A New Year List of favourites, symphonies 1 to 9

[salymap]

Many thanks for the great work antongould. I have really enjoyed this thread.

Yes, thanks to anton, the true President of the thread.

[antongould]

Yes, thanks to anton, the true President of the thread.

Come on everyone knows I am Cratchit to your Scrooge - when can I have my first bit of coal for 2013?

[salymap]

Come on everyone knows I am Cratchit to your Scrooge - when can I have my first bit of coal for 2013?

Ba Humbug

[Barbirollians]

This may make you incredibly jealous, but I heard Sir John conduct most of those at live concerts during the 1960s.

Shame you didn't have a piratical tape recorder with you !

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

It was all open reel in those days.

[Barbirollians]

Rather difficult to conceal !!!

[HighlandDougie]

I've been in the ADSL-free wilds of Cornwall so have only just read this thread. Not an easy task but, based on frequency of listening:

1. Tchaikovsky
2. Tippett
3. Vaughan-Williams
4. Shostakovich
5. Bruckner
6. Sibelius
7. Beethoven
8. Dvorak
9. Mahler

and, just to add a bit of flavour, my most-listened to recordings are:

1. Abbado/Chicago Symphony Orchestra
2. Davis/LSO
3. Previn/LSO, jointly with Hickox/LSO (it's the recording on my i-Phone, much listened to when on 'planes)
4. Kondrashin/Moscow PO, jointly with Wigglesworth/Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Raiskin/Mainz & Rheinisch Orchestras
5. Haitink/Bavarian RSO
6. Davis/Concertgebouw
7. Immerseel/Anima Eterna
8. Ancerl/Concertgebouw
9. Haitink/Concertgebouw (the recent Blu-Ray)

and, to cheat, I'd slip in the Cooke et al reconstruction of Mahler's 10th where Daniel Harding and the Vienna Philharmonic might have lost the crown to Eliahu Inbal and the Concertgebouw.

The one-per-composer rule, coupled with one-per-number means that there is no Berwald, no Brahms, no Honegger, no Martinu and, above all, no Nielsen. But if it comes to a battle between 4ths (DSCH vs Nielsen) or 5ths (Bruckner vs Martinu vs Nielsen) .....

[Lateralthinking1]

Those who chose something other than Mahler (and Tippett!!) for the 2nd might wish to note that there will be second symphonies in the Essential Choice slot on Essential Classics with Sarah Walker every day this week (Monday-Friday):

M - Sibelius
T - Brahms
W - Beethoven
T - Rachmaninov
F - Schumann

[Suffolkcoastal]

Those who chose something other than Mahler (and Tippett!!) for the 2nd might wish to note that there will be second symphonies in the Essential Choice slot on Essential Classics with Sarah Walker every day this week (Monday-Friday):

M - Sibelius
T - Brahms
W - Beethoven
T - Rachmaninov
F - Schumann

Much as I like all 5 of the symphonies, they are typically safe and unadventurous choices, which I suppose is in keeping with mornings on R3 these days.

[EdgeleyRob]

Much as I like all 5 of the symphonies, they are typically safe and unadventurous choices, which I suppose is in keeping with mornings on R3 these days.

Why not:

M - Rawsthorne
T - Parry
W - Alwyn
T - Arnold
F - Miaskovsky

[Suffolkcoastal]

That would be very nice ER, or even something like.

Martinu
Kallinikov
Honegger
Piston
Fibich

The Sibelius had to be there for BaL I suppose. Then they could have followed it with four other Scandinavian 2nds, that would have shown greater enterprise.

[AjAjAjH]

Assuming that this list is about your favourite numbered symphonies 1-9 but you use each comoser only once.

1 Elgar.
2 Brahms.
3 Mahler.
4 Shostakovich.
5 Tchaikovsky.
6 RVW
7 Beethoven.
8 Bruckner.
9 Dvorak.

Assuming it means your 9 favourite symphonies but you use each composer only once.

1. Bruckner 8.
2. Brahms 2.
3, Elgar 2.
4. Sibelius 2.
5. Beethoven 7.
6. Dvorak 9.
7. Mahler 9.
8. Tchaikovsky 5.
9. Berlioz 'Harold in Italy'.

Top 9 using a composer as many times as you like would be different again. (2 Mahler's and 2 Tchikovsky's included)

[Pabmusic]

Why not:

M - Rawsthorne
T - Parry
W - Alwyn
T - Arnold
F - Miaskovsky

That would be very nice ER, or even something like.

Martinu
Kallinikov
Honegger
Piston
Fibich

The Sibelius had to be there for BaL I suppose. Then they could have followed it with four other Scandinavian 2nds, that would have shown greater enterprise.

Sibelius
Berwald
Atterberg
Stenhammar
Rangstrom