Your Three Favorite Composers

[North Star]

I am always surprised to see Ravel and Scriabin mentioned on favorite composers lists. I do like Ravel's Piano Concerto in G minor A LOT, in fact it's one of my favorite Piano Concertos and I also think Menuet Antique is a great piece of music, but his other music has yet to impress me. Maybe I think him too much as the composer of Bolero? Ravel's output is pretty limited, isn't it?

I never explored Scriabin beyond the symphonies. The third is great, I admit. Is he really that great and worth exploring deeper?

Ravel's output is indeed fairly small, but each piece is a beauty. And Bolero is a fine piece but bringing it up here is equal to saying you're surprised to see  Beethoven in someone's top 3, because you never liked Für Elise.
I'd suggest trying the other Piano Concerto, for the left hand, the Piano Trio, the rest of the chamber music, and the songs in particular (Deux Mélodies hébraïques, the Mallarmé songs, Chansons madécasses, Histoires naturelles, Chants populaires, Cinq mélodies grecques),  the one-act opera L'enfant et les sortilèges, the solo piano works Miroirs and Le tombeau de Couperin in addition to Gaspard, and Ma Mère l'Oye for piano duo.

My love of Scriabin comes from his body of piano works; not so much the orchestral although I do have them. Most of his pieces are miniatures, but the usual ones to be highlighted are the 10 sonatas, particularly the later ones. No.6 might have to be my favourite, perhaps played by Varduhi Yeritsyan.

Vers la flamme!


Thread duty

Ravel
Sibelius
Chopin

[nodogen]

Ravel's output is indeed fairly small, but each piece is a beauty. And Bolero is a fine piece but bringing it up here is equal to saying you're surprised to see  Beethoven in someone's top 3, because you never liked Für Elise.
I'd suggest trying the other Piano Concerto, for the left hand, the Piano Trio, the rest of the chamber music, and the songs in particular (Deux Mélodies hébraïques, the Mallarmé songs, Chansons madécasses, Histoires naturelles, Chants populaires, Cinq mélodies grecques),  the one-act opera L'enfant et les sortilèges, the solo piano works Miroirs and Le tombeau de Couperin in addition to Gaspard, and Ma Mère l'Oye for piano duo.
Vers la flamme!

Thread duty

Ravel
Sibelius
Chopin

+1, as they say.

[71 dB]

Ravel's output is relatively limited I believe. Bolero is the one orchestral work of his that I don't really rate, I generally skip it. I'd suggest his high points might include Daphnis et Chloe and Gaspard de la Nuit.

I have "Complete Orchestral Music" by Inbal.  Gaspard de la Nuit I have on Naxos.

My love of Scriabin comes from his body of piano works; not so much the orchestral although I do have them. Most of his pieces are miniatures, but the usual ones to be highlighted are the 10 sonatas, particularly the later ones. No.6 might have to be my favourite, perhaps played by Varduhi Yeritsyan.

I must say I have not explored Scriabin's piano music. Some 20 years ago I heard the third symphony on radio and liked it a lot. So, I got the symphonies on Naxos. Symphonies 1 & 2 are nice too, but not as good as the third. Somehow I moved on to other composers before exploring Scriabin further...

Ravel's output is indeed fairly small, but each piece is a beauty. And Bolero is a fine piece but bringing it up here is equal to saying you're surprised to see  Beethoven in someone's top 3, because you never liked Für Elise.
I'd suggest trying the other Piano Concerto, for the left hand, the Piano Trio, the rest of the chamber music, and the songs in particular (Deux Mélodies hébraïques, the Mallarmé songs, Chansons madécasses, Histoires naturelles, Chants populaires, Cinq mélodies grecques),  the one-act opera L'enfant et les sortilèges, the solo piano works Miroirs and Le tombeau de Couperin in addition to Gaspard, and Ma Mère l'Oye for piano duo.

I think I have all of this except the opera and songs. I do LIKE Ravel. Nice, even great music. I just don't see him as one to enter my top 10. So why Ravel and not Fauré, Debussy or Saint-Saëns? Didn't they compose great works too? If  Ravel for the "Spanish" feel, then why not Albeniz or Granados? Didn't they compose stunning spanish piano music? That's what I find curious. How is Ravel able to get into top 3 when it's so hard for the other composers I mentioned (to mention just a few!) ? Getting into top 20 is a huge thing for any composer.

[Karl Henning]

Thread duty

Ravel
Sibelius
Chopin

Outstanding  0:)

[nodogen]

To speed the explanation out, here is a snippet (which is still missing plenty of composers I really really love)

http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?topic=4603.165;wap2

Did that work? the previous link didn't 

It did indeed. Quite a list!

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Bach? yeah some of it, Beethoven? only a few late works (like 5? but more recently as a side tangent), Vivaldi? you gotta be jokin' 

Vivaldi is an excellent opera composer but i don't think opera is really your thing. 

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Shall I make three and be done with it?

Boulez
Wagner
Natasha Barrett

But idk that just seems to represent some of the music I just really like at the moment.

[Madiel]

I do LIKE Ravel. Nice, even great music. I just don't see him as one to enter my top 10.

Which is fine. The question is, why are you so hung up about him entering other people's top 3?

[Marc]

Bach
Mozart
Schubert

[Madiel]

Beethoven
Faure
Holmboe

I see no real reason to alter this. I can think of about 3 others that are contenders but until they inspire a couple of mad binges they're not quite there.

[Mirror Image]

A gnat's whisker away from mine. 😊

My list probably wouldn't look like that today, but it'd be somewhat similar:

Sibelius
Nielsen
Vaughan Williams

[Sergeant Rock]

My list probably wouldn't look like that today, but it'd be somewhat similar:

Sibelius
Nielsen
Vaughan Williams

And your list won't look like that tomorrow 

Sarge

[Madiel]

My list probably wouldn't look like that today, but it'd be somewhat similar:

Sibelius
Nielsen
Vaughan Williams

I really need to push Vaughan Williams higher up my 'to do' list. I know almost nothing apart from a few (very good) songs. But I have a number of reasons to suspect I might like his music a great deal.

[71 dB]

Which is fine. The question is, why are you so hung up about him entering other people's top 3?

I don't have a problem with it. Just surprised to see him in the top 3 of so many people. It's statistically interesting.

You have Fauré on your top 3 which is great.  0:)

[Mirror Image]

And your list won't look like that tomorrow 

Sarge

That's quite possible!

[Mirror Image]

I really need to push Vaughan Williams higher up my 'to do' list. I know almost nothing apart from a few (very good) songs. But I have a number of reasons to suspect I might like his music a great deal.

If you'd like some recommendations, then don't hesitate to ask. His oeuvre is full of so many masterpieces.

[Madiel]

If you'd like some recommendations, then don't hesitate to ask. His oeuvre is full of so many masterpieces.

I plan to start with the symphonies.

[Mirror Image]

I plan to start with the symphonies.

A fine of a start as any. They're all magnificent.

[Christo]

I have "Complete Orchestral Music" by Inbal.  G

That explains it all (at least: much). This box is certainly not among my favourite performances of Ravel, even far from it. Please try Martinon.

[71 dB]

That explains it all (at least: much). This box is certainly not among my favourite performances of Ravel, even far from it. Please try Martinon.

WHAT ??  I thought I did my homework when I bought the set. I have lived in the faith that Inbal is the man with Ravel's orchestral music. What the hell??

I am afraid I can't try anyone's Ravel for a while because there's many discs ordered. I need to explore at least Scriabin's piano sonatas...