Beautiful list! Thank you so much for including the Magnard #3, an obsession of mine for almost 50 years, which includes a pilgrimage to the village and house where he died
@@tbarrelier I'm torn between 2 and 3 depending on my mood but in my very subjective and personal opinion, 4 despite it's ,motivic unity, doesn't have anything to equal the middle movements of 2 or the sheer exuberance of the Rhenish or its solemn Cathedral movement.
A very solid list indeed. And I’m pleased to see that others have already suggested Rautavaara, Tubin, and Lutosławaski. My only addition is Robert Simpson’s Third - it’s a good entry point for anyone who’s curious about his music. ✌️
@@kenm.3512 I’ve amassed quite a bit of the Hyperion edition of Simpson’s work since the late 80s. I know his music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, nor is it something I listen to “casually.” I just vibe with the architectural rigor of his music. Good writer as well, his book on Nielsen is essential. And he also appears to have been a principled and decent man. A shame that he was plagued by ill health in his final years.
No arguments from the video's list. Just a few more composers whose 3rd symphony I would have considered: Lutoslawski (an amazingly powerful work) Arnold Bax (my favorite of his 7, one of the most magical endings in all of music) Eduard Tubin Karol Szymanowski - Song of the Night Charles Villiers Stanford - Irish Marcel Tyberg George Whitefield Chadwick Gorecki - Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (Overrated? Maybe, but still a powerful work)
I loved this list,Dave. Agree about the delightful Dvorak 3rd,a life-enhancing piece,like the 5th. Great mention of the Magnard too. The Mahler, Copland,VW, Harris, Mendelssohn. I thought you really did justice to them all. Going to listen to the Madetoja. I have all his symphonies, but only know the marvellous 2nd well. Excellent talk. All the best.
Glad you mention Borodin's 2nd. He did what Sibelius would later do in that much-discussed first movement of his 2nd.... tease with interesting musical snippets and motifs, then like a magician reveal their relationship for a blazing moment but cast them apart again awaiting applause.
I definitely agree. Hopefully he will be getting the attention he deserves as he is about to celebrate his 90th birthday and a box set of all eight symphonies has just been released.
Keeping your caveats in mind, I would put Lutosławski’s third on this list. I always have a very special experience of that symphony every time I return to it. I turn out the lights and start listening, and think to myself, really, what’s the big deal… and then slowly over its course it gets more and more compelling, and then by the time it’s done I feel stunned and think it’s just about the greatest piece of high Modernist symphonism ever. It has this kind of imperceptibly increasing trajectory that i can’t easy find other examples of for me personally.
@@dennischiapello3879 I originally "imprinted" on Lutosławski's own recording with Berlin, but I also very much like Antoni Wit's. I honestly have never heard the Salonen but you can bet I'm going to seek it out.
I honestly applauded when Mendelssohn's "Scottish" showed up, a little late to the party. :)) I was so convinced it HAD to be there! My favorite by the German prodigy, closely followed by the choral "Lobgesang". Also, a huge shout-out for mentioning Berwald's "Singuliere" - one of the most memorable works majority of Classical followers never heard; and of Dvorak's 3rd - my choice along with the iconic "New World". Upon first discovery, I was amazed the composer should ever have canned it and relegated such a work to footnotes. That was WAY too conscientious, and we are lucky he at least did not destroy the manuscript! On a repeated note, the fans of all manner of "nature and cosmic resurrection" symphonies would do well to check out Jan van Gilse's 3rd symphony. You never heard the name, granted. But it does not matter; the late post-romantic idiom was strong in the man's work, and he had the style and taste to NOT overdo it, while operating on a grand scale. Van Gilse is also kind of a victim of war (WW II this time), his family torn apart by the atrocities. But you should not listen to him for that - same as Magnard, just listen to the music. There many worse ways to spend an hour than his 3rd. My discovery of 2022 on CPO with David Porcelijn.
The Roy Harris 3rd Symphony in One Movement is Amazing. My favourite recording is the New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein conducting. I would actually close my eyes while listening to this atmospheric music !
Another great list. Atterburg, Fibich, Tubin are particular favourite 3rds of mine. Another fav would be the unique, long, repetitious somewhat but what a monster.. Gliere
A favourite 3rd of mine is the Rutland Boughton, coupled on an outstanding Hyperion disc with his Concerto for Oboe and Strings. If you like George Lloyd then this will probably sparke for you.
The ones of Nystroem and Kabelac are also honorable mentions imo. The instrumentation of the latter is particularly interesting as it comprises organ, brasses and timpani only.
