GMG Classical Music Forum

On another thread, one reads:

QuoteI've heard [Brucker's Eighth] once or twice before. My favorite symphony is probably LvB's Ninth and it's doubtful it will rank near that one but we'll see...

And it set me thinking.

Hey, that was me! And you're right; it will probably never change.   8)

Quote from: mn dave on January 21, 2011, 04:59:37 AM
Hey, that was me! And you're right; it will probably never change.   8)

Know thyself, and all that ; )
 
I have many favorites from early listening. Now, it's not quite what you said, of course . . . but I'd hate to think of listening to any Langgaard symphony for the first time, and dismissing it because it can't rank as high as the Tchaikovsky Fifth . . . .

Yes, I know what I like and no, I don't dismiss things just because they're not the 9th. Lots of things are not the 9th.

Great new thread, BTW, Dave! (I "like" it on fb, didja notice?)

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 21, 2011, 05:09:22 AM
Great new thread, BTW, Dave! (I "like" it on fb, didja notice?)

Sometimes FB doesn't let me know when someone's liked something.  ???

Quote from: mn dave on January 21, 2011, 05:08:42 AM
Yes, I know what I like and no, I don't dismiss things just because they're not the 9th. Lots of things are not the 9th.

That's fine, and is how I remember you thinking.

It's not about you, lad;  your comment just started the train of thought. And I thought the poll might be interesting (and it's Friday, and all).

Yes, some may have voted "kumquat" too hastily.

Quote from: mn dave on January 21, 2011, 05:10:47 AM
Sometimes FB doesn't let me know when someone's liked something.  ???

Well, maybe since this object of the "like" is not a fb object, they don't track it there.

It's on my profile, though.

Oh, I misunderstood you. Gotcha now.

Quote from: mn dave on January 21, 2011, 05:12:23 AM
Yes, some may have voted "kumquat" too hastily.

Its fruity appeal will not be denied!

What is fb? I know football or fullback. Not what you meant i think. Hmm...

Quote from: John on January 21, 2011, 05:06:41 AM
Sometimes it is necessary to stretch, interconnect, interpolate, compress, suck, twist and blow ones own brain cells clean open with a Supernova of erratic geometric proportions.  This is why Lutoslawski is in the tray today.   :-*

There you go!

Quote from: ukrneal on January 21, 2011, 05:16:01 AM
What is fb? I know football or fullback. Not what you meant i think. Hmm...

Facebook.

I know the second one as well: Brahms 4.

After that, not so much...

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 21, 2011, 05:16:55 AM
Facebook.

Oh man. I think I am showing cracks (perhaps enormous canyons) in my tech saavy exterior!  :P   

I might have voted kumquat, but I have never heard his works.    :P

Top 10 roughly...

Sibelius 7
Rott 1
Rangstrom 1
Langgaard 1
Mahler 9
Bruckner 9
Rautavaara 5
Beethoven 9
R Strauss (Alpine)
Liszt - Faust Symphony

Quote from: John on January 21, 2011, 05:26:29 AM
I might have voted kumquat, but I have never heard his works.    :P

Top 10 roughly...

Sibelius 7
Rott 1
Rangstrom 1
Langgaard 1
Mahler 9
Bruckner 9
Rautavaara 5
Beethoven 9
R Strauss (Alpine)
Liszt - Faust Symphony

Interesting. I have long had a top #1 that I just love - Tchaikovsky's 5th (warts and all). After that, it would be:
Schumann 4
Arensky 1
Bruckner 9
Dvorak 6
Elgar 1 (could be 2 - I go back and forth on these two)
Rachmaninov 2
Burgmuller 1
Strauss - Alpine
Mahler 7 (recent addition)

I use the criteria that I listen to these repeatedly over time as the main criteria, but there are others I love almost as much.

Burgmuller  ???

Quote from: mn dave on January 21, 2011, 05:46:52 AM
Burgmuller  ???

I love the perfromance of #1 on Sterling. It's a fabulous piece that gets repeated listens at my house. Of course, I love the romantic period, but I listen to this one regularly too.  Great stuff in my opinion. .

I suppose that, to bo consistent, I ought to have included a "I have ten favorites, and they are subject to change" . . . but I'll leave the poll as it stands (gotta like the strong showing kumquat has already put in!)

