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A Symphonies Game

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cilgwyn
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« Reply #15 on: January 09, 2015, 04:18:57 pm »

 ;D I know it's just choosing between Dvorak and Beethoven's Ninth?
Just an example! ::) ;D
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Gauk
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« Reply #16 on: January 09, 2015, 06:53:48 pm »

This is a really tough one. If I do this again every few couple weeks, my top choices will likely change every time. However, at this moment in time, here they are:

1. Havergal Brian
2. Isa Krejci
3. Alberic Magnard
4. Janis Ivanovs
5. Arthur Honegger
6. Stjepan Sulek
7. Allan Pettersson
8. Vagn Holmboe
9. Ludwig van Beethoven

Ooh, someone else likes Krejci #2! I have a scratchy old LP of it bought in the 70s, and it was a long while before I heard another note of his music. And we both like Holmboe 8.

But Pettersson 7? Oom pa pa pa. <diddly bits> Oom pa pa pa.

Oom pa pa pa.

Oom pa pa pa.

Etc.
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Alex Bozman
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« Reply #17 on: January 09, 2015, 09:52:53 pm »

I'm with Latvian, Pettersson 7 is a decent symphony.

1. Einar Englund
2. Henri Dutilleux
3. Per Norgard
4. Kalevi Aho
5. Eduard Tubin
6. Aulis Sallinen
7. Allan Pettersson
8. Vagn Holmboe
9. Harald Saeverud
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BrianA
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« Reply #18 on: January 09, 2015, 10:53:43 pm »

This is one of these things I would probably answer differently today than yesterday or tomorrow:

1. Sibelius
2. Lars Erik Larsson (1)
3. Nielsen
4. William Alwyn (2)
5. Tishchenko
6. Imants Kalnins
7. Beethoven (3)
8. Shostakovich
9. Mahler

(1) Arguably this could/should have been Brahms, but I gave the nod to Larsson as the underdog.

(2) Ditto Tchaikovsky's fourth, although this would have been much closer as I really, really love the Alwyn no 4.

(3) Like some other commentators I tried to leave Beethoven out because, well, he's Beethoven, but Beethoven 7 is so far and away my favourite seventh that I just couldn't do it.  Runners up/also rans would include Dvorak, Sibelius, and/or Mahler.
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relm1
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« Reply #19 on: January 10, 2015, 01:24:35 am »

Since I am a skipper, the odds of me being on a desert island is much more likely.

Mine:

1. Rachmaninoff
2. Mahler
3. Prokofiev
4. Bruckner
5. Vaughan Williams
6. Tchaikovsky
7. Sibelius
8. Shostakovitch
9. Mahler

If I am unfortunate enough to land on a second desert isle:

1. Havergal Brian
2. Vaughan Williams
3. Mahler
4. Shostakovitch
5. Shostakovitch
6. Mahler
7. Shostakovitch
8. Mahler "Symphony of a Thousand"
9. Bruckner

a third unfortunate desert isle?

1. Vaughan Williams
2. Rachmaninoff
3. Mahler
4. Brahms
5. Prokofiev
6. Myaskovsky
7. Beethoven
8. Bruckner
9. Bourgeois (his 9th is magnificent and includes a 45 minute long passacaglia and deserves to be ranked)

Conclusion: a lot of Russian and Germans!
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Gauk
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« Reply #20 on: January 10, 2015, 08:49:12 pm »

This game is interesting in several ways.

Firstly, in seeing what unexpected choices some people make. For instance, given all the wonderful third symphonies around, when someone picks Stanley Bate for this slot, it intrigues, and I scurry to my CD collection to re-aquaint myself with Bate's music to see why it might make such a personal impact.

Then it is interesting to see what doesn't make anyone's list. Brahms is largely missing, Schumann and Schubert totally so. Sibelius is only considered for the number 7 slot - no-one picks him for numbers 2, 3 or 5. Americans are missing entirely ...
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tapiola
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« Reply #21 on: January 10, 2015, 09:25:47 pm »

Harold Shapero was an American.  ;)
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Patrick Murtha
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« Reply #22 on: January 10, 2015, 10:29:36 pm »

Also, calyptorhynchus has David Diamond 3.
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jimfin
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« Reply #23 on: January 11, 2015, 03:16:03 am »

I did consider Brahms, Sibelius and Schubert: in Brahms' case I'd breezed through to no. 5 before I thought of the fact I'd left him out: in Schubert's case no. 9 would have been the only possibility. Not quite sure why Sibelius missed out: guess he was like one of those political parties that comes second a lot and so gets no seats in parliament.
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Gauk
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« Reply #24 on: January 11, 2015, 05:40:48 pm »

Also, calyptorhynchus has David Diamond 3.

Missed those - but no Copland or Harris. At least there is only one contender for the 5 1/2 spot!
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northern
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« Reply #25 on: January 11, 2015, 07:44:28 pm »

Americans are missing entirely ...
well they are in the background. I rate Gardner Read's 4th very highly (strangely removed from you tube, as has all Zaswer1 stuff but I digress...)and could have chosen it. Porter 1, Rochberg 2 , Imbrie 3, Piston 5 er.. and Rochberg 5, Hovhaness 6, Persichetti 7(love Diamond and Sessions 6 & 7 too), Siegmeister 8 and Persichetti/Schumann 9.
Copland and Harris are fine, but not in my frame for this exercise!
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northern
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« Reply #26 on: January 11, 2015, 07:51:39 pm »

sorry, I meant Schuman!!!!!
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Neil McGowan
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« Reply #27 on: January 12, 2015, 10:03:12 am »

Perhaps another version of the game would be to list your runners-up for each position - and others have to guess who you finally intend to nominate?

I agonised between at least five contenders for the Symphony No 2 position, for example!  And I'm still not sure I got my own intentions right? ;)

The 'earlier' numbers are more interesting - because few composers hit their 'mature' style so early in their career?  As mentioned above, I would happily list all of Tchaikovsky's symphonies!  But for all my love of the rest of them, especially No 4, the gentle charm and beautiful orchestration of No 1 is something he never managed again later...  due, I feel, to the incessant antagonism of the 'Mighty Handful' to write more pompous and patriotic music? (See the whole debacle concerning his withdrawal of THE OPRICHNIK for more salient details).
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ahinton
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« Reply #28 on: January 12, 2015, 11:46:12 am »

Americans are missing entirely ...
well they are in the background. I rate Gardner Read's 4th very highly (strangely removed from you tube, as has all Zaswer1 stuff but I digress...)and could have chosen it. Porter 1, Rochberg 2 , Imbrie 3, Piston 5 er.. and Rochberg 5, Hovhaness 6, Persichetti 7(love Diamond and Sessions 6 & 7 too), Siegmeister 8 and Persichetti/Schumann 9.
Copland and Harris are fine, but not in my frame for this exercise!
No Sessions, then?
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tapiola
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« Reply #29 on: January 12, 2015, 02:08:57 pm »

To rate just American symphonies.....
Barber 1st
Piston 2nd
Copland 3rd
Diamond 4th
Mennin 5th
Schuman 6th
Harris 7th
Sessions 8th
Mennin 9th
Schuman 10th
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