Comments on: Playing the numbers game with the great symphonies

By: WolfieWolfgang (Colin Bell)

WolfieWolfgang (Colin Bell) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:48:19 +0000

Brilliant Margaret! Full marks for the interesting list and a bonus point for the quick turn-round. Champion mentalities always win through! Lovely to have the Lutoslawski in there and the Dvorak (I tried to squeeze him in and failed). We agree, I see, on the Brahms and the Schubert.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:44:12 +0000

Oh my, this is much harder. Let's go with this line-up: D'Indy (1), Mahler 2, Lutoslawski 3, Brahms 4, Shostakovich 5, Beethoven 6, Tchaikovsky 7, Schubert 8, Dvorak 9.
I'm happy to include D'Indy officially, and Mahler's 2 is a fine substitute for the more familiar 1. Mozart and Haydn are O-U-T because I'm not familiar with their childhood works and therefore will not endorse them. Lutoslawski's 3 was my entree into his oeuvre, so that's a good fit. I had forgotten Dvorak first time out, so I'm pleased to include him now.
Have I now satisfied the stringent terms of this game?

By: WolfieWolfgang (Colin Bell)

WolfieWolfgang (Colin Bell) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:20:49 +0000

Thanks Margaret but I cannot allow your list! You can't have the Mozart or the Haydn as they are not within the range 1 – 9. you can have the d'Indy though as single works count as number ones. Also you don't need to rank them by preference just by number. You need to add numbers 2, 3, 7, and 9 and you will have to choose between Mahler and d'Indy. Sorry to be such a harsh task-master but games are deeply serious! I am dying to see your next list.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 15:15:41 +0000

Ranking was difficult, and on a different day might differ. However, I settled on this (with top-ranked first): Beethoven 6, Mahler 1, Shostakovich 5, Lutoslawski 1, Brahms 4, Schubert 8, Mozart 40, Tchaikovsky 6, Haydn 103. If I were allowed an un-numbered symphony, I'd have chosen D'Indy's Symphony on a French Mountain Air on its own merit, but also because of the happy memory of my first hearing in the class of a favorite professor.