Simply your favourite 30 works

[Maciek]

I'm surprised to see Barber so under-represented.

[Christo]

A few that I overlooked, even the second time:   

Avetissian, Oratorio in memoriam 1915
Bartók, Music for strings, percussion and celesta
Berkeley, Concerto for two pianos
Brian, Symphony 8
Britten, Four Sea Interludes & Passacaglia
Brouwer, Retrats Catalans
Cowell, Hymns and Fuguing Tunes
Ellington, Suite from The River
Englund, Symphony 4 `Nostalgic'
Erkin, Symphony 2
Gershwin, An American in Paris
Guridi, Diez melodias vascas
Hindemith, Fünf Stücke für Streichorchester
Ireland, Concertino Pastorale
Klami, Suites from `Pyörteitä'
Kodály, Theatre Overture
Langgaard, Symfonie nr. 4 `Løvfald'
Leifs, Saga Symphony
McPhee, Tabuh-tabuhan
Madetoja, Suite from `Okon Fuoko'
Martinů, The Parabels
Moeran, Symphony
Pierné, Divertissements sur un thème pastoral
Ponce, Concierto del sur
Raid, Symphony 1
Rawsthorne, Symphonic Studies
Revueltas, Sensemayá
Rubbra, Sinfonia da camara
Simpson, Symphony 9
Skalkottas, 36 Greek Dances
Szymanowski, Stabat Mater
Tailleferre, Concertino pour harpe et orchestre
Tsintsadze, Six Quartet Miniatures

[mc ukrneal]

A few that I overlooked, even the second time:   

Avetissian, Oratorio in memoriam 1915
Bartók, Music for strings, percussion and celesta
Berkeley, Concerto for two pianos
Brian, Symphony 8
Britten, Four Sea Interludes & Passacaglia
Brouwer, Retrats Catalans
Cowell, Hymns and Fuguing Tunes
Ellington, Suite from The River
Englund, Symphony 4 `Nostalgic'
Erkin, Symphony 2
Gershwin, An American in Paris
Guridi, Diez melodias vascas
Hindemith, Fünf Stücke für Streichorchester
Ireland, Concertino Pastorale
Klami, Suites from `Pyörteitä'
Kodály, Theatre Overture
Langgaard, Symfonie nr. 4 `Løvfald'
Leifs, Saga Symphony
McPhee, Tabuh-tabuhan
Madetoja, Suite from `Okon Fuoko'
Martinů, The Parabels
Moeran, Symphony
Pierné, Divertissements sur un thème pastoral
Ponce, Concierto del sur
Raid, Symphony 1
Rawsthorne, Symphonic Studies
Revueltas, Sensemayá
Rubbra, Sinfonia da camara
Simpson, Symphony 9
Skalkottas, 36 Greek Dances
Szymanowski, Stabat Mater
Tailleferre, Concertino pour harpe et orchestre
Tsintsadze, Six Quartet Miniatures

I actually own just one piece on your list. I normally dislike many 20th century pieces, but out of curiosity, I randomly picked one to listen to on amazon. I chose McPhee. And I didn't immediately go screaming from the room ( ). I could even see myself listening to that on occassion. With that success in hand, I picked another: Tsintsadze (is he Georgian?). Well, I'm not a fan of violin so much, but I could see someone enjoying this (and some of the folk aspets of it).

So having now survived two, I went for a third (risky, I know ). I picked Cowell. I found #10 - didn't like this so much, but having gotten 2 out of 3, I thought what the hay and picked another - Raid. I recognized the disc it was on (as I had once considered it, but ultimately decided against). This wasn't my thing either.

But wanted to say thank you. I think I will go back and test out some other music people have suggested (as well as more of your list). Who knows what can happen....I may actually like it...GASP!

[Guido]

I'm surprised to see Barber so under-represented.

