Your ten unusual symphonic choices (post 1916)

[mc ukrneal]

Um.

His whole compositional technique is derived from the notion of infinite melody...i believe..........

Kinda ironic then...

[The new erato]

And i defintely need to add Vasks 2nd to my previous post.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Kinda ironic then...

http://unsungsymphonies.blogspot.com.au/2010/08/master-of-infinite-series-nrgards.html?m=1

[Simula]

I was also surprised that Stenhammar's More conventional (IMHO) First Symphony was chosen rather than the magnificent Second Symphony.

At present I prefer Stenhammar's 1st symphony over his second. My understanding is that he did not like this work? I don't know why, I have enjoyed it from start to finish many times. 

[Mirror Image]

Here is my 'Top 10' unusual symphonic choices (or maybe not so unusual?):

In no particular order -

Schnittke: Symphony No. 8
Arnold: Symphony No. 9
Silvestrov: Symphony No. 5
Hartmann: Symphony No. 6
Pärt: Symphony No. 3
Barber: Symphony No. 2
Atterberg: Symphony No. 3, "West Coast Pictures"
Chávez: Sinfonía romántica (Symphony No. 4)
Casella: Sinfonia (Symphony No. 3)
Nystroem: Sinfonia del Mare

[Daverz]

Never having heard Norgard, I thought what the heck - I'll give it a try. Well, I misread the thread initially and chose Symphony #3. This went on for about 10 minutes before I just couldn't keep going and came to report here. I saw that I had listened to the wrong one, which was a relief, because I thought - I've missed the good one and listened to an early work or something. So now I am listening to #8 and it sounds just like #3. Would it have killed the guy to use a melody now and again? Not for me....

Have never gotten anything out of his music.  It's not unpleasant.  That's all I can find to say about it.

[Daverz]

Well, BBC Music Magazine (Sepember issue) made a survey of 141 conductors to ascertain the 'Twenty Greatest Symphonies of All Time'. No surprises really but they also included a list of 'Ten Unusual Choices' from the conductors, which were:
Boris Lyatoshynsky: Symphony 3 (1951)

Good stuff.

Per Norgard: Symphony 8 (2012)

Probably just me, but Norgard always sounds like pleasant noodling.

Allan Pettersson: Symphony 7 (1967)

Certainly not an unusual choice on this forum.

Luciano Berio: Sinfonia (1969)

Wouldn't have thought of it as a symphony, but it is called Sinfonia.

Avet Terterian: Symphony 3 (1975)

A new name for me.

Charles Ives: Symphony 4 (1920s)
Havergal Brian: Symphony 1 'Gothic' (1927)

Again, neither seems an unusual choice these days.  I have not yet developed a taste for this Ives symphony, and I don't think I've ever listened to the Brian in one sitting.

Jan van Gilse: Symphony 3 (1907)

Nice.  Nothing more.  There are better Dutch symphonies (Dopper, perhaps?).

Wilhelm Stenhammar: Symphony 1 (1903)

Yeah, I would have expected No. 2 as well.

Lepo Sumera: Symphony 2 (1984)

Love me some Lepo.

So, now is your chance to list your ten unusual musical choices. Here are mine for this evening anyway:

Klaus Egge: Symphony 1
Douglas Lilburn: Symphony 1
Cyril Rootham: Symphony 2
Richard Arnell: Symphony 3
Stanley Bate: Symphony 4
Joly Braga Santos: Symphony 4
Rodion Shchedrin: Symphony 1
David Diamond: Symphony 3
Eduard Tubin: Symphony 2 'Legendary'
Kaljo Raid: Symphony 1

The Braga Santos would certainly make my list.  I'm not sure Bate or Arnell would even make my cut of British symphonies.  I need to investigate Rootham, Egge and Raid, and dig up that Shchedrin.

There's an older thread here: http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,24881.msg900564.html#msg900564

Pretty sure we've done other "lesser know symphonies" threads, but I can't find them at the moment.

[The new erato]

The absolutely very best I can say of what I've heard from Gilse is nice. The one name (beside a couple I never have heard) on that list that seriously surprised me.

[vandermolen]

And i defintely need to add Vasks 2nd to my previous post.

My favourite symphony by a living composer. The Ondine release has excellent notes from one of our members.

[vandermolen]

Havergal Brian Symphony No 3
Melartin Symphony No 4
Korngold Symphony in F sharp major
Khatchaturian Symphony No 2
Roussel Symphony No 3
Honegger Symphony No 4
Martinu Symphony No 3
Piston Symphony No 2
Antheil Symphony No 6
Franz Schmidt Symphony No 3

All fine works. Must listen to the Melartin - I have a boxed set of the symphonies and Schmidt No.3. I like his tragic Fourth Symphony very much.

[vandermolen]

Well, vandermolen, I was abashed that I had written things in such a way as to give a false impression.

We all repeat ourselves from time to time. But that's different from only doing one thread ("what is your favorite...") in various guises forum-wide, by everyone who posts.