Some great choices there Dave, as always! The Dvorak 3 is one of my favourites of his and I might go so far as to say Sibelius 3 is one of my favourite works of all. A couple of others that to consider: - Rachmaninov 3 (not complaining, but he didn't appear at all on these lists and I know how much you like the 1st and how much everyone loves 2nd), my favourite is the 3rd, especially the performance conducted by a 93yr old Stokowski! Mackerras' is rather good too. - Gorecki, it has a bit of a cult following, doesn't it
Splendid to see that Madetoja has his moment in the sun within this series. Although my personal favorite Finnish third symphony (along with Sibelius's) is Einojuhani Rautavaara's 3rd.
There is another great Nielsen 3rd deserving attention, by Ludolf Nielsen. I love the piece. In the finale, there is one of the most impressive "symphonic collapses" I have ever heard.
Here, in Vienna, it's 9:50 pm, which means that bed time comes near. But I will not be able to have sleep, if I do not mention these thirds, which always give me incredible pleasure - although the first to mention is rather a 10th, composed (hark, ye horses) by Bruckner. I mean the 3rd by Einojuhani Rautavaara, who manages to combine sort of 12-tone-technique with brucknerian chorales and tunes, but it's not a copy, it's Rautavaara with all of his woodwind whirles and shimmering brass chords. For me, this is one of the greatest symphonies of the 20th century. Then the 3rd by Michael Tippett, a strange piece, modelled around Beethoven's 9th, asking, if an ode to joy is possible thinking on human sorrow. It combines atonality with blues, not easy at first listening, but it grows. Then the 3rd by Sergej Prokofiev, the "Fiery Angel"-symphony, with a tune in the first movement, once heard, one can never forget. The whole work has the quality of hysteria with burning colors and forward driving rhythms. It'sa masterpiece! Then Honegger's 3rd - no words needed, there'sa great talk about this work. Finally a work by a composer I discovered through the conductor: I just tried to get all, what Dimitri Mitropoulos has recorded, and one of the works was the 3rd symphony by Peter Mennin, and it's a fantastic work! Three movements, the first an exposition of rhythmic forces, the second quiet with a long, singing melody, and then the third, going back to the first in attitude, but now combined with an unforgettable tune, which sings on the top of the rhythms. To me, the work makes a similar impression as does Walton's First. And now I can go to sleep quietly, having mentioned all my dear 3rds, which havent been on the list.
Somewhere on nos.1-3 someone mentioned Willem Pijper. I can't find the comment now, but wanted to say thank you for the suggestion. Had never heard of him but have been enjoying his symphonies very much. Hope whoever it was stumbles on this!
A great list! There are more than a few others I would add, four of which are Schumann’s (as well as his second), Honegger’s, Szymanowski’s, and most especially, Lutoslawski’s-the great late 20th century symphony. I don’t know any others in recent times that comes close to Lutoslawski’s.
Well to me Bruckner 's 3rd , Schumann's 3rd and I would suggest Tchaikovsky's 3rd also. I also love Stanford's 3rd, "the Irish". Of there are many others . I also love the Harris 3rd and happy you picked the Madetoja 3rd.
Vittorio Giannini's Symphony no.3 for band is a personal favorite. I already know that you enjoy it, from seeing your previous videos. It already gets plenty of attention on concert band and wind ensemble lists.
The Harris Third Symphony is one of the reasons why I became a musician. Some farmer/truck driver in rural America ended up writing THAT. It fired my imagination. Bernstein and Ormandy recorded it in the stereo era on Columbia and RCA respectively. Ormandy recorded the Seventh in mono, and that's quite good. The other symphonies range from very good to awful, sometimes even from one movement to the next. Apart from 3 and 7, which are relatively "established", I think the choral 4th Symphony (the "Folksong Symphony") is fun, and several of the others have their moments. There are 13 numbered symphonies and a few more unnumbered ones (one is for band). The first 11 are (or have been) on CD. 12 and 13 have not been recorded to my knowledge.
So many great "Thirds" !!!....Here´s my selection: Ralph Vaughan Williams "A Pastoral Symphony" Aulis Sallinen Symphony No 3 Boris Tchaikovsky Symphony No 3 "Sebastopol" Malcolm Arnold Symphony No 3 Kurt Atterberg Symphony No 3 "West Coast Pictures" Reinhold Gliere Symphony No 3 “Ilya Muromets” Gorecki “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" Arvo Part Symphony No 3 John Kinsella Symphony No 3 “Joie de Vivre” Saint Saens "Organ Symphony" Panufnik "Sinfonia Sacra" Rautavaara Symphony No 3 Havergal Brian Symphony No 3 Szymanowski Symphony No 3 “Song of the Night” Samuel Jones Symphony No 3 "Palo Duro Canyon" Eduard Tubin Symphony No 3 "Heroic"
So glad to see others mention favorite third symphonies that are mine, as well: Schuman, Lutoslawski, Martinu. On the list, also glad to hear the Mendelssohn showcased at the end.
