Top Ten Symphonies Revisited

[antongould]

Earlier in the year I started a thread asking for anyone who was interested to post their 10 favourite symphonies. I was rightly criticised by some members for playing the "chart game" but more commonly for setting a near impossible task as everyone's favourites changed by the day if not the hour. However there was a fair level of response and I did suggest that nearer the festive season I would ask again to see how individuals willing to "re-enter" and the population's view in general had changed.

There were , verging on, no rules - some posters stuck to one entry per composer others were awash with for example Bruckner. Two posters even went much further than the extra mile and posted their top 100!

So all votes and moans welcome from new and old - as it was unlikely to be the highlight of your year should you be unsure if you entered the ballot box those who did were as follows :-

aeolium
ajajajh
Alison
antongould
barber olly
Barbirollians
Basil
BeethovensQuill
Brassbandmaestro
Caliban
Dave 2002
EdgeleyRob
Eine Alpensinfonie
Ferretfancy
french frank
LeMartinPecheur
Maestro267
Mahlerei
makropulus
Mandryke
mathias broucek
Mr. Pee
nachtigal
pilamenon
remdatram
Roehre
salymap
Serial_apologist
stanford's legacy
StephenO
Suffolkcoastal
Tapiola
tevot
Threni
tom_960
umslopogaas
Uncle Monty
vinteuil

Just, as they say, a bit of festive fun.

[antongould]

I realise now that in my rush - Lady G says I must be decking the halls.......................

I missed my own "new" 10 off the post

Bruckner 7, 8 and 9
Mahler 2
Vaughan Williams 1
Harris 3
Bax 3
Rawsthorne 2
Brian Gothic
Ustvolskaya 1

I suspect this has changed considerably and Beethoven for example has disappeared - for some reason my "love" of his symphonies has cooled whilst his piano works I appreciate more and more. The influence of this forum, even AA, is vast and constant but has not yet managed to get Haydn in there but I do keep trying..........................

[Bax-of-Delights]

As I sit here twiddling my thumbs and procrastinating about getting on with some work I'll play the game:

Moeran: Symphony No.1
Alwyn: 5
Bax: 6
Mahler 2, 9 & 10 (completed)
Shostakovich: 4
Gorecki: 3
Miaskovsky: 27
Sibelius: 7
Walton 1

[EdgeleyRob]

I could easily choose any 8 from 9 RVW plus the 2 Elgar and be quite happy with that.
But then thinking about it I would need to find room for Mahler 9,Shostakovich 10,at least one Brahms,Parry,Stanford, Malcolm Arnold, George Lloyd,Rubbra,Alwyn etc etc.
Can I have 20 instead of 10 please ?.

[antongould]

of course as I say we had 2 100s last time - 20 is conservative with whatever c!

[remdataram]

Wow! This is really difficult when you start thinking it through.

Here goes, "in no particular order":

Mahler No.2
Mahler No.4
Mahler No.6
Mahler No.10 (complete)
Shostakovich No.5
Beethoven No.3
Beethoven No.9
Sibelius No.2
Tchaikovsky No.5
Schubert No.9

I wish I could add more of each of these composers - that's why 10 really makes us think.

Best wishes for Christmas and the New Year to all. Thank you for entertaining me throughout 2011, even if it has cost me a fortune!

[Auferstehen2]

01) Beethoven Symphony No 01
02) Beethoven Symphony No 02
03) Beethoven Symphony No 03 Eroica
04) Beethoven Symphony No 04
05) Beethoven Symphony No 05 Fate
06) Beethoven Symphony No 06 Pastoral
07) Beethoven Symphony No 07
08) Beethoven Symphony No 08
09) Beethoven Symphony No 09 Choral

10) Beethoven Symphony No 03 Eroica

Mario

[LeMartinPecheur]

Did it again without viewing my last attempt. In alphabetical order:

Beethoven 7
Bruckner 5
Elgar 1
Mahler 6
Nielsen 3 & 6
Shostakovich 10 and 14
Sibelius 2
Vaughan Williams 2


Last time it was

Haydn 88 (out)
Beethoven 7
Bruckner 5
Mahler 6
Elgar 1
VW 2
Brian 6 (out)
Sibelius 2
Nielsen 5
Shostakovich 14 (I do so-o-o-o like a nice cheery finale)

So 8/10 for consistency?? The incomers are Shosta 10 and Nielsen 3, for no particular cause in the intervening period that I can think of. Haydn 88 and Brian 6 haven't suffered any conscious downgrading either, so I'll put them back in and make it a nice round dozen

[EdgeleyRob]

This is impossible but I will try to stick to the '10' rule.

RVW 5 & 9.
Elgar 2.
Brahms 1.
Mahler 9.
Arnold 9.
Shostakovich 10.
Lloyd 11.
Parry 4.
Mozart 38.

My reply last time was as follows (I can't beleive i've dropped Elgar 1! might have to swap for the Prague symphony)).

Vaughan Williams 5 and 9 (on any given day I could quite easily choose all 9 plus 1 other as my 10)
Elgar 1 and 2
Mahler 9
Brahms 1
Shostakovich 10
Bruckner 8
Mozart Prague
Beethoven 3

[Biffo]

Das Lied von der Erde is definitely a symphony so here is my top ten favourites, though like many others I could produce a different list on another day or a top twenty

Mozart 41
Beethoven 3
Beethoven 9
Brahms 4
Tchaikovsky 6
Mahler Das Lied von der Erde
Elgar 2
Vaughan Williams 2 (London Symphony)
Nielsen 5
Sibelius 2

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

As I am sat here...

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

01) Beethoven Symphony No 01
02) Beethoven Symphony No 02
03) Beethoven Symphony No 03 Eroica
04) Beethoven Symphony No 04
05) Beethoven Symphony No 05 Fate
06) Beethoven Symphony No 06 Pastoral
07) Beethoven Symphony No 07
08) Beethoven Symphony No 08
09) Beethoven Symphony No 09 Choral

10) Beethoven Symphony No 03 Eroica

Mario

That's very good. You could have had his Battle Symphony as no. 10.

[Bax-of-Delights]

Now repaired.

[Pabmusic]

Here's a list. They're probably (possibly?) the ten symphonies that have given me consistent pleasure over the years. However, it would be easy to supply a second list:

Schubert 9
Berwald ‘Singuliere’
Schumann 4
Borodin 2
Dvorak 9
Kalinnikov 2
Suk ‘Asrael’
Elgar 1
Sibelius 3
RVW 5

[Pabmusic]

However, it would be easy to supply a second list:

And here's one:

Haydn 88
Dittersdorf ‘The Fall of Phaeton’
Beethoven 6
Schubert ‘Unfinished’
Kalinnikov 1
Mahler 4
Magnard 4
RVW 2
Hanson ‘Romantic’
Gorecki 3