I started the Beethoven symphonies thread, and one about Mozart a few days ago, and now ask for your favorite 2 or 3 or 4 symphonies by any composer.
Not just idly asking general questions, but am continuing to explore classical music, which for me is a never ending quest.
As I've said before, I am at a loss to understand just how much musical knowledge there is on the part of members here, but that was somewhat explained to me by a member a few weeks ago when he told me that there are quite a few professional musicians here.
I've been listening for a number of years, and am still exploring various composers and their works. As I stated before, every time I come on the forum I learn something new. When you get into discussions about the various nuances of Tchaikovsky symphonies and the subtle and not so subtle differences between different recordings, that leaves me in the dust, but otherwise I try to follow the different discussions as best I can.
Some of my favorite symphonists are Shostakovich, Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, and Nielsen. For Shostakovich, my favorites remain Nos. 4-11 & 15. For Vaughan Williams, my favorites are 3, 5, 6, & 8. My favorites from Sibelius are 4-7. For Nielsen, I always turn to the 3-6. Outside of these symphonies, here are some favorites (in no particular order):
Schnittke: 3-5, 8
Prokofiev: 2, 5-7
Honegger: 2, 3, 5
Martinu: all of them ;) (no joke!)
Mahler: 4, 5, 7, 9
Bruckner: 4-6, 9
Brahms: all of them, esp. 4
Dvorak: 7-9
Roussel: 3
Walton: 1
Elgar: 2
Casella: 3
Myaskovsky: 20-27
Weinberg: 3-6, 17
Tchaikovsky: 5, 6
Milhaud: 6
Holmboe: 3
Pettersson: 7
Scriabin: 3
W. Schuman: 3, 5, 8
Diamond: 3, 4
Ives: Holidays, 4
Copland: 3
Barber: both symphonies
Chavez: 1, 2, 4
Stravinsky: all of them
Hartmann: all of them but still having trouble with the 8th
Langgaard: 6
Webern: Symphony (only symphony he composed)
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphonies 1 & 2
Hm, tonight's picks for this silly topic:
Mozart 41st
Beethoven 9th
Brahms 4th
Sibelius 6th
E: I think I and John interpreted the topic rather differently..
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 21, 2015, 04:45:58 PM
Some of my favorite symphonists are Shostakovich, Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, and Nielsen. For Shostakovich, my favorites remain Nos. 4-11 & 15. For Vaughan Williams, my favorites are 3, 5, 6, & 8. My favorites from Sibelius are 4-7. For Nielsen, I always turn to the 3-6. Outside of these symphonies, here are some favorites (in no particular order):
Schnittke: 3-5, 8
Prokofiev: 2, 5-7
Honegger: 2, 3, 5
Martinu: all of them ;) (no joke!)
Mahler: 4, 5, 7, 9
Bruckner: 4-6, 9
Brahms: all of them, esp. 4
Dvorak: 7-9
Roussel: 3
Walton: 1
Elgar: 2
Casella: 3
Myaskovsky: 20-27
Weinberg: 3-6, 17
Tchaikovsky: 5, 6
Milhaud: 6
Holmboe: 3
Pettersson: 7
Scriabin: 3
W. Schuman: 3, 5, 8
Diamond: 3, 4
Ives: Holidays, 4
Copland: 3
Barber: both symphonies
Chavez: 1, 2, 4
Stravinsky: all of them
Hartmann: all of them but still having trouble with the 8th
Langgaard: 6
Webern: Symphony (only symphony he composed)
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphonies 1 & 2
Judging from the thread title, I conclude John failed math.
Quote from: Ken B on September 21, 2015, 06:22:02 PM
Judging from the thread title, I conclude John failed math.
:P
I just couldn't help myself. :)
Mine are by Mahler: Nos. 6, 2, and 3.
Haydn 92, Mozart 40, Beethoven 3, Schubert 8 (Unfinished).
Mundane, I know, but I like 'em. :)
8)
Bruckner 8
Mahler 6
Ives 4
--Bruce
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 21, 2015, 04:45:58 PM
Hartmann: all of them but still having trouble with the 8th
Have you heard the Kubelik/DG recording? It was in the Kubelik "Originals" box, and was available separately from Japan at one time. I learned it from the DG Lp before that.
Ah, symphonies... found this while googling:
http://www.symphs.com/index.html
Nice web design.
