked at it like this: 1. his symphonies (from what I've heard on CD) are outstanding and 2. there is no complete cycle of these symphonies together.

[mszczuj]

Raff, Vermeulen without any hesitation. They should be ranked among the greatest.
Then Casella and Tournemire. All symphonies of Casella and almost all of  Tournemire are excellent.
And Brian mainly because of the Gothic.

Joseph Haydn should be added to the list.

And probably Richard Hol and Louis Glass.

[Klaze]

Vermeulen is so underrated, he outdoes any others (whose work I know) in underratedness by such a margin that i could only vote for him.

[mc ukrneal]

Well the first was easy. Farrenc is, in my opinion, the most under-rated by far. Her symphonies are top grade stuff. After that, I went for Ropartz, Stanford, Hamerik, and Stenhammar. Some on the list are great, but not underrated. Copland and Saint-Saens are well known for at least one of their symphonies, so while some of their symphonies may be underrated, they as composers of symphonies are not.

If I had to add one it would be Burgmuller, an eternaly underrated composer.

[Sergeant Rock]

Let the polling madness continue!

Dude, you are insane!    It must've taken you days to assemble that list. I'll join the madness shortly. But you already know Havergal will make the cut 

Sarge

[Sergeant Rock]

Havergal Brian
Alberic Magnard
Franz Schmidt
Kurt Atterberg
George Lloyd


Sarge

[DavidW]

Joseph Haydn should be added to the list.

How could the Father of the Symphony be underrated??

[DavidW]

That poll was overwhelming, I couldn't even finish reading the choices.  I think I'll start another thread with a similar but fundamentally different question.

[kyjo]

Dude, you are insane!    It must've taken you days to assemble that list. I'll join the madness shortly. But you already know Havergal will make the cut 

Sarge

I may be insane , but it only took me about an hour to assemble that list because of Wikipedia's immensely helpful List of Symphony Composers, which is pretty darn comprehensive! Nice choices BTW. I could have very well voted for Schmidt (his Fourth is an incredibly moving piece which ranks up there with Mahler IMO) or Magnard. But one thing's for sure, Brian sure isn't underrated here at GMG!

[springrite]

Are most of these composers' symphonies rated in the first place? 

[kyjo]

That poll was overwhelming, I couldn't even finish reading the choices.  I think I'll start another thread with a similar but fundamentally different question.

Sorry you felt that way, David. I didn't want to exclude any of the many underrated symphonists and, in effect, couldn't really help overwhelming voters with such a long list. Can you think of any symphonists who you believe are underrated off the top of your head?

[springrite]

Sorry you felt that way, David. I didn't want to exclude any of the many underrated symphonists and, in effect, couldn't really help overwhelming voters with such a long list. Can you think of any symphonists who you believe are underrated off the top of your head?

Some of us will help you make it longer. Just wait...

Since I couldn't finish reading it either, can you tell me if Zhu Jian'er is on the list?

[kyjo]

Some of us will help you make it longer. Just wait...

Since I couldn't finish reading it either, can you tell me if Zhu Jian'er is on the list?

I shall add Jianer. He certainly qualifies as underrated, that's for sure!

[DavidW]

Sorry you felt that way, David. I didn't want to exclude any of the many underrated symphonists and, in effect, couldn't really help overwhelming voters with such a long list. Can you think of any symphonists who you believe are underrated off the top of your head?

Not really because if I've heard of them, it's from others which means that they are not underrated.

[kyjo]

Are most of these composers' symphonies rated in the first place? 

Sorry springrite, but I don't appreciate your smart-alec comments. Just tell me who is more underrated, Mahler or Schmidt? Whose symphonies do you hear more often in the concert hall? Apologies if you were just joking. If you were joking, perhaps you'd better use a winky face emoticon rather than a eye-rolling one.

[kyjo]

I shall add Hol, Louis Glass and Burgmuller. But not Haydn! How the heck is this guy underrated?

[North Star]

Sorry springrite, but I don't appreciate your smart-alec comments. Just tell me who is more underrated, Mahler or Schmidt? Whose symphonies do you hear more often in the concert hall? Apologies if you were just joking. If you were joking, perhaps you'd better use a winky face emoticon rather than a eye-rolling one.

Obviously Paul meant that because they aren't heard, people don't have opinions of them, so, to be underrated, they should be rated in the first place.