The BBC Music Magazine top 10 Symphonies

[Jay-dub]

Thanks. From a methodology point, only asking for the top 3 greatest will give a certain bias, asking for a slightly longer list would have been better. But I should probably stop obsessing about this kind of detail.

 

In any case, in the end the full top 20 list looks pretty comprehensive to me.

It certainly biases the list towards works on a monumental scale, those that are unique in their composer's output, and those with orchestration that works well with a full-sized symphony orchestra. Thus: no Haydn (are conductors going to agree on one or two out of dozens of wonderful works?) and no Schumann (orchestration that works best with a chamber orchestra). I'm convinced that if Berlioz had written four symphonies, none of them would have made the cut.

 

Polling composers might give you a more interesting list. I remember Easley Blackwood used to maintain a list of the greatest orchestral works. His highest category (outstanding both in content and orchestration, from beginning to end) had Beethoven represented by symphonies 4 and 8, and included Haydn 88, 101 and 102. I don't remember what else he had on his list.

[Le Concombre Masqué]

Maybe I'd loose the 2 &8 and introduce Dvorak's 9

For me it would be:

 

Beethoven 1

Beethoven 2

Beethoven 3

Beethoven 4

Beethoven 5

Beethoven 6

Beethoven 7

Beethoven 8

Beethoven 9

Hmmm. And maybe Mahler 9.

[Jay-dub]

And my personal favorites list:

 

Haydn 93, 101

Beethoven 2,4,8

Schumann 2

Brahms 2

Sibelius 2,5

Mahler Lied von der Erde

 

with runners-up:

Mozart 39,41

Beethoven 7

Mendelssohn 3

Schumann 3,4

Brahms 1,3

Tchaikovsky 4,6

Dvorak 7,9

Mahler 6,9

Stravinsky Symphony in C

Bartok Concerto for Orchestra

[Norton]

My tastes are a bit more 20th century and a bit more English, so top in terms of what I actually listen to the most :

 

Elgar 1, 2 maybe "3"

RVW 1-3, 5&6

Mahler 2, 5 & 6

Bruckner 3,4, 6-9

Mendelssohn 3 (and getting to like 5 at the moment)

Schumann 1-4

Tchaikovsky 4-6

Rachmaninov 3

Moeran Symphony in G

William Boyce

Copland 3

Diamond 2

Myaskovsky 6 and 20+

Arnell 3

Rubbra 3,4,5,7

[Boris75]

They were asked: '...to name the three symphonies they consider the greatest.' The results were then complied into a top 20.

 

Here's the BBC Music Magazine's complete list of the Top 20:

 

01 - Beethoven 3

02 - Beethoven 9

03 - Mozart 41

04 - Mahler 9

05 - Mahler 2

06 - Brahms 4

07 - Berlioz Symphonie fantastique

08 - Brahms 1

09 - Tchaikovsky 6

10 - Mahler 3

11 - Beethoven 5

12 - Brahms 3

13 - Bruckner 8

14 - Sibelius 7

15 - Mozart 40

16 - Beethoven 7

17 - Shostakovich 5

18 - Brahms 2

19 - Beethoven 6

20 - Bruckner 7

 

That's a sensible, but if I had to pick just one Sibelius, that would be the second rather than the seventh. Similarly, for Shostakovich, that would be the 7th rather than the 5th. Finally, I'd drop Brahms 2nd (though that's a great symphony) to make room for Saint-Saens' 3rd. And that still leaves Haydn, Schumann and Melssohn out, which is a shame!

[Hailey]

If this list were called "Symphonies conductors like to conduct" it might make more sense.