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.

DL, that's a list of great works and I have one or more versions of each. As Peter mentioned, it makes it even more interesting when the specific recording is identified. Since you say that the Beethoven 5th is a favorite, you should have Carlos Kleiber's excellent CD coupling it with his 7th.

Symphonies which you didn't mention but should definitely have are the three by Rachmaninoff available on a bargain 3 CD set also including the Symphonic Dances, Isle of the Dead and The Bells now on sale at Tower. If you like the Tchaikovsky 5th you should also have his 4th, available in a fine version with Romeo and Juliet on sale now. Free shipping.

Bigjohn, you probably have my past suggestions bookmarked, but specifically, you first-timer, do this: go to the Amazon music site and search in classical by punching in "planets mehta" which runs $7.98, and then "symphonic poems batiz", "symphonic dances batiz" and "hungarian dances bogar", which are $6.98 each. So there're four real bargains for $29 with free shipping. Whip out that credit card and enjoy. There's a whole world of beautiful music out there for you to discover.

I'll second the suggestion on the 5th and 7th symphony CD. Have it, love it, need to buy more classical.

well, thanks guys...

as mentioned, i have bookmarked all these suggestions, and will go check them out. my wife even mentioned she would like some classical music to listen to in the day since she is at home with the new baby, and hates to hear the constant drone of the TV.

i now have a good idea of where to start.. the dvorak #9 and beethovan #5 must be really good, cause those 2 are mentioned alot.. i think i will start there, and get an idea of what my tastes might be..

bigjohn

That Kleiber 5th and 7th cd is available in multi-channel SACD as well. I'll be picking that up ASAP.

As threatened, I went out today at lunch and bought that Yo-Yo Ma cd. I heard it in the car, and now at my desk at work on crap computer speakers and it's stunning. I can't wait to hear it at home.

Is Tchaikovsky 5th the one most people are familiar with that has the cannon booms towards the end (of the popular movement anyway). Are there any well recorded CD's that have this as well as some other pieces along the loud and thunderous vein?

I think you're thinking of the 1812 Overture.

Duh...yeah, I am. And I knew that too now that you say it. Is a lot of his stuff along that vein?

I don't know a lot of his stuff, but most of his stuff is pretty big and full sounding. I personally really like his stuff. Have you heard his "Marche Slave"? Another really great piece.

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D is one of my very favorite classical works (particularly the first movement). It has an interesting history.

Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D is a favorite among violinists these days and holds a place in history as the first great violin concerto by a Russian composer. He had written it for his friend Yosif Kotek, but dedicated the work to a more popular violinist at the time, Leopold Auer, founder of the Russian school of violin playing. However, Auer called the piece unplayable and declined the dedication, so it was a third violinist who premiered the work in 1881 -- Adolph Brodsky. Viennese critic Eduard Hanslick gave that concerto one of his most notorious reviews, saying the piece "brings us...to the horrid idea that there may be pieces whose stench one can hear." Incidentally, Auer changed his mind about ten years later and started praising and playing Violin Concerto in D quite frequently.

I've heard recordings of it by Perlman, Heifitz, and Oistrakh, and have just purchased a version recommended to me by JohnK. I'm looking forward to it.

Yeah Jason, it's the 1812 Overture, and the classic version which had the cannons almost literally "blow away" first-time listeners still hasn't been surpassed and is on sale now . Another vigorous piece you'll like is the Planets . Another Tchaikovsky CD is the one I also suggested to bigjohn. In fact all the ones that I suggested to him are very colorful and almost sure to appeal to a new listener, which is why I suggested them rather than the Beethoven or Dvorak symphonies.

The 1812 Overture always reminds me of high school (I played french horn) when we won state orchestra playing that piece. We used real cannons in it. Was always a big hit!

If you're into the strings... hit up Amazon for "String Quartet Tribute To" and search through the 90 odd results. Nothing overly fancy when it comes to the playing... but for some artists you may already like, hearing them in a different light is refreshing, and also those that don't like that particular band, may like it in a softer string quartet fashion.

I offer 4 songs from my collection as a sampling:

Fleetwood Mac - Second Hand News

Linkin Park - Crawling

Coldplay - In My Place

P.O.D. - Sattelite

Enjoy!

