Your Favorite Beethoven Symphonies

[Don]

With all the posting about the worth of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, I thought I'd offer a poll on all the Beethoven Symphonies.

My three picks are the 5th, 7th and 9th (of course).

[Todd]

3, 6, and 9, in roughly that order. 

[dtwilbanks]

With all the posting about the worth of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, I thought I'd offer a poll on all the Beethoven Symphonies.

My three picks are the 5th, 7th and 9th (of course).

Wow. Me too.

[Don]

Wow. Me too.

Boy, the odds of us picking the same three are minimal.  I've found my twin!

[karlhenning]

Great idea, Don!

Tough call, but I voted for the Fourth, Sixth & Seventh.

[Valentino]

Today's snapshot: 3, 5 and 7. 3 is on top always, but 6, 4, 8 and 9 could all be runner ups (and so could 7).

[dtwilbanks]

Boy, the odds of us picking the same three are minimal.  I've found my twin!

[AB68]

My favourite Beethoven symphony has always been the 7th. The 3rd in second place and the pastorale third. I am also very fond of the fourth. But I love every single one of them. I think it is very difficult to choose one over another.

[karlhenning]

Boy, the odds of us picking the same three are minimal.

Again, I like your sense of humor, Don!

[rubio]

My favourite Beethoven symphony has always been the 7th. The 3rd in second place and the pastorale third. I am also very fond of the fourth. But I love every single one of them. I think it is very difficult to choose one over another.

The 7th is also my favourite, and I guess my favourite symphony of all together with Bruckner 8. I always look for excellent recordings of these symphonies. A bit behind I would place no. 3 and no. 4. I also find no. 2 very attractive. Well, I do love all of Beethoven's symphonies.

[Don]

Again, I like your sense of humor, Don!

You may be the only one.

[Sergeant Rock]

3, 4, 8

Those are the ones I listen to the most so I assume that means something.

Sarge

[BachQ]

9
3
6

[Shrunk]

3, 5, 7, in no particular order (Changes depending on who's conducting, my mood, barometric pressure, etc.).

I'm surprised at the support #4 is getting, flying in the face of the conventional wisdom of the odd #'s being best.  I should give that one a more careful listen.

[BachQ]

A much simpler question would be "your 3 least favorite" LvB Symphonies:

1, 2, 4 as my LEAST favorite (by a hugely wide margin . . .  . . . .)

[Sergeant Rock]

I'm surprised at the support #4 is getting, flying in the face of the conventional wisdom of the odd #'s being best.  I should give that one a more careful listen.

Both the Fourth and the Eighth have been unfairly relegated to the second tier. They deserve better.

Sarge

[orbital]

6, 5, 7. In that order.

[bhodges]

Mine are 9, 8 and 7, in roughly that order.  I actually don't know No. 8 all that well, which is why it sounds so fresh, the few times I've heard it.

--Bruce

[Josquin des Prez]

I'm surprised at the support #4 is getting, flying in the face of the conventional wisdom of the odd #'s being best.  I should give that one a more careful listen.

The fourth is an amazing work. I'd recommend Pierre Monteux on Decca. It takes a while to open up to it but it's well worth it. Aside for the 1st, there really isn't a Beethoven symphony that isn't a masterpiece...

[karlhenning]

The fourth is an amazing work.

Agreed!

. . . It takes a while to open up to it but it's well worth it.

Interesting;  I took to it immediately!