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1. The Song of the Earth (Mahler) 2. 5 Variants on Dives and Lazarus (Vaughan Williams) 3. Symphony #10- Shostakovich 4. Symphony #3- Prokofiev 5. The Rite of Spring- Stravinsky 6. Cantique de Jean Racine- Faure 7. Symphony #12- Shostakovich 8. Superman the Movie- Williams 9. Symphony #5- Vaughan Williams 10. Moby Dick Cantata- Herrmann What are you all time favourite orchestral works? Don't have to be classical per se. Mine are mostly because most of these influenced film scores I enjoy in some way shape or form. For me, Mahler's Das Lied will always be my favourite. It's a poetic summation of the composer's musical voice and a resignation to oblivion. The influence of eastern scales makes the work vibrant and exotic. The final mvmt with its 30+ running time is extraordinary. pity some might be put off by the singing. The orchestration in this work is beyond amazing. It's so complicated because of its subtleties Vaughan Williams gets a couple entries because of the overwhelming emotion and feeling in his music. And Shostakovich for his intensity and imagery that his music conjures up. Prokofiev's 3rd symphony is based on his Fiery Angel opera and will always be my favourite because of its energy and mood. The third movement is as demonic as the composer ever got with those portamento violin figures. The sole film score entry is Williams' Superman because I think it can stand with these other great works for orchestra. It's depth of themes and their development along with the overall scope of diversity of the score make it, for me, the greatest film score ever composed. There's just so much there. Star Wars is great but it pales in its dramatic arc compared to Superman. The Faure piece is transcendent of almost any piece I've heard and feels like the composer was touched by the hand of God when he created it. It's a beautiful piece but the reading is paramount- I've heard conductor's take it way too fast or too slow. It took my decades to appreciate Stravinsky but I love Le Sacre. It's filled with amazing textures and evocative set pieces. I almost included The Firebird as well but The Shostakovich 12 edged in because it's a personal fave of mine and has always resonated with me for its tragic opening. The VW Fifth is also an emotional juggernaut. Herrmann's Moby Dick rounds out the list because I love Herrmann's music and this piece in particular has so much to offer. It's a perfect cross between the composer's film style and his concert music. I have three recordings of this (the best reading being the very expensive Unicorn release conducted by Herrmann himself. Sound quality isn't as good as the Chandos recording but performance is better.
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DavidC - I love that you chose the Shostakovich 12. My first exposure to his music was the 5th, but the 12th was my second, as I found it in my local library back in the mid-1970s. It was played by an East German orchestra (without googling it I think it was the Dresdener Staatskapelle, or was it Leipzig?) and I loved it from the outset. I'm always outraged when I see it criticised for being too lightweight, or filmic. The climax to the last movement is exquisitely tense when played at a certain tempo, and it always seems to me to be a good introduction to Shostakovich for fans of film music. I heard this tracked to October and it made an indelible impression. The Bernard Haitink entire symphony series for me is about the best interpretation of all his works but especially the 12th. I agree too- it's an amazing emotionally searing piece.
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1. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 (in my opinion the greatest symphony of the 20th Century) 2. Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring 3. Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4 4. Nielsen: Symphony No. 5 5. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 6. Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 9 7. Walton: Symphony No. 1 8. Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky 9. Arnell: Symphony No. 4 10. Harris: Symphony no. 3 Yeah the fourth is pretty fabulous. Also love the Walton 1st. The first movement is outstanding
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1. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 (in my opinion the greatest symphony of the 20th Century) 2. Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring 3. Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 4 4. Nielsen: Symphony No. 5 5. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 6. Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 9 7. Walton: Symphony No. 1 8. Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky 9. Arnell: Symphony No. 4 10. Harris: Symphony no. 3 Yeah the fourth is pretty fabulous. Also love the Walton 1st. The first movement is outstanding The greatest recording of Walton's Symphony 1 is still Andre Previn conducting the LSO in the recording from 1966. Yes indeed! I can't listen to another recording after hearing this reading. It's thunderous and that passacaglia section with the trilling horn figure is fantastic.
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Such a wide topic. I have no idea where to start or stop. Then why did you post? Nothing to add or contribute..
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All this discussion and no Beethoven? Fine, I'll say Beethoven, Symphony 7. Or 9. But prolly 7. Can I just say Horner's entire oeuvre? Derivative or not his stuff makes my soul sing. I don't know. I kind of agree with Thor -- I don't know how to pick 10! I really enjoy Horners concert works as well. Yeah his film scores could be derivative but let's put it this way- if Horner was still alive and it was between him, Giacchino and Desplat to score Rogue One, who would most people want to hear? For me, Horner hands down. Btw- some honourable mentions that didn't quite make my list- Daphnis et Chloe- Ravel Planet of the Apes- Goldsmith Requiem-Ligeti Organ Symphony- Saint Saens The Firebird- Stravinsky Harmonielehre-Adams Harmonium- Adams Arcana- Varese Ivan the Terrible- Prokofiev Symphony 1- Walton
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... but there are many, many others. John Williams' Superman: The Movie (1978) wouldn't get into my top 1,000 even though 35 years ago I used to quite like it. Perhaps it's over-exposure to such melodies but those big cinematic works now leave me cold. Mitch Fair enough. I generally feel this way towards most film scores. I'd rather listen to their sources than the second gen versions. What passes for "great orchestral works" for film these days is a joke largely. Not blaming the composer's as most of them are capable of writing good stuff but the studios and audiences have such a low yardstick for music written for orchestra it's pretty bland compared to something like the Shosty 10 mvmt 2 (though I believe not even other contemporaries of him could match the ferocity of that movement- boy did he have a hate on for Stalin- justifiably so of course). Oddly enough I actually can still listen to a lot of Horner because he took the structural aspect of concert music and aptly transferred it to supporting a visual medium but still retained that sense of long development.
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