The Greatest Symphony and the Greatest Violin Concerto

I personally think Mahler 3 is a rather cohesive and enjoyable work.

Don't forget his 6th, 2nd and his 8th! I enjoyed the 3rd as well but my fav. symphonies are his Enormous 8th, his 2nd, and my favorite violin concerto would probably be Mendelssohn's E minor Concerto and ofcourse the bruch:thumbsup:

Don't forget his 6th, 2nd and his 8th! I enjoyed the 3rd as well but my fav. symphonies are his Enormous 8th, his 2nd, and my favorite violin concerto would probably be Mendelssohn's E minor Concerto and ofcourse the bruch:thumbsup:

No love for Mahler 4 and 5?

How about all of Mahler, because they are all pretty amazing.

No love for Mahler 4 and 5?

Ahh from what I have listened to..since the orchestral force for the 4th is "small" for Mahler and since I like big bold loud orchestral finales and the like ,the 4th is not my favorite and doesn't appeal to me as much...even though the finale has a soprano and I like the human voice..:). The fifth...I love the adagio..absolutely lovely, the finale is odd in a way that the actual emotion for it I find to be not so common among Mahlerian works.. it's happy...fully blown out happy, while many other of his works just end either sad...or simply (like his 8th) unexplainable...Mahler's music brings out different emotions in everyone so yeah..I kinda like his 4th, his 5th was very enjoyable as well:thumbsup:

Ahh from what I have listened to..since the orchestral force for the 4th is "small" for Mahler and since I like big bold loud orchestral finales and the like ,the 4th is not my favorite and doesn't appeal to me as much...even though the finale has a soprano and I like the human voice..:). The fifth...I love the adagio..absolutely lovely, the finale is odd in a way that the actual emotion for it I find to be not so common among Mahlerian works.. it's happy...fully blown out happy, while many other of his works just end either sad...or simply (like his 8th) unexplainable...Mahler's music brings out different emotions in everyone so yeah..I kinda like his 4th, his 5th was very enjoyable as well:thumbsup:

So you don't like Mahler 4 because it isn't loud and bombastic. Alright then...

among my favourites:

symphony: Copland no.3

violin concerto: Berg Concerto

So you don't like Mahler 4 because it isn't loud and bombastic. Alright then...

Well that and it just doesn't appeal to me as much..hard to explain but yes the absence of loud bombastic parts has something to do with it as well :thumbsup:

concerto: Szymanowski either 1 or 2

i'm impressed, very few know szymanowski, let alone violinists and his concertos! i played his first Mythe last year for a recital...

i'm impressed, very few know szymanowski, let alone violinists and his concertos! i played his first Mythe last year for a recital...

I'm particularly fond of his Stabat Mater. It's one of my favourite works.

So you don't like Mahler 4 because it isn't loud and bombastic. Alright then...

Personal taste does not always correlate with a personal opinions on quality of work.

Symphony: Either of Beethoven's 5th or 9th (not sure)

Violin Concerto: Paganini's concerto No. 2 in B minor

For me its Sibelius all the way.

I prefer Mahler's second symphony and Sibelius' violin concerto far above anything Tchaikovsky has written (though I must admit the sixth symphony really is amazing). This subject is just too subjective... not everyone thinks the same way as do you.

Indeed, it is very subjective.

But from a clinical standpoint, I think we can discern the a few qualities a violin concerti by their specific qualities. I'm not even gonna touch symphonies - it's a whole other ballpark.

For example,

In terms of difficulty:

Bartok's VC No. 2 could lie in here. Maybe Schoenberg. Yes, Sib's is tough, but between Bartok's arpeggio crawling and Schoenberg's awkward fingering, I don't think it deserves a place. Really though, difficulty is a personal issue and some violinists are better at some areas than others. Both concerti, though, require very diverse colors of sound, and draw upon a dazzling variety of techniques.

In terms of skillful orchestration:

Mendelsohn is really the benchmark here as the violin is never overpowered, always working with the orchestra. And he doesn't shy away from violin and orchestra playing together, unlike what he does in his piano concerti. It's hard however to resist mentioning Syzamanowski VC No. 2, as he was so freakin' creative. Bartok pulls hat tricks in his VC No. 2 with a huge, huge orchestra, and no overpowering of the soloist. He, however gets no points for being conservative. Yay for triple winds, humongous brass.

This is a complex topic. Brahms is difficult, requires incredible precision. Mendelsohn isn't that hard technically, but requires so much emotion (not to say other pieces don't). Tchaik is a playful piece, has virtuosity, and Tchiak's very Russian colors. Mozart VC6 is poignant.

I'm also very surprised nobody's mentioned Lalo's Symph Espangole.

But yeah, have fun agreeing on something. I don't think it'll happen.

My personal fav is Bartok's Violin Concerto No. 1. Rarely heard, never played anymore. It's a shame. Bartok never even completed it. And you'll get a different answer from me every day of the week if you ask what my favourite symphony is.

are you dunn-rankin these symphonies?? Stop it. there is no objective "greatest".

Symphony: Either of Beethoven's 5th or 9th (not sure)

Violin Concerto: Paganini's concerto No. 2 in B minor

I find No. 2 to be dreadful, except for the last movement. I am, however, quite fond of Paganini's 1st, 4th and 5th.

I find No. 2 to be dreadful, except for the last movement. I am, however, quite fond of Paganini's 1st, 4th and 5th.

I don't like paganini.

I saw a documentary on him. it said he made a pact with the devil!

My parents won't let me listen to him now :sadtears:

I don't like paganini.

I saw a documentary on him. it said he made a pact with the devil!

My parents won't let me listen to him now :sadtears:

They were kidding.

I find No. 2 to be dreadful, except for the last movement. I am, however, quite fond of Paganini's 1st, 4th and 5th.

Yea fair enough, I mainly enjoy the 2nd for the last movement anyways :P.

I also like the others but no. 2 is my favorite

This is stupid. 130 years after it was written someone says, " Hey I've discovered the world's most over-recorded Violin Concerto, yippee."

Please get a life. And anyone who likes Mahler, ditto.

I mean is this a serious discussion point or are you just seeking attention?

I think this is pointless. We need to stop.

Wow. i've just discovered Beethoven's fifth. I mean, is that a symphony or what? And not just one movement but three. And he wrote it so long ago. Like he probably had to use an Atari or something back then. It's a bit repetitive at the start, admittedly.

The title of this thread should be your favourite rather than the 'best'.

For me,

Violin Concerto - Thomas Ad

Bartok's 2nd violin concerto and Shostakovich's 10th symphony are my favorites. Even so, I'd say Tchaikovsky's violin concerto and Beethoven's 9th symphony are the best of the genres.

I always wonder why such threads exist...