A choice of only 3 is bound to be somewhat arbitrary in some way.
Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
Nielsen: Symphony No. 5
Sessions: Symphony No. 3
Mahler's Resurrection
Symphonie Fantastique
Brahms' 1st piano concerto
;D
Quote from: Ken B on September 21, 2015, 06:22:02 PM
Judging from the thread title, I conclude John failed math.
I was just going to say how much I liked John's interpretation of "2 or 3."
Heck. I'll just do it, anyway. I really liked John's interpretation of "2 or 3."
:)
Beethoven: Symphony No.9
Mahler: Symphony No.6
Tchaikovsky: Symphony No.6
Sibelius: Symphony No.5
"For large values of 3"
Top 6
Brahms 4
Sibelius 5
Mahler 6
Vaughan Williams 4
Nielsen 3
Bruckner 3
Sarge
But seriously, how can anyone who has heard more than say a dozen symphonies possibly have 2 or 3 (or even 4) favorite symphonies?
I can imagine that someone who's heard only a few could have a couple of favorites.
I can imagine that someone who doesn't really like music all that much having a couple of favorites.
That's it. I can't imagine anything else.
No, I'm with John on this one. And even his list seemed pitifully small to me. (Seemed pitifully small to him, too, no doubt. Or so I'm hoping.)
Quote from: some guy on September 22, 2015, 05:58:54 AM
But seriously, how can anyone who has heard more than say a dozen symphonies possibly have 2 or 3 (or even 4) favorite symphonies?
I can imagine that someone who's heard only a few could have a couple of favorites.
I can imagine that someone who doesn't really like music all that much having a couple of favorites.
That's it. I can't imagine anything else.
No, I'm with John on this one. And even his list seemed pitifully small to me. (Seemed pitifully small to him, too, no doubt. Or so I'm hoping.)
Which is the essential problem with 'Favorite' or 'Top X' lists. For me, they usually only relate to today, tomorrow, who knows? ???
8)
Quote from: some guy on September 22, 2015, 05:58:54 AM
That's it. I can't imagine anything else.
You obviously lack imagination ;D
I approach this kind of list as if it were the hypothetical desert island game. If I
had to choose, what would those choices be? I have literally hundreds of favorite symphonies (and hundreds of favorite composers)...but the op asked for a small number, not an unwieldy, and basically worthless list like John's (I think he even included the kitchen sink). The ones I picked have been part of my life for 50 years; have been special from my first encounter with them, and have never lost their luster.
Sarge
Quote from: some guy on September 22, 2015, 05:58:54 AM
But seriously, how can anyone who has heard more than say a dozen symphonies possibly have 2 or 3 (or even 4) favorite symphonies?
I can imagine that someone who's heard only a few could have a couple of favorites.
I can imagine that someone who doesn't really like music all that much having a couple of favorites.
That's it. I can't imagine anything else.
No, I'm with John on this one. And even his list seemed pitifully small to me. (Seemed pitifully small to him, too, no doubt. Or so I'm hoping.)
I agree with you. There is a Top Ten Favorite Symphonies thread elsewhere on this board, and that was difficult enough.
I guess if I could only take three symphonies to a desert island, on penalty of death, I'd choose Beethoven's Seventh, Brahms' Fourth, and, uhhhh... probably something really long, to pass more time, like Rach 2 or Mahler 3 or Bruckner 6-7.
Quote from: some guy on September 22, 2015, 05:58:54 AM
But seriously, how can anyone who has heard more than say a dozen symphonies possibly have 2 or 3 (or even 4) favorite symphonies?
I can imagine that someone who's heard only a few could have a couple of favorites.
I can imagine that someone who doesn't really like music all that much having a couple of favorites.
That's it. I can't imagine anything else.
No, I'm with John on this one. And even his list seemed pitifully small to me. (Seemed pitifully small to him, too, no doubt. Or so I'm hoping.)
I cannot understand you (or MI). It is a small number, but how can you not be able to pick a top 2 or 3 (or at least something close to it)? Why can't you narrow it down? I don't see much use in a long list (not that the question will lead us to a deep conversation, but a short list is at least manageable for those interested). if you have 50 favorites, well then none of them are favorites.
My 2 favorites:
Tchaikovsky 5
Schumann 4
Simply edit out "2 or 3" from the thread title and all is solved.
