Anyone who wants to feel that they are really “up” in classical music cannot ignore the symphony, which has inspired so many of the world’s greatest composers to give of their best. The experience of sitting in a concert hall as a hundred musicians play their hearts out, guided by an expert conductor, is second to none, and modern technology gives the music lover the chance to bring the concert hall to his or her own home.
But which symphonies to choose? I suggest that you approach the problem by selecting composers first, and then going for symphonies that are typical of their work. If you like what you hear, then you are probably going to want to find other works by them, not only symphonies but also concertos, choral works, operas, chamber music or whatever.
So here is my list of ten great composers and one symphony from each of them:
- Mozart. Symphony No 38 (The Prague). Mozart has to be on the list as the greatest of all composers in so many branches of music. I have chosen the Prague because I like it, because it has all the hallmarks of Mozart at his best, and also for one very special reason. One theme from the symphony has been suggested as the genesis of the mysterious “enigma” of Elgar’s Enigma Variations. It is known that Elgar was very fond of this symphony, and it is worth listening very carefully to it to catch the tune. I am sure it is there, but only fleetingly. Mozart wrote three more symphonies after this one, which number among his greatest works, all composed within a three-month period in 1788, after which he abandoned the symphony altogether.
- Beethoven. Symphony No 7. So why not No 6 (The Pastoral) or No 9 (The Choral)? For me, the 2nd movement allegretto is the most sublime of all of Beethoven’s slow movements, and no collection would be complete without it.
- Schubert. Symphony No 8. (The Unfinished). Only two movements, but two that can be listened to over and over again. Many theories have been advanced as to why there are no more, but perhaps Schubert felt that he simply could not equal the perfection of what he had already written. For a very different experience, also listen to the 9th Symphony, the “Great C Major”, which is equally unforgettable.
- Berlioz. Symphonie Fantastique. A five-movement symphony that is also an example of a programme symphony, telling the story of a doomed love affair. An eccentric symphony by an eccentric composer, with distinct gothic overtones including portrayals of an execution by guillotine and a witches’ sabbath. Berlioz only wrote one other symphony, which is almost a viola concerto, entitled “Harold in Italy”.
- Brahms. Symphony No 1. Unlike many first symphonies, this is the work of a composer at the height of his maturity and powers, having taken him 14 years to complete. It is sometimes referred to as “Beethoven’s 10th”, the comparisons being made from the time of its first performance. Having broken the log-jam, Brahms wrote three more symphonies in relatively quick succession.
- Tchaikovsky. Symphony No 5. For me, this is most sublime piece of music, let alone symphony, ever written. All the movements share the quality of being utterly absorbing, so that it is impossible to do anything other than listen intently! Next, listen to the 6th Symphony (the “Pathetique”) and then the 4th.
- Dvorak. Symphony No 9 (From the New World). The old world meets the new. Dvorak wrote it during his three years in New York and denied that he had actually used any American folk or spiritual themes in it, although the influence of this music is clearly very strong. You can then work your way back through his symphonies, all of which are delightful.
- Mahler. Symphony No 5. A five-movement symphony, of which the 4th, the Adagietto, is by far the best known, mainly because of its use in the film ‘Death in Venice.’ It is usually played as though it were a funeral march, but some conductors have speeded it up to a degree, which changes its character to that of a piece written as a tribute to a loved one, which is probably what the composer had in mind. Mahler’s 1st Symphony is probably his most approachable, but most of the others are an acquired taste, being extremely long and complicated. His 8th Symphony, for example, is known as the “Symphony of a Thousand” because of the huge chorus and orchestra originally used to perform it.
- Sibelius. Symphony No 5. Written as a 50th birthday present to himself, this three-movement symphony is notable for its rich orchestral colours, beautiful sustained melodies, and the finale that rolls on to its climax of six chords, punctuated by silence. Sibelius made many experiments with symphonic form, but after writing his single-movement 7th Symphony in 1924 he wrote virtually no large-scale works for the remaining 33 years of his life.
- Shostakovich. Symphony No 7. (Leningrad). The composer fought a life-long battle to preserve his artistic integrity against the frequently conflicting demands of the Soviet state. In this symphony written (at least in part) whilst living in a city under siege by the Nazis, he seems to have satisfied both criteria. It is immensely long and full of every emotion from the celebration of heroism to mourning for death and destruction. Shostakovich wrote 15 symphonies in all, many of them being massive in scope and full of emotion.
© John Welford
