My Favorite Symphonies

The last three Tchaikovskys are good. So are all of Brahms’, all of Mendlessohn’s, all of Beethoven’s, all of the late Haydns, and all of the late Mozarts, especially

#1 #40 (just as perfect as the 41^st, a little more emotional. Some have said Mozart’s Development’s are weak. Not at all so in this piece or the next, and after all, Mozart starts his Developments in his Expositions..)

#2 #41 (what can you say? Who wrote the 1^st and last movts. of this piece? I must conclude it’s someone very powerful and generous in “a very nice situation”. Please see My Beliefs above.)

#3 Beethoven’s 9^th (for a long time was my favorite piece. Used to, every evening for a month, listen to it, drinking any remnants of supper wine, writing notes in my score (I wonder who, if anyone, has that score now? I traded it to Prof. Laura Clemons sometime in the 80s for a beautiful book on fractals)

#4 Beethoven’s 7^th (My older brother Richard’s favorite. I first heard it on his phonograph, in his room, c. 1971. Totally blown away)

#5 same’s 6^th (now my favorite. Love what Disney did with it)

#6 same’s 5^th (hate to, but must say 1^st movt.–incredibly terse, and last movt. Incredibly expansive, don’t belong in the same piece)

#7 same’s 3^rd (Awesome portrayal of a man who topples kings etc. not one who conquers himself a great empire)

#8 Symphonie Fantastique (I hope I’m not way off. Quintessential romantic piece, but, a little bit of Mozart’s perfection?

#9 Mendlessohn’s “Italian”

#10 Brahms 1^st aka Beethoven’s 10^th (Good technique, certainly still has something to say)

#11 Tchaikovsky’s 5^th (this one coheres, and, of course Pyotr Ilyich is the second greatest melodist…

#12 Hadyn’s “Surprise”

#13 Haydn:’s “Fart” (got to love his sense of humor)