GMG's Top 10 Composers

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Yes, they are. I accidentally read you said "the opera" not "the" opera. Sorry about that.

But Marke's monologue is not tedious! Shame on you! 

[Brahmsian]

Now, everyone should list there ten favorite works of each of the ten composers they chose. 

[abidoful]

Now, everyone should list there ten favorite works of each of the ten composers they chose. 

Nice one

[PaulSC]

... and three favorite recordings of each favorite work!

[laredo]

Yes, they are. I accidentally read you said "the opera" not "the" opera. Sorry about that.

But Marke's monologue is not tedious! Shame on you! 

Yeah, I agree, shame on me. Great Music in those 10 mins but it's Tristan section i usually like the least.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Quite easy to pick top10 with Wagner, after all from his 13 completed operas 10 are undeniable masterpieces (and Rienzi also has it's moments). Although Wagner has actually some other great works such as Siegfried-idyll, Albumblatt, and Wesendonck-songs, especially Träume's orchestra and violin-version (this proves Wagner should have written violin concerto). And his early C major symphony is actually very impressive! Too bad it is not performed more often.

// I have almost always overlooked E major symphony, since it was incomplete but now I MUST have it.

[abidoful]

Quite easy to pick top10 with Wagner, after all from his 13 completed operas 10 are undeniable masterpieces (and Rienzi also has it's moments). Although Wagner has actually some other great works such as Siegfried-idyll, Albumblatt, and Wesendonck-songs, especially Träume's orchestra and violin-version (this proves Wagner should have written violin concerto). And his early C major symphony is actually very impressive! Too bad it is not performed more often.

HAHA! You are a Wagner-nut!
No offense; it's nice to "meet" one
I've considered purchasing Wagner's complete piano works from amazon.uk but the prices are so high that I daren't yet. He wrote whole three piano sonatas (in B flat, in A and in A flat) like Chopin, Schumann and Brahms
Like you, i'm also crazy about the Wesendonck lieder, so beaufiful and lyrical and nice piano writing, it's great that he wrote those songs!
What about Faust-overture? That I don't know...And the other symphony, in E Major?

There's at amazon.com also a recording of his symphonies, I noticed.

[Keemun]

Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Dvorak, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky

[Tapio Dmitriyevich]

Shostakovich behind Schubert behind Mozart? Old fashioned GMG...

[PaulSC]

Shostakovich behind Schubert behind Mozart? Old fashioned GMG...

Not necessarily. I like Shostakovitch, love a handful of his pieces, but I prefer Autechre. Living composers are outside the parameters of this game.

[MishaK]

Shostakovich behind Schubert behind Mozart? Old fashioned GMG...

I think Shosty himself would agree with that order.

[Brahmsian]

How about a little something extra.....list your current favorite 10 composers, and for each composer add a few words or phrase that describes what you like about the composer and his music.

[abidoful]

How about a little something extra.....list your current favorite 10 composers, and for each composer add a few words or phrase that describes what you like about the composer and his music.

Mozart---his lyricism and ease and also that the beauty isn't just on the surface but contains something profound

Schubert--- same as in Mozart, the lyricism of Schubert, gentle yet profound. Also his one of the great manipulators of harmony and he has that special Austrian flavor as in Bruckner. His Great major Symphony anticipates Bruckner in it's Magnitude and has proto-Brucknerian Scherzo

Chopin---full of intriguing things, also paradoxes and somehow irritating in that he is like a butterfly you can't get hold of. Ravishing beauty and strength and Boldness.

Bruckner---mixture of subtlety and clumsiness.

Debussy--- mind and feeling in a perfect balance

Toivo Kuula (1883-1918)--- wanted to compose in monumental scale right from the the start. Painter of powerful canvases. Certain Finnish pride and joy from a time Finland wasn't yet independent. Bilder of national identity. Composed solely in Finnish text opposed to Sibelius, his teacher.

Usko Meriläinen (1933?---2000?---wonderful sound atmosphere. Modern but not silly avantgarde for it's own sake. Interesting and vast but not overtly vast output, from Symphonies to solopiano works.

Väinö Raitio (1890s- 1930's)---interesting path from late romanticism to a style which is mixture of impressionism and expressionism. His music is like a foam.

Karol Szymanowski---great talent. Of the music I know, the best in describing eroticism. Music that ravishes but at the same time moves and disturbs.


Pierre Boulez---Great energy in his piano sonatas 1 and 2. Hi's  interesting in the way he continues tradition. Martyre sans Mairtre; funny sound world

[The new erato]

Since Nielsen and Monteverdi were missing, I only voted for 8.

[mc ukrneal]

With 60 votes now in (a nice round number):
1. Beethoven:     53
2. Mozart:           46
3. Bach:              43
4. Brahms:          42
5. Schubert:        31
6. Mahler:           29
7. Wagner:         24
8. Stravinsky:     23 (tie)
8. Haydn:           23 (tie)
10. Tchaikovsky  22

[Que]

I missed: Dufay, Machaut, Palestrina, Monteverdi, Froberger, Charpentier and F. Couperin.. 

Q

[eyeresist]

Just added my own vote:

Beethoven
Bruckner
Chopin
Mahler
Prokofiev
Schubert
Shostakovich
Sibelius
Vivaldi
Wagner

Glad to see I'm not the only one to vote for Vivaldi. But why all the votes for Tchaikovsky? I've returned to him after a break of many years, hoping to hear new dimensions, but so far, sadly, there is much less to him than I expected.

[ibanezmonster]

Glad to see I'm not the only one to vote for Vivaldi. But why all the votes for Tchaikovsky? I've returned to him after a break of many years, hoping to hear new dimensions, but so far, sadly, there is much less to him than I expected.

That's what I've noticed, even though I'm a Tchaikovsky fan. His last 3 symphonies, for example, are very good, but they lack the complexity that keeps me coming back and hearing new stuff each time.

[Lethevich]

I suppose Bruckner is a far more diverse composer than Tchaikovsky

[ibanezmonster]

I suppose Bruckner is a far more diverse composer than Tchaikovsky

Bruckner is of course way more limited, but he has a certain feeling of layers in his music that Tchaikovsky doesn't have.