Yeah, I'm not going to stick to 2 or 3 favorite symphonies because I simply can't make those kinds of cuts to other favorites, which is why I made a 'unwieldy, worthless' list. FYI, every list is worthless including yours, Sarge. These kinds of threads shouldn't be taken so seriously. I couldn't answer the OP's question because it seemed ridiculous for me to give a limited numbered answer.
Quote from: mc ukrneal on September 22, 2015, 06:20:22 AM
I cannot understand you (or MI). It is a small number, but how can you not be able to pick a top 2 or 3 (or at least something close to it)? Why can't you narrow it down? I don't see much use in a long list (not that the question will lead us to a deep conversation, but a short list is at least manageable for those interested). if you have 50 favorites, well then none of them are favorites.
My 2 favorites:
Tchaikovsky 5
Schumann 4
Very, very strong disagreement. Sure, maybe I don't love all of a hypothetical top 50 equally, but at some point when you get to the very top of the list, it's not only "apples and oranges" musically, it's also different kinds of
love, or different ways the music speaks to me. Like, how can I compare my response to Sibelius 5 to my response to Beethoven 5? Or Prokofiev 7 to Mozart 39? Unpossible.
So at that point, it's no longer about choosing 2 or 3 pieces over other pieces - it's about choosing 2 or 3 cognitive/emotional responses over other cognitive/emotional responses. So do you choose three really "inspiring" pieces? Or a joyous one and a tragic one? Or stylistic diversity - Haydn and Holmboe? When I said Beethoven 7 and Brahms 4, those two pieces are definitely in my top 20, but I chose them because in many ways they are opposites.
Quote from: mc ukrneal on September 22, 2015, 06:20:22 AM
I cannot understand you (or MI). It is a small number, but how can you not be able to pick a top 2 or 3 (or at least something close to it)? Why can't you narrow it down? I don't see much use in a long list (not that the question will lead us to a deep conversation, but a short list is at least manageable for those interested). if you have 50 favorites, well then none of them are favorites.
My 2 favorites:
Tchaikovsky 5
Schumann 4
What baffles me is how someone can narrow down their choices to a mere three or four? Like I said in another post, it's impossible for me to do and would be excruciatingly difficult for me as I always would feel that I left out other favorites that deserve as much mention as the three I chose. I have a wide palette and in keeping with this I chose all of the symphonies that have meant a lot to me over the years. Like I also said, I think it's really a matter of not taking things so seriously. I didn't hurt anyone with my picks nor did any wars start because I ignored the OP's request. It would be nice if people here would just get over it. So, let's just move on, shall we?
Mahler 6
Beethoven 8
Brahms 3
Holmboe 8
Sibelius 4
Nielsen 5
Haydn 40
Mozart 38
Nørgård 4
Rubbra 6
Vaughan Williams 4
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 22, 2015, 06:37:03 AM
Yeah, I'm not going to stick to 2 or 3 favorite symphonies because I simply can't make those kinds of cuts to other favorites, which is why I made a 'unwieldy, worthless' list. FYI, every list is worthless including yours, Sarge.
Since I gave the op what he asked for (pretty close anyway) I assume it will not be worthless to
him. I don't know what he'll do with your list though...but if he likes it, I'll gladly provide my own top 100+ ;D I have nothing better to do today (well, I must feed Mrs. Rock...but after that...).
Sarge
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 22, 2015, 07:31:50 AM
What baffles me is how someone can narrow down their choices to a mere three or four?
Choosing three or four I find impossible too. But six, that I can do ;)
Sarge
Quote from: andolink on September 22, 2015, 07:48:42 AM
Haydn 40
Now
that is an intriguing and quite individual choice. My Top 30 Haydn Symphonies include 39 and 41 but 40 missed the boat. I'm going to listen to that this evening and see what I've missed.
Sarge
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on September 22, 2015, 06:15:55 AM
You obviously lack imagination ;D
I left myself wide open with that one, didn't I. ;D
Quote from: mc ukrneal on September 22, 2015, 06:20:22 AM
...if you have 50 favorites, well then none of them are favorites.
So close to enlightenment, grasshopper!
Sergeant Rock: ""Since I gave the op what he asked for (pretty close anyway) I assume it will not be worthless to him. I don't know what he'll do with your list though...but if he likes it, I'll gladly provide my own top 100+ ;D I have nothing better to do today (well, I must feed Mrs. Rock...but after that...)."""
