What are your 25 favorite symphonies?

[Symphonic Addict]

Mine are:

Walton:      1
Vaughan Williams:     5
Tubin:      2
Suk:      2 (Asrael)
Sibelius:      7
Shostakovich:   7, 11
Schmidt;      2
Raid:      1
Nielsen:      4, 5
Mahler:      6
Lyatoshinsky:   3
Langgaard:   1, 6
Khachaturian:   2
Holmboe:      8
Gliere:      3
Casella:      2
Braga Santos:   4
Brian:      1
Bloch:      in C sharp
Bax:      5
Atterberg:      2
Alwyn:      3

Honorable mentions

Arnold: 5
Hanson: 3
Kinsella: 11
Miaskovsky: 22
Prokofiev: 5
Rosenberg: 2
Villa-Lobos: 4

What about you?

[Christo]

The ones you consider epic in any sense, or simply your favorites. Your definitive list. My order would be alphabetically, I think it's a fairer fairer sort, but inverted (from Z to A) (only for me)

"Epic" particularly hard to define, but taking it into account as the cutting edge, my shortlist might read like:

Wordsworth  2
Walton  1
Vermeulen  2
Vasks  3
Vaughan Williams  6 & 9
Tubin  6
Tippett  2
Simpson  9
Shostakovich  8
Raid  1
Orthel  3
Nielsen  5
Mahler  6
Kinsella  7
Holmboe  8
Guarnieri  3
Goossens  1
Brian  1
Bliss  ´A Colour´
Ben-Haim  2
Bate  3
Arnold 5
Arnell  3
Alwyn  4
Andriessen  4

[relm1]

Arthur Benjamin: 1
G. Lloyd: 3, 7
S. Prokofiev: 3,4,5,6,7
D. Bourgeois: No. 1, 2,3, 6, especially 9, 33, and 42
R.V.W: 1,2
Lyatoshinsky:   3
Langgaard:   1, 6
Shostakovich: 4,5,7,8,10,11,12,13
Mahler: 1-10
Tchaikovsky: 4-6
I. Norholm: 2
M. Arnold: 4, 9
E. Bloch: Symphony in C# minor
B. Herrmann: Symphony
Havergal Brian: 1, 4
R. Soderling: 6, 9

Those are my 50 epic 25 symphonies.

[Maestro267]

I'm struggling to define "epic", but I'm setting a cutoff point of the works have to be 40 minutes or longer.

Mahler: 2, 3, 6, 8
Shostakovich: 4, 7, 11
Brian: 1-4
Schnittke: 1, 3
Lloyd: 7, 11
Korngold: F#
Simpson: 4, 9
MacMillan: 1 ("Vigil")
Elgar: 1-3
Vaughan Williams: 1, 2
Langgaard: 1

[Christo]

Arthur Benjamin: 1
Lyatoshinsky:   3
Langgaard:   1, 6
Tchaikovsky: 4-6
M. Arnold: 4, 9
E. Bloch: Symphony in C# minor
B. Herrmann: Symphony
Havergal Brian: 1, 4
R. Soderling *]: 6, 9     
Those are my 50 15 [other] epic 25 symphonies.

Fully seconded! #fixedtoo ;-)
*] errrrr, could it be that he's better known as Ragnar Søderlind? 

I'm struggling to define "epic", but I'm setting a cutoff point of the works have to be 40 minutes or longer.

Cannot see why 'epic' should exclude shorter pieces: Samuel Barber's Second Essay for Orchestra is 'epic' in every sensible sense of the word IMHO, yet lasting no longer than about 11 minutes.

[relm1]

Fully seconded! #fixedtoo ;-)
*] errrrr, could it be that he's better known as Ragnar Søderlind? 

Yes, that is him but I don't know how to get that o.

Cannot see why 'epic' should exclude shorter pieces: Samuel Barber's Second Essay for Orchestra is 'epic' in every sensible sense of the word IMHO, yet lasting no longer than about 11 minutes.

Because it's not a symphony and this thread is about "favorite epic symphonies" plus then I'd have a list of 1,000.

[Christo]

Yes, that is him but I don't know how to get that o.

Apparently you foudn it even harder to type -ing instead of -ind.  Typing an ø is an accomplishment we won't share with the Anglo-Saxon world (the ø-gadget would soon be only commercially available, no doubt).  Ragnar Søderlind it is, whether you like it, or not. 

[Symphonic Addict]

Cool idea, Cesar, but I don't even listen to symphonies much these days. It seems I've simply moved away from them in my listening. Ask me this 10 or 11 years ago and I could give you a list pretty easily.

Doesn't matter, John. As you feel better. 

