"100 Greatest Symphonies"

[71 dB]

Well, you may not enjoy the symphonies as well as you do other composers.  But Beethoven's symphonies are amazing for their time.

Yes, Beethoven's symphonies were pioneer stuff back then but that kind of "novelty" tends to die out with time. It didn't take more than Berlioz to make Beethoven's orchestration sound "primitive" compared to the revolutionary musical ideas (at least to my ears).

[Kullervo]

yeah, don't listen too much or you just might drive yourself insane 


(dodges a thousand bullets and several army tanks)

I don't think I could ever get tired of the 3rd or 8th (my two favorites).

[karlhenning]

I don't think I could ever get tired of the 3rd or 8th (my two favorites).

While I could not listen to any of them in "To Destruction" mode, each of the nine sounds fresh to me when I revisit it.  There is ample music written a hundred years later than Beethoven, I could not say so much for.

[orbital]

I don't think I could ever get tired of the 3rd or 8th (my two favorites).

How tastes differ... I find 8th to be boring to the point of tedious  (granted I only have Masur/Gewandhausorchester), the 7th, one the other hand, is my favorite after the 6th.

[Philoctetes]

How tastes differ... I find 8th to be boring to the point of tedious  (granted I only have Masur/Gewandhausorchester), the 7th, one the other hand, is my favorite after the 6th.

And I prefer the 2nd. So the only clear inference that can be made from this is: That you are all simply mongrels.

[greg]

How tastes differ... I find 8th to be boring to the point of tedious  (granted I only have Masur/Gewandhausorchester), the 7th, one the other hand, is my favorite after the 6th.

Yeah, if I only had to listen to one Beethoven symphony, it'd definitely be the 7th.  0:)

[karlhenning]

Yeah, if I only had to listen to one Beethoven symphony, it'd definitely be the . . . .

Fourth

[Wanderer]

Yeah, if I only had to listen to one Beethoven symphony, it'd definitely be the...

Third.

[karlhenning]

 

I love this!

[ChamberNut]

A tie.  7th and 3rd. 

[DavidRoss]

3,4,5,6,7

[George]

Sixth

[karlhenning]

Sixth

Was listening to this one just last night.

[George]

Was listening to this one just last night.

I always find it to be a breath of fresh air.

[not edward]

7th, or maybe the 8th, or maybe the 3rd, or maybe the 4th.

[Fëanor]

...
The following is my list, which is really a most unusual creature: Heavily informed by personal preference, but also much concerned with critical consensus and popularity, as well as the need for variety. Some items are included due to their novelty factor. In other words, the list should not be regarded as indicative of anything serious, but rather a mere attempt by a music enthusiast with too much time at hand to have some fun. Here goes:

(* indicates my top pick when two or more symphonies by the same composer are listed).

Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D Major, "Haffner"; Symphony No. 40 in G Minor; Symphony No. 41 in C Major, "Jupiter"*
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E Flat Major, "Eroica"*; Symphony No. 6 in F Major, "Pastorale"; Symphony No. 7 in A Major; Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, "Choral"
Schubert: Symphony No. 8 in B Minor, "Unfinished"; Symphony No. 9 in C Major*
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 in A Major, "Italian"
Schumann: Symphony No. 3 in E Flat Major, "Rhenish"*; Symphony No. 4 in D Minor (1941 version)
Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor; Symphony No. 3 in F Major; Symphony No. 4 in E Minor*
Bruckner: Symphony No. 4 in E Flat Major, "Romantic"; Symphony No. 7 in E Major; Symphony No. 8 in C Minor*; Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, "Unfinished"
Mahler: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, "Titan"; Symphony No. 5 in C Sharp Minor; Symphony No. 8 in E Flat Major, "Symphony of a Thousand"; Symphony No. 9 in D Major*
R. Strauss: An Alpine Symphony
Hindemith: Mathis der Maler
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique*; Harold en Italie
Alkan: Symphony for Solo Piano (from 12 Etudes in Minor Keys)
Franck: Symphony in D Minor
Chausson: Symphony in B Flat Major
Lalo: Symphony in G Minor
Bizet: Symphony in C Major
Dukas: Symphony in C Major
Saint-Saens: Symphony No. 3 in C Minor, "Organ"
D'Indy: Symphony on a French Mountain Air
Debussy: La Mer, three symphonic sketches – Can't resist
Roussel: Symphony No. 1 in D Minor, "Le poème de la forêt"; Symphony No. 3 in G Minor*
Schmitt: Symphony No. 2 
Magnard: Symphony No. 3 in B Flat Minor; Symphony No. 4 in C Sharp Minor*
Tournemire: Symphony No. 3 in D Major, "Moscou"; Symphony No. 8, "Le triomphe de la mort"
Dupre: Symphony in G Minor for Organ and Orchestra
Honegger: Symphony No. 2 in D Major; Symphony No. 3, "Liturgique"*
Milhaud: Symphony No. 8, "Rhodanienne"
Francaix: Symphony No. 3
Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony
Dutilleux: Symphony No. 2, "Le Double"
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 in E Minor; Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, "Pathetique"*
Rachmaninov: The Bells
Borodin: Symphony No. 2 in B Minor
Taneyev: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor
Stravinsky: Symphony in C; Symphony in Three Movements*
Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 6 in E Flat Minor
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D Major, "Classical"; Symphony No. 6 in E Flat Minor;  Symphony No. 7 in C Sharp Minor*
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor; Symphony No. 8 in C Minor, "Stalingrad"*; Symphony No. 13 in B Flat Minor, "Babi Yar"
Silvestrov: Symphony No. 5
Berwald: Symphony No. 3 in C Major, "Sinfonie Singulière"
Sibelius: Symphony No. 4 in A Minor; Symphony No. 6 in D Minor; Symphony No. 7 in C Major*
Alfven: Symphony No. 4 in C Minor, "From The Outermost Skerries"
Atterberg: Symphony No. 6 in C Major, "Dollar"
Stenhammar: Symphony No. 2 in G Minor
Nielsen: Symphony No. 2, "The Four Temperaments"*; Symphony No. 3, "Sinfonia espansiva"; Symphony No. 4, "The Inextinguishable"
Pettersson: Symphony No. 7
Rautavaara: Symphony No. 7, "Angel of Light"
Copland: Symphony No. 3*; Symphony for Organ and Orchestra
Ives: Holidays Symphony
Bernstein: Symphony No. 2, "The Age of Anxiety"*; Symphony No. 3, "Kaddish"
Harris: Symphony No. 3
Rochberg: Symphony No. 5
Rorem: Symphony No. 1
Elgar: Symphony No. 2 in E Flat Major
Walton: Symphony No. 1 in B Flat Minor
Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 3, "Pastoral"; Symphony No. 6 in E Minor*; Symphony No. 9 in E Minor
Dvorak: Symphony No. 7 in D Minor; Symphony No. 8 in G Major*; Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, "From The New World"
Suk: Symphony in C Minor, "Asrael"
Szymanowski: Symphony No. 3, "Song of the Night"
Gorecki: Symphony No. 3, "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
Lilburn: Symphony No. 2
McPhee: Symphony No. 2, "Pastorale"
Tan Dun: Heaven Earth Mankind

