5 Greatest vs. 5 Favorite Symphonists

[North Star]

Rameau's operas are brilliant, absolutely agree with the recommendation - except that I guess some might not like the Baroque idiom, as astonishing as that would be.

You've got a good point! It's just a minor complaint. I'd rather have threads wander off-topic than have a moderator watching your every post with an eagle eye. After all, conversations naturally wander off into different subjects than the original one

[TheGSMoeller]

Rameau's operas are brilliant

+1

[North Star]

Originality, influence, constant quality... hey, those were my criteria, too. In deciding between Sibelius and Shostakovich, I was swayed by the lack of any Sibelius "duds," the pretty huge numbers of composers influenced by Sibelius' symphonies, and an extra-symphonic concern: the fact that the symphonies are so central to Sibelius' achievement. Take away the symphonies and you have some tone poems, a concerto, a few other neat things; take away Shostakovich's symphonies and you still have the quartets, trios, operas, preludes and fugues...

I know that last criteria does not belong in a decision about the Greatest Symphonies. But sometimes I'm not rational.

Agreed. Though of course there would still be a large amount of theatre music, solo piano, chamber music and songs, but the symphonies are central, absolutely.

[amw]

Would anybody be interested - I feel like I ask with all these polls - in explanations of why?

The only question I'd have is why Sibelius belongs in the "greatest" list. Certainly his symphonies are very good, and while I'm not sure how much I like them, they do arouse strong emotions in me, but I'm not going to get into that all over again Nonetheless, in terms of influence and lasting appeal I'm not sure how well he matches up to e.g. Bruckner, Mahler or Chaikovsky, one of whom I'd pick for the fifth spot on your greatest list (probably Bruckner, though I actually don't like him at all; there's no denying his influence on later generations). The other four seem spot on.

edit: I see you answered this in part in a post that appeared while I was writing. Nonetheless, I might put him in a "top 10", but the top 5 seems a bit more exclusive.

Favourites -
Haydn, Schubert, Dvořák, Chaikovsky, Stravinsky

Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms would probably be in my top 10 but I prefer their non-symphonic music. Unfortunately one would probably have to get to the top 20 or 30 before Berwald, Kalliwoda, Gerhard, Lutosławski and co. make it in. Myaskovsky goes back and forth between "meh" and "5 Favourite Guilty Pleasure Symphonists", being in the latter right now; I'm a sucker for all those half-diminished sevenths

[DavidW]

I chose Sibelius because he has influenced a great many other symphonists.  He does match up well to Bruckner, Mahler and Tchaikovsky.

[kyjo]

You're a cruel one, Karlo!

[PaulR]

Greatest:
-F.J. Haydn-While didn't create the genre of the symphony,was the first to take it as a 'serious' (not quite sure if that is the term I am looking for) genre and helped transform it to the genre we know today.
-Beethoven-For the innovations he inputted into the genre.  (5th movement in the 6th, the scherzo, Chorus in the 9th, the linking of the movements)
-Berlioz-Introduction of programmatic music as something that is the only thing that  can only follow LvB's 9th, which in some minds, was the end of the symphony.
-Mahler.
-Shostakovich

Favorites"
-Shostakovich,
-Beethoven
-Weinberg
-Schumann
-Schubert