- D

The 2nd movement of Beethoven's 7th is one of the greatest symphonic pieces ever written, IMO.

For those looking to start a classical collection, I recommend a CD called "Mozart Goes to a Party". It is a Mozart sampler wtih a couple of pieces jazzed up/modernized - very well recorded. I use the overture to "The Marriage of Figaro" from this CD to really show off my system because it is a tune that everybody knows (from Bugs Bunny), but there are instruments in there that you've never heard before - until you hear a great recording on a great system - which allows you to also appreciate Mozart that much more. My kids like it enough that they go around humming "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"

I have five favorite orchestral pieces; do they necessarily have to be symphonies???

My list wasn't. Post 'em!

JohnK,

I do have the Kleiber version of the fifth, but on SACD--the multichannel mix is awesome, as is the whole performance in general. Other versions I have are Colin Davis with the BBC Symphony Orcherstra (Pentatone Classics SACD), which is pretty good as well, and the George Szell standard CD with the Clevelend Orchestra. The Kleiber version is tops among the three, though, imo.

The Bruno Walter recording of Brahms' 4th on Sony SACD is the best sounding CD I have, which is strange in that it was recorded in 1959. I don't know why, but the strings sound the cleanest of everything I've heard to date.

The only recording I have of Dvorak's 9th is another multichannel SACD (I guess you can tell I'm sold on super audio), performed by Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra. The recording is okay, except that the brass section sounds a little bit louder than the strings. I actually want to check out the Bernstein version, as I heard it once on the radio, and it sounded pretty good. I also want to hear his version of Beethoven's 3rd--still looking for a good recording of that.

And, yes, Tchaikovsky's fourth is definitely a must. I have a stereo SACD from Telarc, with Lorin Maazel and the Cleveland Orchestra. It's not bad, but I might actually pick up the one you mentioned--I mean, for $7.49, you can't really go wrong. The fifth I have on a regular Deutsche Grammophone CD, with Seiji Ozawa and the Berlin Philharmonic. It also has the 1812 overture, which kicks major booty. If that were a symphony, it definitely would've been on the list. ;-)

One thing I do need, though, is another recording of Mozart's 40th. The only one I have is George Szell with the Cleveland Orchestra again. It's all right, but I'm sure there's a better one out there somewhere.

Hmmmm...well, I'm more into the 20th c. so my favorite five large-scale symphonic works would probably be (in no particular order):

1) "Petroushka" - Stravinsky

2) "Piano Concerto No. 2" - Bartok

3) "Confession of Isobel Gowdie" - James MacMillan

4) "Four Sea Interludes" - Britten

5) "The Desert Music" - Steve Reich

Now, of course, this list could be totally different by tomorrow morning, so don't hold me to it! -JT

DL, since you're into SACD, let me suggest the one that I got recently although I don't have a player. I got it for the CD layer and an excellent performance of Tchaikovsky's great ballet. I also played the SACD layer on a colleague's player and it's fine. It's available at a very good price at Tower so, I'll add it to those items in my previous reply.

I'm not very heavily into Mozart, but I do have Symphony 40 in a collection that has a fine performance along with Serenades and Overtures. The price is even better now, in fact remarkably low .

Oh, and Ken if you'd like a CD of the revised version of the Beethoven 9th(at the suggestion of Mozart, Beethoven removed the scraping chair passage from the 1st movement), try this .

That... would be the CD that I have.

Beethoven received advice from dead people?

It was during a seance, Adam(very good, Adam; just kidding around to see who would pick up on that little point).

VACLAV NELHYBEL:Trittico
First Movement: Allegro maestoso
Frederick Fennel
Dallas Wind Symphony

Isaac Albeniz:Festival Day in Seville
Frederick Fennell
Dallas Wind Symphony

Polka from the "Bolt"
Schostakowitch from Opus3 No. 79-03

"... 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"... "

You can't just listen to the radio and say "hey I really like that"??? The radio is where I get a lot of my ideas for purchases. True you often have to go to the stations webpage - but all that takes is a computer and an internet or two.

Interesting thread. I am really into classical music now - but I don't like ANY symphonies - so far anyway. I don't know what it is - maybe I can't appreciate so many instruments at one time?

