best 5th symphony

this is a shorter list than the list of composers who've written fifth symphonies but it's still a little longer than my instinct says - Mozart's 5th isn't up with the big numbers here. This poll inspired by Shosta Fucking Kovich whose 5th is some serious business imo.

Ha, a few hours after I post something wondering if I'm the only Mendelssohn fan on here, THERE'S THIS.

Though I'll grant you that Mendelssohn No. 5 is not my favorite. (Wasn't Mendelssohn's, either.)

mahler over beethoven

the schubert symphonies apart from the ninth and the unifinished are kinda undervalued i think, so i voted for him

there is probably some sort of strategy to listen to beethoven #5 quasi tabula rasa but idk what it is

"Concord Sonata" on repeat? I associate bah-bah-bah-BUM with Beethoven no more

the problem is more how the phrase 'beethovens fifth' and those four notes are synecdoche for 'classical music'

i like most of those composers better than tchaikovsky, but the answer's tchaikovsky's 5th.

Shosty is of course all time. The Mahler was one of my first loves. Bruckner's is one of his best. Who is Williams? Vaughan Williams? I like that too.

Am re-listening to Mendelssohn's fifth now and it is JUST LOVELY. I lobby a formal protest.

And to quote Busoni re. F.M. once again - "the true heir to Mozart."

the problem is more how the phrase 'beethovens fifth' and those four notes are synecdoche for 'classical music'

― The term “hipster racism” from Carmen Van Kerckhove at Racialicious (nakhchivan), Saturday, March 31, 2012 8:45 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

except that's the ninth

er wait, no it isn't nm

anyway Prokofiev 5 is great, tempted to vote for it just bc no one else probably will

I like to scorn obvious choices, but Beethoven just steamrollers my snobbery. The way that last movement starts? Man.

Shostakovich comes in second.

Tchaikovsky was an omission, to be sure. But not a contender for best. Admission: I haven't heard Schubert, Mahler, Haydn.

"the true heir to Mozart."

Or, sorry, "AN heir to Mozart," but also, I believe, "a master of undisputed greatness."

feel like I should listen to A Sea Symphony before I vote, that's the dark horse here

also do consider the Anton Bruckner bottle opener before you pull the lever

http://www.abruckner.com/getimage.asp?id=/store/collectables/antonbrucknerbottl/&filename=bottle.jpg&mode=6

Admission: I haven't heard Schubert, Mahler, Haydn
kudos to anyone who has heard the Haydn!

mahler mahler mahler mahler mahler mahler mahler mahler

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Sibelius for me, but not by a mile. Almost every Fifth on this list is tremendous. Actually, Nielsen's (not listed) might be the greatest of all.

Vaughan Williams and Bax actually dedicated their Fifths to Sibelius iirc

Has anyone composed a Fifth using nothing but fifths? Someone should.

xxp I should listen to more Nielsen. Loved some of the symphonic stuff Corey once hooked me up with.

I don't love all his stuff but the 4th and 5th are astounding.

I'm a fan 3-6, but yes the 5th is amazing.

Voted Bruckner — the slow movement alone is just astounding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBT4WrJl85M

But fuck, the Adagietto from M5 is achingly gorgeous even though it tends to get overplayed these days

Write-in for Ives' Holidays

My favorite M5 movement is ii. I like me a storm.

the finale is wonderful too, just exploding with energy

I can't decide, comparing Shostakovich 5 to Mahler 5 to Beethoven 5? Dude.

Thinking about how each symphony stands in regard to same composer's other works, it'd certainly be Bruckner. The 5th symphony is bloody great, the coolest tonal relationships, big and beautiful decisions, I like it more than anything else by him save a few choral things.

But Bruckner's music is (for me) so problematic I can't vote for him; voted Sibelius.

I don't think I've ever heard choral Bruckner. :O

Ah, his motets are nice, if you like Bruckner. "Christus factus est", "Locus iste".

I thought you hated Bruckner.

1. shostakovich
2. mahler
3. beethoven, which is still totally powerful dudes, let yourself go

@tanuki *Hate*, yeah, I do, as concert music.

I've argued it irl and it's not that interesting a discussion, but it's slow music, the gestures are given more weight than time can bear. I'll listen to a Bruckner when I'm doing stuff around the house, or at the computer, it's smart music. But then I'll masochistically sit through the symphony in the concert hall, stultified, still convinced that I'm the problem, not Bruckner. But it doesn't work for me. It dwells on every colour in a way that feels self-voyeuristic.

I guess I appreciate the overarching construction of the syms and the way it all feels made of giant chordal blocks more than for the excitement of it all — not that his music isn't thrilling, but when listened to the same way one listens to Mahler or other late romantics he's not as satisfying.

Sorry, can't help myself. Blame Jim Bouton, blame SCTV, blame Fernwood 2 Night, blame the '70s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MFbn8EbB4k

what Owen says is a lot of why I love Bruckner - his vision of the symphony necessitates a complete reorganization of your listening habits. Celibidache got this, I think. I think when people perform Bruckner, there ought to be mattresses on the floor, and blankets, and most of the lights should be off.

I still ended up voting Shostakovich, though that's probably partly because I went longest without hearing that & so it's the newest, to me, of the ones I'm familiar with here.

I haven't heard ANY of the Shostakovich syms!

!!!!

10, 5, 14, 8, 4

That's the first five of them I would push on you in that order.

With 10 and 5 in a tie p much

^^

10 loses the plot on the 4th mvt. but the first three (esp. the first, HOLY SHIT, 24 minutes of unspooling darkness), just *the best*.

thanks!

fuck it, just go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIpN187GP_E

keep kleenex handy

to really enjoy brucker u need cognac or benzos and a dark cavernous room on a winter night where u are all alone and nobody can see u air-conduct

sometimes u can see the chooooorrrrrrds gently waft up to the rafters

haha

sometimes u can see the chooooorrrrrrds gently waft up to the rafters

otm. Bruckner must be played loud (for me, on headphones) so you can really get inside those intervals.

Also I feel like we are overlooking his scherzo movements where headbanging is surely obligatory.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

shosSTACKovich

Sleestackovich

otm. Bruckner must be played loud (for me, on headphones) so you can really get inside those intervals.

Herreweghe really cranks up the loud parts of Bruckner to the point where it's kinda distracting to me

Ha, that's the recording that sold that sym for me.