8th symphonies

[vers la flamme]

What are your favorites?

Schubert's 8th (the Unfinished, which will always be No.8 for me, despite that the 7th doesn't exist, per se)
Dvorák's 8th
Mahler's 8th

[André]

Bruckner
Shostakovich

But also Dvorak, as well as those already mentioned.

[Symphonic Addict]

Shostakovich
Dvorak
Holmboe Sinfonia boreale

Glazunov
Atterberg
Vaughan Williams
Schuman
Simpson
Soderlind
Bruckner
Lloyd

[Holden]

Shostakovich
Schubert

[Brian]

Top two: Dvorak and, sure, I'll be the first to say it, Beethoven.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Top two: Dvorak and, sure, I'll be the first to say it, Beethoven.

I was afraid no one would . . . . 

[(poco) Sforzando]

Beethoven, Shostakovich, Bruckner. Not Mahler.

[vandermolen]

Vaughan Williams
Rautavaara 'The Journey'
Soderlind 'In Memory of Jean Sibelius'
Glazunov
Shostakovich
Bruckner
Schubert
Rubbra
Vagn Holmboe
Atterberg

+ Dvorak (my favourite of his works)

[Madiel]

A top number for Beethoven, Dvorak and Holmboe.

[Biffo]

Favourite 8ths

Dvorak
Beethoven
Vaughan Williams
Schubert Unfinished

Honourable mentions - Bruckner, Shostakovich - my feelings about them fluctuate

Mahler 8 is my least favourite of his symphonies

Cheating, Sibelius 7 if you include Kullervo

[Maestro267]

Mahler
Shostakovich
Lajtha
Brian
Villa-Lobos
Vaughan Williams
Simpson

[Brahmsian]

Bruckner
Dvořák
Schubert (Unfinished)
Shostakovich

[Roasted Swan]

Bruckner
Shostakovich

But also Dvorak, as well as those already mentioned.

couldn't agree more! +++1

[TheGSMoeller]

Shostakovich & Bruckner tie for the greatest 8th.

And tied for second place...

Haydn
Schubert
Schinttke
Glass

[Mirror Image]

Shostakovich & Bruckner tie for the greatest 8th.

And tied for second place...

Haydn
Schubert
Schinttke
Glass

Oh shit! I forgot Schnittke!

[Mirror Image]

Mahler, Shostakovich, Bruckner and Dvořák came immediately to my mind.

Updated list: Mahler, Bruckner, Shostakovich, Dvořák, Vaughan Williams, Schnittke and Pettersson.

[Brian]

I agree on Schubert, but I disagree on which symphony it is. I'm a millennial so No. 8 is in C major and finished.  0:)

[Todd]

Bruckner
Beethoven
Dvorak
Haydn
Schubert (either/both)

[(poco) Sforzando]

I agree on Schubert, but I disagree on which symphony it is. I'm a millennial so No. 8 is in C major and finished.  0:)

For me the C major is the 9th, and the B minor is the 8th and always has been/will be. However I think the first movement more compelling than the Andante.

[Brian]

For me the C major is the 9th, and the B minor is the 8th and always has been/will be. However I think the first movement more compelling than the Andante.

It is interesting to me which composers' symphonies get renumbered and which don't. As recently as 1960ish, Dvorak's Symphony No. 8 was still called No. 4 and No. 9 occasionally known to many as No. 5. (Yesterday I listened to a Szell/Cleveland "No. 4" that was released in 1958.) That got fixed to the universal agreement of all the musical world. Meanwhile, we've known for years that Mendelssohn's symphonies are out of order, but we're not bothered enough to swap them around, even though all the out-of-order pieces have convenient nicknames.