[Symphonic Addict]

"Epic" particularly hard to define, but taking it into account as the cutting edge, my shortlist might read like:

Wordsworth  2
Walton  1
Vermeulen  2
Vasks  3
Vaughan Williams  6 & 9
Tubin  6
Tippett  2
Simpson  9
Shostakovich  8
Raid  1
Orthel  3
Nielsen  5
Mahler  6
Kinsella  7
Holmboe  8
Guarnieri  3
Goossens  1
Brian  1
Bliss  ´A Colour´
Ben-Haim  2
Bate  3
Arnold 5
Arnell  3
Alwyn  4
Andriessen  4

Arthur Benjamin: 1
G. Lloyd: 3, 7
S. Prokofiev: 3,4,5,6,7
D. Bourgeois: No. 1, 2,3, 6, especially 9, 33, and 42
R.V.W: 1,2
Lyatoshinsky:   3
Langgaard:   1, 6
Shostakovich: 4,5,7,8,10,11,12,13
Mahler: 1-10
Tchaikovsky: 4-6
I. Norholm: 2
M. Arnold: 4, 9
E. Bloch: Symphony in C# minor
B. Herrmann: Symphony
Havergal Brian: 1, 4
R. Soderling: 6, 9

Those are my 50 epic 25 symphonies.

I'm struggling to define "epic", but I'm setting a cutoff point of the works have to be 40 minutes or longer.

Mahler: 2, 3, 6, 8
Shostakovich: 4, 7, 11
Brian: 1-4
Schnittke: 1, 3
Lloyd: 7, 11
Korngold: F#
Simpson: 4, 9
MacMillan: 1 ("Vigil")
Elgar: 1-3
Vaughan Williams: 1, 2
Langgaard: 1

Very, very appealing choices from you. I had to leave out some great from there (Simpson 9, Arnell 3, Herrmann, Benjamin, Korngold, Lloyd 11). Don't know neither the MacMillan nor the Bourgeois. I hope there will be recordings of them.

[vandermolen]

Great thread idea Cesar. Here goes in random order:

Bloch: Symphony in C sharp minor (currently playing here!)
Gliere: Symphony 3 'Ilya Murometz'
Furtwangler: Symphony No. 2
Miaskovsky: Symphony No.6
Pettersson: Symphony No.7
Havergal Brian: Symphony No.1
Arnell: Symphony No.3
Rachmaninov: Symphony No.1
Klaus Egge: Symphony No.1
Shostakovich: Symphony No.11 'The Year 1905'
Arthur Benjamin: Symphony
Robin Orr: Symphony in One Movement ( short but 'epic' IMO)
Samuel Barber: Symphony No.1
Roy Harris: Symphony No.3
Copland: Symphony No.3
Mahler: Symphony No.9
Bruckner: Symphony No.8
Sibelius: Symphony No.7
Bliss: 'Morning Heroes' (counted as a choral symphony)
Nielsen: Symphony No.5
Tubin: Symphony No.2 'Legendary'
Walton: Symphony No.1
Popov: Symphony No.2 'Motherland'
Bax: Symphony No.5
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.9

[relm1]

Very, very appealing choices from you. I had to leave out some great from there (Simpson 9, Arnell 3, Herrmann, Benjamin, Korngold, Lloyd 11). Don't know neither the MacMillan nor the Bourgeois. I hope there will be recordings of them.

Many of Derek Bourgeous works are on youtube from radio broadcasts in the 1970's and 80's.  He became more reclusive in his last years and didn't have his later orchestral works performed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCMLFBEflGc

[vandermolen]

There are many more I could have included, Suk's 'Asrael' Symphony for starters.

[Symphonic Addict]

Great thread idea Cesar. Here goes in random order:

Bloch: Symphony in C sharp minor (currently playing here!)
Gliere: Symphony 3 'Ilya Murometz'
Furtwangler: Symphony No. 2
Miaskovsky: Symphony No.6
Pettersson: Symphony No.7
Havergal Brian: Symphony No.1
Arnell: Symphony No.3
Rachmaninov: Symphony No.1
Klaus Egge: Symphony No.1
Shostakovich: Symphony No.11 'The Year 1905'
Arthur Benjamin: Symphony
Robin Orr: Symphony in One Movement ( short but 'epic' IMO)
Samuel Barber: Symphony No.1
Roy Harris: Symphony No.3
Copland: Symphony No.3
Mahler: Symphony No.9
Bruckner: Symphony No.8
Sibelius: Symphony No.7
Bliss: 'Morning Heroes' (counted as a choral symphony)
Nielsen: Symphony No.5
Tubin: Symphony No.2 'Legendary'
Walton: Symphony No.1
Popov: Symphony No.2 'Motherland'
Bax: Symphony No.5
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No.9

A fascinating list, Jeffrey. The Furtwängler, Barber and Popov definitely have that sense of something epic or imposing for me too, ditto the others.

