# Best Symphonies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 29, 2017, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019 "2017-08-29T12:59:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/1 "2017-08-29T12:59:14Z")
A follow-up to this [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=812930). Multiple votes are allowed. I’ve selected 40 symphonies among those that always crop up in the “Best Symphonies” lists. If you feel I’ve forgotten one, don’t hesitate to mention it. As in the other thread, I’ve excluded symphonies written after 1945 in order to keep only works that have been around for long enough to consider them standard repertoire. Inevitably, in order to keep the list manageable, I’ve overlooked (or forgotten) some important works. Feel free to mention them in your comments. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/2 "2017-08-29T13:11:20Z")
… And I’ve just realized that I included two symphonies that date from after 1945 ! Oh well, let’s keep them there. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/3 "2017-08-29T14:02:36Z")
Not meant as a thread-shit – just a suggestion for the next poll: I’ve never cared much for symphonies, nor for piano concertos. (Lord knows I’ve tried, and I’ll keep trying). I’m much more fond of chamber music, especially piano trios, piano quartets, and piano quintets. I’d be happy on a desert island with just the following piano quintets, for example: Borodin (C minor); Brahms (F minor); Schumann (E Flat Major); and Dvorak (A Major). Oh, and Schubert’s Trout Quintet. I’m too lazy to start a thread, but I’d love it if you did! Maybe restrict it to piano trios (be sure to include Fanny Mendelssohn’s in D minor!), piano quartets (especially the three by Brahms), and the quintets I just mentioned. Save string quartets for a different poll (sure to be anchored by Beethoven at one end and Bartok at the other). ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/4 "2017-08-29T14:49:55Z")
I voted for Mahler’s 9th thinking of Mahler’s 8th instead, which isn’t on the list. And should be. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/5 "2017-08-29T15:32:26Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Not meant as a thread-shit – just a suggestion for the next poll: I’ve never cared much for symphonies, nor for piano concertos. (Lord knows I’ve tried, and I’ll keep trying). > > I’m much more fond of chamber music, especially piano trios, piano quartets, and piano quintets. I’d be happy on a desert island with just the following piano quintets, for example: Borodin (C minor); Brahms (F minor); Schumann (E Flat Major); and Dvorak (A Major). Oh, and Schubert’s Trout Quintet. > > I’m too lazy to start a thread, but I’d love it if you did! Maybe restrict it to piano trios (be sure to include Fanny Mendelssohn’s in D minor!), piano quartets (especially the three by Brahms), and the quintets I just mentioned. Save string quartets for a different poll (sure to be anchored by Beethoven at one end and Bartok at the other). No problem, thanks for the suggestion. I was also considering a « solo piano » poll and a violin/cello concerto poll. Perhaps an opera one, too. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/6 "2017-08-29T15:35:38Z")
> [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](#): > > No problem, thanks for the suggestion. I was also considering a « solo piano » poll and a violin/cello concerto poll. Perhaps an opera one, too. Merci! ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/7 "2017-08-29T16:48:26Z")
[Saint-Saens, Symphony no. 3 in C minor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2wNAWBPFiI). Cracking stuff from the French maestro. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/8 "2017-08-29T17:54:58Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > I voted for Mahler’s 9th thinking of Mahler’s 8th instead, which isn’t on the list. And should be. I voted for Mahler’s Ninth, too. It’s a much greater symphony than his Eighth. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2017, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/9 "2017-08-29T21:39:51Z")
In addition to the several I voted for, I’d include: Franck’s Symphony in D minor Rachmaninoff’s Symphony #2 in E minor Saint-Saëns: Symphony #3 in C minor ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/10 "2017-08-30T11:13:55Z")
I know, I had to leave out some fine works. The thing is, the list already had 40 entries and was really getting too long. Plus, I’m sure that if I had decided to add ten more symphonies, I’d still have ended up with dilemmas. As far as I’m concerned, I voted for : - Ludwig Van Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 in C minor Undoubtedly the most easily recognizable symphony introduction in history but also a fascinating work in the way it builds whole worlds out of an extremely basic cell. - Ludwig Van Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A major Yes, I picked it mainly for the slow movement, which is one of the most carefully-built, awe-inspiring thing that Beethoven ever wrote, but the whole symphony is extremely good, even if the (excellent) other movements are overshadowed by that amazing _Allegretto_. - Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 1 in C minor Otherwise jokingly known as “Beethoven’s Tenth”. I love the way the introduction immediately grabs you by the throat : soaring, stormy and relentless. Also, much later, just when you think the symphony is going to transition to a bombastic conclusion, you get a diversion : the music briefly takes on a “fairy tale”, suspended character as if it was lost in an enchanted forest. Lovely. And only after that does the glorious conclusive sequence starts. One of the greatest Romantic symphonies. - Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E minor Brahms’ music can be described in many ways : wistful and autumnal, achingly beautiful, firmly grounded, tightly structured, formally ambitious, faithful to tradition and yet forward-looking but there’s one adjective that doesn’t come spontaneously : elegant. It doesn’t have the effortless seduction, the fluid delicacy of Mozart’s or Schubert’s. And yet, there’s this symphony’s arresting opening, which a moment of pure, ethereal grace. The rest of the work doesn’t quite recapture that feeling but it doesn’t matter for the music is of the very highest caliber, from the second movement’s slow, deliberate development of a simple horn melody