Me too - but I just couldn't exclude some of the others! The selection of Barber works is essentially random - the piano concerto, violin concerto, Prayers of Kierkegaard, Despite and Still, Vanessa, A Hand of Bridge, Capricorn Concerto, the choral works, Medea, First Symphony and the first two essays for orchestra could easily have fit in there. Also, there's no Ligeti, Dutilleux, Messiaen, Schumann, Schubert, Lutoslawski, Bridge etc. etc. etc.!!! so the list can hardly be definitive. I redact and renounce it immediately!

[Maciek]

That Englund Cello Cto has to be quite something, though. I wonder if I've heard it (yes, I've finally reached the point where that question crops up embarrassingly often).

[DavidRoss]

I'm surprised to see Barber so under-represented.

Yes.  Where are the violin concerto and Knoxville: Summer of 1915?

[Christo]

I think I will go back and test out some other music people have suggested (as well as more of your list). Who knows what can happen....I may actually like it...GASP!

Oops, I wasn't aware of the impact a posting like this might have.  Hope you didn't suffer too much. Anyhow, I can recommend all of them. Hope your neighbours won't suffer too much either. 

[Christo]

Yes.  Where are the violin concerto and Knoxville: Summer of 1915?

Barber, Knoxville - Summer of 1915

There it is/was. (I would rather list much more by Barber, but choose to give other composers a platform as well). 

[greg]

30. Mozart, Clarinet Concerto
29. Glazunov, String Quintet
28. Bernstein, West Side Story*
27. Prokofiev, Alexander Nevsky Cantata
26. Shostakovich, Symphony No 9
25. Dvorak, String Quintet Op. 77
24. Dvorak, Piano Quintet Op. 81
23. Sibelius, Symphony No 3
22. Chopin, Nocturne op. post. in C sharp minor
21. Tchaikovsky, Symphony No 1 "Winter Daydreams"
20. Atterberg, Symphony No 8
19. Sibelius, Symphony No 6
18. Beethoven, Piano Concerto No 5 "Emperor"
17. Ravel, Piano Concerto in G
16. Beethoven, piano sonatas opp. 109-111
15. Brahms, Symphony No 4
14. Chopin, Ballade No 4
13. Dvorak, Cello Concerto
12. Atterberg, Symphony No 3, finale
11. Beethoven, Symphony No 5
10. Beethoven, Symphony No 4
9. Shostakovich, Symphony No 10
8. Beethoven, piano sonata Op 90
7. Janacek, Sinfonietta
6. Sibelius, Symphony No 5
5. Dvorak, Symphony No 8
4. Janacek, Glagolitic Mass
3. Sibelius, Symphony No 7
2. Beethoven, Symphony No 7
1. Smetana, "Vltava" (The Moldau)

Beethoven 6, Sibelius 4, Dvorak 4, Shostakovich/Janacek/Chopin/Atterberg 2

That was tough but kind of fun. I spent a day thinking about it.

I wonder what my list will look like next week! 

*West Side Story would be ranked higher, but I put it at the top of the list for fear somebody will claim it's not classical.

Nice to see Atterberg mixed in there as if he were a composer everybody already knew of. 

[vandermolen]

List No 3 (I need an excuse to avoid getting on with my school work  )

Novak: South Bohemian Suite
Arnold: Symphony 6
Bantock: Hebriddean Symphony
Foulds: A World Requiem
Bliss: Meditations on a Theme by John Blow
Weinberg: Symphony 5
Vaughan Williams: Symphony 9
Bruckner: Symphony 3
Schubert: Unfinished Symphony
Williamson: Elevamini Symphony
Bridge: Enter Spring
Moeran: Cello Concerto
Rubbra: Symphony 4
Kleiberg: Bell Reef Symphony
Stanley Bate: Symphony 3
Chisholm: Pictures from Dante
Diepenbrock: Marsyas Suite
Malipiero: Symphony 7
Holmboe: Symphony 7
Lanngaard: Symphony 10
Petersson: Symphony 7
Hurum: Symphony in D minor
Simonsen: Hellas Symphony
Eshpai: Symphony 5
Furtwangler: Symphony 2
Yoshimatsu: Symphony 2
Bloch: Piano Quintet No 1
Schnittke: Piano Quintet
A.J. Potter: Symphony 'De Profundis'
Arnell: Symphony 5

