List favourite symphonies 1-10 by different composers:

[ludwigii]

Interesting list, ludwigii. Walton is a composer I plan on revisiting at some juncture. Who's your avatar, btw? A younger Walton?

Thanks MI. Also your list, I copied for the Ninth by Dvorak 
I'm fond of the Piston's Symphony because a few years ago I wrote an analysis on it.
For Walton's Symphony no words, love it madly 
Avatar ... it's not a composer, but a painter, Duncan Grant.

[Sergeant Rock]

I like Peter Maxwell Davies' 10th—much more than Shostakovich's 10th—but there are other symphonies I prefer much more.

Haven't heard Davies' but Shosty's 10 usually puts me to sleep. It's just about my least favorite of his 15.

Sarge

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Haven't heard Davies' but Shosty's 10 usually puts me to sleep. It's just about my least favorite of his 15.

Sarge

It's near the bottom of the rung for me too, along with no. 5.

[Dee Sharp]

Brahms 1
Sibelius 2
Beethoven 3
Bruckner 4
Prokofiev 5
Tchaikovsky 6
Sibelius 7
Dvorak 8
Mahler 9
Shostakovich 10

[Mirror Image]

Thanks MI. Also your list, I copied for the Ninth by Dvorak 
I'm fond of the Piston's Symphony because a few years ago I wrote an analysis on it.
For Walton's Symphony no words, love it madly 
Avatar ... it's not a composer, but a painter, Duncan Grant.

Very nice, ludwigii. I'm not familiar with Duncan Grant's work, I'll have to check it out.

[Mahlerian]

No. 1 - Schoenberg Chamber Symphony in E
No. 2 - Prokofiev
No. 3 - Brahms
No. 4 - Shostakovich
No. 5 - Bruckner
No. 6 - Mahler
No. 7 - Henze
No. 8 - Schubert Unfinished
No. 9 - Beethoven

No tenth that doesn't duplicate, sorry.

[Mirror Image]

Ah, things like this are always tricky considering that there are so many symphonies of a certain number that I love as opposed to symphonies of a different number which I would struggle with a bit.........

But here goes nothing!

1. Schnittke
2. Shostakovich
3. Honegger
4. Lutosławski
5. Nørgård
6. Sibelius
7. Mahler
8. Vaughan Williams
9. Henze
10. Davies

Good to see some love for Vaughan Williams' 8th, Jessop. I feel that it, along with the 9th, is perhaps one of the more misunderstood symphonies from his cycle. It feels like a lightweight work much in the same vein that Sibelius' 6th feels lightweight, but subsequent listens reveal that there's much more churning underneath the surface here.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Good to see some love for Vaughan Williams' 8th, Jessop. I feel that it, along with the 9th, is perhaps one of the more misunderstood symphonies from his cycle. It feels like a lightweight work much in the same vein that Sibelius' 6th feels lightweight, but subsequent listens reveal that there's much more churning underneath the surface here.

Exactly! And Sibelius 6 is also on my list ^_^

[Chronochromie]

1- Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
2- Prokofiev
3- Schumann/Lutosławski
4- Sibelius/Ives
5- Bruckner
6- Nielsen
7- Mahler
8- Schubert
9- Beethoven

[Turner]

Ah, things like this are always tricky considering that there are so many symphonies of a certain number that I love as opposed to symphonies of a different number which I would struggle with a bit.........

But here goes nothing!

1. Schnittke
2. Shostakovich
3. Honegger
4. Lutosławski
5. Nørgård
6. Sibelius
7. Mahler
8. Vaughan Williams
9. Henze
10. Davies

A lot of those I´d consider too ...

[vandermolen]

I'm surprised by some of your choices, Jeffrey. In the slot for a third symphony, it's interesting to see that Honegger's Liturgique didn't make the cut.

I agree John but I love that Diamond symphony. I think that if I'd entitled the thread as 'Great' rather than favourite I'd have chosen the Honegger. That by Copland or Harris might also have featured. Thanks for your great choices and for so many of you for responding. 

