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The Music Room => General Classical Music Discussion => The Polling Station => Topic started by: kyjo on September 29, 2017, 12:14:27 PM

Title: 10 favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: kyjo on September 29, 2017, 12:14:27 PM
There's plenty of polls here about favorite lesser-known 20th century symphonies, so I thought we needed one for the 19th century! You by no means are obligated to come up with 10. Here's my list:

Dvorak 3
Raff 5 and 9
Berwald 1 and 3
Kalinnikov 1 and 2
Balakirev 1
Glazunov 5
Andreae in F
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: Jo498 on September 29, 2017, 12:59:15 PM
Reicha
All 4 of Berwald's
Gade 1
Burgmüller 1
Rott (probably almost well known by now)
Albert Dietrich (friend of Schumann and Brahms who wrote also one movement of the f-a-e-sonata)
Chausson (known, but eclipsed by Franck's)
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: Daverz on September 29, 2017, 01:31:38 PM
Sgambati 1
Voříšek
Fibich 3 (all 3 are worthwhile)
Kalliwoda 5
Goldmark 2 (to give something different from the relatively popular Rustic Wedding Symphony)
Cherubini
Lalo
Mehul (not sure which of the 4, but I recall them as very distinctive)
Suk: Symphony in E major
Mielck

I hadn't realized that Magnard's 3rd made it into the 19th Century.  But it's an old chestnut to GMG members 😉

Interesting list: https://splendidlabyrinths.blogspot.com/2013/08/best-unknown-symphonies-from-19th.html
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: Sergeant Rock on September 29, 2017, 01:48:51 PM
Schmidt Symphony No.1 E major
Lalo Symphony in G minor
Berwald Symphony No.2 D major, "Capricieuse"
Magnard Symphony No.1 C minor
Wagner Symphony C major
Mendelssohn Symphony No.1 C minor
Dvorak 1, 2, 3, 4
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: kyjo on September 29, 2017, 01:50:01 PM
Quote from: Jo498 on September 29, 2017, 12:59:15 PM
Rott (probably almost well known by now)
Chausson (known, but eclipsed by Franck's)

I should've included these two, even if they're reasonably well-known.
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: kyjo on September 29, 2017, 01:53:33 PM
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on September 29, 2017, 01:48:51 PM
Magnard Symphony No.1 C minor
Mendelssohn Symphony No.1 C minor

These are favorites of mine as well.
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: Sergeant Rock on September 29, 2017, 01:56:29 PM
Quote from: kyjo on September 29, 2017, 01:53:33 PM
These are favorites of mine as well.

After you posted I added Schmidt's First (it made the 19th century cut by just a few years).

Sarge
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: Christo on September 29, 2017, 02:23:24 PM
Johan Willem Wilms 6
Anton Fodor 3 ('4')
Antonín Leopold Dvořák 1, 2, 3, 4
Zdeněk Fibich 3
Richard Hol 4
Hubert Parry 2
Bernard Zweers 3




Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: SymphonicAddict on September 29, 2017, 02:59:57 PM
I consider these ones. I didn't want to repeat any already mentioned:

Bruch 1
Rimsky-Korsakov Antar
Stanford 3
Weingartner 1
Dukas
Volkmann 2
Hamerik 4
Taneyev 2
Svendsen 2
Borodin 1
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: Daverz on September 29, 2017, 03:24:57 PM
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on September 29, 2017, 02:59:57 PM
Taneyev 2

Sergei, I presume?
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: SymphonicAddict on September 29, 2017, 03:28:12 PM
Quote from: Daverz on September 29, 2017, 03:24:57 PM
Sergei, I presume?

Yes, Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev.
Title: Re: 10 favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: André on September 29, 2017, 07:11:24 PM
Ludvig Norman, symphony no 2
Zdenek Fibich, symphony no 3
Théodore Gouvy, symphony no 6
Hubert Parry, symphony no 2
Ferdinand Ries, symphony no 5


Title: Re: 10 favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: amw on September 29, 2017, 07:36:37 PM
Good timing on this thread since just the other day I was like "hey I really wanna listen to Friedrich Gernsheim's Symphony No. 4 in B-flat major, Op. 62 today" and subsequently was like "ok, no one in the history of the world has ever said that sentence before."