[mc ukrneal]

List No 3 (I need an excuse to avoid getting on with my school work  )

Novak: South Bohemian Suite
Arnold: Symphony 6
Bantock: Hebriddean Symphony
Foulds: A World Requiem
Bliss: Meditations on a Theme by John Blow
Weinberg: Symphony 5
Vaughan Williams: Symphony 9
Bruckner: Symphony 3
Schubert: Unfinished Symphony
Williamson: Elevamini Symphony
Bridge: Enter Spring
Moeran: Cello Concerto
Rubbra: Symphony 4
Kleiberg: Bell Reef Symphony
Stanley Bate: Symphony 3
Chisholm: Pictures from Dante
Diepenbrock: Marsyas Suite
Malipiero: Symphony 7
Holmboe: Symphony 7
Lanngaard: Symphony 10
Petersson: Symphony 7
Hurum: Symphony in D minor
Simonsen: Hellas Symphony
Eshpai: Symphony 5
Furtwangler: Symphony 2
Yoshimatsu: Symphony 2
Bloch: Piano Quintet No 1
Schnittke: Piano Quintet
A.J. Potter: Symphony 'De Profundis'
Arnell: Symphony 5

Hey, I actually own three of these (schubert, Bruckner, Bantock)!!

[vandermolen]

Hey, I actually own three of these (schubert, Bruckner, Bantock)!!

So, only 27 to go  If you go for one or two I'd strongly recommend the lovely Hurum Symphony (thanks to Greg) and Stanley Bate's Third Symphony (if you like VW or Sibelius).

[offbeat]

Before i came on this forum i thought i had a wide ranging knowledge of composers but seeing all these names unfamiliar to me shows have long way to go  positive thing though is i know will never run out of names 

[vandermolen]

Before i came on this forum i thought i had a wide ranging knowledge of composers but seeing all these names unfamiliar to me shows have long way to go  positive thing though is i know will never run out of names 

I have discovered loads of stuff through this forum. My house will probably be re-possessed but, what the Hell - I discovered Kleiberg's 'Bell Reef Symphony' 

[Brian]

That Englund Cello Cto has to be quite something, though.

Prompted by this, I spent yesterday evening listening to Englund for the first time - his Cello Concerto and two Piano Concerti. They're wonderful works! I hope someday pianists will do the First Piano Concerto in concert. It would bring down the house.

[WI Dan]

Prompted by this, I spent yesterday evening listening to Englund for the first time - his Cello Concerto and two Piano Concerti. They're wonderful works! I hope someday pianists will do the First Piano Concerto in concert. It would bring down the house.

Prompted by this , I listened to a sample at Amazon. 

I'd never heard anything by Englund before, by the way, but it struck me as being heavily influenced by Prokofiev and Stravinsky.  Fair assessment?

[Brian]

Prompted by this , I listened to a sample at Amazon. 

I'd never heard anything by Englund before, by the way, but it struck me as being heavily influenced by Prokofiev and Stravinsky.  Fair assessment?

Yeah, the Englund First Piano Concerto seems like the Prokofiev Third's younger, cheekier brother.

[vandermolen]

Englund's first two symphonies are very good - displaying a powerful sense of nature in No 2 and a more combative feel in No 1.

[hornteacher]

Jeez that was tough to narrow it down to 30.