to the breathtaking variations of the finale. Brahms’ towering orchestral achievement. - Serge Prokofiev: Symphony No. 7 in C sharp minor The symphony as a genre lost ground in Europe after the Second World War. There was one place where it continued to thrive however : the Soviet Union, where composers churned out hundreds of examples. Most are forgettable, yet some are definitely worth listening to. A precious few rank with the best examples of the previous century. Shostakovich is the first name that springs to mind but **Prokofiev** ’s symphonic output attracts me more. The former’s music is always either deliberately grotesque or anguished, while the latter uses a much subtler palette and a finer brush. What’s more, his melodic gift was undeniable, based on long and lyrical themes that take totally unexpected turns while remaining immediately striking. The opening of this symphony offers one of the finest examples of this, as well as a delightful, admiring nod to Tchaikovsky. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/11 "2017-08-30T11:31:37Z")
Les Espaces du Sommeil, you wrote: “Brahms’ music can be described in many ways : wistful and autumnal, achingly beautiful, firmly grounded, tightly structured, formally ambitious, faithful to tradition and yet forward-looking but there’s one adjective that doesn’t come spontaneously : elegant. It doesn’t have the effortless seduction, the fluid delicacy of Mozart’s or Schubert’s.” Beautifully stated, IMHO. This all applies as well to his chamber music, and even his solo piano stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/12 "2017-08-30T11:59:25Z")
Serge Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major “Classical” - because it makes me happy. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/13 "2017-08-30T13:19:27Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Serge Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D major “Classical” - because it makes me happy. Me too. It wasn’t one of the ones I voted for, but now I’m having serious second thoughts about that. I guess I thought the “ **best** symphonies” should be weightier, more momentous; but there’s definitely a place in this world for shorter, bright, good-humored, humorous symphonies, like Prokofiev’s 1st, Beethoven’s 8th, Shostakovitch’s 9th, back to the more lighthearted symphonies of Haydn and Mozart. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/14 "2017-08-30T13:52:04Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Les Espaces du Sommeil, you wrote: > > “Brahms’ music can be described in many ways : wistful and autumnal, achingly beautiful, firmly grounded, tightly structured, formally ambitious, faithful to tradition and yet forward-looking but there’s one adjective that doesn’t come spontaneously : elegant. It doesn’t have the effortless seduction, the fluid delicacy of Mozart’s or Schubert’s.” > > Beautifully stated, IMHO. This all applies as well to his chamber music, and even his solo piano stuff. Thanks ;). And indeed, you’re right: it applies to all of his music. But then, Brahms is one of favourite composers. Definitely in my top 3. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2017, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/15 "2017-08-30T14:38:48Z")
Voted for five, would have included a sixth that’s not on the list: Sibelius’s Second. Without the 1945 restriction, I would also add Messiaen’s Turangalila. The five I voted for: Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 Mahler: Symphony No. 1 Brahms: Symphony No. 1 ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/16 "2017-08-31T22:38:13Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > Without the 1945 restriction, I would also add Messiaen’s Turangalila. Yes! I’m a huge Messiaen fan, and Turangalila is like a sledgehammer. It’s amazing. I didn’t vote, because my idea of the best symphony changes from day to day, depending on my mental and emotional state. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/17 "2017-08-31T22:55:40Z")
IIRC, we did a poll not too long ago (then again, maybe it was; time flies, and all) which essentially asked, “Aliens w/o Music Make First Contact, So Pick 1 Piece of Music For Our Alien Visitors to Best Represent Humanity.” Beethoven’s 9th again won by a comfortable margin. Again, it’s only IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2017, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/18 "2017-08-31T23:04:27Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > Yes! I’m a huge Messiaen fan, and Turangalila is like a sledgehammer. It’s amazing. > > I didn’t vote, because my idea of the best symphony changes from day to day, depending on my mental and emotional state. The mood of that sort of reminds me of Mussorgsky’s _Night on Bald Mountain_. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2017, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-symphonies/795019/19 "2017-09-01T11:20:14Z")
Just adding the symphonies I could have voted for if I hadn’t decided to limit myself to 5 picks: - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 38 in D major “Prague” - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor - Ludwig Van Beethoven: Symphony No. 6 in F major “Pastorale” - Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3 in A minor “Scottish” - Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 3 in F major - Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 in F minor - Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 9 in E minor “From the New World” (I almost voted for it but figured that a lot of posters would, too so it didn’t need my help) - Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 5 in E flat major Then, among those that I didn’t shortlist, the following are definitely worth knowing : - Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 1 in G minor “Winter Daydreams” (the last three get all the attention but this one’s are real overlooked gem. The first two movements have some gorgeous, unforgettable melodies. Pure Tchaikovsky) - Jean Sibelius: Symphony No. 6 in D minor (stuck between two famous symphonies, this one’s another real sleeper. I love the main theme of the last movement) - Alexander Scriabin: Symphony No. 4 “Poem of Ecstasy” - Arnold Bax: Symphony No. 6 - Serge Prokofiev: Symphony No. 3 in C minor - Olivier Messiaen: Turangalila Symphony - Henri Dutilleux: Symphony No. 1 - Witold Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 3