10 favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies

[kyjo]

There's plenty of polls here about favorite lesser-known 20th century symphonies, so I thought we needed one for the 19th century! You by no means are obligated to come up with 10. Here's my list:

Dvorak 3
Raff 5 and 9
Berwald 1 and 3
Kalinnikov 1 and 2
Balakirev 1
Glazunov 5
Andreae in F

[Jo498]

Reicha
All 4 of Berwald's
Gade 1
Burgmüller 1
Rott (probably almost well known by now)
Albert Dietrich (friend of Schumann and Brahms who wrote also one movement of the f-a-e-sonata)
Chausson (known, but eclipsed by Franck's)

[Daverz]

Sgambati 1
Voříšek
Fibich 3 (all 3 are worthwhile)
Kalliwoda 5
Goldmark 2 (to give something different from the relatively popular Rustic Wedding Symphony)
Cherubini
Lalo
Mehul (not sure which of the 4, but I recall them as very distinctive)
Suk: Symphony in E major
Mielck

I hadn't realized that Magnard's 3rd made it into the 19th Century.  But it's an old chestnut to GMG members 😉

Interesting list: https://splendidlabyrinths.blogspot.com/2013/08/best-unknown-symphonies-from-19th.html

[Sergeant Rock]

Schmidt Symphony No.1 E major
Lalo Symphony in G minor
Berwald Symphony No.2 D major, "Capricieuse"
Magnard Symphony No.1 C minor
Wagner Symphony C major
Mendelssohn Symphony No.1 C minor
Dvorak 1, 2, 3, 4

[kyjo]

Rott (probably almost well known by now)
Chausson (known, but eclipsed by Franck's)

I should've included these two, even if they're reasonably well-known.

[kyjo]

Magnard Symphony No.1 C minor
Mendelssohn Symphony No.1 C minor

These are favorites of mine as well.

[Sergeant Rock]

These are favorites of mine as well.

After you posted I added Schmidt's First (it made the 19th century cut by just a few years).

Sarge

[Christo]

Johan Willem Wilms 6
Anton Fodor 3 ('4')
Antonín Leopold Dvořák 1, 2, 3, 4
Zdeněk Fibich 3
Richard Hol 4
Hubert Parry 2
Bernard Zweers 3

[SymphonicAddict]

I consider these ones. I didn't want to repeat any already mentioned:

Bruch 1
Rimsky-Korsakov Antar
Stanford 3
Weingartner 1
Dukas
Volkmann 2
Hamerik 4
Taneyev 2
Svendsen 2
Borodin 1

[Daverz]

Taneyev 2

Sergei, I presume?

[SymphonicAddict]

Sergei, I presume?

Yes, Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev.

[André]

Ludvig Norman, symphony no 2
Zdenek Fibich, symphony no 3
Théodore Gouvy, symphony no 6
Hubert Parry, symphony no 2
Ferdinand Ries, symphony no 5

[amw]

Good timing on this thread since just the other day I was like "hey I really wanna listen to Friedrich Gernsheim's Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 62 today" and subsequently was like "ok, no one in the history of the world has ever said that sentence before."

Anyway it is actually a good symphony although for my top 10 list it's probably crowded out by Berwald's four, Voříšek's one, Svendsen's no. 1, Mendelssohn's no. 1, Bizet's no. 2 ("Roma")—no. 1 probably too well-known to qualify for this list—and both of Borodin's.

[Jo498]

I consider these ones. I didn't want to repeat any already mentioned:
Rimsky-Korsakov Antar
Borodin 1

I thought about these two as well but considered them moderately well known and therefore did not mention them because I already had two moderately well known pieces.
The huge difference in popularity between the two completed Borodin symphonies does not seem justified to me (neither in the case of his string quartets) and I find "Antar" superior to the more flashy (and FAR more popular) Sheherazade.

[vandermolen]

Glazunov: Symphony 1
Glazunov: Symphony 2
Balakirev: Symphony 1
Raff: Symphony 5 'Lenore'
Stanford: Symphony 3 'Irish'
Stanford: Symphony 5
Rott: Symphony
Chauson: Symphony
Lyapunov: Symphony 1
Taneyev: Symphony 2

[kyjo]

The huge difference in popularity between the two completed Borodin symphonies does not seem justified to me (neither in the case of his string quartets) and I find "Antar" superior to the more flashy (and FAR more popular) Sheherazade.

I wholeheartedly agree! Borodin's first symphony and first string quartet deserve to be much better known. Same with Rimsky's Antar, although I still have quite a soft spot for the overplayed Scheherazade.

[kyjo]

Ludvig Norman, symphony no 2
Zdenek Fibich, symphony no 3
Théodore Gouvy, symphony no 6
Hubert Parry, symphony no 2
Ferdinand Ries, symphony no 5

Nice choices, Andre. Fibich's 3rd has some beautiful moments, especially in the slow movement. I know Gouvy's 2nd which is a delightful work. Parry's first two symphonies are both warm, melodious works but a bit lacking in drama IMO. I very much like the proto-Elgarian first movement of his 1st symphony. I don't know Ries' 5th but I know his first two symphonies which are vigorous, Beethovenian works that I like very much. The memorable funeral march slow movement of his 1st is a clear nod to the Eroica.

[kyjo]

Glazunov: Symphony 1
Glazunov: Symphony 2
Balakirev: Symphony 1
Raff: Symphony 5 'Lenore'
Stanford: Symphony 3 'Irish'
Stanford: Symphony 5
Rott: Symphony
Chauson: Symphony
Lyapunov: Symphony 1
Taneyev: Symphony 2

Great list, Jeffrey. Nice to see another vote for Raff 5 You've reminded me that I need to explore the Stanford symphonies - I only know no. 1, which I'm assuming is hardly one of his better efforts. It does have a very catchy finale, however.

[kyjo]

Mielck

Forgot about this one - great piece. It's a real shame Mielck died so young...

[Christo]

Berwald 1 and 3
Kalinnikov 1 and 2

Rimsky-Korsakov Antar
Stanford 3
Svendsen 2

Zdenek Fibich, symphony no 3
Hubert Parry, symphony no 2

Agreed, but had them already

Balakirev: Symphony 1
Lyapunov: Symphony 1
Stanford: Symphony 3 'Irish'

Another great ten