Anyway, if I were to guess about symphonies that most people would not know about, I would think that Z'ev's 2nd symphony, Dhomont's Frankenstein symphony, Terterian's 8th (and 7th, for that matter), and maybe Farquhar's 2nd would be on the list.

But if I were to say that, I would be repeating myself, which we all do from time to time....

Don't know these but think Farquhar is a New Zealander - I think that I have a symphony of his coupled with a symphony by Lilburn whose first two symphonies I like very much. Dhomont's Frankenstein Symphony sounds a must and Z'ev intrigues me too.

[vandermolen]

Havergal Brian Symphony No.5 "Wine of Summer" (choosing the Gothic would have been too obvious  )
George Lloyd Symphony No.7
Malcolm Arnold Symphony No.5
John Veale Symphony No.2 D minor
Richard Wetz Symphony No.1 C minor (channeling Bruckner)
Rautavaara Symphony No.3 (channeling Bruckner)
Ruth Gipps Symphony No.2
Bernard Herrmann Symphony
Erich Korngold Symphony F sharp major
Siegfried Wagner Symphony C major

Like all of these but don't know the last one. The Veale is a particularly good recent discovery.

[The new erato]

The Veale is a particularly good recent discovery.

I have it on a wish list and intend to explore in due time.

[vandermolen]

I have it on a wish list and intend to explore in due time.

You won't regret it.

[vandermolen]

Here is my 'Top 10' unusual symphonic choices (or maybe not so unusual?):

In no particular order -

Schnittke: Symphony No. 8
Arnold: Symphony No. 9
Adams: Naive & Sentimental Music (a symphony in all but a name IMHO)
Silvestrov: Symphony No. 5
Hartmann: Symphony No. 6
Pärt: Symphony No. 3
Barber: Symphony No. 2
Atterberg: Symphony No. 3, "West Coast Pictures"
Chávez: Sinfonía romántica (Symphony No. 4)
Casella: Sinfonia (Symphony No. 3)

Great choices John although I don't know the Casella Symphony 3 but really like the sombre No.2. West Coast Pictures is wonderful and my favourite by Atterberg. Don't know the Schnittke either but like his Piano Quintet.

[The new erato]

I prefer the Casella 2nd to the 3rd.

Edit: The 2nd is a big, sprawling beast with perhaps too many different influences jutting out here and there, but IMO more interesting because of that and terribly exciting. The Chandos recording is stunning.The 3rd seems like a more mature and disciplined thing.

[vandermolen]

The BBC Music picks were one per conductor presumably, so maybe we should do something like that here, where everyone names 1 symphony or something

Right now I'm listening to Glenn Branca's Symphony No. 3 so I'll pick that one

Good point. I'm happy for anyone to suggest one choice. Will probably save me money too!

[Androcles]

Here are a few thoughts off the top of my head - including a few composers that seem to keep returning to this thread....


Russians

Gavriil Popov - Symphony No. 6 (Symphony No. 1 is worth encountering too, but in my view not as good)
Boris Lyatoshinsky - Symphony No. 2
Nikolai Miaskovsky - Symphony No. 13
Alfred Schnittke - Symphony No. 4
Edison Denisov - Symphony No. 2

British

Havergal Brian - Symphony No. 30 (No. 5 already taken :-()
Robert Simpson - Symphony No. 11
Alun Hoddinott - Symphony No. 6
Michael Tippett - Symphony No. 4 (not sure whether this is unusual or not)

Finnish

Einojuhani Rautavaara - Symphony No. 6

[Christo]

Unusual, whatever that may be - but okay, a bit more unusual than usually: 

Matthijs Vermeulen 2 (`Prélude à la nouvelle journée')
Eivind Groven 1
Kaljo Raid 1
Léon Orthel 2 ('Piccola Sinfonia')
Paul Ben-Haim 2
Ruth Gipps 4
Ulvi Cemal Erkin 2
Camargo Guarnieri 3
John Veale 2
John Kinsella 7

[vandermolen]

Here are a few thoughts off the top of my head - including a few composers that seem to keep returning to this thread....


Russians

Gavriil Popov - Symphony No. 6 (Symphony No. 1 is worth encountering too, but in my view not as good)
Boris Lyatoshinsky - Symphony No. 2
Nikolai Miaskovsky - Symphony No. 13
Alfred Schnittke - Symphony No. 4
Edison Denisov - Symphony No. 1

British

Havergal Brian - Symphony No. 30 (No. 5 already taken :-()
Robert Simpson - Symphony No. 11
Alun Hoddinott - Symphony No. 6
Michael Tippett - Symphony No. 4 (not sure whether this is unusual or not)

Finnish

Einojuhani Rautavaara - Symphony No. 6

Very interesting choices. Love the Popov. He seems to quote from Boris Godunov near the end amidst all the [forced?] celebration. I find it incredibly moving, especially knowing what a difficult life Popov had with the soviet authorities - he was a great composer in my view.