Your ‘Top 3’ Favorite Symphonists

[Mirror Image]

Apologies if this thread has been done before as I did a search and nothing came up, but anyway who are your three choices?

Mine are (in no particular order):

Mahler


Bruckner


Sibelius

[krummholz]

Mine, in chronological order:

Mahler
Nielsen
Brian

My avatar composer, Holmboe, composed 13 symphonies and is certainly right up there in my pantheon, but I consider his symphonic output somewhat uneven, with several of the early ones not even up to the level of his best work. While Brian's symphonic output is also uneven (and a couple of his 32 I don't even consider symphonies), Brian explored the form so exhaustively and so consistently throughout his career that I have to rank him, overall, slightly higher as a symphonist (though not as a composer).

[Symphonic Addict]

As my avatar is the great Dane, he's probably my favorite symphonist ever.

The other two are Dvorak and Shostakovich.

[Mirror Image]

As my avatar is the great Dane, he's probably my favorite symphonist ever.

The other two are Dvorak and Shostakovich.

These very well could've been my own choices, Cesar.

[Symphonic Addict]

These very well could've been my own choices, Cesar.

I could change Dvorak for Sibelius. Even though his [Sibelius] symphonies 3 and 4 are not so close to me, he's definitely an indispensable composer.

[Mirror Image]

I could change Dvorak for Sibelius. Even though his [Sibelius] symphonies 3 and 4 are not so close to me, he's definitely an indispensable composer.

Sibelius' 4th is the symphony that made me finally understand this composer, so I'll always have a sentimental attachment to it, but, also, the slow movement is absolutely gut-wrenchingly honest, brutal even, and it hit me like a ton of bricks when it finally clicked for me. For me, and this is just my opinion, but if you don't understand the 4th, then you don't really understand the composer. It's kind of like Nielsen's 5th. If you don't like this symphony, then there's a good chance you're not as big of a fan of the composer as you think you are.

[Symphonic Addict]

Sibelius' 4th is the symphony that made me finally understand this composer, so I'll always have a sentimental attachment to it, but, also, the slow movement is absolutely gut-wrenchingly honest, brutal even, and it hit me like a ton of bricks when it finally clicked for me. For me, and this is just my opinion, but if you don't understand the 4th, then you don't really understand the composer. It's kind of like Nielsen's 5th. If you don't like this symphony, then there's a good chance you're not as big of a fan of the composer as you think you are.

I've come to grips with Sibelius's 4th over the last months. It's not as impenetrable as I initially perceived. For me it's his most psychological and personal. In the case of Nielsen's 5th, I DO love it, and I understand it pretty well. In fact, I really love all of his 6 symphonies, which doesn't happen with Sibelius, whose symphonies 1, 2, 5 and 7 are truly special to me.

[Mirror Image]

I've come to grips with Sibelius's 4th over the last months. It's not as impenetrable as I initially perceived. For me it's his most psychological and personal. In the case of Nielsen's 5th, I DO love it, and I understand it pretty well. In fact, I really love all of his 6 symphonies, which doesn't happen with Sibelius, whose symphonies 1, 2, 5 and 7 are truly special to me.

Well, I love all of Sibelius' and Nielsen's symphonies. No love for Sibelius' 6th either? Yikes! I certainly understand that the 4th and 6th are the most elusive of the Sibelius symphonies, but I think this is a good thing --- it just means you have to keep trying. The 4th and 6th are actually the symphonies that gave the most difficulty, but I've come to regard them as masterpieces and there's nothing like them. This kind of reminds me of how I finally came around to a work like Night Ride & Sunrise. This work was even more elusive to me than the 4th or 6th symphonies. I remember reading something that someone wrote (maybe a critic or just a long-time listener) and they said that Sibelius' music is like the musical depiction of a remote, desolate land where there's no sign of human contact and it basically only exists because the environment has found a way to replenish itself. Bear in mind, I'm paraphrasing here, but it was a interesting thought and it made me do some thinking as well. Nielsen's music is quite the opposite I feel --- it's as if he feeds off energy and life. I often think of his music as some kind of organic life force that runs off sunlight and gains momentum the longer it's able to flourish. Does any of this make any sense? Probably not.

[Jo498]

Beethoven
Haydn
Mahler

[Florestan]

Mozart
Schubert
Tchaikovsky

[Raymond]

Well, I love all of Sibelius' and Nielsen's symphonies. No love for Sibelius' 6th either? Yikes! I certainly understand that the 4th and 6th are the most elusive of the Sibelius symphonies, but I think this is a good thing --- it just means you have to keep trying. The 4th and 6th are actually the symphonies that gave the most difficulty, but I've come to regard them as masterpieces and there's nothing like them. This kind of reminds me of how I finally came around to a work like Night Ride & Sunrise. This work was even more elusive to me than the 4th or 6th symphonies. I remember reading something that someone wrote (maybe a critic or just a long-time listener) and they said that Sibelius' music is like the musical depiction of a remote, desolate land where there's no sign of human contact and it basically only exists because the environment has found a way to replenish itself. Bear in mind, I'm paraphrasing here, but it was a interesting thought and it made me do some thinking as well. Nielsen's music is quite the opposite I feel --- it's as if he feeds off energy and life. I often think of his music as some kind of organic life force that runs off sunlight and gains momentum the longer it's able to flourish. Does any of this make any sense? Probably not.

[MusicTurner]

Apologies if this thread has been done before as I did a search and nothing came up, but anyway who are your three choices?

Mine are (in no particular order):

Mahler


Bruckner


Sibelius

Definitely some of my absolute top candidates too. Hard to narrow down though, besides choosing Bruckner (that always incredibly conservative- and boring-looking fellow) on the list.

[Raymond]

Yes. I always thought that humans/humanity are absent from Sibelius. The symphonies anyway, but they even seem to take a back step in the tone poems. But he has an extraordinary gift of expressing nature, especially of course the northern regions.

[Sergeant Rock]

Havergal Brian
Haydn
Mahler

[Mirror Image]

Havergal Brian
Haydn
Mahler

I'm surprised Bruckner didn't make the list, Sarge.

[Mirror Image]

Yes. I always thought that humans/humanity are absent from Sibelius. The symphonies anyway, but they even seem to take a back step in the tone poems. But he has an extraordinary gift of expressing nature, especially of course the northern regions.

Agreed. He was a remarkable painter of sound.

[kyjo]

Well, that's easy! My top 3 symphonists also happen to be my 3 favorite composers: Sibelius, Dvorak, and Atterberg. My nos. 4 and 5 would be Nielsen and Vaughan Williams, btw.

[DavidW]

There are no three for me that stand far above the others.  Making a longer list Mahler, Beethoven, Haydn, Bruckner, Shostakovich, Brahms and Sibelius.

[amw]

Martinů, Dvořák, and Haydn, in some order. (Ok, Haydn is first, I guess.) Considered including Beethoven, but his symphonies are basically just Martinů's with less pianos.

I can also name a single favourite symphony (Haydn's La Passione, Hob.I:49) and maybe a second favourite ("Paris III" Hob.I:84) but not a third one (Beethoven 5? Fantaisies Symphoniques? Dvořák 7? Mozart 38?), and would have to then expand the list to ten or twenty to include all of the various possibilities.

[Mirror Image]

Well, that's easy! My top 3 symphonists also happen to be my 3 favorite composers: Sibelius, Dvorak, and Atterberg. My nos. 4 and 5 would be Nielsen and Vaughan Williams, btw.

Fine choices, indeed. If you didn't pick Atterberg, I would be seriously surprised. Glad to know that Sibelius and Dvořák rank so high with you.