-----------------------------------------
Thank you for your responses, whether it's your favorite 2 or 3 or 75. This helps me "broaden my horizons" re classical music---there are many composers and their symphonies that I would not have looked at (e.g. Brahms 4). I would not have known that Number 4 is perhaps a little more popular among the members here than, say, number 5. I respect the opinions of members here. I find the members extremely knowledgeable. Many of you have pointed me in directions I would not have taken (without your input here) as far as exploring classical music in more depth.
Quote from: some guy on September 22, 2015, 04:44:24 AM
I was just going to say how much I liked John's interpretation of "2 or 3."
Heck. I'll just do it, anyway. I really liked John's interpretation of "2 or 3."
:)
I'm gonna ask for a raise. A small one! "2 or 3 per cent should be enough ...." :laugh:
Incidentally there's a story about the mathematician G Hardy. He gave a lecture and claimed some enormous formula "was to a good approximation, 5". He was asked what is a good approximation of 5. "Any real number not equal to 5". So John's in good company.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 21, 2015, 04:45:58 PM
Some of my favorite symphonists are Shostakovich, Vaughan Williams, Sibelius, and Nielsen. For Shostakovich, my favorites remain Nos. 4-11 & 15. For Vaughan Williams, my favorites are 3, 5, 6, & 8. My favorites from Sibelius are 4-7. For Nielsen, I always turn to the 3-6. Outside of these symphonies, here are some favorites (in no particular order):
Schnittke: 3-5, 8
Prokofiev: 2, 5-7
Honegger: 2, 3, 5
Martinu: all of them ;) (no joke!)
Mahler: 4, 5, 7, 9
Bruckner: 4-6, 9
Brahms: all of them, esp. 4
Dvorak: 7-9
Roussel: 3
Walton: 1
Elgar: 2
Casella: 3
Myaskovsky: 20-27
Weinberg: 3-6, 17
Tchaikovsky: 5, 6
Milhaud: 6
Holmboe: 3
Pettersson: 7
Scriabin: 3
W. Schuman: 3, 5, 8
Diamond: 3, 4
Ives: Holidays, 4
Copland: 3
Barber: both symphonies
Chavez: 1, 2, 4
Stravinsky: all of them
Hartmann: all of them but still having trouble with the 8th
Langgaard: 6
Webern: Symphony (only symphony he composed)
Schoenberg: Chamber Symphonies 1 & 2
Actually that's a very interesting list, and I would enjoy seeing this list, along with recommended recordings, posted in the Recordings forum (or here, whatever).
It is very interesting indeed----there are 15 composers I never heard of. Things like this help me tremendously in exploring classical music. Thanks for posting this.
By the way, I see exactly what Mirror Image is getting at re unable to narrow down favorite symphonies to just two or three----I should have just asked What Are Your Favorite Symphonies (whether 2 or 100).
Beethoven - 3, 6, 7
Brahms - 2
Bruckner - 6, 7, 9
Berlioz - symphonie fantastique, Harold en Italie
Dvorak - 4
Mahler - 6, 7, 9
Mendelssohn - 3, 5
Mozart - 39
Prokofiev - 1, 4, 5
Tchaikovsky - 3, 5, 6
Shostakovich - 4, 5, 8, 14
Sibelius - 2, 5, 6
Haydn - 84, 103
Schumann - 1, 4
Schubert - 4, 6, 8 unfinished
Vaughan Williams - 5, 6
Quote from: USMC1960s on September 22, 2015, 10:38:44 AM
By the way, I see exactly what Mirror Image is getting at re unable to narrow down favorite symphonies to just two or three----I should have just asked What Are Your Favorite Symphonies (whether 2 or 100).
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!No, never, never ever.
The server is stressed already. If you ask GMGers for unlimited recommendations ...
John's recommendations this month
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2052/2248700249_5615438d21.jpg)
Quote from: Ken B on September 22, 2015, 11:18:13 AM
John's recommendations this month
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2052/2248700249_5615438d21.jpg)
Ah, I see you've been to visit Harry. Interesting place, eh?
8)
Still laughing at Ken B's response of NO NO NO
Quote from: Gurn Blanston on September 22, 2015, 11:24:08 AM
Ah, I see you've been to visit Harry. Interesting place, eh?
