Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo 5 Favorite Symphonies

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.

Now you need to tell us which performances (i.e. conductor, orchestra) of each Symphony are your favorite.

Peter is on a roll today throughout the forums. Friendly jabs, cutting remarks, a foul sense of humour. I like it.

Beethovens symphony #5 is indeed wonderful. Movement two is my personal favorite. I also enjoy listening to beethovens symphony #1, especially movement two from Seraphim Classics.

Dvorak's #9 "new world" is quite interesting as well. I fell in love with the 2nd movement years ago. The prague festival orchestra with conductor Pavel Urbanek has a tempo that's just right for me. Not too fast nor too slow.

Here are a few of my favorites which include symphonies, quartets, concertos and so on.

In no particular order:
Mozart- Symphonies 1-5 (Naxos)
J.C. Bach- Sinfonias Vol.1 (Naxos)
Vivaldi- Cello Concerti- Vol.4 (Naxos)
J. Hayden- String quartets Op.76 (naxos)
Telemann- Recorder suite (Naxos)
J.S.Bach- Brandenburg Concertos (Seraphim)
Vivaldi- Four seasons (Penguin Classics)

Later, Richeydog.

i find these threads very interesting.. i bookmark every one of them.. see, i got NO classicla music in my collection.. NONE.. and it aint cause i dont like it, i just never knew where to begin. its not like you can turn on a radio, and go, "hey, i really like that symphony.. i think i will go buy it"...

so, i have taken tid bits of info from these type posts, and i am fixin to start my classical collection. actually, i might just buy the first 2 or 3 from this list.. unless, someone has any other good advice for a first timer. ?

bigjohn

There are some really great classical "samplers" out there. Depending on your tastes, the box sets usually come packaged with similar music - symphonies, ballets, marches, etc. all packed onto one cd. I bought a bunch of those a couple of years back. It'll give you an idea as to what kinds of classical you like, and which composers you fancy. Worry about stuff like which orchestra is playing the songs later, IMO.

In any event - it's not too exspensive to get out there and find some of these little box sets. But beware that, with everything in life, you do get what you pay for. So watch out for the packages with 4 cds and the cost is only 4.99 - you might be buying some real crap. Otherwise, pick a reasonably priced box set to start with and go from there.

Bigjohn, I am no expert at this, but I've never heard of classicla music either. On a serious note, Beethovens' symphony 5 and dvorak's symphony 9 are solid pieces. I think you might like them. Mozarts 1-5 symphonies which I mentioned are wonderful too. Good luck, richeydog.

A few of my favs...not all are necessarily symphonies.

Beethoven #7 (especially the second movement)
Beethoven #9
Beethoven Piano Concerto #5
Holst - The Planets (I particularly love Mars and Saturn)
Tchaikovsky - Marche Slave

Hey...just was browsing amazon.com for some new classical tunes and came across this...Yo-Yo Ma plays Ennio Morricone Seems like a must buy cd to me!

Yup, my favorite is Beethoven's #9. It's an almost perfect piece of music. I could do with a better recording, though. I can hear a chair scraping and a wrong cello note on the first movement.