Your Top 10 Favorite Composers

[Madiel]

John,
It is hard to believe that you removed your demigod Delius from your list (as well as Elgar for that matter).   

This is why we need top 30 lists....!

Give Mirror Image enough time, and you will ascertain his top 30 from the names that have been included in his top 10 at various points.

[springrite]

Give Mirror Image enough time, and you will ascertain his top 30 from the names that have been included in his top 10 at various points.

Much like The Pleasure Dome of Kubla Khan!

[Karl Henning]

John is the Don Giovanni of music listeners!

Mille e tre . . . .

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Brahms
Stravinsky
Debussy
Martinů
Janáček
Sibelius
Berlioz
Wagner
Mahler
Messiaen

VW is #11 and Scriabin #12 (sneaky, eh?)  The only change from my previous list, Berg fell to include Berlioz - was shocked to see he wasn't in my original.  Truth is I haven't listened to Alban much lately, except the VC.  I may appear to be a man of constant constancy, but I think about and listen to many more golden oldies than ever before : esp.  Marais, Scarlatti, Rameau, and that lesser known figure, J.S. Bach, so - underneath the surface - tumult reigns in the #13-25 spots. Among the moderns, I'll betcha Philip Glass will prob. become - in future - the acknowledged master of the late 20th/early 21st centuries.  Also, recently, I've growing appreciation for William Alwyn whose Sinfonia for String Orchestra is a must-hear. 

[Madiel]

Among the moderns, I'll betcha Philip Glass will prob. become - in future - the acknowledged master of the late 20th/early 21st centuries. 

Are you talking (a) within your own personal canon, or (b) more generally?

My responses are (b) over my dead body and (a) my God man, you need help.

EDIT: You have reminded me though... Last week, after being subjected to an egregious bit of dance combined with minimalism (another composer, not Glass), my father reflected that Glass appeared to have got over his "boring period". This was on the basis of having not hated a film score, not from hearing any self-contained music that was tolerable. To the best of my recollection this is the first time we have swapped opinions on Glass - I'm pretty sure we reached the same dislike independently.

[Mirror Image]

Are you talking (a) within your own personal canon, or (b) more generally?

My responses are (b) over my dead body and (a) my God man, you need help.

EDIT: You have reminded me though... Last week, after being subjected to an egregious bit of dance combined with minimalism, my father reflected that Glass appeared to have got over his "boring period". This was on the basis of having not hated a film score, not from hearing any self-contained music that was tolerable. To the best of my recollection this is the first time we have swapped opinions on Glass - I'm pretty sure we reached the same dislike independently.

Yeah, I'm not fond of Glass or Minimalism in general, although I do love Part, but he's just a different kind of Minimalist to my ears.

[Madiel]

Yeah, I'm not fond of Glass or Minimalism in general, although I do love Part, but he's just a different kind of Minimalist to my ears.

I have had the occasional opportunity to compare Glass to other composers labelled as 'minimalist', and Glass has consistently lost those comparisons. I'm not wholly against minimalism, it's just that his particular brand of it completely uninspiring to me.

[Mirror Image]

I have had the occasional opportunity to compare Glass to other composers labelled as 'minimalist', and Glass has consistently lost those comparisons. I'm not wholly against minimalism, it's just that his particular brand of it completely uninspiring to me.

I like the kind of Minimalism like Part's where the music is laid bare and the music seems to get to the essential. There's a sparseness in Part that I admire. Glass is Glass...I can say not no more. Glass is Glass...I can say not more. Glass is Glass......

[mc ukrneal]

John is the Don Giovanni of music listeners!

Now I am worried - that doesn't end well...

[springrite]

Now I am worried - that doesn't end well...

Not necessarily so. I am reminded of a production in San Diego, where The Don was supposed to stand on one spot on stage where a square block is supposed to go down, taking him "down to hell". But there was a malfunction and it got stuck only a foot or two down. After two tries, The Don shouted: "This a great! Hell is full! Ha!"

