Classic Music - Symphonies -

As "The Father Of Symphonies" Haydn composed many many symphonies. Toru sometimes enjoys No.45, No.88 and "London Set(No.93 to No.104)", but Haydn is special for him as a composer of concertos and chamber musics.

In Morzart's many symphonies, He loves "Double G-Minor" No.25 and No.40, that's enough for him. No.25 is impressive with a scene of the film "Amadeus". His favorite CD both symphonies are included is live recordings of Bruno Walter's with Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra(VPO). No.40 was performed on 1952 at Musikvereinsaal in Vienna, where he enjoyed Beethoven's symphonies on 1977, a quarter of century later.

Beethoven's 9 symphonies, especially No.5, No.6, No.9 and No.10(It means Brahms's No.1, not the one Barry Cooper realised and completed from the Beethoven's sketches.), are his favorite symphonies. They are the symphonies of symphonies, he thinks.
Regarding No.5 and No.9, Furtwangler must be the best conductor. In his recordings of No.5, live recording with Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra(BPO) at Berlin on May 27.1947 is dramatic, on the otherhand studio recording with VPO on 1954 is magnificient. He loves both. No.9? Of course, live recording with Bayreuth Festival Chorus and Orchestra on 1951, impressive!
VPO's sound matches to the feeling of the No.6. As the conductor of No.6, Bruno Walter and Karl Boem are matches to the music as the "Pastral", but Toru thinks Furtwangler also matches to the music not as the "Pastral" but as the "Cosmos".
As the performance of No.10(=Brahms's No.1), he loves Charles Munch's with Orchestre de Paris, its magnificience is not French but German, and similar to the style of Furtwangler. Recently impressed by the live performance of Berlin Symphony Orchestra at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo, he recognized again that Brahms's and also Beethoven's spirits can be reproduced only by the German heavy sound.

In the 9 symphonies of Schuberts, he often listens only No.8 by the performance of Bruno Walter with New York Philharmonic(NYP).

Regarding the 9 symphonies of Bruckner, whose date of birth is same as his, Sep.4, he may still be at the entrance of their art. Sometimes he enjoys some movements of No.8 and No.9, but he doesn't have experiences to be impressed from the bottom of his heart, such feelings he expects from Bruckner's symphonies. He may be able to catch them from live concerts, as he did on Beethoven's and Brahms's symphonies.

In Dvorak's 9 symphonies, No.1 is No.8, No.2 is No.9. He has a LP of No.8, performed by Chales Munch with Boston Symphony Orchestra, charming. Maybe the charm of No.8 is independent on the performance. As the performance of No.9, Istvan Kertesz with VPO is the best, enthusiastic!

In Mahler's 10 symphonies, he likes No.5 and "Das Lied von der Erde". Mahler's symphonies is too long to hear the all, he picks up several pieces, for example, Adagietto from the former and "Das Trinklied vom Jammer der Erde" from the latter. Best performer is Leonard Bernstein with VPO for both.

In Shostakovich's 15 symphonies, he likes No.5 by the performance of Leonard Bernstein with NYP.

In addition, he sometimes enjoys Borodin's No.2, Bizet's No.1, Scriabin's No.4, Rachmaninov's No.2 and Gorecki's No.3.