8)
That's not
Harry's place - see those empty shelves? 8)
Assorted recommendations not mentioned so far (I think):
Dvořák No. 6
Copland No. 3
Lutosławski No. 3
Górecki No. 3
Symphony of Sorrowful SongsAnd two almost-symphonies:
Janáček SinfoniettaRakhmaninov Symphonic Dances
The polls forum will give you a good idea of what people's preferences are in all kinds of areas.
Thank you, will take a look at that section.
Some previous polls
Top Symphony Slow Movements (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,22216.0.html)
Top American Symphonies (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,24174.0.html)
Top One-Movement Symphonies (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,24830.0.html)
Top Haydn Symphonies (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,21169.0.html)
Your Symphony Cycle (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,25109.0.html) (ie, your favorite Symphony No. 1, No. 2, etc.)
Top Symphony No. 8 (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,24069.0.html)
Top Symphony No. 3 (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,23775.0.html)
Top Beethoven Symphony (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,22396.0.html)
Top Bruckner Symphony (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,22260.html)
Top Shostakovich Symphony (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,18962.0.html)
Thank you, much appreciated, don't know why I didn't notice that section of the forum.
Quote from: XB-70 Valkyrie on September 22, 2015, 10:31:59 AM
Actually that's a very interesting list, and I would enjoy seeing this list, along with recommended recordings, posted in the Recordings forum (or here, whatever).
That's actually a good idea, indeed. I might do this on my upcoming mini-vacation (starting the first weekend in October). Boy, this is going be challenging and time consuming, but what the hell else do I have to do? ;) ;D
Quote from: USMC1960s on September 22, 2015, 10:38:44 AM
By the way, I see exactly what Mirror Image is getting at re unable to narrow down favorite symphonies to just two or three----I should have just asked What Are Your Favorite Symphonies (whether 2 or 100).
No reason to change your original challenge on my account, USMC. ;) I just couldn't make a list with your restrictions, so I just created my own rules. :D I hope you get
something from my list and all of the lists here. I may argue with many members here about this or that, but they have much more knowledge and a greater scope of things than I do and I'm constantly in awe over what the members here know. It's always a humbling experience to be in the company of people who have been listening to this music for 40 years or more. To have a fraction of what they know and have experienced, would be something else.
Quote from: USMC1960s on September 22, 2015, 10:35:36 AM
It is very interesting indeed----there are 15 composers I never heard of. Things like this help me tremendously in exploring classical music. Thanks for posting this.
You're welcome. I'm happy to impart something unto another member. We're all on different paths and have completely different interests, but, sometimes, these paths cross and you'll meet someone who has as much interest in a certain composer as you do. I'm blessed to have discovered this music and, more importantly, for it to become a part of my heart and mind. Don't mean to get too gushy here, but this music has given more joy than I could ever possibly imagine. I can only hope that you're experiencing the same thing right now. Happy listening!
Quote from: mc ukrneal on September 22, 2015, 06:20:22 AM
I cannot understand you (or MI). It is a small number, but how can you not be able to pick a top 2 or 3 (or at least something close to it)? Why can't you narrow it down? I don't see much use in a long list (not that the question will lead us to a deep conversation, but a short list is at least manageable for those interested). if you have 50 favorites, well then none of them are favorites.
My 2 favorites:
Tchaikovsky 5
Schumann 4
Hell, I couldn't pick 2 or 3 favorite Haydn symphonies let alone 2 or 3 favorites from the entire symphonic canon. At best it might be a list of my 2 or 3 favorite
today.
Miaskovsky: Symphony 6
Vaughan Williams: Symphony 6
Tubin: Symphony 2 'Legendary'
Alan Hovhaness - #47, 'Walla Walla, Land of Many Waters'
https://www.youtube.com/v/Reij3waWtFs
Bohuslav Martinů - #4
https://www.youtube.com/v/ofciLQT2EmE
Freitas Branco - #4
https://www.youtube.com/v/ZaCSVAGsHSY https://www.youtube.com/v/kywBtbrKhlw https://www.youtube.com/v/s9atO5tW2q8 https://www.youtube.com/v/PAUQaT3saRU
Beethoven 3 & 9
Haydn 102
Brahms 3
Quote from: Daverz on September 22, 2015, 07:21:42 PM
Hell, I couldn't pick 2 or 3 favorite Haydn symphonies let alone 2 or 3 favorites from the entire symphonic canon. At best it might be a list of my 2 or 3 favorite today.
