What are your top 5 favorite 20th century choral/orchestral works?

[arpeggio]

Just like the thread about 20th century orchestral works there are many great suggestions here.  Again I would have trouble coming up with just five.  There are so many great works for chorus and orchestra.

Three works that would be on my list that have not been mentioned yet:

Walton: Belshazzar's Feast
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Thompson: Testament of Freedom.  I have performed this work several times.  There is even a fantastic transcription for band.  The text for the work were taken from writings of Thomas Jefferson.  For me it is amazing on how Thompson could set to music straight text like "The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy but cannot disjoin them."  This is from the first movement.

Howard Hanson composed some great works for chorus and orchestra.  One of my favorites is Song of Democracy.

There is also a work of Milhaud that blows me away: Les choëphores

An unusual work that the recording for is out of print is William Schuman's Concerto on Old English Rounds for Viola, Women's Chorus and Orchestra.  One can find recordings of it on YouTube.  Also one can find some of the old LP's on Amazon.  I have a copy of the LP.

[Brian]

Janáček: Glagolitic Mass
Poulenc: Gloria
Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky
Lutoslawski: Twenty Polish Christmas Carols
Janáček: Eternal Gospel

BONUS CATEGORY FOR JUST SINGING "AHH"
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé (complete)
Pierné: Cydalise et le Chèvre-pied

[Mirror Image]

Just like the thread about 20th century orchestral works there are many great suggestions here.  Again I would have trouble coming up with just five.  There are so many great works for chorus and orchestra.

Three works that would be on my list that have not been mentioned yet:

Walton: Belshazzar's Feast
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Thompson: Testament of Freedom.  I have performed this work several times.  There is even a fantastic transcription for band.  The text for the work were taken from writings of Thomas Jefferson.  For me it is amazing on how Thompson could set to music straight text like "The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy but cannot disjoin them."  This is from the first movement.

Howard Hanson composed some great works for chorus and orchestra.  One of my favorites is Song of Democracy.

There is also a work of Milhaud that blows me away: Les choëphores

An unusual work that the recording for is out of print is William Schuman's Concerto on Old English Rounds for Viola, Women's Chorus and Orchestra.  One can find recordings of it on YouTube.  Also one can find some of the old LP's on Amazon.  I have a copy of the LP.

To the bolded text, these are not suggestions! These are our picks of favorite works, which means subjectivity is involved. The question isn't 'Your Top 20 Suggestions For 20th Century Orchestral Works" but "What Are Your Top 20 Favorite Orchestral Works."

[Dee Sharp]

Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music
Prokofiev: Alexander Nevsky
Poulenc: Gloria
Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms
Walton: Belshazzar's Feast

[arpeggio]

To the bolded text, these are not suggestions! These are our picks of favorite works, which means subjectivity is involved. The question isn't 'Your Top 20 Suggestions For 20th Century Orchestral Works" but "What Are Your Top 20 Favorite Orchestral Works."

I am sorry.  I was just listing some of my favorite choral works that had not yet been mentioned.  I thought I was being helpful.  My intent was not to offend anyone

[Dancing Divertimentian]

I am sorry.  I was just listing some of my favorite choral works that had not yet been mentioned.  I thought I was being helpful.  My intent was not to offend anyone

No offense. Harmless post as far as I can see.

The question isn't 'Your Top 20 Suggestions For 20th Century Orchestral Works" but "What Are Your Top 20 Favorite Orchestral Works."

Where do you see "20 favorite" in the thread title? I see "5".

[Cato]

Dudes!  Unless my eyes missed it, how is it possible that nobody has yet mentioned the GREATEST SEVEN MINUTES IN CHORAL MUSIC EVER?!!!  

https://www.youtube.com/v/3imEtW-4v80

[pjme]

Indeed, a great work!

Telal, telal, telal!

They are Seven! Seven!

In the depths of the ocean — seven of them!
High up in the heavens — seven of them! Seven!
In the mountains of Sunset seven are born, seven.
In the mountains of the East seven grow up, seven!
They sit astride thrones in the depths of the earth, the earth they sit.
Forcing their voice to thunder at the very summit peaks of the earth, the earth they do! Etc.

All the great favorites have been mentioned - War Requiem,Serenade to music,Glagolitic mass...Les Choéphores, Trois petites Liturgies.... Stenka Razin....

