[LugBug1]

Here are 3 symphonies that I thought would have been mentioned but haven't. All 3 are more loved by record collectors than critics, but what does that tell you..?
 
 
Saint Saens; Organ Symphony (No3)
 

 
 
 
Rachmaninov; Symphony No2
 

 
 
 
Gorecki; Symphony No3  
 

 

[Sordel]

I don't understand the excitement around Gorecki's third. It seems to me like a very poor retread of Strauss's Four Last Songs.

 

[rroseperry]

I don't understand the excitement around Gorecki's third. It seems to me like a very poor retread of Strauss's Four Last Songs.

Disagree, Gorecki's exploring a very different dynamic range than Strauss in the third. And although the voice is an important element, the work is not about the voice, as are the Last Songs.

 

[One Eye]

Love the Saint Saens Levine's is my fave interpretation. The Rach 2 is another biggie for me I love the Ashkenazy set.
Sorry all But like rroseperry the Gorecki is not my cup of tea. It became over hyped in the music press but I personally could not get what all the fuss was about.
I'd like to add Bruckner's 5th which has been well served on disc, with Jochum being the stand out interpreter, for me anyway.

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

Love the Saint Saens Levine's is my fave interpretation. The Rach 2 is another biggie for me I love the Ashkenazy set.
Sorry all But like rroseperry the Gorecki is not my cup of tea. It became over hyped in the music press but I personally could not get what all the fuss was about.
I'd like to add Bruckner's 5th which has been well served on disc, with Jochum being the stand out interpreter, for me anyway.

twas sordel that didn't like Gorecki not rroseberry (sorry just to save any backlash)
 
Yeah the Gorecki is a strange fish, I don't think its that original either. I must admit I do like the first movement with the thick textures, it has an almost hypnotic effect on me. I'm a world class insomniac and the only time I've ever listen to this symph is in the early hours and its very rare that I reach the final movement... So its great for that haha !
 
Along with Gorecki, another composer who has used minimalism to brilliant effect is Arvo Part. I'm going to have to recommend his latest Symphony No4 to anyone who hasn't heard it yet. It's very early days to say if its going be up there with the greats but I like it. I like all Part's recent works, I'm soo please he visited the Tate that day! I am deeply fond of his choral works (I think his St Johns Passion is probably the greatest religious peice of the late 20th century)  but there is only so much you can write without it getting stale considering the restrictions of his methodology. Even the good lord Bach wrote far too much religious music and a lot of it ended up being recycled.
 
Anyway's his recent change of gear has pleased some but not others.
 
 
 

 
   
 
 

 

[One Eye]

Quote:

twas sordel that didn't like Gorecki not rroseberry (sorry just to save any backlash)
 
Yeah the Gorecki is a strange fish, I don't think its that original either. I must admit I do like the first movement with the thick textures, it has an almost hypnotic effect on me. I'm a world class insomniac and the only time I've ever listen to this symph is in the early hours and its very rare that I reach the final movement... So its great for that haha !
 
Along with Gorecki, another composer who has used minimalism to brilliant effect is Arvo Part. I'm going to have to recommend his latest Symphony No4 to anyone who hasn't heard it yet. It's very early days to say if its going be up there with the greats but I like it. I like all Part's recent works, I'm soo please he visited the Tate that day! I am deeply fond of his choral works (I think his St Johns Passion is probably the greatest religious peice of the late 20th century)  but there is only so much you can write without it getting stale considering the restrictions of his methodology. Even the good lord Bach wrote far too much religious music and a lot of it ended up being recycled.
 
Anyway's his recent change of gear has pleased some but not others.
 
Hi Lug Bug1
Sorry to all concerned. A case of the fingers being faster than the eye.
My own favourite 20th century choral work would have to be Penderecki's 'Utrenja' in the original Polska Nagrina  issue. I have not gotten the NAXOS one yet. I live in Dublin and the record shops are dreadful as far as I know there are no independents left, so it's internet purchase .  I will get around to it.
Anyway again apologies to rroseberry and all concerned.
I am new to this site and it is really super.
 