I do like most Baroque chamber music and classical period chamber music. Haven't ventured much beyond those two categories (except for the well reviewed symphonies that I ended up not liking).

I listened to the SACD version of Bach's orchestral suites (I think the name is right) by the Boston Baroque Orchestra
- highly reviewed but boring to me. I do like their Brandenburg discs - I suppose that is the only full orchestra piece I like.

I pretty much read the penguin Classical CD guide and listen to the radio to get my tips. Can't go too far wrong if it gets a Rosetta.

By the way - anyone want to buy an almost complete set of Beethoven's Symphonies by Abbado on DVD-audio?

Saints-Saens' "Symphony No. 3 in C" (the Organ Symphony) - otherwise known as the music from the movie "Babe"

OK...just got done listening to my 9th again. I haven't really listened to the disc on my Axioms before. Whoa mamma! ~

Absolutely stunning.

OK, now I've got to listen to it on the Axioms.

All the Prokofiev and Rachmaninov piano concertos. On occasion, I believe these to be perhaps the best music ever. They have aged well.

Prokofiev's Piano Concerto #2 in G Minor is probably my favorite.

B's 9th always reminds me of "The Clockwork Orange"

It's the 'Die Hard' music for me.

Riff, Rachmaninoff is probably my favorite composer; I have a couple sets of the piano concertos, but like the three symphonies even more and have four complete sets of them.

As far as Prokofiev, my favorites are his music for Cinderella and Romeo and Juliet. On his piano concertos, if you'd like some excellent low-cost versions with a different interpretation, try the Paik CDs on Naxos.

Hi!
Many happy returns to your baby!
May I suggest some PRECLASSICAL music for your wife(and not only, it is good for the baby too).For you, there are so many classical stations on the radio, some with excellent broadcasting quality and solid selections, and ...they are free!
Regarding what to start with, please try not to go in a predefinite direction.Instead, listen to anything and let your soul and mind to get in love with what is more naturally suitable for your sensibility! You could end falling in love with classical music!
Regards,
Octavian

well thanks.. we dont have any 'classical' radio stations where i am from, but i am getting input from other places. i watched an opera on PBS the other night, and i have looked at some cd's to order.

my wife has told me to "hold off" on buying any yet, cause she thinks that 'santa' might be bringing me some for christmas. maybe a few stocking stuffers. so, i will wait another month, and see where i stand.

bigjohn

BigJohn wrote:

In reply to:

---

my wife has told me to "hold off" on buying any yet, cause she thinks that 'santa' might be bringing me some for christmas.

---

My wife said the EXACT same thing to me regarding a Sony XBR 60" plasma I was looking at the other night!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Of course, she ALWAYS says that crap to me to get me to leave the store. Last time, it was a Corvette for Armistice Day.

John, I'm shocked that you don't already have those great CDs that I suggested to you earlier. Just for that you(and your wife)have an extra assignment in getting this wonderful Dvorak Slavonic Dances disc.

You should be aware that since there's no classical station in your area that this site is a gateway to classical stations from the U.S. and all over the world which stream over the internet. Although the sound quality isn't the greatest, of course, it's the music that counts, and I'm almost always using that when I'm on the computer.

Is anyone familiar with Schubert's Sixth?

I heard parts of it (literally) 5-7 years ago, when there was a classical FM station in the area, and I've always considered buying it. It doesn't seem to be a terribly popular piece, though, and I'd never had any idea if there was a preferred performance...(?)

Mark, you're right about the Schubert 6th; it isn't one of the more colorful pieces that beginning listeners tend to be attracted to immediately, although there are of course many Schubert enthusiasts. The CDs that I suggested to John, for example, are colorful music that are about as sure-fire to satisfy new listeners as anything. A well-regarded Schubert 6th coupled with the the 3rd is this low-cost disc .

John:
Thank you for the suggestion- I've added it to a Tower wishlist so I can combine it with a few other discs for purchase.

I was actually starting to enjoy classical music 7 or 8 years ago, then I kind of got away from it (I probably starting getting more excited about HT; it was around the same time I went to Pro Logic!).

Anyway, what I had heard of it I really liked. Thank you again for the suggestion and link!!

JohnK, I will try one of those Paik CDs on Naxos. I'm always looking for suggestions. Thanks.