Top 11 Favorite Contemporary Composers

[71 dB]

I haven't explored comtemporary composers much (I don't have a clue who the hell Kinsella is  ), but I enjoy music by:

Philip Glass
Arvo Pärt
Michael Torke
John Adams

Rautavaara lived years near me (a few hundreds of meters away), but ironically I haven't heard many works by him. Do I like his music? I really don't know... 

Quoting myself 2 years ago, because things have changed quite a bit. I have been exploring more or less "contemporary" stuff. I have explored Rautavaara (and yes, I seem to like his music). I have explored Ligeti. I have explored Weinberg. I have enjoyed exploring the music of James Aikman, Margareth Brouwer, Gavin Bryars, Salvatore Di Vittorio, Nicola Lefanu, David Maslanka and some other composers to a lesser degree.

Exploring these composers have been a revelation to me. I have thought that almost all post war "classical" music is extremely atonal and "difficult" noise. I have been so wrong. A lot of this music is VERY accessible, yet edgy and interesting! I haven't been this excited exploring classical music for over 10 years! This is like discovering classical music for the first time again. These is so much to explore of this exiting contemporary music. Spotify makes this all possible. 

0:)

[Karl Henning]

Hmm, I wonder how much the living composers there earn via Spotify . . . .

[North Star]

Hmm, I wonder how much the living composers there earn via Spotify . . . .

As much as any musician doing a gig 'for the exposure', I'm sure. 

[Karl Henning]

As much as any musician doing a gig 'for the exposure', I'm sure. 

Indeed!

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I don't know any composers who are exact or close contemporaries of myself...

However I will say (for living composers)

1. Boulez
2. Pintscher
3. Brett Dean
4. Anthony Pateras
5. Liza Lim
6. Sciarrino
7. Unsuk Chin
8. Ferneyhough
9. Adès
10. Isabel Mundry
11. James Dillon

[kyjo]

Hmmmmm, let's see....just 10 for now:

John Coolidge Adams (b. 1947)
Michael Daugherty (b. 1954)
Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962)
Samuel Jones (b. 1935)
James MacMillan (b. 1959)
Kevin Puts (b. 1972)
Ned Rorem (b. 1923 - approaching 100!)
Fazil Say (b. 1970)
Aulis Sallinen (b. 1935)
Pēteris Vasks (b. 1946)

There are definitely contemporary composers whose work I should become more familiar with.....

[vandermolen]

Hmmmmm, let's see....just 10 for now:

John Coolidge Adams (b. 1947)
Michael Daugherty (b. 1954)
Jennifer Higdon (b. 1962)
Samuel Jones (b. 1935)
James MacMillan (b. 1959)
Kevin Puts (b. 1972)
Ned Rorem (b. 1923 - approaching 100!)
Fazil Say (b. 1970)
Aulis Sallinen (b. 1935)
Pēteris Vasks (b. 1946)

There are definitely contemporary composers whose work I should become more familiar with.....

Agree with Jones, MacMillan, Vasks, Sallinen and Puts.
Now, let's see:
Stale Kleiberg
Robert Walker
Philip Spratley
Elizabetta Brusa
Judith Bailey
Philip Glass

[MusicTurner]

Some among those alive and of major interest:

Nørgård
Saariaho
Gubaidulina
Crumb
Artyomov
Birtwistle
Sciarrino
Widmann
Murail
Part
Szymanski

I need to know more music by Unsuk Chin though. There'd be maybe 5 or so, potential further ones on the list.

[Brian]

Lera Auerbach
William Bolcom
Leo Brouwer
Thierry Escaich
Sebastian Fagerlund
Gabriela Lena Frank
Rolf Martinsson
David Matthews
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Fazil Say

[Symphonic Addict]

Contemporary means living? I go with these 10

Kalevi Aho
Peteris Vasks
Michael Nyman
Elena Kats-Chernin
Dobrinka Tabakova
Sofia Gubaidulina
Kevin Puts
John C. Adams
James MacMillan
David Matthews

[vandermolen]

Contemporary means living? I go with these 10

Kalevi Aho
Peteris Vasks
Michael Nyman
Elena Kats-Chernin
Dobrinka Tabakova
Sofia Gubaidulina
Kevin Puts
John C. Adams
James MacMillan
David Matthews

I should have included Tabakova!

[Brian]

Oh hey we were supposed to pick 11 not 10! I have to think about the last name to add to my list.