Best Compositions In the Past 20 years? (previously limited to 21st century)

[bhodges]

My own favorite work from this period may be Harrison Birtwistle's song-cycle Pulse Shadows (1996).

Another good choice! (Actually, he might have several nominations...)

--Bruce

[westknife]

After seeing a mind-blowing performance last week of  in vain (2000) by Georg Friedrich Haas (b. 1953), I'll nominate it. It's about 75 minutes long, and at two points the lights slowly dim, plunging both the performers and the audience into complete darkness.

Alex Ross has a fine write-up of a performance in Troy, NY, last fall here.

--Bruce

Yes! At the Armory in New York. This was incredible. I've never experienced anything like it. A recording would do it no justice, unfortunately.

[Guido]

Surprised you rate "Le Temps l'Horloge" Bruce - sounded to like a rather pale imitation/reworking of his older scores. It's pleasant enough to listen to, but hardly amongst his best...

[bhodges]

Surprised you rate "Le Temps l'Horloge" Bruce - sounded to like a rather pale imitation/reworking of his older scores. It's pleasant enough to listen to, but hardly amongst his best...

I had to search back to see that post! I also had to go back to the original poster's request, which used both "favorite compositions" and "best." I do like l'Horloge, but there may be other Dutilleux works better suited for "best," granted.

--Bruce

[snyprrr]

After seeing a mind-blowing performance last week of  in vain (2000) by Georg Friedrich Haas (b. 1953), I'll nominate it. It's about 75 minutes long, and at two points the lights slowly dim, plunging both the performers and the audience into complete darkness.

Alex Ross has a fine write-up of a performance in Troy, NY, last fall here.

--Bruce

I was just listening to his SQs 1-2 (Zeitklang; order direct!) again. There is the stillness of Feldman, but with much more actually going on. Perhaps if Lachenmann was using notes instead of sounds?

Both SQs are quite different from one another, as far as these things go. No.2 is played entirely on open strings tuned to Haas's specifications. There are many slow oscillating glissandos, sounding very much like the ennui of the end of the world, but these are tempered with other material so that they don't dominate (this is not easy from memory!).

Does this remind me of Gloria Coates? I'm not sure, but the alien landscape feeling is similar. Haas certainly is going where no one has yet gone (though,... there really isn't anywhere LEFT to go but here, haha!). Perhaps a highly sedated Xenakis might be closer, as if the mechanics of Xenakis's world have finally run out of stream,... permanently.

One should endeavor to get this cd! Surely, the JACK Quartet will have recorded SQ No.3 (and 4??) by the end of the year? Let's hope so. In Vain will be on the listening table later.

[Guido]

All of Ades' oeuvre counts here, for me the best when earliest, though I love Tevot amongst the work written since 2000. He seems to have completely diminished in stature in his last compositions though... and has the pen dried?

[Mirror Image]

The score for the movie The Illusionist by Philip Glass I found most fitting for the drama, even though I am no fan of Minimalism.

I'm not a fan of Philip Glass' music at all. His output is so vast, but nothing he composed has even peaked my curiosity. I prefer Reich to Glass. In fact, I think Reich's ideas are not only better, but better executed and more original. Reich, Part, Gorecki, and Adams are my favorites in this style.

[ComposerOfAvantGarde]

I'll just drop this by:


https://vimeo.com/154125362

Before I click the link, what is it and why do you like it?