Six great twentieth century fifth symphonies excluding Sibelius and Shostakovich

Started by vandermolen, January 16, 2017, 10:57:35 AM

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vandermolen

January 16, 2017, 10:57:35 AM Last Edit: January 16, 2017, 11:00:32 AM by vandermolen
Suffering from list deprivation. Apologies if we've done this before:

Weinberg

Vaughan Williams

Malcolm Arnold

Arnold Bax

Atterberg

Honegger

In each case, with the possible exception of Honegger, there is an argument, which I don't necessarily agree with, that these were their 'greatest' symphonies - this is not, however, a pre-requisite for this thread.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

nathanb

#1
January 16, 2017, 10:59:30 AM
I don't think Shostakovich would be top 10 either way, for me.

vandermolen

#2
January 16, 2017, 11:01:08 AM
Quote from: nathanb on January 16, 2017, 10:59:30 AM
I don't think Shostakovich would be top 10 either way, for me.
Thanks for responding anyway.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Overtones

#3
January 16, 2017, 11:04:41 AM
I take it you're not a Prokofiev fan?

vandermolen

#4
January 16, 2017, 11:14:24 AM Last Edit: January 16, 2017, 11:16:45 AM by vandermolen
Quote from: Overtones on January 16, 2017, 11:04:41 AM
I take it you're not a Prokofiev fan?
Actually I am a fan but I much prefer Symphony 6 to Symphony 5. Having said that Rozhdestvensky's recording of Symphony 5 is magnificent and it is a great symphony. I especially like the doom-laden climax of the slow movement and the mad-cap coda, especially in that Rozhdestvensky EMI/Melodiya recording. Maybe I'm too familiar with Symphony 5. I also prefer 'Ivan the Terrible' to 'Alexander Nevsky'.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Sergeant Rock

#5
January 16, 2017, 11:24:25 AM
I love Havergal's Fifth, "Wine of Summer". Others:

Mahler
George Lloyd
Prokofiev
Tubin
Tournemire



the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

Mirror Image

#6
January 16, 2017, 11:25:21 AM
Nice thread, Jeffrey. My votes (in no particular order):

Vaughan Williams
Nielsen
Mahler
Weinberg
Prokofiev

vandermolen

#7
January 16, 2017, 01:00:39 PM Last Edit: January 16, 2017, 01:06:20 PM by vandermolen
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on January 16, 2017, 11:24:25 AM
I love Havergal's Fifth, "Wine of Summer". Others:

Mahler
George Lloyd
Prokofiev
Tubin
Tournemire

I like all of these too although I prefer Lloyd's 4th or 7th and Tournemire's Third 'Moscow' and Tubin's Second 'Legendary'. I think of Mahler as a Nineteenth Century composer but you are quite right about Symphony 5.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

#8
January 16, 2017, 01:03:21 PM
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 16, 2017, 11:25:21 AM
Nice thread, Jeffrey. My votes (in no particular order):

Vaughan Williams
Nielsen
Mahler
Weinberg
Prokofiev

Great choices John. How could I forget Nielsen? I should have chosen it instead of Honegger but I won't change my original post. Nielsen's 5th is one of the greatest 20th Century symphonies without doubt IMHO and it was great to see it live at the proms last year.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Overtones

#9
January 16, 2017, 01:31:51 PM
Fine.
My six would be


Prokofiev
Mahler
Glazunov
Kancheli
Hindemith (Symphonia Serena)
Strauss (Alpine Symphony)

A little cheat in the last two but those are actually their fifth works with the term symphony in the title :)

Mirror Image

#10
January 16, 2017, 02:00:01 PM
Quote from: vandermolen on January 16, 2017, 01:03:21 PM
Great choices John. How could I forget Nielsen? I should have chosen it instead of Honegger but I won't change my original post. Nielsen's 5th is one of the greatest 20th Century symphonies without doubt IMHO and it was great to see it live at the proms last year.

Indeed, Jeffrey. Stunning work.

springrite

#11
January 16, 2017, 08:12:38 PM
Nielsen
Mahler
Rubbra
RvW
Alwyn
Do what I must do, and let what must happen happen.

vandermolen

#12
January 16, 2017, 11:25:49 PM
Quote from: Overtones on January 16, 2017, 01:31:51 PM
Fine.
My six would be


Prokofiev
Mahler
Glazunov
Kancheli
Hindemith (Symphonia Serena)
Strauss (Alpine Symphony)

A little cheat in the last two but those are actually their fifth works with the term symphony in the title :)
Interesting choices - I especially like Glazunov although my favourite symphonies are 2,3,7,8 and the fragment of No.9 which I find very poignant. Must listen to the Hindemith and Kancheli.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

vandermolen

#13
January 16, 2017, 11:29:00 PM
Quote from: springrite on January 16, 2017, 08:12:38 PM
Nielsen
Mahler
Rubbra
RvW
Alwyn
All great choices - I considered the Alwyn and like all of his symphonies equally - maybe No.2 is my favourite as it was the composer's favourite of his symphonies. 5 is a fine work though - a concise, poetic and moving score.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Christo

#14
January 16, 2017, 11:39:38 PM
Some rather usual suspects (and BTW: love Tubin, but not his Fifth, though I even heard it live):

Nielsen
RVW
Holmboe
Tournemire
Honegger
Arnold

... music is not only an 'entertainment', nor a mere luxury, but a necessity of the spiritual if not of the physical life, an opening of those magic casements through which we can catch a glimpse of that country where ultimate reality will be found.    RVW, 1948

vandermolen

#15
January 17, 2017, 01:27:54 AM Last Edit: January 17, 2017, 01:29:25 AM by vandermolen
Quote from: Christo on January 16, 2017, 11:39:38 PM
Some rather usual suspects (and BTW: love Tubin, but not his Fifth, though I even heard it live):

Nielsen
RVW
Holmboe
Tournemire
Honegger
Arnold

All works I greatly admire too. I like the end of the slow movement of Tubin's Fifth but symphonies 1-4 and 10 remain my favourites. :)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Karl Henning

#16
January 17, 2017, 02:16:49 AM
Prokofiev
Nielsen
Mennin
Schuman
Tubin
Vaughan Williams

A bit of a wrench to omit the Mahler.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

#17
January 17, 2017, 03:39:16 AM
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 17, 2017, 02:16:49 AM
A bit of a wrench to omit the Mahler.

And Holmboe, Braga Santos, Langgaard & Martinů, of course.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

North Star

#18
January 17, 2017, 08:53:54 AM
Mahler
Prokofiev
Nielsen
Vaughan Williams
Hartmann
Schnittke
"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

My photographs on Flickr

Karl Henning

#19
January 17, 2017, 09:17:14 AM
Quote from: North Star on January 17, 2017, 08:53:54 AM
Hartmann
Schnittke

It is well to have reminders of how impossible this endeavor is  ;)
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot
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