Today, my favorite ten (in no particular order):

Hartmann Symphony № 1, Versuch eines Requiems
Brian Symphony № 1, Gothic
Langgaard Symphony № 4, Løvfald
Hindemith Symphony in E-flat
Nielsen Symphony № 3, Sinfonia espansiva
Sibelius Symphony № 6
Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms
Schoenberg Kammersymphonie Nr 1
Shostakovich Symphony № 4
Shostakovich Symphony № 10

Quote from: ukrneal on January 21, 2011, 05:41:45 AM
Interesting. I have long had a top #1 that I just love - Tchaikovsky's 5th (warts and all). After that, it would be:
Schumann 4
Arensky 1
Bruckner 9
Dvorak 6
Elgar 1 (could be 2 - I go back and forth on these two)
Rachmaninov 2
Burgmuller 1
Strauss - Alpine
Mahler 7 (recent addition)

I use the criteria that I listen to these repeatedly over time as the main criteria, but there are others I love almost as much.

What is the attraction with Arensky's and Burgmüller's works?  I would assume you believe they are under-rated: are there any extra-musical associations bringing them into your list, e.g. your grandmother gave you the CD of Arensky.   0:)

For me:

Some symphonies which are always favourites (this list doesn't include Beethoven's 9th, incidentally).
Some rotating symphonies that are favourites but have joined or left the list more recently.

And after this I'll seek out pretty much anything.

Thanks for providing the fruit option, Karl. The other choices don't really describe me. Of course I can pick a top 10 when someone holds a gun to my head (or I'm asked in a classical forum  ;D ) but in fact that's only the tip of the iceberg. I can honestly say that Mahler's eleven and Bruckner's Eleven and Beethoven's Nine are favorites and that's just getting me started. But a few symphonies have remained close to my heart for thirty, forty years:

Sibelius 5
Nielsen 3
Shostakovich 15
Beethoven 3
Schubert 5
Brahms 4
Mahler 6
Schmidt 1
Bruckner 3
Brian Gothic


Sarge

Quote from: Cato on January 21, 2011, 05:54:13 AM
What is the attraction with Arensky's and Burgmüller's works?  I would assume you believe they are under-rated: are there any extra-musical associations bringing them into your list, e.g. your grandmother gave you the CD of Arensky.   0:)

Actually, they were purchases I made of composers I knew nothing about (and had nothing of them(. I immediately fell in love with both. The melodies are outstanding and wonderfully, beautiful examples from the romantic period (if you like that). I never expected to like them as much as I do. I just listened to the first movement of the Burgmuller as I was reading, and as always, I was drawn into the music. They both bring me through an emotional journey, but a journey that is of their own making because of the composer's craftsmanship. I'm not necessarily saying they are the 'best' symphonies, but those that connect with me the most. The Arensky - uch, when that main theme comes in the first movement - to die for (not to mention the finale). Both take me and my imagination on a journey like few other pieces do. Both get repeated listens. Over time, I may develop new loves, but these will still hold a special place for me (and who cares if is top 10 or top 20?), because I get so much out of them (in one way or another).

Quote from: ukrneal on January 21, 2011, 06:10:53 AM
... I just listened to the first movement of the Burgmuller as I was reading, and as always, I was drawn into the music. They both bring me through an emotional journey, but a journey that is of their own making because of the composer's craftsmanship. I'm not necessarily saying they are the 'best' symphonies, but those that connect with me the most. The Arensky - uch, when that main theme comes in the first movement - to die for (not to mention the finale). Both take me and my imagination on a journey like few other pieces do. Both get repeated listens. Over time, I may develop new loves, but these will still hold a special place for me (and who cares if is top 10 or top 20?), because I get so much out of them (in one way or another).

And there we simply stare wide-eyed at the human being's psycho-spiritual uniqueness: you hear a mighty Niagara Falls in these works, whereas someone else just hears running water!   :o

Thanks for the explanation and recommendation: I will investigate them, especially Burgmüller.  Works by Arensky I have heard (decades ago), but not Burgmüller.

I don't see the option for "I have 37 favorites and am always open to adding a few more."

