The Ninth Symphony is a work of enormous scope and not just in terms of length (though Bruckner and Mahler extended the time-scale even further): the voices that emerge from the orchestral sonorities in the last movement call for brotherhood of a truly universal nature. And their arrival is magnificently heralded, the music literally taking song because the message was formulating itself in words. As a symphony it has retained its place as one of the most potent cries to unity - its last movement has been used as a call to brotherhood for everything from football tournaments to political federations. 'What next?' after such a work may seem a little redundant but, eschewing cantatas and oratorios (or even operas), here are some suggestions that stay within the realms of the choral symphony. 

Mendelssohn Symphony No 2, 'Lobgesang' (1840)

Inspired, without doubt, by Beethoven's symphony, Mendelssohn built his choral symphony on a similarly large scale though his poise and temperament of necessity delivered a gentler, overtly Christian message. The voices are not confined to the closing movement but weave their way through the work with a sureness of foot that is typical of a composer whose music never betrays struggle or uncertainty.

Berlioz Symphonie funebre et triomphale (1840)

Though composed in the same year as the Mendelssohn, Berlioz's work was written to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 1830 Revolution. It is a piece very much in the style and mood of French revolutionary hymns. Wagner was clearly impressed by the work, ranking it 'above all Berlioz's others'. It is stirring stuff indeed, particularly as sung by the splendid Leeds chorus with John Wallace's brass ensemble adding a real touch of revolutionary panache.

Liszt Dante Symphony (1855-6)

Liszt's inspiration - as so often - was drawn from the great classics of literature (something Barenboim's coupling of the Dante Sonata makes abundantly clear). The work lacks the cogent symphonic structure of similar compositions but tautly controlled it and well played it is a powerful experience. Barenboim doesn't play down the Wagnerian overtones and with playing of such calibre makes the most of a neglected piece. In the closing pages of the score, echoing a world not unfamiliar to Parsifal, the symphony reaches its conclusion wreathed in a halo of sound.

Mahler Symphony No 2, 'Resurrection' (1894)

'Whenever a plan for great musical structure occurs to me, I always arrive at a point where I have to call in words to convey my musical ideas. It must have been the same with Beethoven in his Ninth.' The Second Symphony - the first of Mahler's huge-scale symphonies and his first with voices – builds, like the Beethoven, towards the entry of the voices as an emotional climax. Mahler did not reuse such a gigantic scale until his Eighth Symphony.

Sibelius Kullervo Symphony (1892)

Sibelius's first substantial work, the choral symphony Kullervo, draws on the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, for its text and inspiration. In its ambition, scale and originality it is understandable why it'made sufficient impression to put the composer firmly on the musical map. Though not heard between its 1892 premiere and 1958,Kullervo is now given quite frequently - and it's a piece that repays exploration.

Vaughan Williams A Sea Symphony (1903-9, rev 1923)

Vaughan Williams turned to the poetry of the American Walt Whitman for his choral symphony, finding, like Sibelius, the need for words for his first exploration of the genre. The sense of atmosphere throughout the work is one of its most unifying elements, as is the gradual movement towards the emergence of the main theme in the finale, a theme generated from the juxtaposition of harmonies a third apart at the opening. A Sea Symphony is a magnificent structure that, although initially conceived as a suite, wears its title 'symphony' with great assurance.

Szymanowski Symphony No 3, 'The Song of the Night' (1914-16)

Szymanowski's work is more like a cantata than a symphony but no less appealing for it. Drawing on exotic texts from the 13th century, the symphony falls into three movements, the second being purely orchestral. The world evoked is hugely perfumed and richly upholstered. Rattle gives a magnificent performance and the EMI engineers provide a beautiful recording.

Ropartz Symphony No 3 (1905)

For sheer beauty of orchestration and a typically alluring handling of the vocal quartet, Ropartz's Third Symphony makes a very different impression from the other choral symphonies listed here. The words, the composer's own, evoke a moral sermon whose conclusion is that only by our loving one another will hope and joy in Nature be assured. The textures are voluptuous and if the work has a shortcoming it is, perhaps, in the sameness of the sonorities throughout the symphony. It is, though, a work well worth discovering and just the sort of piece that Plasson does so well.

Brian Symphony No 1, 'Gothic' (1919-27)

This is a work that almost redefines the meaning of the word 'large-scale' in orchestral terms. The forces required for this piece are vast but the way they are handled is remarkably skilful. Part 1 is for orchestra alone but when the chorus and soloists (not to mention brass bands and just about every percussion instrument imaginable) enter, the boldness of Brian's invention is genuinely astounding. Brian's terms of reference are eclectic in the extreme but fuse with real coherence. Not surprisingly the work is rarely heard so this recording has a particularly important place in Brian's 'rediscovery' - and it is very good, too.

Bernstein Symphony No 3, 'Kaddish' (1961-3, rev 1977)

Leonard Bernstein's Kaddish is a work of very specific inspiration drawing its highly emotional charge from the Jewish prayer chanted for the dead. Like just about everything Bernstein wrote there is a strong sense of theatre: the 'narrative' is developed by a speaker but it is constantly commented upon by the music. Melody, too, is one of Bernstein's most irrepressible gifts and even when, as here, he is attempting a work of such potent spiritual import and with so many external allusions, his voice is recognizably his own.