I just go around to reading this, sorry for the delay.  What a marvelous list -- I've got some listening ahead of me. 

[Fëanor]

Only the list includes second-string Beethoven, which should yield place to non-Beethoven first-string symphonies.

With apology, I come late to this discuss.  As a relative beginner myself, I must say I completely agree with karlhenning on this point.

Regarding my personal beginner's compilation, (see below), people have said to me, "Do you mean to say that Elliott Carter's Symphonia: sum fluxae pretium spei is better than  [for instance] Beethoven's First Symphony?"  Not necessarily, but that isn't the point.

[Brian]

Fourth

I'm with you, Karl. If I could keep only one Beethoven symphony, it'd be the Fourth (if I could keep only one Beethoven album, it'd be Hogwood's Fourth).

[Dundonnell]

This is a horrible exercise which I have resisted until now....but if I was forced to chose

My current list which will change regularly I know and is a mixture of all-time favourites plus representatives of composers I love and is entirely from Beethoven onwards-

Beethoven-  Nos. 3, 5, 6, 7, 9
Schubert-    Nos. 8, 9
Schumann-  No.4
Brahms-      Nos. 1, 4
Bruckner-    Nos. 7, 8, 9
Mahler-       Nos. 1, 2
R.Strauss-   Alpine Symphony
Schmidt-     No.4

Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
Saint-Saens- No.3
Magnard-      No.4
Honegger-    No.3
Landowski-   No.4

Dvorak-       Nos. 7, 9
Foerster-     No.4

Panufnik-     No.9
Gorecki-      No.3
Penderecki-  No.2

Sibelius-      Nos. 3, 4, 5, 7
Nielsen-       Nos. 3, 4, 5
Rosenberg-   No.6
Pettersson-  No.7
Tubin-         Nos. 2, 8, 9
Holmboe-     No. 9
Rautavaara- No.3
Sallinen-      No. 3
Aho-           Nos. 1, 10

Tchaikovsky- Nos. 4, 6
Prokofiev-    Nos. 1, 6
Shostakovich- Nos. 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 15
Gliere-        No.3
Miaskovsky- No.6
Silvestrov-   No.5

Copland-     No.3
Barber-       No.1
Harris-        Nos. 3, 5
Piston-       No.2
W.Schuman-Nos. 3, 6
Mennin-      No.3
Rochberg-   No.5

Vaughan Williams- Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Bax-          No.6
Brian-        Nos. 1, 16
Rubbra-     Nos. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Walton-     No.1
Alwyn-      Nos. 3, 5
Frankel-     No.2
Lloyd-       No.7
Searle-      No.2
Arnell-       Nos. 3, 4, 5
Arnold-      Nos. 3, 9
Simpson-   Nos. 2, 4, 9
Hoddinott   No.6

Braga Santos- Nos. 2, 4

but I hate having to leave out composers like Tournemire, Lajtha, Saeverud, Hanson, Daniel Jones etc etc.......

Still, this is all nonsense anyway, isn't it.....?

[Lilas Pastia]

Among those composers not already listed, I'de include Sauguet (1), Langgaard (1, 2), Koppel (7), Egge (1), Nystroem (3), Heininen (3) Eliasson (1), Kancheli (4, 5, 6 or 7 - hard to choose as they are in very different styles), Vainberg (at least a couple of them, but TBH I'm not sure exactly which ones - time for a re-play!).

Of course a "100 greatest list" is pointless for so many reasons... But, there is some validity in uncovering new composers, new works, new styles. I'd rather list 100 "great" symphonies, and would choose a maximum of two works per composer. For the sake of diversity. Which is just as pointless as any such list, I guess...

So many good ones, so little time...