Great Unsung Third Symphonies

[sdtom]

I noticed Gliere was lacking.  One of the all time great works in my opinion.

[Paul Barasi]

Mahler-List tends to discuss ... Mahler - except when members wander off to other (inevitably?) more well-known composers. (Well-known and Unsung composers aren't exactly a cross-over like classical/pop.) I did initiate a discussion there back in July 2002 on "Great works by little known composers". There's been only one Mahler-List discussion on Twitter Mahler - and that was started by ... me. It led to another on Great Thirds, which prompted me to bring here this discussion on Great Unsung Third Symphonies. Obviously our Unsung site is unique and fascinating - that's why we're all here! 

[Pengelli]

Far from being uneven,I only avoid the Gliere 3 because
I always want to play it all the way through,or full blast!

[Pengelli]

That reminds me to put the Naxos complete 'Red Poppy'
on my 'little list'. Would love to hear a Gliere opera too.

[Syrelius]

I would also like to recommend Madetoja's 3rd symphony.

[DennisS]

Hello Syrelius

I too would like to recommend Madetoya's 3rd and also the Gliere. Am very fond of both composers.

[Ilja]

That reminds me to put the Naxos complete 'Red Poppy'
on my 'little list'. Would love to hear a Gliere opera too.

In my experience, Glière gets a LOT worse after the Revolution. 'Ilya Muromets' is a glorious highlight of the music of the Tsarist era, but was Glière always a bit out of place in the Soviet Union - also because of his heritage.

[TerraEpon]

Gliere didn't get worse, per se, he just got...how to put it...conservative. His music sounds like it was written in 1890 -- which isn't a bad thing per se, just not all that innovative. But I would never EVER do without his Harp Concerto.
Gliere's actually a favorite composer of mine in general, and I'd so love to hear more of his ballets especially.

[HerbieG]

Nobody has mentioned Stenhammar's 3rd!  It's a fragment lasting only a couple of minutes; a magnificent opening and that's it.  Maybe someone could pay Anthony Payne to recontruct the whole work!  Ideal listening if you are in a hurry.     It's on Chandos.

Then there's Richard Wetz.  Has he ever been mentioned in these threads?

Finally, there's Gorecki's - I shall risk a flaying by stating that this is surely the most boring symphony ever written.

[Pengelli]

Er,yes he has........

[Mark Thomas]

Herbie wrote:

Finally, there's Gorecki's - I shall risk a flaying by stating that this is surely the most boring symphony ever written.

If you go here, Herbie, you will see that you are not alone. Not that I'm encouraging you to reopen this debate 

[JollyRoger]

Lars-Erik Larsson - Symphony no 3 (1944-45)
If you liked God In Disguise, you will like this 3rd of 3 symphonies.
While we can differ on which of the 3 are best, (all 3 are a melodious joy to hear)..this one was unforgettable to me.
Since Larsson disowned his symphonies, we should be very grateful they have been preserved.
(Saint Saens 3 comes to mind at times with this piece)

[Gauk]

I have a dear friend whose hobby is collecting 3rd symphonies. She rationalises it that on average, it takes a composer two symphonies to find his feet; then there may be a decline in powers later in life. So in terms of a probability distribution, a composer's third symphony is most likely to be the best.

[Alan Howe]

Please remember what our remit is here at UC, so let's not wander off into Prokofiev, Khatchaturian, etc.

[JollyRoger]

sorry, I forgot the side-boards here