Don't get why everyone loves symphonies so much more than everything else.
Quote from: amw on September 24, 2015, 08:22:59 PM
Don't get why everyone loves symphonies so much more than everything else.
Symphonies are my favorite non-concertante, absolute, multi-movement, orchestral music.
+1 for Braga Santos Symphony 4.
I got me a playlist...
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 21, 2015, 04:45:58 PM
Schnittke: 3-5, 8
I've already been listening to 3 twice this week: The new Janowski and the old Rozhdestvensky. Janowski's slick recording leaves me cold. The old Soviet recording is surprisingly decent, and Rozhdestvensky really gets this wild music.
So on to the other symphonies.
Quote
Casella: 3
I know I've listened to this several times, but I don't recall an impression.
Quote
Myaskovsky: 20-27
Always hard to decide what to listen to among so many symphonies. 21 was popular at one time, and was recorded by Ormandy and Morton Gould.
Quote
Weinberg: 3-6, 17
Pretty familiar with 4 and 5 and somewhat with 6. 17 is subtitled "Memory", and there are
two recordings by Fedoseyev.
Quote
Langgaard: 6
Sounds more like bad-boy Langgaard the the earlier symphonies I more familiar with.
Quote
Holmboe: 3
Don't recall anything about this one. 4 is choral and reminds me of Orff.
Quote from: andolink on September 22, 2015, 07:48:42 AM
Nørgård 4
Rubbra 6
I have have yet to warm to Norgard; the music is too abstract. The Rubbra I'm most familiar with are the 2 symphonies recorded by Lyrita, 2 and 7.
Quote from: Rinaldo on September 24, 2015, 07:25:34 PM
Alan Hovhaness - #47, 'Walla Walla, Land of Many Waters'
A road mostly untraveled for me, aside from the Mysterious Mountain.
Quote
Freitas Branco - #4
Beethoven 3
Schumann 2
Mahler 2 & 8
Berlioz Symphonie fantastique
Debussy La merI'll stop here.
Quote from: amw on September 24, 2015, 08:22:59 PM
Don't get why everyone loves symphonies so much more than everything else.
I don't understand this, either.
Quote from: some guy on September 22, 2015, 05:58:54 AM
But seriously, how can anyone who has heard more than say a dozen symphonies possibly have 2 or 3 (or even 4) favorite symphonies?
I can imagine that someone who's heard only a few could have a couple of favorites.
I can imagine that someone who doesn't really like music all that much having a couple of favorites.
That's it. I can't imagine anything else.
Exactly.
Quote from: Daverz on September 25, 2015, 05:24:16 PM
Don't recall anything about this one. 4 is choral and reminds me of Orff.
Did it put you orff? :)
I change my mind about whats my favourite all the time but 3 Symphonies I have loved for quite a few years:
Tchaikovsky 6th
Shostakovich 5th
Sibelius 6th
Quote from: The new erato on September 25, 2015, 11:15:04 PM
Did it put you orff? :)
Favourite Orff-putting symphonies: now that's an idea for a thread.
Quote from: Daverz on September 25, 2015, 05:24:16 PM
I got me a playlist...
I've already been listening to 3 twice this week: The new Janowski and the old Rozhdestvensky. Janowski's slick recording leaves me cold. The old Soviet recording is surprisingly decent, and Rozhdestvensky really gets this wild music.
So on to the other symphonies.
I know I've listened to this several times, but I don't recall an impression.
Always hard to decide what to listen to among so many symphonies. 21 was popular at one time, and was recorded by Ormandy and Morton Gould.
Pretty familiar with 4 and 5 and somewhat with 6. 17 is subtitled "Memory", and there are two recordings by Fedoseyev.
Sounds more like bad-boy Langgaard the the earlier symphonies I more familiar with.
Don't recall anything about this one. 4 is choral and reminds me of Orff.
My favorite Schnittke 3rd is Eri Klas' on BIS. The Rozhdestvensky is too raw in it's impact and the audio quality doesn't help matters either. I don't really have much of an on the Jurowski performance other than I didn't really find it too inspiring and the performance just felt kind of ho-hum. Holmboe's 3rd has those folk elements which I just love in his early works, but those influences, including Bartok, really come to the fore in this symphony. There are three performances of Casella's 3rd, but the best one IMHO is on CPO with Alun Francis conducting the Cologne Radio SO. Not to be missed.
