Cocktail Party Fact: No musical tradition was more anemic than that of the French conservatories in the second half of the nineteenth century (that’s why there are virtually no great French symphonies until this one). Franck’s formal and orchestral innovations caused a huge controversy, but at the same time he single-handedly created the model for virtually the entire modern French symphonic tradition.

Commitment Factor: About 40 minutes

Vital Statistics: Romantic Period (1888). Instead of the usual four, there are three movements, with the second combining slow movement and scherzo (which becomes the quicker middle section). The use of harp and English horn was considered “unsymphonic” by pedantic French academics.

What to Listen For: This is the grand-daddy of all symphonies in “cyclical form.” All of the big tunes from the first two movements turn up in the finale–especially striking is the quiet moment when the very opening appears just before the end, accompanied by rippling harp arpeggios (an “arpeggio” is a broken chord, played one note at a time, generally from bottom to top).