I'll add a few I actually listen to quite regularly:

Szymanowski: Harnasie
Gordon Crosse : Changes ( available on Lyrita)
Ohana: Cantigas
Ligeti: Requiem
Rosenberg: symphony nr 4

Well worth listening to:  RVW's Sancta civitas and 5 Mystical songs, Alun Hoddinott Sinfonia fidei, Braunfels'Te deum (magical ending...), Milhaud Symphony nr 3 (Te deum), Koechlin Chant funèbre, Britten Cantata academica, Martinu's early (1918) blockbuster Czech rhapsody, Kitice....

And ,all very lovely and on YT : Malipiero's Mistero "San Francesco" and Pierné's "saint François" and Hermann Suter's oratorio Le laudi.... https://youtu.be/d17UquKzh0Q


P.

[mc ukrneal]

Dudes!  Unless my eyes missed it, how is it possible that nobody has yet mentioned the GREATEST SEVEN MINUTES IN CHORAL MUSIC EVER?!!!  

https://www.youtube.com/v/3imEtW-4v80

Right composer. Wrong piece!

[pjme]

Ah! You're inspiring me !

https://www.youtube.com/v/7r1adsrxz5c

https://www.youtube.com/v/ZepYjeCVi04

https://www.youtube.com/v/dtVEVt7KCKU

[ritter]

https://www.youtube.com/v/ZepYjeCVi04

Thanks for posting that one. Luciano Berio speaks marvels of this score in a TV series he made for RAI in the 70s (and released on DVD), and I had never actually encountered the piece.

Regards,

[Monsieur Croche]

Stravinsky ~ Les Noces / Oedipus Rex / Mass / Threni
Milhaud ~ Les Choéphores op.24... for your consideration ;-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac-UJju34Lg
Bartok ~ Cantata Profana
Poulenc ~ Gloria

up to seven already, stopping now, lol.

[Todd]

Szymanowski - Stabat Mater
Janacek - Galgolitic Mass
Shostakovich - Babi Yar
Mahler - Symphony 8
Toss-up: Martinu - The Epic of Gilgamesh, Dutilleux - The Shadows of Time (though maybe neither counts)

[Mirror Image]

I am sorry.  I was just listing some of my favorite choral works that had not yet been mentioned.  I thought I was being helpful.  My intent was not to offend anyone

No need to apologize my friend. As DD pointed out, it's a harmless post, but I just wanted to stress that these lists that each of us compile are personal favorites and aren't meant to be suggestions.

[mc ukrneal]

No need to apologize my friend. As DD pointed out, it’s a harmless post, but I just wanted to stress that these lists that each of us compile are personal favorites and aren’t meant to be suggestions.

Cannot agree (particularly the way you are going about it). A list may be meant as you say, but anyone who reads it (and is interested in exploring) will take it as such (a suggestion). I'm not sure why you are taking another member to task for this.

[ahinton]

Szymanowski: Stabat Mater or Symphony No. 3
Schmidt: Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln
Brian: Symphony No. 1
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13
Boulanger: Du fond de l'abîme

But I've left just SO many out! - not least Busoni's Piano Concerto and Schönberg's Gurrelieder...

[Mirror Image]

Cannot agree (particularly the way you are going about it). A list may be meant as you say, but anyone who reads it (and is interested in exploring) will take it as such (a suggestion). I'm not sure why you are taking another member to task for this.

What part of 'Your Top 5 Favorite 20th Century Choral/Orchestral Works' do you not understand, Neal? What does favorite mean to you? Members here can do as they please (as they so often do), but for crying out loud this is a poll meant to reflect our individual choices. Anyway, let's not make this a big deal. I was just responding to something I thought was curious that's all.

[bwv 1080]

choral w/ orchestra -

Dutilleux - The Shadows of Time
Ligeti - Clocks & Clouds
Messiaen - Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine
Schnittke - Requiem
Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms

[Mirror Image]

choral w/ orchestra -

Dutilleux - The Shadows of Time
Ligeti - Clocks & Clouds
Messiaen - Trois petites liturgies de la présence divine
Schnittke - Requiem
Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms

A fine list indeed.

[pjme]

Thanks for posting that one. Luciano Berio speaks marvels of this score in a TV series he made for RAI in the 70s (and released on DVD), and I had never actually encountered the piece.

Regards,

It would be nice to have a modern, good sounding recording. In (I think) 2001 Werner Herbers and his Ebony Band did La mort d'un tyran with the Dutch Radio Ch Choir (that was an excellent performance!) but it gets very rarely performed, I'm afraid.
That same day ( A Milhaud day in Utrecht) Barba Garrido was performed, a really fun work for chorus and chamber orchestra - in Milhaud's most jolly, Mediterranean style.
P.