I think of Brahms Serenade 1 as a symphony attempt.

 

Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra.
Themes shared between fort and third mvt. First and fifth mvt in sonata form.

 

What critics suggested that Brahms "was simply afraid of calling it a symphony because he feared the comparison to Beethoven?" That's preposterous and silly. Brahms called it a concerto because it's obviously a concerto and couldn't be mistaken for anything else. The statements you cite just call attention to the prominent role of the orchestra and perhaps the fact that the orchestral exposition in the first movement would have served well as the beginning of a symphony. It's figurative speech, not to be taken literally.

 

Suk's symphonic tetralogy seems slightly ambiguous. Of these works, only Asrael seems to have an actual number as a symphony even all though all four works (Summer's Tale, Ripening and Epilogue) are clearly part of a cycle -- indeed in many ways it's the autobiographical development of Suk's personal fate and credo. As Asrael itself is clearly autobiographical, it's not clear in what way it differentiates itself from the others.

 

Interesting. I have just recently discovered his music and I found it fascinating.

 

Suk's symphonic tetralogy seems slightly ambiguous. Of these works, only Asrael seems to have an actual number as a symphony even all though all four works (Summer's Tale, Ripening and Epilogue) are clearly part of a cycle -- indeed in many ways it's the autobiographical development of Suk's personal fate and credo. As Asrael itself is clearly autobiographical, it's not clear in what way it differentiates itself from the others.

Don't forget the Prague (Praha) ; although it is a symphonic poem , it sounds like a symphony in spirit

 

The tetralogy starts with Asrael --- the remainder tells how he came to terms with the grief expressed there and in many ways can be regarded as all one big symphony (some would say the same for Mahler's "Wunderhorn" four). Praga and other orchestral works which came earlier like Radúz and Mahulena and the related Pohadka Suite may or may not be symphonic in character but they're not spiritually linked to the best of my knowledge. Neither is, of course the first symphony proper (which I happen to be very fond of).

 

Debussy - La Mer
Strauss - Aus Italian
Sibelius - Kullervo
Wolf - Penthesilea
Rimsky-Korsakov - Sheherazade
Reger - 4 Tondichtungen nach Böcklin
Schoenberg - Pelleas und Melisande

All programmatic works that weren't called symphonies by their creators, but are symphonic in scope and outline.

 

Adams - Harmonielehre, Naive and Sentimental Music

Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde

 

Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde

Mahler himself called it a symphony.

 

I've heard the Brahms Piano Concerto #2 also called a symphony.

 

Certainly "Das Lied". What about Rachmaninov "The Bells" for instance? Many would say that is also a four movement symphony (as well as being what the composer regarded as his greatest work).

 

Rachmaninoff called it a symphony, not a cantata. RACHMANINOFF: THE BELLS - CHORAL SYMPHONY, OP. 35.

 

Holst's The Planets? A 7-mvt. symphony?

 

my point exactly!

 

Holst's The Planets? A 7-mvt. symphony?

about as symphonic as my Zodiac Suite, but not as much fun

 

Incidental Music for Thamos. 1. Maestoso-Allegro, 2. Andante, 3. Allegro, 4. Allegro Vivace assai

 

The first four movements of The Planets follow the traditional symphonic: fast-slow-scherzo-"finale", then just add two more slow movements with a second scherzo in between and there you go.

Scheherazade by Rimsky-Korsakov is another quasi-symphony. And if we can combine works to make a meta-symphony, then Peter Maxwell Davies' orchestral works between 1969 and 1974 form a symphony writ very large. Worldes Blis the first movement, Stone Litany the slow movement, St. Thomas Wake the scherzo and the entire real First Symphony as the finale.

 

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will surely check many of these pieces out. Brilliant.

 

Berlioz's symphonie fantastique is a tone poem, so I guess there's some flexibilty in the term
saint-saens wrote a symphony with orchestra , organ and the kitchen sink

 

Rachmaninov Symphonic Dances.

 

I appreciate bringing attention to the many excellent compositions above. The problem is that the actual genres of the symphonic poem, orchestral suite, concerto are not necessarily second-tier, and calling such works symphonies needs much more support.