It might seem deliberately provocative, but how about Symphony no 3, "The English' by dear old Hubert Parry. It has the advantage of not being an oratorio, also it is full of good tunes and a rollicking variations finale. Lets hear it for the 19th century English symphony.
May I suggest a few additions? Prokofiev 3 - perhaps his most radical symphony, unless you include the 2nd, full of extraordinary sounds and conveying a powerful sense of weird and sinister gloom. I have had from childhood days a very soft spot for Schubert's 3rd, Mozartian as it is (in some respects). And a final, perhaps controversial choice: Glazunov 3, always described (and dismissed)as a 'transitional' work, but warm and lovable nonetheless with a glintingly iridescent scherzo.
How wonderful to have highlighted the Berwald Singulière! Such a wonderful work! Have to explore the Madetoja! And I may have only heard the Harris once. Looking forward to re-exploring it. But Dave ......where is the Gorecki? :)
Amazing video as always Dave! This got a lot of new pieces into my listening list. Still waiting for our old pal Anton B to appear in this series, surely he will be in the 4th and onwards, right 😉
Happy you mentioned Leevi Madetoja's third. Stangely I just watched Aki Kaurismäki's movie "the Man without past" in which some parts of this work are cited.
I have thought the same! Something in the water back then? I have also thought I hear Sibelius quoting that sublime quiet tune from Berwald's finale in his seventh symphony, about a minute in and again at the end, but may be I am imagining it.
I might add Honegger's third symphony the ‘Liturgique.’ Maybe not the greatest symphony ever written but interesting, original and worth knowing. Rorem's third is also probably his best symphony. His songs are certainly where he shines the most, but I quite like his symphonies, too. I'm glad you had Nielson's third. I've really come to like it. Really nice choices here.
Back to symphonies number 2, I must be alone but I really like Alexander Tansman symphony number 2. Never heard Bernal’s symphony singulière… next listening.
Dear, Dear David - May I add an astounding #3 I recently discovered: Paul Wranitzky's on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi). Contemporary of Beethoven who picked him to conduct his First symphony. The entire album is amazing.
I am so glad Sibelius, Magnard, Madetoja, and Dvorak are included (and I so wished Dvorak wrote in an expositional repeat!) as these four Thirds do not get the attention they deserve. I was hoping that Rangtrom and Draeseke would have made this list, but, as you said, there are way more than sixteen outstanding third symphonies.
It's a pity that nobody knows Paavo Heininen's 3rd symphony, which I think is an incredible masterwork that deserves to be in this list. Unfortunately you cannot find it in the Internet.
Regarding Borodin, and appearing on lists, his Nocturne from the String Quartet No.2 suggests another list: " One Movement Wonders" - famous pieces that are a single movement of a larger work...and so you get the Litolff Scherzo and so many others.
While we're NOT on the subject of 4th symphonic or "concertic" works, may I hijack to the "symphonitude" of Litolff's 4th Concerto Symphinque #4, with the famous scherzo? Thx!
Speaking of pieces that were in vogue but are no longer, this one in my lifetime: Henryk Górecki's 3rd (Sorrowful Songs). And more cheerfully: Félicien David's 3rd (I love the incredibly catchy tune from its first movement).
And Raff's third! A real personal favourite, can't believe I forgot this--I must think of it as the "forest" symphony, rather than as number three (and I find Raff's symphonies hard to keep track of numerically). This is his most gorgeous work in my opinion, and fully evocative of everything it claims to be evocative of.
Hello Dave, thanks a million for the joy your channel brings! What about works that work in the concert hall, but not on disc and vice versa? In 2011, I was present at a Prom performance of Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony (the one with almost a thousand performers). A once-in-a-lifetime concert, but totally forgettable on disc (even the same performance of it, which was published by Hyperion). On the other hand, it is very difficult to bring off a succesful live performance of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto. Sure, people go nuts at the end because of the acrobatics, but much of the piano playing often gets lost in the thick orchestral textures. On disc however... By the way, I did a quick check/search, but if this idea has already popped up, please don't kill me.
My suggestions for great 3rd symphonies (by composers who might not otherwise get listed) Lutoslawski -- the "aleatoric" elements and so on sound like a gimmick on paper, but in performance it really works. Szymanowski -- the "song of the night" symphony. Looks like I'm doing Polish stuff, but I won't bother plug Gorecki. I'm sure the comments will do that sufficiently without me. Glenn Branca - "Gloria" symphony. Branca deserves some mention, and this is one of his better symphonies. Florence Price - there's been a resurgence in Price recordings as you have noted, and they are well worth reviving.
