# Your favorite Brahms symphony?

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-brahms-symphony/570259
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [February 5, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-brahms-symphony/570259 "2011-02-05T05:04:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [February 5, 2011, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-brahms-symphony/570259/1 "2011-02-05T05:04:20Z")

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Vote for your favorite Brahms symphony.

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### Author: ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)
#### Post date: [February 5, 2011, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-brahms-symphony/570259/2 "2011-02-05T05:06:22Z")

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I love them all, but the first symphony is my favorite. The first movement of the first symphony is pure listening bliss.

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### Author: ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)
#### Post date: [February 5, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-brahms-symphony/570259/3 "2011-02-05T05:46:06Z")

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I love them all as well, gave the nudge to the fourth.

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### 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: [February 5, 2011, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-brahms-symphony/570259/4 "2011-02-05T08:25:09Z")

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Yes, they are all masterpieces, But I have to vote for #3 because of the third movement . . . especially the Szell/Cleveland recording.

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### 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: [February 5, 2011, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-brahms-symphony/570259/5 "2011-02-05T09:07:00Z")

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> [@Art\_Rock](#):
>
> I love them all as well, gave the nudge to the fourth.

What he said.

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### Author: ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [February 5, 2011, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-brahms-symphony/570259/6 "2011-02-05T15:42:27Z")

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Tough choice between 1 and 4, but I’m going with #1. Some really daring moves in this one: the incredible pounding opening, the spooky pizzicato theme at the beginning of the last movement. Here are the lyrics to the big tune from the last movement, courtesy of Josefa Heifetz:

_The sandwich that Plato found worthy of any god  
Was bacon, tomato, and slices of avocad-  
o._