What are your 25 favorite symphonies?

[DavidW]

Substitute Haydn, Mozart and Schubert for Mahler, Bruckner and Beethoven --- and I find myself in the same predicament. 

Haydn was actually first on my mind, but I couldn't even begin to pick out a select few out of his 104.

[kyjo]

No one asked for it, but here's my List #2. I love symphonies, by the way!

Alnaes 2
Barber 1
Bax 2
Beethoven 8
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Berwald 3 Singulière
Bloch in C-sharp minor
Borodin 2
Bruckner 9
Hanson 3
Kabalevsky 4
Holmboe 8 Sinfonia boreale
Honegger 3 Liturgique
Martinů 1
Mozart 39
Ludolf Nielsen 3
Peterson-Berger 3 Same Ätnam
Pettersson 7
Raff 5 Lenore
Roussel 3
Rubbra 7
Schubert 9 (Great C major)
Suk Asrael
Tchaikovsky 5
Tubin 2 Legendary


It's nice looking back over these lists and reflecting on all the truly wonderful music I've had the privilege of encountering over the past 8 or so years of my life. And that's just symphonies! My life would be all the poorer would it not be for the joy of discovering and re-discovering the vast quantity of great music out there. And a big thank you to many of my fellow GMG members for helping me discover so much of this music in the first place!

[Karl Henning]

So, this thread title used to be "25 favorite epic symphonies" and now it's just "25 favorite symphonies"? In any case, I'll just go with the more general latter choice.

Alfvén 3
Andreae in C major
Arnold 5
Atterberg 2
Braga Santos 4
Brahms 4
Casella 2
Damase (Symphonie)
Dvořák 7
Elgar 2
Korngold in F-sharp
Lloyd 5
Magnard 4
Mahler 6 Tragic
Melartin 3
Mendelssohn 3 Scottish
Moeran in G minor
Nielsen 5
Prokofiev 5
Rachmaninoff 2
Saint-Saëns 3 avec orgue
Schmidt 4
Sibelius 6
Vaughan Williams 2 A London Symphony
Walton 1


P.S. To all those deserving candidates who I had to leave out: don't worry, I'll probably be coming back around at some point with a List #2!

While all the symphonies on your list which i know surely deserve their place, I'm mildly horrified that there is no Shostakovich at all in your first tranche, here. Only a little surprised that there is no Tchaikovsky or Bruckner, either.

[kyjo]

While all the symphonies on your list which i know surely deserve their place, I'm mildly horrified that there is no Shostakovich at all in your first tranche, here. Only a little surprised that there is no Tchaikovsky or Bruckner, either.

I thought it was a relatively well-known fact on GMG that I'm far from the world's biggest DSCH fan! As I've said before, it shouldn't be a big deal because he gets plenty of love from most other GMG members. And check List #2 for Tchaikovsky and Bruckner.

[Karl Henning]

I thought it was a relatively well-known fact on GMG that I'm far from the world's biggest DSCH fan! As I've said before, it shouldn't be a big deal because he gets plenty of love from most other GMG members. And check List #2 for Tchaikovsky and Bruckner.

I appreciate your discretion in somehow keeping that dark from me. We can still be mates.

[david johnson]

Beethoven: 3, 5, 9
Bruckner: 9
Brahms: 1
Shosty: 5, 10
Prokofiev: 5
Mahler: 1, 2
Tchai: 4, 2, 6
Berlioz: Fantastique
Sibelius: 1
Ives: 2
Kalinnikov: 1
Schubert: 8
Mendelssohn: 4
Dvorak: 8, 9

There...21

[Biffo]

Limiting myself to one per composer except for Hatdn, Mozart and Beethoven -

Haydn 100 (Military), 104 (London)
Mozart 40 & 41 (Jupiter)
Beethoven 3 Eroica, 7 & 9
Berlioz Fantastique
Schumann (Rhenish)
Schubert Great C major (7, 8, 9 whatever it is now)
Brahms 4
Bruckner 9
Mahler 5
Sibelius 7
Nielsen 5
Elgar 2
Vaughan Williams 2 (London)
Dvorak 8
Tchaikovsky 6
Rachmaninov 2
Bax (not sure which one)
Martinu (not sure which on)
Prokofiev 5
Shostakovich 10
Walton 1

[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?

Updating (in any order):

Beethoven: 3
Korngold: in F sharp
Tubin: 2
Holmboe: 8
Madetoja: 2

Vaughan Williams: 9
Nielsen: 5
Sibelius: 7
Shostakovich: 8
Prokofiev: 5

Mahler: 6
Bruckner: 7
Martinu: tough choice, but I pick the 6th
Atterberg: 3
Walton: 1

Langgaard: 6
Honegger: 3
Tchaikovsky: 6
Dvorak: 8
Elgar: 2

Brahms: 3
Bantock: A Celtic Symphony
Melartin: 3
Schmidt: 4
Rachmaninov: 3

[Symphonic Addict]

Beethoven: 3, 5, 9
Bruckner: 9
Brahms: 1
Shosty: 5, 10
Prokofiev: 5
Mahler: 1, 2
Tchai: 4, 2, 6
Berlioz: Fantastique
Sibelius: 1
Ives: 2
Kalinnikov: 1
Schubert: 8
Mendelssohn: 4
Dvorak: 8, 9

There...21

Good to see Sibelius' 1st being mentioned. I love it, no matter if it's not in his mature style.

