Favourite Symphony 2

[ahinton]

Mahler and Sibelius seem to come first - but then Krenek, Dutilleux, Schmidt, Brian, Furtwängler, Elgar, Szymanowski, Magnard, Tippett, Rachmaninoff, Suk...

Does Carter's Symphonia: sum fluxæ pretium spei (written more than half a century after his official "Symphony No. 1") count?

[ritter]

Mahler and Sibelius seem to come first - but then Krenek, Dutilleux, Schmidt, Brian, Furtwängler, Szymanowski, Magnard, Tippett, Rachmaninoff, Suk...

Does Carter's Symphonia: sum fluxæ pretium spei (written more than half a century after his official "Symphony No. 1") count?

I'd say the Symphonia would technically be Carter's "Third", as you have A Symphony of Three Orchestra's from the mid-70s (a work that IMHO could qualify for this thread--I myself voted it's opening as one of the "most beautiful" in the other poll being held to that effect  ).

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Ah yes A Symphony of Three Orchestras is very good

[71 dB]

Elgar for me.

Correct answer!  0:)

[ahinton]

I'd say the Symphonia would technically be Carter's "Third", as you have A Symphony of Three Orchestra's from the mid-70s (a work that IMHO could qualify for this thread--I myself voted it's opening as one of the "most beautiful" in the other poll being held to that effect  ).

Fair comment though, like his champion Stravinsky, he numbered only his first symphony and it might also be argued as to what meaning of the term "symphony" Carter had in mind when writing A Symphony of Three Orchestras. I also think that Symphonia: sum fluxæ pretium spei resembles what one might think of as a symphony far more than does A Symphony of Three Orchestras; it's his most monumental nd monumentally brilliant orchestral achievement, I believe and, whilst I would not think of it as his "Symphony No. 2" per se, it could reasonably be considered thus.

[Karl Henning]

Fair comment though, like his champion Stravinsky, he numbered only his first symphony and it might also be argued as to what meaning of the term "symphony" Carter had in mind when writing A Symphony of Three Orchestras. I also think that Symphonia: sum fluxæ pretium spei resembles what one might think of as a symphony far more than does A Symphony of Three Orchestras; it's his most monumental nd monumentally brilliant orchestral achievement, I believe and, whilst I would not think of it as his "Symphony No. 2" per se, it could reasonably be considered thus.

You put a good case.

[SymphonicAddict]

Favourite? It's difficult. I have some possible choices:

Brahms
Sibelius
Vaughan Williams (maybe the best 2nd symphony for me)
Mahler
Atterberg
Prokofiev
Tchaikovsky
Schumann (a strong candidate, too)
Rachmaninov
Elgar
Suk

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Hmmmm

Mahler
Shostakovich
Sibelius
Maxwell Davies
Lutosławski
Beethoven
Honegger
Schubert
Knussen
Glass
Stravinsky

I was thinking about including Henze but it isn't really one of my favourites from him anyway

I gotta add Pärt to this list!

[Rons_talking]

Brahms
Boradine
Diamond
Piston
Barber
whoops! I forgot Honegger...

[Ken B]

There are a few for me, like the Korndorf and the Mahler, also Charles Ives'.
I know I'm missing stuff, I need to do a little searching around to find what I'm forgetting, what about Schoenberg's (chamber) symphony #2?

Well worth exploring.

[Mirror Image]

Boradine

Surely, you meant Borodin?

[RebLem]

1. Mahler

2. Sibelius

DITTO!

[Karl Henning]

Well, I see that I affirmed the Prokofiev, but without (I think) actually listing 6 choices of my own.

So let us try:

Prokofiev Op.40
Bernstein Age of Anxiety
Rakhmaninov Op.27
Elgar Op.63
Martinů
Sibelius Op.43

None of the above is at all disqualified, but I have had to formalize a revision:

Prokofiev Op.40
Bernstein Age of Anxiety
Rakhmaninov Op.27
Gallagher Ascendant
Martinů
Sibelius Op.43

[Ken B]

My list is above I think but I do want at least one passing mention here of Mysterious Mountain, by Hovhaness.

[Madiel]

Yikes, this is quite a tricky number...

Holmboe
Beethoven
Schumann (as of today, though of course not really his 2nd)
Nielsen (as of, last week?)


Plenty of other good candidates not far behind. I think a "Symphony 2" listening project would be a viable thing.

[kyjo]

Top 10:

Sibelius
Rachmaninoff
Elgar
RVW
Mahler
Hanson
Atterberg
Tubin
Weill
Scriabin

Honorable mentions (there are so many 2nd symphonies that I love):

Arnold
Walton
Britten (Sinfonia da requiem)
Schubert
Schumann
Nielsen
Prokofiev
Borodin
Rimsky-Korsakov (Antar)
Braga Santos
Piston
Tippett
Honegger
Lyatoshinsky
Kalinnikov
Khachaturian
Yoshimatsu
Ries
Andreae (Symphony in C)
Schmidt
Lajtha
Martinu
Peterson-Berger
Alwyn

[André]

Excellent choices, all:

Top 10:

Sibelius
Rachmaninoff
Elgar
RVW
Mahler
Hanson
Atterberg
Tubin
Weill
Arnold

Honorable mentions (there are so many 2nd symphonies that I love):

Walton
Britten (Sinfonia da requiem)
Schubert
Schumann
Nielsen
Prokofiev
Borodin
Rimsky-Korsakov (Antar)
Braga Santos
Piston
Tippett
Honegger
Lyatoshinsky
Kalinnikov
Khachaturian
Yoshimatsu
Ries
Andreae (Symphony in C)
Schmidt
Lajtha
Martinu
Peterson-Berger
Alwyn

To which I would add:

Tchaikovsky
Roussel
Popov
Kancheli
Liszt (the Dante symphony)
Norholm

[kyjo]

Excellent choices, all:


To which I would add:

Tchaikovsky
Roussel
Popov
Kancheli
Liszt (the Dante symphony)
Norholm

I should've included the Tchaikovsky, which is an unfairly maligned work. Must investigate the Popov, Kancheli, and Norholm.

[kyjo]

Top 10:

Sibelius
Rachmaninoff
Elgar
RVW
Mahler
Hanson
Atterberg
Tubin
Weill
Arnold

I forgot Scriabin 2 It's gonna have to replace the Arnold in my top 10.

[vandermolen]

An interesting thread (if I say so myself   )

Many interesting choices. I'm ashamed to say that I hardly know Mahler's Second Symphony but will listen to it again. I thought a live concert I attended of his Third Symphony a while back was terrific. Here is a new list:

Popov
Ben Haim
Bernstein
VW (1920 version)
Tubin
Rootham

I find Rootham's last ditch Second Symphony incredibly moving - many other of the choices here I like, including Honeggar, Glazunov, Scriabin, Bax, Elgar, Creston, Diamond and Sibelius. One new suggestion - Madetoja.