Quote from: Cato on January 21, 2011, 07:42:06 AM
And there we simply stare wide-eyed at the human being's psycho-spiritual uniqueness: you hear a mighty Niagara Falls in these works, whereas someone else just hears running water!   :o

Thanks for the explanation and recommendation: I will investigate them, especially Burgmüller.  Works by Arensky I have heard (decades ago), but not Burgmüller.

I have heard good things about his chamber music as well if you prefer that, but I have not yet acquired those (MDG can be expensive, so just waiting for a sale of their stuff at some point). I also have not yet heard the new disc that conveniently has both Burgmuller symphonies. I hope to get that at some point just to compare (though it will have to be really good to dislodge Symphony #1 on Sterling). 

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 21, 2011, 05:51:39 AM
I suppose that, to bo consistent, I ought to have included a "I have ten favorites, and they are subject to change" . . . but I'll leave the poll as it stands (gotta like the strong showing kumquat has already put in!)

Today, my favorite ten (in no particular order):

Hartmann Symphony № 1, Versuch eines Requiems

Hindemith Symphony in E-flat

And what will the top 10 be tomorrow?   0:)

A book, with biographies of Hindemith, Hartmann, and Henze, attempts to show them as a 20th-Century trinity of sorts a la Dika Newlin's thesis on Bruckner, Mahler, and Schoenberg.

See:

http://www.amazon.com/Hartmann-Hindemith-Henze-Century-Composers/dp/0714831743 (http://www.amazon.com/Hartmann-Hindemith-Henze-Century-Composers/dp/0714831743)

For Newlin's thesis:

http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Mahler-Schoenberg-Dika-Newlin/dp/1443728713/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295629443&sr=1-1 (http://www.amazon.com/Bruckner-Mahler-Schoenberg-Dika-Newlin/dp/1443728713/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295629443&sr=1-1)

Quote from: Cato on January 21, 2011, 08:05:48 AM
....trinity of sorts a la Dika Newlin's thesis on Bruckner, Mahler, and Schoenberg.

From Wiki: "Dika Newlin (November 22, 1923 – July 22, 2006) was a pianist, professor, musicologist, composer and punk rock singer." :o 

;D :D

Sarge

And for the "Kumquat" voters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5AjSGrZbxw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5AjSGrZbxw)

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on January 21, 2011, 08:12:22 AM
From Wiki: "Dika Newlin (November 22, 1923 – July 22, 2006) was a pianist, professor, musicologist, composer and punk rock singer." :o 

;D :D

Sarge

Newlin has a story about meeting Schoenberg for the first time, when she was an adolescent and "auditioning" as a composition student.

He tested her ear with a few notes and chords, and she apparently answered with the tone of a bad attitude, as if such a test were beneath her.

He began striking ever more complex chords, which she continued to identify correctly, causing him to become angrier!   :o    Finally he smeared his hands over half the keyboard, and she continued to say "C, C#, D, D#...."

;D  Talk about a punk!  Or a punkette!   8)

Despite the inauspicious beginning, she studied with him for a while. 

As a septuagenarian punk rocker, she had a band called ApoCowlypso.  Quite an eccentric!

Always nice to have an opportunity for listing one's favourite symphonies. :)
Today, they are, in no particular order:

Ralph Vaughan Williams 3 `A Pastoral Symphony'
Ralph Vaughan Williams 6
Ralph Vaughan Williams 9
Carl Nielsen 5
Eduard Tubin 6
Vagn Holmboe 8 `Sinfonia boreale'
Joly Braga Santos 3
Havergal Brian 1 `Gothic'
Arnold Cooke 1
Dmitri Shostakovich 15

I love most of the standard rep, but there are certain un-shiftable preferences I have:

Bruckner No.6
Sibelius No.3 (or 6)
Brahms No.3
Brian No.27
Dvořák No.7
Langgaard No.10 (or 15)
Tchaikovsky No.6
Haydn No.44 (or 39)
Simpson No.11

As much as I enjoy many other Romantic or 20th century symphonists, such as Holmboe or Vaughan Williams, I often go through long periods of time without listening to their music, as I burn out on the style. The ones on this list somehow remain eternally fresh to me.

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on January 21, 2011, 06:01:20 AM
Thanks for providing the fruit option, Karl. The other choices don't really describe me.