Anyway it is actually a good symphony although for my top 10 list it's probably crowded out by Berwald's four, Voříšek's one, Svendsen's no. 1, Mendelssohn's no. 1, Bizet's no. 2 ("Roma")—no. 1 probably too well-known to qualify for this list—and both of Borodin's.
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: Jo498 on September 29, 2017, 11:36:26 PM
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on September 29, 2017, 02:59:57 PM
I consider these ones. I didn't want to repeat any already mentioned:
Rimsky-Korsakov Antar
Borodin 1

I thought about these two as well but considered them moderately well known and therefore did not mention them because I already had two moderately well known pieces. ;)
The huge difference in popularity between the two completed Borodin symphonies does not seem justified to me (neither in the case of his string quartets) and I find "Antar" superior to the more flashy (and FAR more popular) Sheherazade.
Title: Re: 10 favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: vandermolen on September 30, 2017, 12:37:56 AM
Glazunov: Symphony 1
Glazunov: Symphony 2
Balakirev: Symphony 1
Raff: Symphony 5 'Lenore'
Stanford: Symphony 3 'Irish'
Stanford: Symphony 5
Rott: Symphony
Chauson: Symphony
Lyapunov: Symphony 1
Taneyev: Symphony 2
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: kyjo on September 30, 2017, 10:51:11 AM
Quote from: Jo498 on September 29, 2017, 11:36:26 PM
The huge difference in popularity between the two completed Borodin symphonies does not seem justified to me (neither in the case of his string quartets) and I find "Antar" superior to the more flashy (and FAR more popular) Sheherazade.

I wholeheartedly agree! Borodin's first symphony and first string quartet deserve to be much better known. Same with Rimsky's Antar, although I still have quite a soft spot for the overplayed Scheherazade.
Title: Re: 10 favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: kyjo on September 30, 2017, 11:08:07 AM
Quote from: André on September 29, 2017, 07:11:24 PM
Ludvig Norman, symphony no 2
Zdenek Fibich, symphony no 3
Théodore Gouvy, symphony no 6
Hubert Parry, symphony no 2
Ferdinand Ries, symphony no 5

Nice choices, Andre. Fibich's 3rd has some beautiful moments, especially in the slow movement. I know Gouvy's 2nd which is a delightful work. Parry's first two symphonies are both warm, melodious works but a bit lacking in drama IMO. I very much like the proto-Elgarian first movement of his 1st symphony. I don't know Ries' 5th but I know his first two symphonies which are vigorous, Beethovenian works that I like very much. The memorable funeral march slow movement of his 1st is a clear nod to the Eroica.
Title: Re: 10 favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: kyjo on September 30, 2017, 11:11:40 AM
Quote from: vandermolen on September 30, 2017, 12:37:56 AM
Glazunov: Symphony 1
Glazunov: Symphony 2
Balakirev: Symphony 1
Raff: Symphony 5 'Lenore'
Stanford: Symphony 3 'Irish'
Stanford: Symphony 5
Rott: Symphony
Chauson: Symphony
Lyapunov: Symphony 1
Taneyev: Symphony 2

Great list, Jeffrey. Nice to see another vote for Raff 5 ;D You've reminded me that I need to explore the Stanford symphonies - I only know no. 1, which I'm assuming is hardly one of his better efforts. It does have a very catchy finale, however.
Title: Re: 10 (or so) favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: kyjo on September 30, 2017, 11:14:39 AM
Quote from: Daverz on September 29, 2017, 01:31:38 PM
Mielck

Forgot about this one - great piece. It's a real shame Mielck died so young...
Title: Re: 10 favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: Christo on September 30, 2017, 11:31:14 AM
Quote from: kyjo on September 29, 2017, 12:14:27 PMBerwald 1 and 3
Kalinnikov 1 and 2
Quote from: SymphonicAddict on September 29, 2017, 02:59:57 PM
Rimsky-Korsakov Antar
Stanford 3
Svendsen 2
Quote from: André on September 29, 2017, 07:11:24 PM
Zdenek Fibich, symphony no 3
Hubert Parry, symphony no 2
Agreed, but had them already
Quote from: vandermolen on September 30, 2017, 12:37:56 AM
Balakirev: Symphony 1
Lyapunov: Symphony 1
Stanford: Symphony 3 'Irish'
Another great ten :)
Title: Re: 10 favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: vandermolen on September 30, 2017, 02:13:27 PM
I forgot the Kalinnikov symphonies which are, indeed, very good.
Title: Re: 10 favorite lesser-known 19th century symphonies
Post by: Jo498 on October 09, 2017, 09:17:48 AM
Gounod Nr.2
This was supposedly the inspiration for Bizet's brilliant C major work.
I have never heard Gounod's 1st.