The Best Symphonies of All Time

Classicfm.com has listed what are supposedly the 15 greatest symphonies of all time.  The couple of paragraphs about each of these symphonies in the article is definitely worth reading.  The piece does not indicate whether or not these are listed in order of greatness.  I assume that is the intent.  Here is the list as presented.

1) Mozart – Symphony No. 41 (“Jupiter”)
2) Florence Price – Symphony No. 1
3) Beethoven – Symphony No. 9 (“Choral”)
4) Mahler – Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”)
5) Dvořák – Symphony No. 9 (‘From The New World’)
6) Berlioz – Symphonie Fantastique
7) Brahms – Symphony No. 4
8) Gorecki – Symphony No. 3 (‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’)
9) Shostakovitch – Symphony No. 5
10)  Louise Farrenc – Symphony No.3
11)  William Grant Still – ‘Afro-American’ Symphony No.1
12)  Tchaikovsky – Symphony No. 6 (‘Pathétique’)
13)  Rachmaninov – Symphony No. 2
14)  Sibelius – Symphony No.5
15)  Beethoven – ‘Eroica’ Symphony No.3

The first thing to note about this list is which composers are mentioned only by last name and which are mentioned by full name.  Obviously, this is because those full names are not as recognizable as the others on the list.  Of those full names, I am most familiar with William Grant Still, who is part of my classical collection, though not his symphony.  Louise Farrenc's work is very good and rewarding to hear, but I don't think it is any better than the symphonies of, say, Franz Joseph Haydn, which I reviewed extensively last year (see here, here and here).  It would not make my personal list of greatest symphonies.  It is, at best, an average Haydn composition (which is still pretty good).

I like the Still symphony better.  It is divided into four emotional movements: Longing, Sorrow, Humor, and Aspiration, each conveying its intent with a degree of distinction.  But there is nothing hear that particularly caught my ear.  The Rachmaninov symphony is far more famous but, to me, it is overly sentimental, particularly in its third movement Adagio, which is no doubt a crowd-pleaser but the entire work is just not that "great."  He was a pianist not an orchestral composer.  Better orchestration can be found in his outstanding piano concertos.

But Florence Price's first symphony really surprised me.  I discovered Price through my local classical music station, hearing only two chamber compositions of hers.  Yet, she impressed me each time.  I wanted to learn more about her work and listening to this symphony only increased my motivation.  So much so, that one of my resolutions for 2024 is to familiarize myself with as much of her work as I can find.  I would give Price's Symphony No. 1 an honorable mention on list of my Great Firsts.  It is a wonderful work that was first brought to my attention on the classicfm list.

The other 11 symphonies on the list were mentioned by me before when I toured the symphonic form years ago.  I can certainly relate and approve of each of these picks, though many of them would not make my Top 15 list, if I had one.  Let's start with three on the list that were on my list as “great” but which I would not label as the “greatest.”  Both, Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 (‘From The New World’) and Gorecki's – Symphony No. 3 (‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’) are, indeed, great.  In fact, I enjoy listening to these even more than any of the symphonies I've commented on so far. 

But, in their respective categories of Great Ninths and Great Thirds they are not only eclipsed by other symphonies, I find that particular portions of these symphonies outshine the rest of the symphony as a whole.  For me, being truly the greatest of the great symphonic compositions means all the movements are equal and fit together as a superior whole.  What do I mean by that?  Well, the best way to understand my intent is to compare these two very fine symphonies with the ones I consider possessing a higher level of excellence in every movement.

Sibelius's No. 5 came in second place behind Shostakovitch in my Great Fifths category, so that works for me as well.  Beethoven's No. 5, perhaps the most famous symphony in history, did not make this list which seems to justify my original opinion that, though I certainly consider it “great," the compositions by Shostakovitch and Sibelius are better as a whole.

That level of greatness is to be found in all the remaining symphonies on the classicfm list that I haven't mentioned yet.  It pleases me and validates my own untrained and amateurish appreciation that eight of their Top 15 match my impressions.  Mozart's No. 41, Beethoven's No. 9, Mahler's No. 2, Berlioz's Symphony Fantasique, Brahms No. 4, Shostakovitch's No. 5, Tchaikovsky's No. 6, and Beethoven's No. 3 were all the “winners” in their respective categories in my original tour – they are the best of the best. That I arrived at so much agreement with this list years before the list came out is both validating and rather surprising.

Tchaikovsky's No. 6 was tied in my tour with Beethoven and Mahler in my Great Sixths post.  That was the only category that did not feature at least five symphonies because it is my opinion that no other sixth is justified to be rated with these towering three.  These are in a three-way tie for first place.  So it is a special consideration and one of my favorite symphonies to listen to in the winter months.

As I said, I don't have a Top 15 list for classical symphonies.  It would be tough for me to narrow compositions down to that number.  But there are definitely some other symphonies I think deserve to be on “the greatest of all time” list that have not been mentioned so far.  Mahler's incredible No. 1, Beethoven's No. 7, Schubert's No. 8 and Shostakovitch's No. 10 (to name a few) are on par with any of the symphonies mentioned on the classicfm list.  Mozart's No. 40 is pretty close to being the equal of his No. 41. Haydn's No. 94 is surely better than any symphony by Rachmaninov.  

If you like, you can explore my original tour of the symphonic world and see for yourself.  Though many of my original links to movements on YouTube are no longer valid.

Great Firsts
Great Seconds
Great Thirds
Great Fourths
Great Fifths
Great Sixths
Great Sevenths
Great Eighths
Great Ninths
Greats Beyond Nine [Part One] [Part Two]
Great Unnumbered Symphonies
An Overall Review and Honorable Mentions

I will continue to refine this tour as I go along.  As I mentioned, I am especially looking forward to learning more about Florence Price in 2024.