5 Favorite Symphonies
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 39
enthusiast
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OP
enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 39 |
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.
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Re: 5 Favorite Symphonies
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 16,441
shareholder in the making
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shareholder in the making
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 16,441 |
Now you need to tell us which performances (i.e. conductor, orchestra) of each Symphony are your favorite.
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Re: 5 Favorite Symphonies
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,201
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,201 |
Peter is on a roll today throughout the forums. Friendly jabs, cutting remarks, a foul sense of humour. I like it.
*Michael* AV123 Refugee - X-LS Encore, X-Voce, X-Omnis, Elt-Dpa's Denon AVR-591 Magnavox NB500MGX BDP
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Re: 5 Favorite Symphonies
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,201
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,201 |
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.
*Michael* AV123 Refugee - X-LS Encore, X-Voce, X-Omnis, Elt-Dpa's Denon AVR-591 Magnavox NB500MGX BDP
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Re: 5 Favorite Symphonies
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,016
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,016 |
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
EXCUSE ME, ARE YOU THE SINGING BUSH??
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Re: 5 Favorite Symphonies
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Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,056
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 1,056 |
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.
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Re: 5 Favorite Symphonies
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Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,201
connoisseur
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connoisseur
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,201 |
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.
*Michael* AV123 Refugee - X-LS Encore, X-Voce, X-Omnis, Elt-Dpa's Denon AVR-591 Magnavox NB500MGX BDP
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Re: 5 Favorite Symphonies
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Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 5,236
axiomite
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axiomite
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 5,236 |
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!
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Re: 5 Favorite Symphonies
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 18,044
shareholder in the making
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shareholder in the making
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 18,044 |
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.
I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
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