Something interesting I’ve found about the “limited aleatoric” elements in Lutosławski is when you listen to different recordings, those sections pretty much sound the same. I suspect it wasn’t a political or philosophical gimmick but more a way to get a certain kind of texture without bothering to write all the different strands out individually (why bother?)
Hi ! Love your vidéos . Live in Montréal Québec . I'm and amateur of classical music and a friend ask me a question at a souper if i can tell him how many REQUIEM was made and i found only 5 ones ? ! So can you make a list of 16 REQUIEM
I don’t know hardly any Magnard. I keep on meaning to get to know his music but other music, seem to get in the way. I’m retired, so I have more time than most! Santos?!?!?
What's your opinion of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3? Maybe it was number 17 on your list? I've always felt sorry for this work for it was hardly ever heard and only a few recordings were made during the LP era. Now that the CDs are here, you hear it a lot more often. Five movements instead of four and in D "MAJOR", not minor. Wish I knew more about music to continue. Just like what I hear. THANKS, DAVE !!!
I had to throw in this anecdote re: Roy Harris' 3rd...you probably know it David.....a major league manager (it might have be Durochur) once commented to Harris...."If my team played as well as symphony, they's win the pennant".......
@@DavesClassicalGuide Ha - some gall man. Good for you. But you should give it another listen. Check out the Gewandhaus recording under Ricardo Chailly. Superb.
I'm glad you didn't mention Bruckner 3. This is because it's so heavily butchered in its life, that we don't really know what was his intentions were. Shame really, because in many ways it was his ground breaking work...
@@JeanPaul-Hol65 I can see why Bruckner was pressured to shorten it. But I do love the original version. Simply because it's like an endless journey through the cosmos. The 1889 version just misses the mark in so many ways...
@@mr-wx3lv I think you are right about the 1889 version. Perhaps I personally have a preference for the 1877 revision, which seems more mature and balanced to me.
Asking classical nuts to not have an "existential crisis" about omissions or differences of opinion is like ... (plug in absurd expectation of your choice here...)
I'm surprised you have Beethoven #3 on here. It seems like in prior talks when you mention that symphony you never seem to say good things about. I didn't think you liked it.
Beautiful list! Thank you so much for including the Magnard #3, an obsession of mine for almost 50 years, which includes a pilgrimage to the village and house where he died
I might have included the Schumann Rhenish (3rd) Symphony which is beautiful in its entirety.
A great piece indeed. Tchaikovsky loved it.
Yes, the greatest of his four.
@@marknewkirk4322 So did Elgar.
@@bbailey7818 Greater than #4?
@@tbarrelier I'm torn between 2 and 3 depending on my mood but in my very subjective and personal opinion, 4 despite it's ,motivic unity, doesn't have anything to equal the middle movements of 2 or the sheer exuberance of the Rhenish or its solemn Cathedral movement.
A very solid list indeed. And I’m pleased to see that others have already suggested Rautavaara, Tubin, and Lutosławaski. My only addition is Robert Simpson’s Third - it’s a good entry point for anyone who’s curious about his music. ✌️
@@kenm.3512 I’ve amassed quite a bit of the Hyperion edition of Simpson’s work since the late 80s. I know his music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, nor is it something I listen to “casually.” I just vibe with the architectural rigor of his music. Good writer as well, his book on Nielsen is essential. And he also appears to have been a principled and decent man. A shame that he was plagued by ill health in his final years.
No arguments from the video's list. Just a few more composers whose 3rd symphony I would have considered:
Lutoslawski (an amazingly powerful work)
Arnold Bax (my favorite of his 7, one of the most magical endings in all of music)
Eduard Tubin
Karol Szymanowski - Song of the Night
Charles Villiers Stanford - Irish
Marcel Tyberg
George Whitefield Chadwick
Gorecki - Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (Overrated? Maybe, but still a powerful work)
I would add to that very good 2nd list Schumann, Honegger, Prokofiev and Rautavaara
I loved this list,Dave. Agree about the delightful Dvorak 3rd,a life-enhancing piece,like the 5th. Great mention of the Magnard too. The Mahler, Copland,VW, Harris, Mendelssohn. I thought you really did justice to them all. Going to listen to the Madetoja. I have all his symphonies, but only know the marvellous 2nd well. Excellent talk. All the best.
Glad you mention Borodin's 2nd. He did what Sibelius would later do in that much-discussed first movement of his 2nd.... tease with interesting musical snippets and motifs, then like a magician reveal their relationship for a blazing moment but cast them apart again awaiting applause.