Thank you, Sarge, for picking up on my small joke!

Quote from: DavidRoss on January 21, 2011, 07:45:58 AM
I don't see the option for "I have 37 favorites and am always open to adding a few more."

I'm alive to the virtues of that option, th0ugh.

I have many favorite symphonies, but lately the following have been in heavy rotation:

Nielsen: Symphonies Nos. 2-5
Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4, 8, 10, & 11
Gorecki: Symphony No. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
Rawsthorne: Symphony No. 1
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 (does this count?)
Vaughan Williams: Symphonies Nos. 3-6, 8
Rubbra: Symphony No. 5
Rautavaara: Symphony No. 7 "Angel of Light"
Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 2, 3, 5-7, 9
Bruckner: Symphonies Nos. 4-9
Schubert: Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished"
Dutilleux: Symphony No. 2 "Le double"
Honegger: Symphonie Liturgique "Symphony No. 3"

Quote from: Mirror Image on January 21, 2011, 07:49:07 PM
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony No. 1 (does this count?)

I thought it did; I included it ; )

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 21, 2011, 07:54:15 PM
I thought it did; I included it ; )

(http://www.pharfruminsain.com/Graphics/images/free-MrBurnsExcellent.gif)

Beethoven's 10th, by many miles! XD

mvt1 of Mahler2 + mvt2 of Bruckner7 + mvt3 of Dvorak9 + mvt4 of Beethoven9 = fav hybrid symphony! XD

I guess the serious answer would be Mahler 5, recently at least.

Beethoven's 10th, by many miles! XD

mvt1 of Mahler2 + mvt2 of Bruckner7 + mvt3 of Dvorak9 + mvt4 of Beethoven9 = fav hybrid symphony! XD

I guess the serious answer would be Mahler 5, recently at least.

I have perhaps ten favorite Symphonies, but yes, I listen to other Symphonies even if much different in style.

Bruckner's 8 & 9

Beethoven's 3 & 7 (and the first movement of the 9)

Brahms 4

Schubert 8

Mahler's 6

Sibelius 4

Mozart 40 & 41

i have one favorite, that I doubt will ever change, which is Shostakovich 10th.  But I am still relatively young, that could change in the years to come.
But generally, besides that, I have a rotation list of favorite symphonies.  It all really depends on my mood, and what kind of music I am looking for.

Quote from: Ring of Fire on January 22, 2011, 05:59:47 PM
i have one favorite, that I doubt will ever change, which is Shostakovich 10th.  But I am still relatively young, that could change in the years to come.
But generally, besides that, I have a rotation list of favorite symphonies.  It all really depends on my mood, and what kind of music I am looking for.

Which orchestra(s) and conductor(s)?

I chose the first option. "Favorite" is a personal thing. "Probably" is another lovely and useful word. :D

8)

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on January 27, 2011, 07:43:50 AM
I chose the first option. "Favorite" is a personal thing. "Probably" is another lovely and useful word. :D

8)

Aye, I crafted that sentence with philology and care!

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on January 27, 2011, 07:43:50 AM
I chose the first option.

:o  :o  :o (Imagine the relevant portion of the Psycho soundtrack)

The designer of the poll feels vindicated, in that all options have been elected.

And he notes with some amusement that more people voted kumquat than for the first four options, combined. Not that there's anything wrong with that . . . .

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 27, 2011, 11:19:14 AM
The designer of the poll feels vindicated, in that all options have been elected.

And he notes with some amusement that more people voted kumquat than for the first four options, combined. Not that there's anything wrong with that . . . .

Imagine the outcome had plantain been an option!

¡Viva mofongo!

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 27, 2011, 11:19:14 AM
The designer of the poll feels vindicated, in that all options have been elected.

And he notes with some amusement that more people voted kumquat than for the first four options, combined. Not that there's anything wrong with that . . . .

But have you discounted that result by de-rating to account for those who vote for a fruit no matter what, and thus skew the result?  Yeah, a fruit shall rule us all... :)

8)

Yes, there are some for whom the fruit is an ineluctible attractor . . . .

Brahms 3rd

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on January 27, 2011, 07:43:50 AM
I chose the first option.

