A Symphony Edition chosen by popular vote: Deutsche Grammophon rolls out a cornucopia of great symphonic music, chosen by the people – all the symphonies you’ll ever need in a compact cube, at a great price!

“The symphony is the most significant and most complex form of musicial composition, which in its Classical form represents the supreme achievement of Western music.” So wrote polymath Nicolas Slonimsky, and there can be litte doubt that for the majority of music-lovers the symphony, from before Haydn to Shostakovich and beyond, is the mainstay of their listening pleasure.

To arrive at 100 Great Symphonies, we put the question to the vote (as with the successful Berlin Philharmonic set in 2013), asking our faithful public: What are your favourite symphonies? Over 2,300 people responded, casting over 8,000 votes altogether. We have made the top 50 symphonies in the voter charts the backbone of this set.

This is a substantial box – 56 CDs – containing a huge range of works, starting with Giovanni Battista Sammartini and ending with Arvo Pärt and Philip Glass, taking in every major symphonist on the way. Over 60 hours of glorious, fascinating listening!

The vote has produced the core of the box, with cycles by Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms, and major contributions from Bruckner, Mahler and Shostakovich.

We have felt free to extend the list chronologically, going back to the beginnings of the Symphony for CD 1 (Sammartini, Stamitz, von Dittersdorf, CPE Bach, JC Bach), and exploring the 20th-century symphony more broadly, so the box also provides a history of the form. Here the help of the Decca catalogue has been indispensable.

In order to present as rich and colourful a soundworld as possible, we decided to limit the number of complete symphonic cycles, choosing the most significant or popular works from an individual composer’s oeuvre.

There are some great rarities too: Franz Schmidt’s Fourth, Samuel Barber’s Symphony no.1, Philip Glass’s “Low” Symphony – well worth a listen!

Contents:
CD 1
THE EARLY SYMPHONY
1. Giovanni Battista Sammartini: Symphony in A major
Arcadia Ensemble / Kevin Mallon (on period instruments)

2. Johann Stamitz: Symphony in D major op.3 no.2
The Academy of Ancient Music / Christopher Hogwood

3. Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf: Sinfonia in A minor
Camerata Bern

4. JC Bach: Symphony in F major op.3 no.5
ASMF / Marriner

5. CPE Bach: Orchestral Sinfonia no.1 in D major Wq 183
Münchener Bach Orchester / Karl Richter

JOSEPH HAYDN
CD 2
6. Symphony no.39 in G minor
7. Symphony no.48 in C major “Maria Theresia”
8. Symphony no.49 in F minor “ La passione”
The English Concert / Trevor Pinnock

CD 3
9. Symphony no.88
10. Symphony no.94 “Surprise”
Wiener Philharmoniker / Leonard Bernstein

CD 4
11. Symphony no.101 “The Clock”
12. Symphony no.104 “London”
London Philharmonic Orchestra /Eugen Jochum

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
CD 5
13. Symphony no.25 in G minor K. 183
14. Symphony no.29 in A major K. 201
15. Symphony no.35 in D major K.385 “Haffner”
The English Concert / Trevor Pinnock

CD 6
16. Symphony no.38 “Prague”
17. Symphony no.39
Wiener Philharmoniker / James levine

CD 7
18. Symphony no.41 “Jupiter”
19. Symphony no.40
Wiener Philharmoniker / Leonard Bernstein

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN
CD 8
20. Symphony no.1 in C op.21
21. Symphony no.2 in D op.36
Orchestra Revolutionnaire et Romantique / John Eliot Gardiner

CD 9
22. Symphony no.3 in E flat op.55
23. Symphony no.4 in B flat op.60
Berliner Philharmoniker / Claudio Abbado

CD 10
24. Symphony no.5 in C minor op.67
25. Symphony no.7 in A op.92
Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela / Gustavo Dudamel

CD 11
26. Symphony no.6 in F major op.68 “Pastoral”
27. Symphony no.8 in F major op.93
Wiener Philharmoniker / Karl Böhm

CD 12
28. Symphony no.9 in D minor op.125 “Choral”
Jones / Schwarz / Kollo / Moll
Konzertvereinigung Wiener Staatsopernchor / Wiener Philharmoniker
Leonard Bernstein

FRANZ SCHUBERT
CD 13
29. Symphony no.3 in D D200
30. Symphony no.5 in B flat D485
Berliner Philharmoniker / Karl Böhm

CD 14
31. Symphony no.8 in B minor “Unfinished”
32. Symphony no.9 in C major “Great”
Chamber Orchestra of Europe / Claudio Abbado

HECTOR BERLIOZ
CD 15
33. Symphonie fantastique op.14
Mahler Chamber Orchestra / Marc Minkowski

FELIX MENDELSSOHN
CD 16
34. Symphony no.3 “Scottish”
35. Symphony no.4 “Italian”
London Symphony Orchestra / Claudio Abbado

ROBERT SCHUMANN
CD 17
36. Symphony no.1 “Spring”
37. Symphony no.2

CD 18
38. Symphony no.3 “Rhenish”
39. Symphony no.4
Wiener Philharmoniker / Leonard Bernstein

FRANZ LISZT
CD 19
40. A Faust Symphony
Vinson Cole / Staatskapelle Dresden / Giuseppe Sinopoli

JOHANNES BRAHMS
CD 20
41. Symphony no.1 in C minor
42. Symphony no.2 in D major

CD 21
43. Symphony no.3 in F minor
44. Symphony no.4 in E minor
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan

ANTONIN DVOŘÁK
CD 22
45. Symphony no.8 in G major
46. Symphony no.9 in E minor “From the New World”
Berliner Philharmoniker / Rafael Kubelik