Per Norgård’s 3rd is one of my all-time favorite symphonies-I find it utterly transcendent.
I definitely agree. Hopefully he will be getting the attention he deserves as he is about to celebrate his 90th birthday and a box set of all eight symphonies has just been released.
Nielsen 3 is what got me hooked on his music
Keeping your caveats in mind, I would put Lutosławski’s third on this list. I always have a very special experience of that symphony every time I return to it. I turn out the lights and start listening, and think to myself, really, what’s the big deal… and then slowly over its course it gets more and more compelling, and then by the time it’s done I feel stunned and think it’s just about the greatest piece of high Modernist symphonism ever. It has this kind of imperceptibly increasing trajectory that i can’t easy find other examples of for me personally.
Whose recording do you like? I'm figuring Salonen won't disappoint.
@@dennischiapello3879 I originally "imprinted" on Lutosławski's own recording with Berlin, but I also very much like Antoni Wit's. I honestly have never heard the Salonen but you can bet I'm going to seek it out.
I honestly applauded when Mendelssohn's "Scottish" showed up, a little late to the party. :)) I was so convinced it HAD to be there! My favorite by the German prodigy, closely followed by the choral "Lobgesang". Also, a huge shout-out for mentioning Berwald's "Singuliere" - one of the most memorable works majority of Classical followers never heard; and of Dvorak's 3rd - my choice along with the iconic "New World". Upon first discovery, I was amazed the composer should ever have canned it and relegated such a work to footnotes. That was WAY too conscientious, and we are lucky he at least did not destroy the manuscript!
On a repeated note, the fans of all manner of "nature and cosmic resurrection" symphonies would do well to check out Jan van Gilse's 3rd symphony. You never heard the name, granted. But it does not matter; the late post-romantic idiom was strong in the man's work, and he had the style and taste to NOT overdo it, while operating on a grand scale. Van Gilse is also kind of a victim of war (WW II this time), his family torn apart by the atrocities. But you should not listen to him for that - same as Magnard, just listen to the music. There many worse ways to spend an hour than his 3rd. My discovery of 2022 on CPO with David Porcelijn.
Well done list David. I'd like to also give a shout out to the 3rds of Arnold Bax and William Schuman. My favorites from both of their cycles.
I would not forget Enescu's Symphony no 3. It's absolutely amazing in it's "Dantesque" like form.
I agree this is a super work. It would be on my list as well.
Yes... I'm NUTS about it!
The Roy Harris 3rd Symphony in One Movement is Amazing. My favourite recording is the New York Philharmonic with Leonard Bernstein conducting. I would actually close my eyes while listening to this atmospheric music !
Absolutely. Yet nothing else of Harris seems to come close.
Another great list. Atterburg, Fibich, Tubin are particular favourite 3rds of mine. Another fav would be the unique, long, repetitious somewhat but what a monster.. Gliere
Scriabin’s 3rd symphony is another good one.
I so love the finale to this symphony. So exciting, romantic with an element of tragedy.
A favourite 3rd of mine is the Rutland Boughton, coupled on an outstanding Hyperion disc with his Concerto for Oboe and Strings. If you like George Lloyd then this will probably sparke for you.
The ones of Nystroem and Kabelac are also honorable mentions imo. The instrumentation of the latter is particularly interesting as it comprises organ, brasses and timpani only.
Some great choices there Dave, as always! The Dvorak 3 is one of my favourites of his and I might go so far as to say Sibelius 3 is one of my favourite works of all.
A couple of others that to consider:
- Rachmaninov 3 (not complaining, but he didn't appear at all on these lists and I know how much you like the 1st and how much everyone loves 2nd), my favourite is the 3rd, especially the performance conducted by a 93yr old Stokowski! Mackerras' is rather good too.
- Gorecki, it has a bit of a cult following, doesn't it
Splendid to see that Madetoja has his moment in the sun within this series. Although my personal favorite Finnish third symphony (along with Sibelius's) is Einojuhani Rautavaara's 3rd.
I would include the William Schuman 3. He’s another composer , like Harris, that’s rarely heard today.
Agree. IMO, Schuman's 3rd is the GAS--Great American Symphony.
There is another great Nielsen 3rd deserving attention, by Ludolf Nielsen. I love the piece. In the finale, there is one of the most impressive "symphonic collapses" I have ever heard.
Yes, a marvelously epic work! That “collapse” moment you refer to is earth-shatteringly powerful!