 
 

 
   
 
 

 

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by One Eye /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Hi Lug Bug1
Sorry to all concerned. A case of the fingers being faster than the eye.
My own favourite 20th century choral work would have to be Penderecki's 'Utrenja' in the original Polska Nagrina  issue. I have not gotten the NAXOS one yet. I live in Dublin and the record shops are dreadful as far as I know there are no independents left, so it's internet purchase .  I will get around to it.
Anyway again apologies to rroseberry and all concerned.
I am new to this site and it is really super.





 
 

Absolutely no problem at all my friend and you're very welcome!
 
 
Incidently, I love "Utrenja" too, its as good if not better than the more celebrated "St lukes Passion" I only have the Naxos version which is defo worth a look. Yeah record shops are becoming a thing from the past and thats a big shame. I've watched my local HMV's  Classical section get smaller and smaller through the years; it used to have its own floor! I'm from Durham in England and we have one classical music shop in nearby Newcastle but even that is pretty poor compared to what it used to be.
One bonus of the digital age however, the price of cd's on places such as amazon is fantastic, and you can allways find what you are after no matter how rare on the internet.
 
Cheers   

 

[One Eye]

Agree but there was nothing like Saturday Morning browsing through racks of LP's (later CD's) having studied Gramophone, Penguin Guide etc, and contemplating the purchases over a pint.
Happy days. 

 

[scompton]

I still do that, but now I use my iPhone, and various web sites to read up and, if it's on MOG, to give a listen before buying.

 

[rroseperry]

No problem with the confusion. I like the Goreki mainly for that incredible build in the first movement. Thinking of Strauss, I think his vocal music is his strongest suit, though I did see a good performance of the Metamorphosen at the Davies. I've never found a good recording though. (The image below is for reference only.)

 

[giovanni]

 
Quote:

Claudio Abbado and Giuseppe Sinopoli?
Noted.

no, he really meant Gioacchino Pierluigi Peracotta Abbado  and PincopallinoBananaCarote Sinopoli.  Lets please not get confused
 
 

 

[LugBug1]

Although this is the "Greatest Symphony" thread, you're going to have to trust me on this one..!  As we journey through the seemingly endless sea that is classical music, we all have composers that we keep going back to time and time again. For the 18/19/20 centuries my faves are respectively Bach, Beethoven, Prokofiev.
 
I'm not going to bore you why I like him so much,other than; he is a true composer; never pretentious, never art for arts sake. We could argue all night whether Stravinsky was the better composer, but I think that because Sergei is the most played composer of the 20th century speaks volumes. The only problem that I have these days is that, its the same pieces recorded over and over again. "Romeo and Juliet" his "Classical Symphony" "Peter and the Wolf" to name a few.
 
His other symphonies are still for some reason unappreciated. My personal opinion is that they are a little harder work than his contemporaries. Not only that, they are misunderstood. His first Symphony was an instant hit because of the "Neo Classical" element (the first neo classical piece historically). His 2nd was a bounce effect of this and was scorned by the critics but for me is one of the great symphonic masterpieces from the 20th Century. Bla de bla de bla.. his 5th is the most celebrated, but for me doesn't stand out anymore than the other 7.
 
So my recommendation in regards to a possible contender for the greatest symphony ever; is all of Prokofiev's symphonies.
 
and you can do a lot worse than this set!
 

 

1891-1953 

 

[One Eye]

May I also propose Robert Simpson's 9th, for me one of the great creations of the 20th century. 

 

[LugBug1]

Does anyone like Schumann? for me he was the greatest writer of piano music after beethoven in the 19 century, but what about his 4 symphonies? I like them, but they have never affected me the way that Beethoven or Brahms symph's have. That said his 4th is special, maybe I haven't given them enough time.
 
  

 

[Mink]

Exactly, the 6th is very underrated
My favorite symphony is definitely Beethoven's 3rd...maybe a tie with Mahler's 2nd
 
Quote:

Personally, when it comes to Beethoven, I prefer the 3rd to the 5th and the 6th to the 9th.