Top 10 Favourite 90s Compositions

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

In the 20th century thread, the 90s seems to be receiving a little bit of neglect......


So in order to get us thinking about what we do like about the 90s, let's try to make some Top 10 lists of favourite compositions from the decade I, and a number of other members here, was born in.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Here is my list as it stands today

Boulez: Sur Incises
Ferneyhough: Terrain
Pintscher: 5 Orchestral Pieces
Adès: Living Toys
Carter: Luimen
Boulez: ...explosante-fixe...
Carter: Symphonia
Ligeti: Violin Concerto
Ferneyhough: String Quartet no. 4
Berio: Sequenza XII for bassoon

[SimonNZ]

^Good thread idea, and good choices.

A few more favorites off the top of my head:

Messiaen: Éclairs sur l'au-delà...
Saariaho: Six Japanese Gardens
Grisey: Quatre Chants Pour Franchir Le Seuil
Radulescu: String Quartet No.5 "Before The Universe Was Born"
Chin: Xi
Manoury: Fragments Pour Un Portrait
Takemitsu: From Me Flows What You Call Time
Harvey: Tombeau de Messiaen
Lutoslawski: Chantefleurs et Chantefables
Vasks: Violin Concerto "Distant Light"

[Mirror Image]

Takemitsu: From Me Flows What You Call Time
Lutoslawski: Chantefleurs et Chantefables
Vasks: Violin Concerto "Distant Light"

I strongly endorse these choices. I have always felt that Lutoslawski's vocal works were the best aspect of his oeuvre. He had a real knack for voice writing and the accompaniment from the orchestra (no matter how large or small) was always exquisitely detailed and gave the voices such a wide array of moods to convey onto the listener.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I completely forgot about Takemitsu....might have to replace the Berio on my list with Takemitsu.

[Mirror Image]

I completely forgot about Takemitsu....might have to replace the Berio on my list with Takemitsu.

The question remains: what Takemitsu work would you choose?

[Rinaldo]

Arvo Pärt: Berliner Messe (1990) (although I prefer the revised version w/ string orchestra)
Henryk Górecki: String quartet #2, 'Quasi una fantasia' (1990)
Dennis Smalley: Piano Nets (1990-91)
Georgs Pelēcis: Nevertheless (1993)
Ann Southam: Webster's Spin (1993)
David Darling: Darkwood IV (1993)
Gérard Grisey: Vortex Temporum (1995)
Steve Reich: City Life (1995)
Pēteris Vasks: Violin Concerto 'Distant Light' (1997)
Georg Friedrich Haas: Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich... (1999)

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

The question remains: what Takemitsu work would you choose?

Well.....either From Me Flows What You Call Time or Equinox.

[James]

Some Stockhausen ..

Oktophonie, Pietà, Freitags-Gruss, Welt-parlament, Lights-Waters .. all masterworks.

[some guy]

Francis Dhomont:

Frankenstein Symphony
Sous le regard d'un soleil noir
Cycle de l'errance

Zbigniew Karkowski:

Disruptor
World as Will

Lionel Marchetti:

Train de Nuit (Nord 3.683)
La grande vallée
Mue (la demeure brillante)

Christine Groult:

L'Heure Alors S'Incline...

Carola Bauckstoff:

Treibstoff

These are not "Top 10 Favourite 90s Compositions." These are "10 90s Compositions."

Also, I'd like to add that "10" is just silly.

Alsoalso, I'd like to continue to add that I discovered that I far prefer the first decade of this century to the last decade of the previous. I did not know that before now, but apparently it's true.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

^ I agree in terms of decades, the first decade of this century was definitely an improvement. Considering that doctor who started airing again among other things.....

[James]

.. in addition to the 5 from Stockhausen .. 

Boulez, ...explosante-fixe..., Sur Incises
Ligeti, Violin Concerto, Études 9-18, Hamburg Concerto
Dutilleux, The Shadows of Time

[James]

^ I agree in terms of decades, the first decade of this century was definitely an improvement. Considering that doctor who started airing again among other things.....

Not sure if you've seen this one ..

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

Not sure if you've seen this one ..

Terrific thread I like to browse

[Maestro267]

I haven't heard all that much music from the 90s. I'm working on it though. In no order:

Peter Maxwell Davies - Symphony No. 6 (1996)
George Lloyd - A Symphonic Mass (1993)
Krzysztof Penderecki - Symphony No. 5 (1992)
James MacMillan - Veni, Veni Emmanuel (1992)
Olivier Messiaen - Eclairs sur l'au-dela... (1992)

[Brian]

I'll just borrow heavily from my post-WWII list, although that is a year old and there are probably a number of new things to add:

Kernis: String Quartet No. 1, "musica celestis" (1990)
Holmboe: Viola Concerto (1992)
Rautavaara: Canto IV, for string orchestra (1992)
Rouse: Flute Concerto (1993)
Aho: Symphony No. 9 (1993-4)
Lauridsen: O magnum mysterium (1994)
Glass: Symphony No. 3 (1995)
Czarnecki: String Quartet No. 2, "Spis" (1997)

I definitely need to re-acquaint myself with the Ligeti and Vasks concertos. Have only heard George Lloyd's Mass once - it made a positive impression, but not an overwhelming one, to be honest.

EDIT: Hmmm, I wonder if there's some Veljo Tormis to put on this list.

[Mirror Image]

The last 10-15 years of the 20th Century had some interesting music, but I'm not sure I'd call myself a fan of the 90s decade, but here are a few favorites:

Schnittke: Symphony No. 8
Sculthorpe: Memento mori
Pärt: Silouan's Song
Silvestrov: Elegie
Vasks: Vox Amoris
Ligeti: Violin Concerto
Takemitsu: Visions
Kurtág: Stele
Lutoslawski: Chantefleurs et Chantefables
Vine: Oboe Concerto

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

The last 10-15 years of the 20th Century had some interesting music, but I'm not sure I'd call myself a fan of the 90s decade, but here are a few favorites:

Schnittke: Symphony No. 8
Sculthorpe: Memento mori
Pärt: Silouan's Song
Silvestrov: Elegy
Vasks: Vientuļais eņģelis
Ligeti: Violin Concerto
Takemitsu: Visions
Tippett: The Rose Lake
Lutoslawski: Chantefleurs et Chantefables
Vine: Oboe Concerto

You really like Memento Mori that much?

[Mirror Image]

You really like Memento Mori that much?

I love the work and think it's one of the most gorgeous things Sculthorpe has composed, but why so surprised?

[vandermolen]

Vasks: Symphony 2
Sculthorpe: Memento Mori