Here, in Vienna, it's 9:50 pm, which means that bed time comes near. But I will not be able to have sleep, if I do not mention these thirds, which always give me incredible pleasure - although the first to mention is rather a 10th, composed (hark, ye horses) by Bruckner. I mean the 3rd by Einojuhani Rautavaara, who manages to combine sort of 12-tone-technique with brucknerian chorales and tunes, but it's not a copy, it's Rautavaara with all of his woodwind whirles and shimmering brass chords. For me, this is one of the greatest symphonies of the 20th century.
Then the 3rd by Michael Tippett, a strange piece, modelled around Beethoven's 9th, asking, if an ode to joy is possible thinking on human sorrow. It combines atonality with blues, not easy at first listening, but it grows.
Then the 3rd by Sergej Prokofiev, the "Fiery Angel"-symphony, with a tune in the first movement, once heard, one can never forget. The whole work has the quality of hysteria with burning colors and forward driving rhythms. It'sa masterpiece!
Then Honegger's 3rd - no words needed, there'sa great talk about this work.
Finally a work by a composer I discovered through the conductor: I just tried to get all, what Dimitri Mitropoulos has recorded, and one of the works was the 3rd symphony by Peter Mennin, and it's a fantastic work! Three movements, the first an exposition of rhythmic forces, the second quiet with a long, singing melody, and then the third, going back to the first in attitude, but now combined with an unforgettable tune, which sings on the top of the rhythms. To me, the work makes a similar impression as does Walton's First.
And now I can go to sleep quietly, having mentioned all my dear 3rds, which havent been on the list.
A great selection, I agree completely. Thank you.
Great that Berwald is on the list!
And you've explained the VW #3 better than anyone! What I didn't understand myself
Somewhere on nos.1-3 someone mentioned Willem Pijper. I can't find the comment now, but wanted to say thank you for the suggestion. Had never heard of him but have been enjoying his symphonies very much. Hope whoever it was stumbles on this!
A great list! There are more than a few others I would add, four of which are Schumann’s (as well as his second), Honegger’s, Szymanowski’s, and most especially, Lutoslawski’s-the great late 20th century symphony. I don’t know any others in recent times that comes close to Lutoslawski’s.
Saygun’s third is well worth considering. It is arguably his best work, and it is a true masterpiece.
Yes, it is.
Oh the Sibelius #3 my friend! It is a milestone. Fully mature and what an ending! The most fun I've had with my clothes on
An often forgotten one I would add is Florence Price. Honegger, Rachmaninoff and Schumann also wrote banging thirds.
Well to me Bruckner 's 3rd , Schumann's 3rd and I would suggest Tchaikovsky's 3rd also. I also love Stanford's 3rd, "the Irish". Of there are many others . I also love the Harris 3rd and happy you picked the Madetoja 3rd.
I'll put in a plug for Bruckner 3 and also Gliere 3 "Ilya Murometz"
Vittorio Giannini's Symphony no.3 for band is a personal favorite. I already know that you enjoy it, from seeing your previous videos. It already gets plenty of attention on concert band and wind ensemble lists.
Have all of these and consider them all wonderful.
The Harris Third Symphony is one of the reasons why I became a musician. Some farmer/truck driver in rural America ended up writing THAT. It fired my imagination. Bernstein and Ormandy recorded it in the stereo era on Columbia and RCA respectively.
Ormandy recorded the Seventh in mono, and that's quite good. The other symphonies range from very good to awful, sometimes even from one movement to the next. Apart from 3 and 7, which are relatively "established", I think the choral 4th Symphony (the "Folksong Symphony") is fun, and several of the others have their moments. There are 13 numbered symphonies and a few more unnumbered ones (one is for band). The first 11 are (or have been) on CD. 12 and 13 have not been recorded to my knowledge.
So many great "Thirds" !!!....Here´s my selection:
Ralph Vaughan Williams "A Pastoral Symphony"
Aulis Sallinen Symphony No 3
Boris Tchaikovsky Symphony No 3 "Sebastopol"
Malcolm Arnold Symphony No 3
Kurt Atterberg Symphony No 3 "West Coast Pictures"
Reinhold Gliere Symphony No 3 “Ilya Muromets”
Gorecki “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
Arvo Part Symphony No 3
John Kinsella Symphony No 3 “Joie de Vivre”
Saint Saens "Organ Symphony"
Panufnik "Sinfonia Sacra"
Rautavaara Symphony No 3
Havergal Brian Symphony No 3
Szymanowski Symphony No 3 “Song of the Night”
Samuel Jones Symphony No 3 "Palo Duro Canyon"
Eduard Tubin Symphony No 3 "Heroic"
Plus Lyatoshynsky's Third Symphony.
Thank you, David! Would love to hear your take on the symphonies of Ropartz and Tournemire.