[Karl Henning]

(* chortle *)

[Jubal Slate]

Spinal Don

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Not necessarily so. I am reminded of a production in San Diego, where The Don was supposed to stand on one spot on stage where a square block is supposed to go down, taking him "down to hell". But there was a malfunction and it got stuck only a foot or two down. After two tries, The Don shouted: "This a great! Hell is full! Ha!"

ROFL 

[ZauberdrachenNr.7]

Are you talking (a) within your own personal canon, or (b) more generally?

My responses are (b) over my dead body and (a) my God man, you need help.

EDIT: You have reminded me though... Last week, after being subjected to an egregious bit of dance combined with minimalism (another composer, not Glass), my father reflected that Glass appeared to have got over his "boring period". This was on the basis of having not hated a film score, not from hearing any self-contained music that was tolerable. To the best of my recollection this is the first time we have swapped opinions on Glass - I'm pretty sure we reached the same dislike independently.

Ans:  B. More generally - I believe he will be seen as revelatory of our age, the human expression of the digital age in which we're immersed.  You'll note he's not in my top 10, or 12, but I'm an antiquarian by nature and trade.  I do like much of his oeuvre, in particular his film work - The Thin Blue Line for example was extraordinarily, compellingly effective.  Am 'studying' hard his 2nd VC - collecting comments & reviews and hope to look at the score soon. 

[Sergeant Rock]

Not necessarily so. I am reminded of a production in San Diego, where The Don was supposed to stand on one spot on stage where a square block is supposed to go down, taking him "down to hell". But there was a malfunction and it got stuck only a foot or two down. After two tries, The Don shouted: "This a great! Hell is full! Ha!"

Reminds me of a Flying Dutchman I saw in Mannheim. Near the end, where the Dutchman's ship is supposed to disappear (it had appeared in quite spectacular fashion), the mechanism jammed shortly after the transformation began and half the ship stayed firmly onstage. Through the loud climactic orchestral passage we could quite clearly hear the curses of a stagehand as he whacked something metallic with a hammer to get it going 

Sarge

[Moonfish]

"Did you forget me so quickly....?"   

I agree with everything you wrote about Delius. He was a composer I found completely by accident. I remember I was looking for Delibes on Google one night and you know how sometimes if you misspell something Google would ask you "Did you mean _____?" They suggested Delius to me and, me being the curious person I am, I started researching Delius instead of Delibes. This is where my curiosity paid I think. He's one of my absolute favorite composers and I don't think there's anything written by him that dislike. I do have some problems with A Mass of Life, but it contains lovely music. I loved the three operas I heard: A Village Romeo & Juilet, Fennimore and Gerda, and Koanga (awesome opera!). I love his orchestral music from his concerti to the tone poems. Sea Drift is gorgeous as are Songs of Sunrise, Songs of Sunset, Requiem, Idyll, etc. I have loved this composer's music from the very first listen. I believe the first work I heard was In A Summer Garden and this completely won me over.

Don't forget disengaging. Thanks, Ray. I haven't completely shut the door on Mozart like many people here have done with my favorite composer, Delius. I guess this shows that I continue to have an open-mind while these people simply do not.

It's that time of the year. Time to change the avatar to Elgar and with good reason. I LOVE this composer's music.

Crying my eyes out right now...Delius how could I have deceived you...listened to Songs of Sunset tonight and something just came over me. Such beautiful, evocative music.

Switched my avatar to Miles Davis as I'm leaving behind classical for an indefinite amount of time. Will definitely be visiting 'The Diner' a lot, though.

Certainly. Personally, I never understood the attraction to this composer but I'm sure many are wondering the same for my love of Delius' music.

My list has changed quite a bit since last time (in no particular order):

Sibelius
RVW
Ravel
Bartok
Stravinsky
Britten
Shostakovich
Nielsen
Prokofiev
Tchaikovsky

 

[Ken B]

Sounds like a movie, The Last Delian.

[Karl Henning]

Last Delian Napping

[Moonfish]

The Clash of the Delians

[Ken B]

The Clash of the Delians