Here's a list of my five favorite symphonies, for no other reason than I think I've read one too many audiophile manifestos, and I need to cleanse my mind.
1. Beethoven--No. 5.
This is the best music I have ever heard. The first movement in particular is truly inspiring--so tight, seamless, and connected. It just seems absolutely perfect, with no noticeable areas of improvement. Easly my favorite.
2. Brahms--No. 4.
I didn't like this symphony when I first heard it, as played by Neeme Jarvi and the London Symphony Orchestra. But I did some research and found out how well regarded it is, and decided to give it another shot. I bought Bruno Walter's version on SACD, and I don't know if it was the recording or what, but I really got into this music. I especially like the endings of the first and last sections, with that pounding percussion. This is some dark intellectual stuff, which I can really get lost in sometimes.
3. Dvorak--No. 9.
Tough choice listing this at no. 3 instead of 2, because I've probably been listening to this more than any other piece of music over the past few months. There's something about that last movement, the triumphant feel to it, that grabs me every time. I also like the way it ends, with a completely new and refreshing melody; it seems to fit the title perfectly, as well as the overall tone of the piece. Very enjoyable.
4. Mozart--No. 40.
This was the first symphony I was ever able to get into. It's short and quick, which is probably a good reason for that. The recording that I have clocks in at about 27 minutes, so it's no task to pop it in and listen to it all the way through. Awesome melodies, as usual with Mozart, but with a darker, more somber feel to it. There are other great Mozart symphonies as well, and any number of them could have probably made the list.
5. Tchaikovsky--No. 5.
I find a lot of similarities in the music of Tchaikovsky and Mozart (as with Beethoven and Brahms), with Tchaikovsky being a great deal more loud and bombastic. That definitely holds true for this piece. On the whole, I like this symphony, if not for the third section, which doesn't keep my attention all that well. Still, though, I think it's his best work, although he once wrote that he considered the sixth symphony as his greatest. Go figure. I might have to give that one another shot, too.
Anyway, that's my list. If anyone has any thoughts, or a list of their own, do share. I'm always looking for new music to listen to.