[Symphonic Addict]

Many of Derek Bourgeous works are on youtube from radio broadcasts in the 1970's and 80's.  He became more reclusive in his last years and didn't have his later orchestral works performed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCMLFBEflGc

Good to read. He is a new composer to me, so I expect good things from his music.

[Maestro267]

Don't know neither the MacMillan ... I hope there will be recordings of them.

The MacMillan was recorded by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Osmo Vanska on BIS.

[Symphonic Addict]

Arthur Benjamin: 1
G. Lloyd: 3, 7
S. Prokofiev: 3,4,5,6,7
D. Bourgeois: No. 1, 2,3, 6, especially 9, 33, and 42
R.V.W: 1,2
Lyatoshinsky:   3
Langgaard:   1, 6
Shostakovich: 4,5,7,8,10,11,12,13
Mahler: 1-10
Tchaikovsky: 4-6
I. Norholm: 2
M. Arnold: 4, 9
E. Bloch: Symphony in C# minor
B. Herrmann: Symphony
Havergal Brian: 1, 4
R. Soderling: 6, 9

Those are my 50 epic 25 symphonies.

I'm curious about the Soderlind and Bourgeois. Where did you hear the ones by Soderlind? I thought they were on YouTube, but they're not, most of the Bourgeois either. I recall being so impressed by Soderlind's 8th Symphony.

[Symphonic Addict]

The MacMillan was recorded by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under Osmo Vanska on BIS.

Oh yes. Fortunately his symphonies appear on commercial recordings.

[vandermolen]

I'd have included Söderlind Symphony No.8 which I think is only available on You Tube.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vr5oA_cyfZk

[relm1]

I'm curious about the Soderlind and Bourgeois. Where did you hear the ones by Soderlind? I thought they were on YouTube, but they're not, most of the Bourgeois either. I recall being so impressed by Soderlind's 8th Symphony.

I have the CD's of Soderling's No, 2, 3, 4 and maybe another one (going off memory so these might be all) and there were several on youtube.  Otherwise, I read the scores and his 6 and 9 are quite epic.  For example, no. 9 is hour long with soloists, choir, and large orchestra. No. 6 has very large orchestra, lasts 55 minutes, 2 sets of timpani, six horns, etc. 

As for Derek Bourgeois, we were friends for the last 10 year of his life and he sent me many of the early ones which were recorded in the 1960's-80's.  After that all his symphonies only exist digitally or in wind band arrangements because he had considerably better chances getting the wind arrangements performed but the orchestral versions were the originals as intended.  Derek's Symphony No. 9 is a four movement work lasting two hours but the finale is in itself almost an entire 40 minute symphony made up of a grand passacaglia.  His Symphony No. 42 is in three giant movements (each lasting about an hour) and features soloists and choirs of the creation, life on earth, and eventual destruction.   It is available only in computer mock-up version once he stopped trying to have his orchestral music performed he just composed becoming incredibly prolific. 

[relm1]

I'm curious about the Soderlind and Bourgeois. Where did you hear the ones by Soderlind? I thought they were on YouTube, but they're not, most of the Bourgeois either. I recall being so impressed by Soderlind's 8th Symphony.

I have the CD's of Soderling's No, 2, 3, 4 and maybe another one (going off memory so these might be all) from when they were commercially available and there were several on youtube.  Otherwise, I read the scores and his 6 and 9 are quite epic.  For example, no. 9 is an hour long with soloists, choir, and large orchestra. No. 6 has very large orchestra, lasts 55 minutes, 2 sets of timpani, six horns, etc.  There is also a very fine and dramatic early tone poem I really like that I can't find online but have on CD called Taurmusik. 

As for Derek Bourgeois, we were friends for the last 10 year of his life and he sent me many of the early ones which were recorded in the 1960's-80's.  After that all his symphonies only exist digitally or in wind band arrangements because he had considerably better chances getting the wind arrangements performed but the orchestral versions were the originals as intended.  Derek's Symphony No. 9 is a four movement work lasting two hours but the finale is in itself almost an entire 40 minute symphony made up of a grand passacaglia.  His Symphony No. 42 is in three giant movements (each lasting about an hour) and features soloists and choirs of the creation, life on earth, and eventual destruction.   It is available only in computer mock-up version once he stopped trying to have his orchestral music performed he just composed becoming incredibly prolific.  Choral music doesn't work with computer mockup because all the voices and soloists just sing "Ahhh" so you have to be very used to hearing this to understand how it would sound but maybe one day we'll get a performance.