Quote from: Wanderer on September 25, 2015, 10:16:42 PM
I don't understand this, either.
Actually amw's objection makes perfect sense, both in terms of the original question and all the replies. Daverz encapsulates it:
"Symphonies are my favorite non-concertante, absolute, multi-movement, orchestral music." Amw's point is to question the pre-eminence of the symphony over other genres that may be of equal or greater value. Back in the early days when Haydn was first starting to write symphonies, they were nothing more than sonatas for slightly larger ensembles. Then in the 19th century the symphony started to assume the monumentality and grandiosity that Virgil Thomson debunked as evidence of the "masterpiece syndrome" and the "music appreciation racket." By Mahler's time symphonies (not to mention such successors as Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony, with its six pairs of cymbals when five would have sufficed) had become longer, louder, more grandiose, and called for larger performing forces than virtually any other form of music.
Case in point: I was asked to recommend recordings of the Schumann symphonies by someone who wanted to know this composer. When I mildly pointed out that Schumann's greatest individuality is found in his piano works and song cycles, my acquaintance was undeterred. Symphonies are where it's at, he insisted, and symphonies are all he wanted to know.
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on September 26, 2015, 06:45:37 AM
Actually amw's objection makes perfect sense...
I know. I was not objecting to it, I was agreeing to it. I find the fetishisation of the symphony - when it happens at the expense of other genres as your example shows - quite bemusing.
And thanks for the write-up, all very true.
Can I pick 3?
Yes, I can.
3 pieces who aren't probably (even in my own opinion) the BEST, but I've got a special relationship with them.
Tchaikovsky 6 "Pathétique": I recall hearing parts of one of its first movement themes for the first time. It was in a movie with Bette Davis (Now, Voyager). After that I plundered my dad's modest vinyl collection, couldn't find the piece, and only after a year or so I recognized the melody when listening to a budget-priced album I just bought myself (Wiener Phil, Lorin Maazel). Then I enjoyed the 5/4 measured 2nd movement, got extremely excited whilst listening to the 3rd en was completely blown away after the Finale. I was devastated. But the entire experience was a true catharsis. I've underwent the experience quite some times after that, also live, and it has remained an overwhelming one.
Schubert 8 "Unvollendete": the first album I bought with my own money (Philharmonia Orchestra, Giuseppe Sinopoli) after reading in a Dutch novel that this work was inspired by the Holy Spirit far more than the entire Bible. I had just seen a tv series about Schubert's life and the man quickly rose to fame in my book.
Mozart 34: because the 1st and 3rd movement really put me in an excellent mood. And the 2nd movement made (and makes) me think of the girl I fell in love with during my last highschool years. And even though I already began shaking within a distance of a mile from her, the memory of her is still a memory of beauty.
Quote from: Wanderer on September 26, 2015, 09:17:53 AM
I know. I was not objecting to it, I was agreeing to it. I find the fetishisation of the symphony - when it happens at the expense of other genres as your example shows - quite bemusing.
Ah. I took your comment the other way, i.e., to mean, "I don't understand what amw is saying either," instead of "I don't understand this fetishisation [as you nicely put it] myself."
It is difficult to pin down three that I would consider my favorite, so I'll choose the ones that I've been listening to, or have been enjoying the longest. More of a nostalgia thing.
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique - One of my all timers, also one of my favorite works to see performed live. I have at times considered Harold in Italy to be a better piece, but fantastique always has room at the top.
Brahms: Symphony No.3 - May not contain the drama or excitement of the other three from Brahms, but it's the most beautiful and lyrical, and to me that's when he's at his best.
Mahler - Symphony No.3 - I've been having a love/hate relationship with Mahler the past 10 years, but anytime I listen to his third I remember back to a time, starting in high school, when I thought this was the greatest piece ever composed.
Thanks for all your responses. Very helpful. When someone pointed out a day or so ago that the Polling section might be a better place for this, I agreed. And the title there would have been "Your Favorite Symphonies", with no number limit, which I realized later (too late) unnecessarily narrowed the field, and made no real sense. Why should anyone list their top THREE favorite anything, except as an arbitrary exercise in listing things. :)
Manfred--Tchaikovsky
8th--Dvorak
3rd--Sibelius
3rd--Brahms
1st--Tchaikovsky