[vandermolen]

I knew I had one too many drams tonight  I'll edit my list.

Sarge

Yes - kindly stick to the rules thank you very much. 
I like your choices, by the way, and think I should have chosen some myself (HB, Atterberg, VW No.9, Bruckner). 

[vandermolen]

1.   Walton
2.   Piston
3.   Lutoslawski
4.   Schnittke
5.   Prokofiev
6.   Tchaikovsky
7.   Beethoven
8.   Shostakovich
9.   Dvorak
10.   Mahler

I thought of including the Piston myself and the Shostakovich is another favourite as is the Adagio from Mahler's 10th Symphony.

[vandermolen]

Ah, things like this are always tricky considering that there are so many symphonies of a certain number that I love as opposed to symphonies of a different number which I would struggle with a bit.........

But here goes nothing!

1. Schnittke
2. Shostakovich
3. Honegger
4. Lutosławski
5. Nørgård
6. Sibelius
7. Mahler
8. Vaughan Williams
9. Henze
10. Davies

Interesting choices, especially the Shostakovich as this is often seen as one of his least successful symphonies, not least by the composer himself - I must listen to it again.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Interesting choices, especially the Shostakovich as this is often seen as one of his least successful symphonies, not least by the composer himself - I must listen to it again.

It is one of the most immediately attractive to me...and it isn't very long either! Succinct Shostakovich is my favourite kind.

(Although his 4th is another favourite of mine as well)

[Florestan]

1 - Mahler
2 - Brahms
3 - Schumann
4 - Bruckner
5 - Tchaikovsky
6 - Haydn
7 - Beethoven
8 - Dvorak
9 - Schubert

[North Star]

1 - Schumann
2 - Brahms
3 - Beethoven
4 - Nielsen
5 - Vaughan Williams
6 - Tchaikovsky
7 - Sibelius
8 - Dvorak
9 - Mahler
10 - Shostakovich

[ahinton]

No. 1 - Schoenberg Chamber Symphony in E
No. 2 - Prokofiev
No. 3 - Brahms
No. 4 - Shostakovich
No. 5 - Bruckner
No. 6 - Mahler
No. 7 - Henze
No. 8 - Schubert Unfinished
No. 9 - Beethoven

No tenth that doesn't duplicate, sorry.

I'd go with some of that, although I'd probably substitute Schmidt's or Krenek's for Prokofiev's second, Elgar's or Magnard's for Brahms' third and Myaskovsky's for Mahler's sixth just so that I could add Mahler's tenth and still avoid duplication. Maybe David Matthews' eighth instead of Schubert's as the latter remained unfinished - and Rubbra's, Simpson's or Arnold's in place of Beethoven's (OK, heresy over...)

[Karl Henning]

№ 1 | Сергей Васильевич [ Sergei Vasilyevich (Rakhmaninov) ]
№ 2 | Сергей Сергеевич [ Sergei Sergeyevich (Prokofiev) ]
№ 3 | Nielsen
№ 4 | Дмитрий Дмитриевич (though I might have docked him in berth 10, too)
№ 5 | Sibelius (though I might have docked him in berth 6, too)
№ 6 | Martinů
№ 7 | Mennin (though I might have him swap places with Dvořák)
№ 8 | Dvořák
№ 9 | Schuman
№ 10 | Langgaard
№ 11 | Haydn

[Turner]

№ 1 | Сергей Васильевич [ Sergei Vasilyevich (Rakhmaninov) ]
№ 2 | Сергей Сергеевич [ Sergei Sergeyevich (Prokofiev) ]
№ 3 | Nielsen
№ 4 | Дмитрий Дмитриевич (though I might have docked him in berth 10, too)
№ 5 | Sibelius (though I might have docked him in berth 6, too)
№ 6 | Martinů
№ 7 | Mennin (though I might have him swap places with Dvořák)
№ 8 | Dvořák
№ 9 | Schuman
№ 10 | Langgaard
№ 11 | Haydn

Those Martinu and Langgaard works would also be among my favorites. Great to see them.