That One Symphony That You Never Get Tired Of....

[wolverine]

Hi all,

Do you find that no matter how big your classical music collection is, there's that one symphony that you keep going back to over and over?

For me, it's got to be Mahler 1. I just can't get enough of it. I'm at the point where I'm listening to it almost daily. It's that one piece that I find I really connect with....To me it tells such a great musical story. Every movement is perfect in order and every note is perfect in placement.

Now, I'm at a point where I listen to other composer's interpretations of it and yet I still think of Bernstein's as the benchmark. Of course, there are lots of great symphonies out there but for me Mahler 1 is the one that I never get tired of. I'm still anxious to see it performed live but unfortunately nothing yet in my area.

What symphonic piece does it for you and why? I'm very curious to hear your choice!

[mahlertitan]

no, even for mahler's 1st, (which i named my Login after) after a few years it became tiresome. Take time, and enough repeated listening, anything can be tiresome.

[BachQ]

Mozart's 39th Symphony . . . . . . can withstand everyday listening . . . . .

[quintett op.57]

Austrians : Haydn 96 - Bruckner 5 

Both are perfect from beginning to end.

They're very different but belong to the same tradition.
The science of adagios of both composers is fascinating.
But Haydn has also this fabulous way of using rythms in faster movements.

For me these symphonies and composers are symbolic of precision, harmonies, great counterpoints and development.
Bruckner 5 is the perfect exemple of the pleasure you can get out of a very sober work.
Haydn's is more exuberant and shows more differences between the atmospheres.
But in many ways there of the same "blood". 

They're both specialists for using a theme and transforming it all along a movement or even all along a work regarding Bruckner.

They're not my only 2 favourites but they're very precious to me, sure.
Mahler 1 is a work I love, but not as much.

[AB68]

I have a few- Mahler's third, Bruckner's seventh, Mozart's 35th and Beethoven's seventh.
Those are mye favorite symphonies, and I have listened to them every week for as long as I can remember, and I still love them as much as 20 years ago.
But there are many symphonies that I haven't had the time to get to know yet. I am beginning to get into the symphonies of Shostakovich, and there are many masterwoks among them. Especially the 15th, which I have grown very fond of.

[Danny]

No..................certain pieces I never tire of, but symphonies aren't included in that package.

[Don]

No..................certain pieces I never tire of, but symphonies aren't included in that package.

Same here, and I see no reason to restrict this topic to symphonies (so I won't)

I have many thousands of discs, but I always keep coming back to Bach's Goldbergs, WTC, and the organ works.  Emotionally, Bach is my home.

[Israfel the Black]

Sibelius 7, Bruckner 9, Bruckner 3, Brahms 4, and possibly Beethoven 7 (though if played enough I could possibly tire of the allegretto movement). I could name many other symphonies which I love that I can listen too excessively, but these are the only symphonies which I truly never seem to tire of. Principally due to the emotion they convey to me that surpasses almost all symphonies.

[Danny]

Same here, and I see no reason to restrict this topic to symphonies (so I won't)

I have many thousands of discs, but I always keep coming back to Bach's Goldbergs, WTC, and the organ works.  Emotionally, Bach is my home.

I definitely love the Goldberg Variations and all of the keyboard work by Bach.  In fact, I think that music for the piano/organ/harpsichord is where I return to most (be it by any composer).

[Don]

The symphonies I never tire of:

Beethoven's 7th and 9th.
Berlioz - Sym. Fantastique
Shostakovich - 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th, 13th, 15th
Bruckner - 9th
Mahler - 4th
V. Williams - 9th

[hautbois]

Mozart 40 (I am not kidding ) under the right person and Bruckner 5th.

[Steve]

Mozart's 39th Symphony . . . . . . can withstand everyday listening . . . . .

This too was on my tongue when I read the topic of this thread. Easily my most listened to symphony from the High-Classical Period.

I would probably include Brahms 4th, with Carlos Kleiber and the BPO as well.

[johnshade]

.
Brahms First

[hornteacher]

Dvorak's New World.

I know its overplayed but I don't care.  I've loved it for decades and never get tired of it.

[Gurn Blanston]

I've listened to Beethoven's 9th every Sunday morning without fail since October, 1995. I have about 15 different performances. I'm not tired of it yet, and don't look to be. Last Sunday, it was the Royal Concertgebouw / Haitink. This Sunday, it will be the Minnesota Symphony / Vänskä. But I think the Sunday after, it will be Cyprien Katsaris.

[Guido]

Walton and Barber's first symphonies. Shostakovich's 10th.

[hornteacher]

I've listened to Beethoven's 9th every Sunday morning without fail since October, 1995. I have about 15 different performances. I'm not tired of it yet, and don't look to be. Last Sunday, it was the Royal Concertgebouw / Haitink. This Sunday, it will be the Minnesota Symphony / Vänskä. But I think the Sunday after, it will be Cyprien Katsaris.

Have you tried the Mackerras/Royal Liverpool with Bryn Terfel as one of the soloists?  Very good.

Also I enjoy the live performance with Zubin Mehta/NY Phil from 1983.

[springrite]

Not many, but the following fit the bill:


Franck Symphony in D minor
Mahler 1, 3, 9

[btpaul674]

Vaughan William's 8th.

[Solitary Wanderer]

Another vote for Dvorak's ~ 9th