[vandermolen]

No one asked for it, but here's my List #2. I love symphonies, by the way!

Alnaes 2
Barber 1
Bax 2
Beethoven 8
Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Berwald 3 Singulière
Bloch in C-sharp minor
Borodin 2
Bruckner 9
Hanson 3
Kabalevsky 4
Holmboe 8 Sinfonia boreale
Honegger 3 Liturgique
Martinů 1
Mozart 39
Ludolf Nielsen 3
Peterson-Berger 3 Same Ätnam
Pettersson 7
Raff 5 Lenore
Roussel 3
Rubbra 7
Schubert 9 (Great C major)
Suk Asrael
Tchaikovsky 5
Tubin 2 Legendary


It's nice looking back over these lists and reflecting on all the truly wonderful music I've had the privilege of encountering over the past 8 or so years of my life. And that's just symphonies! My life would be all the poorer would it not be for the joy of discovering and re-discovering the vast quantity of great music out there. And a big thank you to many of my fellow GMG members for helping me discover so much of this music in the first place!

We have similar tastes Kyle!
 

[Symphonic Addict]

Updating (in any order):

Beethoven: 3
Korngold: in F sharp
Tubin: 2
Holmboe: 8
Madetoja: 2

Vaughan Williams: 9
Nielsen: 5
Sibelius: 7
Shostakovich: 8
Prokofiev: 5

Mahler: 6
Bruckner: 7
Martinu: tough choice, but I pick the 6th
Atterberg: 3
Walton: 1

Langgaard: 6
Honegger: 3
Tchaikovsky: 6
Dvorak: 8
Elgar: 2

Brahms: 3
Bantock: A Celtic Symphony
Melartin: 3
Schmidt: 4
Rachmaninov: 3

A new update where many remain untouchable:

Walton: Symphony No. 1 (More often than not I'm tempted to pick the 2nd one, but for sentimental reasons, this one ends up winning me over)

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 2 (If I'm not mistaken, this was the first symphony of his I stumbled upon and I was bewitched since then)

Tubin: Symphony No. 4 (Or the 2nd, or the 6th, or the 10th, but the disarming beauty of the Sinfonia Lirica makes me choose it)

Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 (Another one I selected mostly for sentimental reasons, and because it's continuously memorable and splendorous)

Sibelius: Symphony No. 7 (I might have chosen the 1st one, but the sheer majesty and concentrated nature of the 7th has no rivals)

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15 (The last time I gave it a listen, I realized it simply is astonishing and cryptic, far from the violence and political associations of several previous efforts of his)

Schmidt: Symphony No. 4 (One of the most moving symphonies I know and I have to mention it whenever I can)

Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5 (Quite tough to choose between that one and the 6th, actually)

Nielsen: Symphony No. 5 (If the 4th bears the title of The Inextinguishable, this is The Unbeatable, at least for me in terms of being my absolute favorite symphony)

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 (Eloquent, vividly atmospheric, cogent, memorable... what's not to love?)

Melartin: Symphony No. 3 (A work that exudes vibrant positive energy and fabulous thematic material and development of ideas)

Mahler: Symphony No. 6 (Interesting that no other of his symphonies has displaced it yet in my tastes)

Magnard: Symphony No. 4 (The only French symphony in my list and a very special one)

Langgaard: Symphonies 4 and 6 (I can't live without any of them, both lift my spirits to the skies)

Khachaturian: Symphony No. 2 (Thank the performance conducted by the composer himself on Melodiya, it convinced me to include it here. Tremendous from start to finish)

Honegger: Symphony No. 3 (A rather succesful blend between ruthless power and sincere profoundness)

Hartmann: Symphony No. 6 (The last time I rediscovered it through the Kubelik recording it left me totally and absolutely astonished)

Glière: Symphony No. 3 (It perfectly embodies that epic and heroic element in music I cherish so much)

Dvorak: Symphony No. 8 (Perhaps after Nielsen's 5th, I consider this marvel my 2nd favorite symphony of all time. I can't get enough of it)

Casella: Symphony No. 3 (My favorite by him used to be the 2nd, but I realized this one is more gripping and personal)

Brahms: Symphony No. 4 (Much as I love the 3rd, it is this one that moves me the most)

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 (The first movement alone practically "obliges me" to include it)

Bantock: A Celtic Symphony (Extremely lovely and tuneful, a perennial favorite)

Atterberg: Symphony No. 3 (I just can't let its out-of-this-world last movement pass)

[Philo]

01 Brahms 3
02 Blecharz 2
03 Beethoven 9
04 Shostakovich 11
05 Mahler 2
06 Mozart 41
07 Sibelius 6
08 Dvorak 1
09 Rimsky-Korsakov 2
10 Schaeffer 1

Once I get beyond ten, there really isn't a ranking truly (save when push comes to shove, of course).