So glad to see others mention favorite third symphonies that are mine, as well: Schuman, Lutoslawski, Martinu. On the list, also glad to hear the Mendelssohn showcased at the end.
It might seem deliberately provocative, but how about Symphony no 3, "The English' by dear old Hubert Parry. It has the advantage of not being an oratorio, also it is full of good tunes and a rollicking variations finale. Lets hear it for the 19th century English symphony.
May I suggest a few additions? Prokofiev 3 - perhaps his most radical symphony, unless you include the 2nd, full of extraordinary sounds and conveying a powerful sense of weird and sinister gloom. I have had from childhood days a very soft spot for Schubert's 3rd, Mozartian as it is (in some respects). And a final, perhaps controversial choice: Glazunov 3, always described (and dismissed)as a 'transitional' work, but warm and lovable nonetheless with a glintingly iridescent scherzo.
How wonderful to have highlighted the Berwald Singulière! Such a wonderful work! Have to explore the Madetoja! And I may have only heard the Harris once. Looking forward to re-exploring it. But Dave ......where is the Gorecki? :)
Where it belongs.
Amazing video as always Dave! This got a lot of new pieces into my listening list. Still waiting for our old pal Anton B to appear in this series, surely he will be in the 4th and onwards, right 😉
Happy you mentioned Leevi Madetoja's third. Stangely I just watched Aki Kaurismäki's movie "the Man without past" in which some parts of this work are cited.
My list of top ten 3rd Symphonies: 1. Beethoven, 2. Brahms, 3. Sibelius, 4. Saint-Saens, 5. Vaughan-Williams, 6. Bax, 7. Nielsen, 8. Schmidt, 9. Martinu, 10. Rachmaninoff.
Whenever I hear Berwald's 3rd I hear Berlioz, even though there is probably no direct influence.
I have thought the same! Something in the water back then? I have also thought I hear Sibelius quoting that sublime quiet tune from Berwald's finale in his seventh symphony, about a minute in and again at the end, but may be I am imagining it.
Yes. To me this great symphony also reminds me more of Berlioz than Mendelssohn or any other. Yet it is really original and a wonderful work!
I might add Honegger's third symphony the ‘Liturgique.’ Maybe not the greatest symphony ever written but interesting, original and worth knowing. Rorem's third is also probably his best symphony. His songs are certainly where he shines the most, but I quite like his symphonies, too. I'm glad you had Nielson's third. I've really come to like it. Really nice choices here.
Back to symphonies number 2, I must be alone but I really like Alexander Tansman symphony number 2.
Never heard Bernal’s symphony singulière… next listening.
I like it too.
Dvorak's 3rd.....and some good white wine.
Dear, Dear David - May I add an astounding #3 I recently discovered: Paul Wranitzky's on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi). Contemporary of Beethoven who picked him to conduct his First symphony. The entire album is amazing.
Next week I am going to the season finale of the IPO, and the main attraction is the eroica, my favorite no. 3 symphony
I am so glad Sibelius, Magnard, Madetoja, and Dvorak are included (and I so wished Dvorak wrote in an expositional repeat!) as these four Thirds do not get the attention they deserve. I was hoping that Rangtrom and Draeseke would have made this list, but, as you said, there are way more than sixteen outstanding third symphonies.
It's a pity that nobody knows Paavo Heininen's 3rd symphony, which I think is an incredible masterwork that deserves to be in this list. Unfortunately you cannot find it in the Internet.
Regarding Borodin, and appearing on lists, his Nocturne from the String Quartet No.2 suggests another list: " One Movement Wonders" - famous pieces that are a single movement of a larger work...and so you get the Litolff Scherzo and so many others.
While we're NOT on the subject of 4th symphonic or "concertic" works, may I hijack to the "symphonitude" of Litolff's 4th Concerto Symphinque #4, with the famous scherzo? Thx!
Great to see Dvorak, Madetoja & Mendelssohn 👍 I'd include Arnold Bax Symphony 3 with its wonderful epilogue
I would add the third symphony by Honegger. A deeply affecting work
Great list.
Speaking of pieces that were in vogue but are no longer, this one in my lifetime: Henryk Górecki's 3rd (Sorrowful Songs). And more cheerfully: Félicien David's 3rd (I love the incredibly catchy tune from its first movement).
And Raff's third! A real personal favourite, can't believe I forgot this--I must think of it as the "forest" symphony, rather than as number three (and I find Raff's symphonies hard to keep track of numerically). This is his most gorgeous work in my opinion, and fully evocative of everything it claims to be evocative of.
Thanks David. I would add Bruch's 3rd too.
Not in a million years! Nice, but not great.