Top 30 Works

1 - Beethoven Symphony 7
2 - Beethoven Symphony 9
3 - Beethoven Symphony 5
4 - Beethoven Symphony 3
5 - Mozart Marriage of Figaro
6 - Mendelsson Violin Concerto
7 - Dvorak Symphony 9
8 - Mozart Clarinet Concerto
9 - Copland Appalachian Spring
10 - Beethoven Moonlight Piano Sonata
11 - Beethoven Violin Concerto
12 - Dvorak Cello Concerto
13 - Bach Brandenburg Concerto #2
14 - Dvorak Symphony 8
15 - Rachmaniov Piano Concerto 2
16 - Dvorak Symphony 7
17 - Beethoven Pathetique Piano Sonata
18 - Holst Planets
19 - Copland Symphony 3
20 - Bach Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor
21 - Beethoven String Quartet Op 18 #4
22 - Mozart Symphony 40
23 - Bach Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor
24 - Copland Rodeo
25 - Dvorak American Quartet
26 - Shostakovich Symphony 5
27 - Haydn Symphony 100
28 - Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet
29 - Stravinsky Rite of Spring
30 - Dvorak Violin Concerto

[Teresa]

This was hard but here's my 30 favorites:

ANTILL, JOHN (1904-1986)
  Corroboree: Suite from the Ballet (1946)
ARNOLD, MALCOLM (1921-2006)
  Tam O' Shanter: Overture, Op. 51 (1955)
BARBER, SAMUEL (1910-1981)
  Medea's Dance of Vengeance, Op. 23A (1953)
BARTOK, BELA (1881-1945)
  Hungarian Sketches, Sz. 97 (1931)
BERKELEY, LENNOX (1903–1989)
  Mont Juic, Op. 9 (1937)
BERNSTEIN, LEONARD (1918-1990)
  Prelude, Fugue and Riffs for Clarinet and Jazz Combo (1949)
BRAHMS, JOHANNES (1833-1897)
  Hungarian Dances for Orchestra (21), WoO 1 (1873)
CHIHARA, PAUL (1938-
  The Tempest: Ballet in two Acts (1980)
DUKAS, PAUL (1865-1935)
  The Sorcerer's Apprentice (1897)
DVOŘÁK, ANTONÍN (1841-1904)
  Slavonic Dances, Op. 46 & 72 (1886)
GOULD, MORTON (1913-1996)
  Latin American Symphonette (1940)
HOLST, GUSTAV (1874-1934)
  Beni Mora - Oriental Suite, Op. 29, No. 1 (1910)
  Japanese Suite, Op. 33 (1915)
IPPOLITOV-IVANOV, MIKHAIL (1859-1935)
  Caucasian Sketches (1894)
JÄRNEFELT, EDVARD ARMAS (1869–1958)
  Praeludium
KABALEVSKY, DMITRI (1904-1987)
  The Comedians, Op. 26 (1938)
KHACHATURIAN, ARAM (1903-1978)
  Gayne: Ballet Suite (1943)
MASSENET, JULES (1842-1912)
  Le Cid: Ballet Music (1885)
MEIJ, JOHAN DE (1953-
  Symphony No. 1 "The Lord Of The Rings" (1987)
MOUSSORGSKY, MODEST (1839-1881)
  Night On Bald Mountain (1867; Rimsky-Korsakov 1887)
  Pictures At An Exhibition (1874; Ravel 1922)
NIELSEN, CARL (1865-1931)
  Aladdin Suite, Op. 34 (1919)
PISTON, WALTER (1894–1976)
  The Incredible Flutist (1938)
PROKOFIEV, SERGEI (1891-1953)
  Scythian Suite, Op. 20 (1915)
RACHMANINOFF, SERGEI (1873-1943)
  Caprice Bohémien, Op. 12 (1894)
RESPIGHI, OTTORINO (1879-1936)
  Belkis, Queen of Sheba (1931)
RUSSO, WILLIAM (1928-2003)
  Three Pieces for Blues Band and Orchestra, Op. 50 (1968)
SÆVERUD, HARALD (1897-1992)
  Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 28 (1948)
SAINT-SAËNS, CAMILLE (1835-1921)
  Danse Macabre for orchestra, Op. 40 (1874)
STRAVINSKY, IGOR (1882-1971)
  The Firebird: Suite (1910; revised 1919)
TCHAIKOVSKY, PETER (1840-1893)
  Fatum: Symphonic Poem, Op. 77 (1868)
WILLS, ARTHUR (1926-
  Fenlands: The Vikings for Brass Band and Organ