Favourite symphony no. 9

[Cosi bel do]

Because it doesn't work so well with no. 41...

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Robert Simpson's No.9 - must be heard to be believed.

[Mirror Image]

Pretty easy vote for me: Bruckner's 9th. A work that has been near and dear to me since I started listening to classical music.

[Bogey]

Well, I'll throw in a vote for the underdog, LvB.

[Bogey]

Because it doesn't work so well with no. 41...

Have not listened to Wolfie's 9th in a while.  I will have to give the early part of the Tate cycle a spin.

[Archaic Torso of Apollo]

Robert Simpson's No.9 - must be heard to be believed.

That's an awesome work, but I had to give my vote to Mahler.

Pretty easy vote for me: Bruckner's 9th. A work that has been near and dear to me since I started listening to classical music.

That would have been my second choice.

[Ken B]

Partly to get it better known, I am voting Simpson with Z7 (who heard about it from me I want to point out  )

I think Simpson would pick Bruckner.

[Mirror Image]

I think Simpson would pick Bruckner.

He would be a smart man if he did.

[Brian]

Beethoven - love it, obviously, although it is not my favorite Beethoven symphony
Schubert - my favorite of the listed options, but I follow the new numbering and call it No. 8
Bruckner - don't know it very well, except the scherzo
Dvorak - I listen to his 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 8th more than his 9th
Mahler - never heard it
Shostakovich - love it!!

[kishnevi]

Never heard it?!!!!

I know you are young, but....
http://m.youtube.com/results?q=mahler%20symphony%209&sm=1

[North Star]

Beethoven - love it, obviously, although it is not my favorite Beethoven symphony

+1

Schubert - my favorite of the listed options, but I follow the new numbering and call it No. 8

A stretch to call it no. 9, yes.

Bruckner - don't know it very well, except the scherzo

Dvorak - I listen to his 3rd, 6th, 7th, and 8th more than his 9th

A qualified +1

Mahler - never heard it

Fix this yesterday.

Shostakovich - love it!!

+1

RVW, Schnittke & Schuman are my favourites out of the ones not on the list. I need to listen to the Simpson again, I recall liking it a lot.

Mahler, Beethoven & Bruckner are my favourite trio, I think I'll go with the Mahler.

[North Star]

Never heard it?!!!!

I know you are young, but....
http://m.youtube.com/results?q=mahler%20symphony%209&sm=1

Or just click here
https://www.youtube.com/v/OeMLZR2xsRM

[bhodges]

Mahler, with Bruckner second, Beethoven third - but a very close race between those.

--Bruce

[amw]

D944.

Since, on reflection, I could probably live without Beethoven's Ninth, though it wouldn't be much of a life.

(Also, I'm still waiting for the 80 minutes of my life I spent listening to Mahler's Ninth back. I would much rather have lived without it I would also definitely like to live without the New World Symphony.)

[Moonfish]

Ahh, this is soooooo hard. but I have to go with Ludwig van closely followed By Bruckner and Mahler. LvB's 9th just is a blessing to mankind (although suffering from the over-listening syndrome).
Now, if Sibelius ever got to write 9 symphonies.........

[North Star]

Ahh, this is soooooo hard. but I have to go with Ludwig van closely followed By Bruckner and Mahler. LvB's 9th just is a blessing to mankind (although suffering from the over-listening syndrome).
Now, if Sibelius ever got to write 9 symphonies.........

Sibelius said somewhere that, with Lemminkäinen Suite & Kullervo, he essentially did write 9. 

Oikeastaan minulla on 9 sinfoniaa, sillä Kullervo ja Lemminkäinen sisältävät puhtaasti sonaattimuotoisia osia

"Actually I do have 9 symphonies, because Kullervo and Lemminkäinen contain movements in pure sonata form"

[Ken B]

Now, if Sibelius ever got to write 9 symphonies.........

Greedy, greedy.

[Brian]

Sibelius said somewhere that, with Lemminkäinen Suite & Kullervo, he essentially did write 9. 
"Actually I do have 9 symphonies, because Kullervo and Lemminkäinen contain movements in pure sonata form"

I thought about choosing Sibelius, because I do love his "Ninth"!

[EigenUser]

Between Dvorak, Mahler, and Shostakovich, this is not easy. I'd have to go with Shostakovich.

I haven't heard LvB's 9th all the way through, though I do have the score. I might be the only person in the world who has heard Missa Solemnis (and plays it many times), but who hasn't heard the whole 9th.

[Jo498]

Voted for Beethoven, although Mahler is very close. I would not want to live without either, although Beethoven wins, maybe just because I have known it for so much longer (and it is not as depressing).
Among the symphonies of each composer, Mahlers 9th is by far my favorite, whereas I like the Eroica about as much as the Beethoven 9th (and also the 7th a lot). For some reason I am not as fond of Schuberts Great C major (whatever the number 7, 8 or 9) as I should be, although the piece has been growing on me and I like it much better now than I did 20 or even 10 years ago. Still I can imagine quite well living without it. It seems also a very difficult piece to pull off. Interpretations run the risk of either sounding too much like Bruckner (and becoming a tedious bore, not that Bruckner is always boring, but Schubert played like that) or like shallow motoric run-throughs.

Bruckner's 9th is also among my favorites, but probably behind his 7th and maybe also the 5th. The Scherzo is one of his best, also the Adagio, of course. I have an oscillating relationship with Bruckner's music and have not listened to a lot of his music recently, so I cannot really say whether I prefer his 9th to Schubert's C major.
Dvorak's 9th I find overrated and prefer 7 and 8 and maybe also bits of his 6th.

Shostakovich's is a brilliant piece, but none I deeply care about.