Most beautiful opening of a symphony (three allowed)

[André]

If memory serves, Feeney's Dracula is actually a good work. I haven't listened to it in a long while though.

[vandermolen]

Beethoven 6
Brahms 2
Schumann 2
Schubert 9
Bruckner 4
Tchaikovsky 1
Schmidt 1
Mendelssohn "Reformation"
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique
Gade 1
Debussy La mer
Schreker Kammersymphonie


Non-symphonies:

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4
Beethoven: Violin Concerto
Busoni: Piano Concerto
Ravel: Piano Concerto in D
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé

Great choices - I love the opening of Daphnis and Chloe - taking everything into account I have decided, after careful consideration, to forgive you for transgressing my 'limit of three' stipulation.

[vandermolen]

If memory serves, Feeney's Dracula is actually a good work. I haven't listened to it in a long while though.

The samples from it on Amazon do indeed sound very good. 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Feeney-Dracula-Philip/dp/B0000014FU/ref=sr_1_6?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1479721923&sr=1-6&keywords=dracula

[Abuelo Igor]

If memory serves, Feeney's Dracula is actually a good work. I haven't listened to it in a long while though.

I think it's actually a ballet, not a symphony, but, yes, I know about it. I seem to remember that Ken Russell was involved in it in some way. I read somewhere a story about how it was originally planned to begin as a straight, "normal" ballet until one of the dancers collapsed bleeding, Dracula appeared in the middle of the audience and then the horror story began. Sounded promising.

[vandermolen]

I think that Scriabin's First Symphony has a beautiful dream-like opening.

[DaveF]

Three not so far mentioned (not difficult, as there are so many):

Hindemith Mathis der Maler
Davies 3
Rosenberg 5

[Monsieur Croche]

picks of the fleeting moment, anyway...

Mozart ~ Symphony 29 K201
(~ or ~ What were you doing when you were eighteen?)

Debussy ~ La Mer

The 'out of the ooze of the primordial swamp of diatonian octaves and fifths slowish morph into an established tonality' savage beauty that opens Beethoven ~ Symphony No. 9  I mean, it ain't pretty; it is beautiful, and well, top that, lol. (...without which as precedent, the opening of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen would just not have been as it is.)

The immediacy of a basic triplet figure ground, a very slow almost melodic line, with then introduced slight yet quietly dramatic simple gestures of the opening 'Tranquillo' in Rautavaara ~ Symphony No. 7 instantly set the atmosphere and harmonic palette, and if not 'beautiful,' is at least memorably very pretty...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpzt3DNqF1M

Charles Ives ~ Symphony No. 4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHCTa5GrxVk

Elliott Carter ~ Symphony of Three Orchestras has already been mentioned....

Excluded, I suppose by their forms / formats:
Bartok ~ The Wooden Prince
Ravel ~ Daphnis et Chloe
Stravinsky ~ Orpheus... and many more ;-)

[SharpEleventh]

Mozart ~ Symphony 29 K201
(~ or ~ What were you doing when you were eighteen?)

YES!

[Parsifal]

Brahms 4
Brahms 4
Brahms 4

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I refuse to limit myself to 3 so here are 45

Coates 1
Coates 4
Coates 7
Coates 15
Schnittke 4
Berio Sinfonia
Kokkonen 1
Kokkonen 2
Kokkonen 3
Kokkonen 4
Rautavaara 3
Rautavaara 4
Rautavaara 6
Rautavaara 7
Rautavaara 8
Bruckner 3
Bruckner 4
Bruckner 7
Bruckner 9
Mahler 1
Mahler 4
Mahler 9
Glass 2
Glass 3
Gubaidulina symphony in 12 movements
Beethoven 4
Sibelius 2
Sibelius 4
Sibelius 5
Sibelius 6
Harris 3
Lutosławski 4
Ives 3
Ives 4
Schumann 2
Mendelssohn 5
Maxwell Davies 6
Maxwell Davies 10
Vaughan Williams 8
Knussen 3
Carter A Symphony of Three Orchestras
Schubert 8
Dvorak 9
Shostakovich 6
Shostakovich 11

[Heck148]

Bruckner 7
Schuman 3
Beethoven 6

[prémont]

Today:

Beethoven 4
Bruckner 4
Mahler 4

There is something magical about the number four, I do not know what fo(u)r.

My choices are:

Beethoven 4
Brahms 4
Nielsen 4

[Marc]

There is something magical about the number four, I do not know what fo(u)r.
[...]

You're in shape today Premo(u)nt!

[Christo]

Nielsen 4
Holmboe 5
Vaughan Williams 8

[vandermolen]

Nielsen 4
Holmboe 5
Vaughan Williams 8

Great choices - I knew Holmboe would feature. 
You're the second, I think, to choose Symphony 8 by VW. I hadn't thought of that one initially but it does have a magical opening, especially in Previn's RCA recording, which is my favourite version. I think that Previn's RCA cycle has the best versions of A Pastoral Symphony and the 1936 version of A London Symphony, although I need to listen to Haitink in the latter as it sounded wonderful in the extract I heard on the radio recently.

[Christo]

Great choices - I knew Holmboe would feature. 
You're the second, I think, to choose Symphony 8 by VW. I hadn't thought of that one initially but it does have a magical opening, especially in Previn's RCA recording, which is my favourite version. I think that Previn's RCA cycle has the best versions of A Pastoral Symphony and the 1936 version of A London Symphony, although I need to listen to Haitink in the latter as it sounded wonderful in the extract I heard on the radio recently.

I was actually, probably, thinking of the Thomson RVW 8, Thomson still my overal favourite in RVW, though I learnt to know the piece in the Previn version which made a huge impression and you're probably right to point that out. Agree about the Previn Pastoral. Haitink showed a bitg disappointment in RVW 8 and 9, IMHO, but quite acceptable in other symphonies (especially the Sea). BTW what are your three magical openings?   

[Sergeant Rock]

You're the second, I think, to choose Symphony 8 by VW. I hadn't thought of that one initially but it does have a magical opening, especially in Previn's RCA recording, which is my favourite version.

I was actually, probably, thinking of the Thomson RVW 8, Thomson still my overal favourite in RVW, though I learnt to know the piece in the Previn version which made a huge impression and you're probably right to point that out. Agree about the Previn Pastoral. Haitink showed a bitg disappointment in RVW 8 and 9

I was the first to mention RVW's 8th. I don't like Previn's. The sound of his recording disappoints me. Haitink's is my favorite...pace Christo, not at all disappointing but rather Haitink's 8 & 9 relevatory. My top five Eighths does include Thomson:

     Haitink
     Boult (EMI)
     Barbirolli (Dutton)
     Handley
     Thomson


Sarge

[vandermolen]

I was actually, probably, thinking of the Thomson RVW 8, Thomson still my overal favourite in RVW, though I learnt to know the piece in the Previn version which made a huge impression and you're probably right to point that out. Agree about the Previn Pastoral. Haitink showed a bitg disappointment in RVW 8 and 9, IMHO, but quite acceptable in other symphonies (especially the Sea). BTW what are your three magical openings?   

You mean magical as opposed to beautiful?
Well, I'd choose VW Symphony 8, Martinu Symphony 6 'Fantasies Symphoniques' and Bax Symphony 3.

[SharpEleventh]

Schoenberg's Variations for Orchestra has a very beautiful beginning. Okay it's not a symphony. But an orchestral work anyway.

[pjme]

Hindemith: Mathis der Maler! + 1