Prokofiev's 3rd Symphony easily ranks up there with this list, a tie with the Rachmaninov 3rd as my favorite Russian 3rd symphony.
Hello Dave, thanks a million for the joy your channel brings! What about works that work in the concert hall, but not on disc and vice versa? In 2011, I was present at a Prom performance of Havergal Brian's Gothic Symphony (the one with almost a thousand performers). A once-in-a-lifetime concert, but totally forgettable on disc (even the same performance of it, which was published by Hyperion). On the other hand, it is very difficult to bring off a succesful live performance of Rachmaninov's Third Piano Concerto. Sure, people go nuts at the end because of the acrobatics, but much of the piano playing often gets lost in the thick orchestral textures. On disc however...
By the way, I did a quick check/search, but if this idea has already popped up, please don't kill me.
Someone once opined that Mahler's third and forth symphonies (and maybe the fifth) were supposed to be one long symphony!
My suggestions for great 3rd symphonies (by composers who might not otherwise get listed)
Lutoslawski -- the "aleatoric" elements and so on sound like a gimmick on paper, but in performance it really works.
Szymanowski -- the "song of the night" symphony. Looks like I'm doing Polish stuff, but I won't bother plug Gorecki. I'm sure the comments will do that sufficiently without me.
Glenn Branca - "Gloria" symphony. Branca deserves some mention, and this is one of his better symphonies.
Florence Price - there's been a resurgence in Price recordings as you have noted, and they are well worth reviving.
Something interesting I’ve found about the “limited aleatoric” elements in Lutosławski is when you listen to different recordings, those sections pretty much sound the same. I suspect it wasn’t a political or philosophical gimmick but more a way to get a certain kind of texture without bothering to write all the different strands out individually (why bother?)
On Dvorak - has David recommended a complete symphonies box set? If not are there any recommendations?
Yes. Please look at the Dvorak playlist.
@@DavesClassicalGuide found it Dave - thank you! Starting with the Rowicki set 🎵
Hi ! Love your vidéos . Live in Montréal Québec . I'm and amateur of classical music and a friend ask me a question at a souper if i can tell him how many REQUIEM was made and i found only 5 ones ? ! So can you make a list of 16 REQUIEM
For you, anything. Stick around for a few days.
Would have definitely added Gorecki's 3rd. Personally one of my favorites and significant in representing the victims of WW2.
I don’t know hardly any Magnard. I keep on meaning to get to know his music but other music, seem to get in the way. I’m retired, so I have more time than most! Santos?!?!?
I think the magic number is No 5. Looking forward.
What's your opinion of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 3? Maybe it was number 17 on your list? I've always felt sorry for this work for it was hardly ever heard and only a few recordings were made during the LP era. Now that the CDs are here, you hear it a lot more often. Five movements instead of four and in D "MAJOR", not minor. Wish I knew more about music to continue. Just like what I hear. THANKS, DAVE !!!
I had to throw in this anecdote re: Roy Harris' 3rd...you probably know it David.....a major league manager (it might have be Durochur) once commented to Harris...."If my team played as well as symphony, they's win the pennant".......
My list would include Bob Simpson 3.
I forgot this. Terrific symphony.
@@christopherpickles7541 Havergal Brian 3 isn't too shoddy either. One of his better attempts......
Schumann's "Rhenish" should be on this list.
No, it should not.
@@DavesClassicalGuide Ha - some gall man. Good for you. But you should give it another listen. Check out the Gewandhaus recording under Ricardo Chailly. Superb.
Time stamps would be useful for these kind of videos ;). Otherwise, a really fun watch, as usual!
I'm glad you didn't mention Bruckner 3. This is because it's so heavily butchered in its life, that we don't really know what was his intentions were. Shame really, because in many ways it was his ground breaking work...
I love that Symphony enormously. But I don't know in which version ... 🤔🤭
@@JeanPaul-Hol65 I can see why Bruckner was pressured to shorten it. But I do love the original version. Simply because it's like an endless journey through the cosmos. The 1889 version just misses the mark in so many ways...
@@mr-wx3lv I think you are right about the 1889 version. Perhaps I personally have a preference for the 1877 revision, which seems more mature and balanced to me.
I’d add Bax, Martinu, & Rota.
No Szymanowski 3rd? Ah well
Asking classical nuts to not have an "existential crisis" about omissions or differences of opinion is like ... (plug in absurd expectation of your choice here...)
Yeah, I guess so!
I'm surprised you have Beethoven #3 on here. It seems like in prior talks when you mention that symphony you never seem to say good things about. I didn't think you liked it.
Whether I like it or not is irrelevant. It's a great work, and in a great performance I'm completely happy with it.