"100 Greatest Symphonies"

[Marc]

you can say im a bit of a JSB fan, and he is rather under exposed in terms of actual concert performance time - considering his towering stature. People pay lip service but he is more revered in name than celebrated in the concert hall. While Mozart & Beethoven (YAWN) and safe romantic stuff is overestimated and dominating...

Or, one could argue that actually he gets the right balance of concert performance; the great bulk of his music he wrote not for 'concert performance', but for church use — where he is still performed with frequency.

Where I live (the Netherlands) there is a lot of Bach to be heard in concert. At the doors of CD stores I can weekly find a rather large amount of announcements of Bach cantata and organ performances in my 'neighbourhood'.
After the 'HIP-revolution' Bach isn't to be heard that much in the large concert halls, this is true. But I think that most of these concert halls were built to fit in the larger 19th century symphony orchestras.
I'm not that depressed that Bach's concertos aren't performed anymore with large 19th century symphony orchestras. I prefer to hear them in the smaller chamber music settings respectively concert halls. And luckilly, according to the concert programs in my 'neighbourhood', these concertos are still performed, indeed, in those smaller halls.

Does Bach belong in a thread about greatest symphonies, BTW? Yes, he certainly does! He composed a lot of great sinfonias!

[Lilas Pastia]

This is silly.

At least if this was a bit more selective. Like the "100 Greatest d minor Symphonies". Then we could have a discussion... .

[Thekherham]

That's okay - you don't have to listen to them.

Oh, I would listen to them, just so I can form my own opinion.

But taste is personal.

[Don]

The people want romance. 

They sure do, and the popularity of American Idol is sufficient evidence.  If I had to listen every day to the crap music they play on that show, I'd need physical restraints.

[RebLem]

I come up with way more than a hunnert.

Here's my list:

77  Haydn.  77 is the number of great ones, not the Sym. 77.  Of his 107 symphonies (104 numbered, + the Sinfonias A & B and the Sinfonia Concertante in B  Flat, maybe only about thirty of them don't qualify as great ones--they're mostly found in the teens, twenties, thirties, sixties, and seventies.  My favorite unjustly neglected Haydn Symphony is # 72.

9  Mozart Syms 25, 29, 31, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41.

9  Beethoven.

7  Schubert.

3  Mendelssohn 3,4, & 5.

4 Schumann.

4 Brahms.

2 Berlioz--Sym fant, Harold

1 Franck D Minor

1 Saint-Saens Organ Sym.

3  Tchaikovsky 4,5, & 6.

5 Dvorak 5-9.

7  Sibelius.

10  Mahler--9 syms, + Das Lied von der Erde.

6  Bruckner 4-9.

1  Hindemith Mathis der Maler.

7  Prokofiev

15  Shostakovich

1 Gorecki 3.

1 Elgar 1st.

2  Ives (now, I'm guessing here--Camp Meeting and 4, though I have never really wormed to most of Ives at all).

4  Vaughan Willaims--guessing here, too, same reason as above, but say, 1, 2, 5, and 7.

1  Nielsen 4th--guessing here, too, same reason as above.

So, that makes about 180 great symphonies.   

[Philoctetes]

D'Indy's symphonies often go unmentioned, but they are well worth the time. Think of them like Mahler, but much more lush, and bigger.

[71 dB]

These 7 symphonies are the most important to me:

Elgar #2
Elgar #1
Nielsen #4
Elgar/Payne #3
Nielsen #3
Saint-Saëns #3
Nielsen #2

The following symphonies are among my favorites but not great enough to be in the first group.

Nielsen #5
Sibelius #6
Beethoven #6
Mozart #39
Walton #1
Haydn #21
Nielsen #1

[Philoctetes]

Following 71db, I'll mention the symphonies that I enjoy the most:

D'Indy Symphony No. 2
Beethoven Symphony No. 2
Beethoven Symphony No. 9
Bruckner Symphony No. 9
Mahler Symphony No. 1
Brahms Complete Symphonies

[71 dB]

Am I an idiot liking Elgar and Nielsen instead of Beethoven and Mahler?

[DavidRoss]

Talk about low hanging fruit!

[71 dB]

I ask because I have learned that in the world of classical music majority/historical tradition defines how things are, not people who think differently.

[George]

I ask because I have learned that in the world of classical music majority/historical tradition defines how things are, not people who think differently.

Not so. Beethoven sure thought differently.

[71 dB]

Not so. Beethoven sure thought differently.

Perhaps but the tradition was just beginning to form when Beethoven lived. So, it's about what we think about Beethoven rather than what Beethoven was thinking 200 years ago.

[PerfectWagnerite]

Am I an idiot liking Elgar and Nielsen instead of Beethoven and Mahler?

No, only Elgar, you can leave Nielsen out of it.

[71 dB]

No, only Elgar, you can leave Nielsen out of it.

Well, not the other without the other for me. I don't care if liking Elgar makes me an idiot. I like what I like and I can't help it. Even idiots find GMG and post here. How about people who don't like any classical music? Are they more or less interlligent than me because they don't like Elgar either?

No, I HAVE to assume I am smart and right about many things. I can appreacite classical music, sonmething than most people are unable to do. I get music in so many way and my taste is wide. That makes me smart. I must have high self-esteem. Don't be rudy to me!

[Philoctetes]

Am I an idiot liking Elgar and Nielsen instead of Beethoven and Mahler?

It's personal preference. So, of course not.

[Philoctetes]

Well, not the other without the other for me. I don't care if liking Elgar makes me an idiot. I like what I like and I can't help it. Even idiots find GMG and post here. How about people who don't like any classical music? Are they more or less interlligent than me because they don't like Elgar either?

No, I HAVE to assume I am smart and right about many things. I can appreacite classical music, sonmething than most people are unable to do. I get music in so many way and my taste is wide. That makes me smart. I must have high self-esteem. Don't be rudy to me!

Your intelligence is not reflected in what kind of music that you enjoy, nor does it tell anyone if you are a 'free' thinker or not.

[71 dB]

It's personal preference. So, of course not.

Your intelligence is not reflected in what kind of music that you enjoy, nor does it tell anyone if you are a 'free' thinker or not.

Tell that to PerfectWagnerite.   

Music taste can reflect free thinking in the form of personal preferences. My mind is not locked outside the appreciation of Elgar's symphonies. However, many other seem to be trapped to the silly thought that Elgar is a clown in British music history and are unable to enjoy his music. Sad.

[Philoctetes]

Tell that to PerfectWagnerite.   

Music taste can reflect free thinking in the form of personal preferences. My mind is not locked outside the appreciation of Elgar's symphonies. However, many other seem to be trapped to the silly thought that Elgar is a clown in British music history and are unable to enjoy his music. Sad.

Why tell it to anyone? I speak mostly to myself. You really shouldn't give a damn what he or she thinks about your personal taste, and I might even go out on a limb, and bet, to say that he or she was making a joke.

[71 dB]

Why tell it to anyone? I speak mostly to myself. You really shouldn't give a damn what he or she thinks about your personal taste, and I might even go out on a limb, and bet, to say that he or she was making a joke.

Well I wouldn't give a damn if it would not make me feel bad. If it was a joke it was a bad one.