I’m trying to broaden my horizons and listen to more orchestral rep. I think it’s good for your ear too. I don’t actually know that many symphonies, here’s a list of those I know well:
Beethoven 3,5,6,9
Brahms 4
Mozart – G minor 25, G minor 40
Schubert – Unfinished
Mendelssohn – Italian
Liszt - Faust
Saint Saens – Organ
Dvorak – New World
Mahler – 2nd
Rachmaninoff – E minor
I know a movement here and there from Haydn (Surprise, Farewell), Berlioz (symphonie fantasique) and Tchaikovsky (5 and 6) but not the whole works. I’ve listened to Shostakovich’s Leningrad a few times and liked it, but can’t say I really know it. Ditto for pieces I’ve actually heard live like Tchaik 4, Strauss Alpine and Brahms 1st. Of symphonies I’ve not mentioned above, which would you recommend?
I know quite a lot of symphonic poems and concert overtures but I’m specifically talking about symphonies here. I actually don’t like the Tchaik 4th very much, remember it being super bombastic. It’s been at least 8 years since I saw it (have left at intermission for any subsequent performance), so maybe it’s time for a reassessment.
I know a lot more about romantic era symphonies than any other era but if you like those I could recommend some more obscure gems
My favourite Mahler after the 2nd is the 6th.
This Stenhammar Symphony takes me places.
Also see if either of the 1st 2 Halvorsen Symphonies grab you at all -
They’re not groundbreaking works, a lot of music in the early 20th century remained stubbornly tonal and was subsequently forgotten.
Sure there’s a lot of forgettable music out there, but to me these are memorable and emotionally powerful works that each offer an experience I come back to almost as often as many mainstream symphonies.
Even I can make a recommendation here, if a mundane one - LvB 7. In the quasi symphony department also Harold en Italie, and just about anything from Rameau, Dittersdorf, Vivaldi, Corelli etc.
Thanks Kreso, that’s quite a list!
I reckon I’ve only ever listened to the Beethoven 7th once or twice in my life, so I’ll start there. Brahms 1 I like, and have listened to very recently, so that one should be quite easy to become familiar with.
I love Beethoven 7! It’s probably my favorite Beethoven symphony, not counting 9th, which is out of this world (and together with Mahler 2nd one of my favorite piece of music). I advice Carlos Kleiber for it.
Speaking about Mahler, his 4th is probably the “easisest” to listen, reminding me on Beethoven Pastoral Symphony. Of, I forgot Mahler 1, Titan, which is also quite simple to understand on firsf hearing…
Bruckner 7 is my favorite, but with him, it just needs more time and more replay. But when you enter to that world, it’s quite fullfiling…
I’ve heard a lot of these, but not enough to know them. However, Sibelius is a composer I’ve almost completely neglected (even his famous Violin concerto I don’t really know). I’ll probably prioritise one of those. For la mer, I remember a recording by Celibidache I liked (must’ve been around 2010), I’ll have to dig that one up.
IMO Celi is hardly a good choice because he tends to terribly slow down things, especially later in his life. I like this performance:
As for Sibelius, I “discovered” his music only after I was 40…but every year since, I appreciate him more, and now I like his symphonies even more than Bruckner’s or Mahler’s! For me, it’s also closely connected with experiencing nature (I live in the countryside now for 5 years).
This Celi rec is from the 40s, but obviously I don’t know the piece well enough to know if he’s dragging. I’ll check out the Muti rec when I have a free moment over the next couple of days.
Randomly I have some crazy huge symphony boxsets I’ve been wanting to share, but I was worried nobody would DL. Stuff like complete Munch, Solti, Monteux, NYPhil boxes, Bohm, etc. I’ll post a couple and see if there’s any interest.
Maybe the 5 easiest to get into? Not including Beethoven 7th, Sibelius 5 or Debussy La Mer (though you’re welcome to upload any recs of those that you like!). Thanks heaps!
oh man I listen to more orchestral stuff than anything else.
Haydn - all 104 but maybe Paris and London sets. For earlier stuff, personal fav is the gmin no.39.
Mozart - 39-41
Beethoven - all
Schubert - 8,9
Mendelssohn - 3,4,5
Berlioz - Symphony Fantastique
Schumann - if you like Schumann, all of them. personal fav is 2 (slow mov is amazing!) and 3 (4th mov is amazing!)
Brahms - all
Borodin - 2
Tchaikovsky - 4,5,6 (I like Manfred too)
Sains Sains - 3
Rimsky Korsakov - Scheherezade
Dvorak - 7,8,9
Bruckner - 4,7
Rachmaninoff - 2
Mahler - all
Debussy - la Mer
VW - 1,5
Elgar - 1,2
Sibelius - everyone loves 2 but not my fav (I like 1), 5,7.
Prokofiev - 1,5,6
Shostakovich - 1,5,7,8,10
haha maybe should’ve asked for 5 symph recommendations. I used to know Scheherazade back in the day from the ballet, but have mostly forgotten it. Randomly, I don’t think I’ve ever listened to any of the Prok symphs.