PETER ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY
CD 23 – 24
47. Symphony no.4 in F minor op.36
48. Symphony no.5 in E minor op.64
49. Symphony no.6 in B minor op.74 “Pathétique”
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan

CD 25
ALEXANDER BORODIN
50. Symphony no.2 in B minor
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra / Neeme Järvi

SERGEI RACHMANINOV
51. Symphony no.2 in E minor, op.27
Russian National Orchestra / Mikhail Pletnev

CD 26
CÉSAR FRANCK
52. Symphonie in D minor

ALBERT ROUSSEL
53. Symphony no.3
Orchestre de Paris / Leonard Bernstein

CD 27
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS
54. Symphony no.3 “Organ”
Berliner Philharmoniker / James Levine

ALEXANDER SCRIABIN
55. Symphony no.3 op.43 “Le Divin Poème”
Russian National Orchestra / Mikhail Pletnev

ANTON BRUCKNER
CD 28
56. Symphony no.4 “Romantic”
Berliner Philharmoniker / Eugen Jochum

CD 29
57. Symphony no.7
Wiener Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan

CD 30
58. Symphony no.8
Wiener Philharmoniker / Karl Böhm

GUSTAV MAHLER
CD 31
59. Symphony no.1
Concertgebouworkest Amsterdam / Leonard Bernstein

CD 32
60. Symphony no.2 “Resurrection”
Christine Schäfer / Michelle DeYoung / Wiener Singverein / Wiener Philharmoniker / Pierre Boulez

CD 33
61. Symphony no.5
Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra / Gustavo Dudamel

CD 34
62. Symphony no.9
Berliner Philharmoniker / Claudio Abbado

JEAN SIBELIUS
CD 35
63. Symphony no.2 in D, op.43
64. Symphony no.5 in E flat, op.82
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra / Neeme Järvi

EDWARD ELGAR
CD 36
65. Symphony no.2 in E flat op.63
Philharmonia Orchestra / Giuseppe Sinopoli

RICHARD STRAUSS
CD 37
66. Eine Alpensinfonie op.64
Wiener Philharmoniker / Christian Thielemann

CD 38
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG
67. Chamber Symphony op.9 for 15 solo instruments (1906)
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra

ANTON WEBERN
68. Symphonie op.21
Berliner Philharmoniker / Pierre Boulez

FRANZ SCHMIDT
69. Symphony no.4
Wiener Philharmoniker / Zubin Mehta

CARL NIELSEN
CD 39
70. Symphony no.4 op.29 “The Inextinguishable”
71. Symphony no.5 op.50
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra / Neeme Järvi

SERGE PROKOFIEV
CD 40
72. Symphony no.1 op.25 “Classical Symphony”
73. Symphony no.5 op.100
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan

DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
CD 41 – 42
74. Symphony no.1 op.10
75. Symphony no.7 op.60 “Leningrad”
Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Leonard Bernstein

CD 43
76. Symphony no.5 op.47
National Symphony Orchestra / Mstislav Rostropovich

CD 44
77. Symphony no.10 op.93
Berliner Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan

CD 45
CHARLES IVES
78. Symphony no.2
New York Philharmonic / Leonard Bernstein

SAMUEL BARBER
79. Symphony no.1 (in one movement) op.9
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra / David Zinman

CD 46
PAUL HINDEMITH
80. Symphonie 'Mathis der Maler'
81. Symphonie 'Die Harmonie der Welt'
San Francisco Symphony / Gewandhausorchester Leipzig / Herbert Blomstedt

CD 47
RALPH VAUGHAN WILLIAMS
82. Symphony no.4 in F minor
London Philharmonic Orchestra / Roger Norrington

WILLIAM WALTON
83. Symphony no.1 in B flat minor
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra / Andrew Litton

CD 48
ROY HARRIS
84. Symphony no.3

WILLIAM SCHUMAN
85. Symphony no.3
New York Philharmonic / Leonard Bernstein

CD 49
IGOR STRAVINSKY
86. Symphony of Psalms
The Monteverdi Choir / London Symphony Orchestra / John Eliot Gardiner
87. Symphony in C
88. Symphony in 3 Movements
Israel Phiharmonic Orchestra / Leonard Bernstein

ARTHUR HONEGGER
CD 50
89. Symphony no.2 for trumpet and strings
90. Symphony no.3 “Liturgigue”
Fritz Wesenigk, trumpet
Berliner Philharmoniker / Karajan

CD 51
OLIVIER MESSIAEN
91. Turangalîla-Symphonie
Yvonne & Jeanne Loriot / Orchestre de l’Opéra Bastille / Myung-Whun Chung

CD 52
AARON COPLAND
92. Symphony no.3 (1944 – 1946)
New York Philharmonic / Leonard Bernstein

LEONARD BERNSTEIN
93. Symphony no.2 “The Age of Anxiety”
Lukas Foss / Israel Phiharmonic Orchestra / Leonard Bernstein

CD 53
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
94. Sinfonia da Requiem
New Philharmonia Orchestra / Benjamin Britten
MICHAEL TIPPETT
95. Symphony no.3
Heather Harper / London Symphony Orchestra / Sir Colin Davis

CD 54
LUCIANO BERIO
96. Sinfonia
London Voices / Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra / Peter Eötvös

WITOLD LUTOSLAWSKI
97. Symphony no.3
Berliner Philharmoniker / Witold Lutoslawski

CD 55
HENRYK GÓRECKI
98. Symphony no.3 “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs”
Joanna Koslowska, soprano
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra / Kazimierz Kord

CD 56
ARVO PÄRT
99. Symphony no.3 (1971)
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra / Neeme Järvi

PHILIP GLASS
100. “Low” Symphony (1992)
The Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra / Dennis Russell Davies