Me too, Gurn.  :)

Quote from: mn dave on January 27, 2011, 03:28:40 PM
Me too, Gurn.  :)

You and me, Dave!   :D

8)

Alright, I'll bite. I'd have to say my all-time favorite symphony, with little chance of budging (it certainly hasn't in the last decade and half) is Beethoven 5. Mahler 4 would have to be next. My current favorites include:

Nielsen 3, 4, & 5
Ives 2
Sibelius 5
Shostakovich 4
Stravinsky Symphony in C
Schmidt 2 & 4
Piston 6
Honegger 2 (with trumpet!)

And, because I'm on a John Adams kick (and these are symphonies in all but name, right?), I'll have to add Doctor Atomic Symphony, Naive and Sentimental Music, and Harmonielehre.

Today's Top 10 11

Beethoven 7
Mozart 39
Beethoven 5
Mozart 41
Beethoven 3
Schubert 8
Bruckner 4
Haydn 77
Shostakovich 11
Boyce 1
Copland 3

Quote from: mn dave on January 27, 2011, 03:28:40 PM
Me too, Gurn.  :)

I rather suspected, in both you gents' cases ; )

Quote from: Gurn Blanston on January 27, 2011, 11:32:35 AM
But have you discounted that result by de-rating to account for those who vote for a fruit no matter what, and thus skew the result?  Yeah, a fruit shall rule us all... :)

8)

I also wonder if the I don't hold with the idea of "a favorite symphony" option is essentially trending towards kumquat.

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on January 28, 2011, 05:59:45 AM
I also wonder if the I don't hold with the idea of "a favorite symphony" option is essentially trending towards kumquat.

Oh yes, they've already passed Clementine and kumquat is on the immediate horizon... :)

8)

Quote from: RJR on January 27, 2011, 07:39:33 AM
Which orchestra(s) and conductor(s)?

For the 10th specifically,  my favorite recording so far, is the 2nd HvK recording with the BPO.  Though, Jansons with Philly isn't too far off.
For Shostakovich symphonies in general, Kondrashin, Bernstein (For the 7th), Jansons, and Rostropovich are my favorite conductors of his music.

o   I have perhaps 20-30 favorite symphonies, a rotating pool of at least ten that is in my current frequent listen list, I pursue 20th century symphonies obsessively, and I am open to all types of fruit, with a particular fondness for Durian and Jackfruit.

Mmmmm, jackfruit!

I replied "having one favorite which changes".

That's true;  I remember when I started exploring Symphonic music  I started with Beethoven, and
while I didn't actually "love" any of them, little later The Seventh became a favorite .

I think the Tsaikovski cycle came second, and oh boy, I remember the Fifth and The Sixth how I used to dwell in those. The Four Brahms symphonies haven't been so close to me except for one which, like with the Beethoven cycle , little later became a favorite, namely The Fourth- which is great.
Of the four Schumanns, the 3rd and The Second have been favorites and from the Mendelssohn symphonies, The Italian.

I had a time when I listened the Skrjabin symphonies a lot. The Second and The Third, especially The Second. Of the Rachmaninov's The Second at a time was a "hit". Of Bruckner's the Seventh has been a favorite. For me a route to Bruckner was BTW Franz Schubert, his Great C-major and of the Schubert's I adore the Fifth.

Then the Sibelius cycle. I fell in love with The First, while Tsaikovski was still fresh in memory. The Second also for a while was a favorite. The Third also....But The Fourth took some time, and still I can't really call it a favorite. The Fifth was for many years definately a favorite.The Sixth only later... The Seventh was almost an instant favorite as soon I figured the whole thing out. It reminds, for me, always a whale in the South pole--- funny. The Trombone theme= the whale appears.

Love kumquats!

Quote from: Ring of Fire on January 28, 2011, 07:36:28 AM
For the 10th specifically,  my favorite recording so far, is the 2nd HvK recording with the BPO.  Though, Jansons with Philly isn't too far off.
For Shostakovich symphonies in general, Kondrashin, Bernstein (For the 7th), Jansons, and Rostropovich are my favorite conductors of his music.

I was impressed with the Karel Ancerl recording of Shostakovich's 10th Symphony. You could feel the paranoia, anguish, fear and dread in every note.