20th Century Music Recommendation Needed

[Grazioso]

Since we are about to finish the complete DVD boxset of Seinfeld my wife and I were looking for the next thing to get, and we thought of the original Star Trek  - but, boy, is it expensive for just three seasons.

Some excellent SF alternatives that may be more reasonably priced: Firefly, Babylon 5, Farscape.

[Grazioso]

By coincidence, I am contemplating exploring some 20th c. symphonists I have not yet heard (with two exceptions):

Rubbra (first of the afore-mentioned exceptions)
Pettersson (now the CPO cycle is done; will supplement with Segerstam)
Norgard (the 3rd)
Nystrom (Espressiva; possible the cello concerto too)

Rangstrom cycle (bit iffy on this one)
Schnittke cycle (even more iffy about this, having been disappointed by 1-4)

Only problem is, I've put myself on a budget, and have no idea when I'll be in the black!

Regarding Rubbra, I had the Lyrita disc of 3 & 4 and was not impressed. The construction was capable but the development seemed simple-minded. But some say the cycle doesn't really get good until 5, and the Hickox samples sound impressive.

The funny thing is, Rubbra is know for the seemingly inevitable logic of his developments.

I second Lethe on Pettersson. A very tough nut to crack, but definitely worth attempting, particularly the masterpieces 7 & 8. And for those, do try the Segerstam discs first: to my ears they're better performances than the CPO alternatives.

Norgard 3: a 20th century symphony masterpiece that fuses avant-garde techniques with melodicism, high drama, and a glowing sense of the spiritual.

Haven't heard Nystrom yet

Rangstrom: some good stuff if you like stormy late Romanticism. Somewhat akin to Atterberg.

Schnittke: have the BIS set but haven't heard it all, so I can't comment.

[jowcol]

By coincidence, I am contemplating exploring some 20th c. symphonists I have not yet heard (with two exceptions):

Rubbra (first of the afore-mentioned exceptions)
Pettersson (now the CPO cycle is done; will supplement with Segerstam)
Norgard (the 3rd)
Nystrom (Espressiva; possible the cello concerto too)

Rangstrom cycle (bit iffy on this one)
Schnittke cycle (even more iffy about this, having been disappointed by 1-4)

Only problem is, I've put myself on a budget, and have no idea when I'll be in the black!

Regarding Rubbra, I had the Lyrita disc of 3 & 4 and was not impressed. The construction was capable but the development seemed simple-minded. But some say the cycle doesn't really get good until 5, and the Hickox samples sound impressive.

Rubbra's 4th is  my very favorite of his symphonies, but it is definitely leans more towards the development of a single theme rather than anything like sonata form with contrasting themes.  If you listen to that in mind, you may enjoy it more.   Also, you may wish to visit the Chandos/Hickox discs.  Those were the ones I started with, and that 4th grabbed me.  As Rob Barnett reviewed it:

If ever there was a generator and channel of light it is Rubbra's Fourth Symphony. It is highly Sibelian; both En Saga and the Fifth Symphony leap to mind. There are some glorious gear-shifts as well as one of the crowning climaxes of British music at 8.33. Hickox's is a very communicative performance with a persuasive and surprisingly Iberian sway (11.15). He conveys all the tension and release of a late Tchaikovsky symphony. Time and again Rubbra twists the emotional cortex although in the Intermezzo he is light in character, generally Sibelian but with a staggeringly Elgarian recollection at 4.34. Hickox adroitly catches the barely contained excitement of the finale: assertive, heroic yet wraith-like. Amid recollections of Bruckner 4 and 8 the heroic brass leap, surge and rear up in splendour. The rough, rolling, all-conquering horns (3.02) cannot help but recall Sibelius 5. The strings cut benevolent swathes through the canvas and unite in a majestic peak of ecstasy at 4.10. A 20th century masterwork.

On Chandos, the 4th is paired with the 10th and 11th, which have not grabbed me yet, but I may not be ready.

[RJR]

I run a classical music website where I post suggested works each week and I've hit a bit of a roadblock and could use some help.  I love classical music but I'm really not too experienced with anything post-1900 (other than Puccini and of course Adagio for Strings).  Most of the works I've posted on my site (if not all) are pre-1900 and in order to expand what I offer, I think I need to add some post-1900 classical music.

So along those lines, can someone give me a "top 5" classical music works of the 20th century -- minus Adagio for Strings and minus the Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated -- and hey, I may even find something I like!

Thanks!

Gabriel Fauré was born in 1840 but lived to 1924. I consider him a 20th century composer. Debussy was born in 1862, Ravel in 1874. There are lots of classical composers who were born in the 19th century that composed what is now considered 20th century music. You can't go wrong with any of the following composers for piano music: Fauré, Ravel, Debussy, Chabrier, Suk, Martinu, Syzmanowski, Satie, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Bartok, Frank Martin, Déodat de Severac, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Albeniz, de Falla, Granados, Nielsen and Mussorgsky. Most of these composers also wrote orchestral works, incidental music and tone poems (lots of Sibelius). Forgot Joaquin Rodrigo. Some symphonies to explore: Sibelius, Strauss, Roussel, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Milhaud, Honegger, Rachmaninoff, Martinu, Ives, Syzmanowski, Albéric Magnard, Lalo and K. A. Hartmann. Chamber music: Debussy, Ravel, Fauré, Bartok, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Poulenc, Milhaud. Do some research and you're bound to make some wonderful discoveries on your own.