Composers You’d Like To Explore In 2020

[Mirror Image]

First of all, Happy New Year to each of you! Alright, let's get things started, what composers do you feel you need to get to know better or explore in this new year? Any listening plans?

Here are a few I want to get to know much better (in no particular order):

Benjamin Britten



In the past few months, I have become rather familiar with many of Britten's works that I didn't know too well or never even heard. I still have got some ways to go before I hear everything he's composed (I doubt I'll manage to do this but I can get close). There are many operas I haven't heard like Paul Bunyan, Gloriana, Owen Wingrave, Albert Herring, Billy Budd, amongst others. One of my major rediscoveries in December was the chamber opera, The Turn of the Screw, but my appreciation has also grown tremendously for the War Requiem, the string quartets, much of the vocal music, especially the folk song arrangements. Like I said, though, I still have quite a journey ahead of me. In making these discoveries and rediscoveries, I have a newfound admiration, love, and understanding of this multifaceted master.

Michael Tippett



I went through a huge Tippett phase many years ago and I became highly attuned to his enigmatic and sometimes aloof compositional style. From the early lyrical works to the knotty late works, I came to appreciate his music more than I did Britten at that particular time (of course, the table has turned drastically in Britten's favor). But, as I have found, Tippett is rather uneven and some of his music is just too complicated for its' own good, but he's a composer whose sense of melody, harmony, etc. I came to love. In 2020, I'd like to reassess his oeuvre (not all of it but a good portion of it for sure) and get to know this composer again.

Hector Berlioz



For me, Berlioz is one of the great masters of the Romantic Era. A blazingly astonishing composer with a unique compositional voice. I got into his music early in my listening, but I would like rekindle that flame. I have had the Berlioz Complete Warner set for months and haven't even cracked it open. I'm not sure what I'll listen to first, but I would like hear Les Troyens as this was one work I have been meaning to get around to for ages but just haven't found the time. Now's the time for Berlioz!

Olivier Messiaen



Messiaen is one tough nut to crack! But, honestly, I think my general approach to him has been completely wrong-headed. I own a ton of his music (numerous box sets on DG, Warner, Naive, and not to mention single issues), so, obviously, there's something there in his music that I like, but I just need to take my time and not rush it with Messiaen, because there's a good bit of his music that I'd consider a slow burn and it's supposed to be. Hopefully, 2020 will be my year for unlocking this 20th Century genius.

[Brian]

I wonder if there was a 2019 version of this thread, and if so, how well I did meeting my goals or not 

I think 2020 is going to bring me a whole lot of Beethoven, but hopefully with the diligence to take some listening notes on this board. Perhaps revisit old favorite recordings, do shootouts, see how they all stack up.

Some recent purchases of mine include the Pierre Monteux big box, the clearance 10CD set "Splendeurs de Versailles," and the Sony box of the young Riccardo Muti conducting various Italian orchestral works, including I think two Nino Rota CDs. So those purchases suggest some paths of exploration: 1700s France, 1900s Italy. (Grand Piano is also releasing the complete Rota piano music.)

Like you, I got the Warner complete Berlioz. Unlike you, I've listened to some of it, but only 1-2 discs worth. That's definitely going to be a focus here as well.

Some of the new releases arriving in early 2020 suggest there will be plenty of exploration of Skalkottas and Samuel Feinberg. I'd also like to explore some solo organ repertoire; don't know much about it at all except I prefer it when organs sound fully organ-y and boomy, not so much when they're muted and flutey and subtle.

[some guy]

Jana Winderen, for sure.

Rocío Cano Valiño.

Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri.

And, naturally, Jess Maticevski.

Exciting times ahead, for sure.

[Crudblud]

Odd and/or boring as it may sound, I think this year will involve quite a lot of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven. I'm currently reading Charles Rosen's The Classical Style and listening to a lot of the example pieces given. I think between the soundtrack work which occupies my energy for composition, and what I guess could be called a waning inspiration in my personal projects over the past year, an investigation of a period to which I haven't really paid that much attention before might be both illuminating and therapeutic.

[amw]

I think part of my goal will be to find new composers in 2020 that I'm sufficiently interested in to explore.

[San Antone]

Along with my regular looking for and listening to new, living, composers, all signs appear to have Richard Wagner on my horizon ... yet again.  I suppose over the last twenty years, or more, I've made repeated attempts to make a dent in my intolerance to his music.  I just started reading a pretty good book on The Ring and reading about a composer's work usually translates into curiosity to hear the music. 

In the past I've lasted no longer than one opera, if that, sometimes just one Act.  So we'll see.

[steve ridgway]

I'm going to increase my small collection of Birtwistle, Boulez, Crumb, Ligeti, Nono, Penderecki, Scelsi, Schnittke, Takemitsu and Varese. I think there's enough variety among these to keep me happy for a while.

[Mirror Image]

Along with my regular looking for and listening to new, living, composers, all signs appear to have Richard Wagner on my horizon ... yet again.  I suppose over the last twenty years, or more, I've made repeated attempts to make a dent in my intolerance to his music.  I just started reading a pretty good book on The Ring and reading about a composer's work usually translates into curiosity to hear the music. 

In the past I've lasted no longer than one opera, if that, sometimes just one Act.  So we'll see.

Godspeed to you, San Antone. Hopefully, you can make it through Das Rheingold at the very least.

[vandermolen]

Definitely Britten.
Maybe I should get to know more Villa Lobos.

[Maestro267]

Wonderful thread idea!

1. I definitely want to continue further into Schnittke's music. I have a fair bit already, but I've yet to dive into the later symphonies (5-9), and there's a bunch of concertos to explore as well.

2. I feel I've made very significant inroads into the 20th-century Cello Concerto repertoire in recent years, but I'm sure there's more out there, even stuff off the beaten path.

3. I think I've hit a bit of a brick wall as far as opera goes. I picked up a few of the ones I was interested to hear in 2019 (Salome, Peter Grimes, Tosca), and nothing else is really jumping out at me. Possibly Billy Budd.

[greg]

Mainly buying more CDs, since i plan to do more stuff that IMO sort of requires sound to accompany (reading, etc.)

First in mind would be getting a set of the Beethoven sonatas.

But not going crazy with it. Already have easily 50+ nonclassical CDs i might buy already for this year.

[Papy Oli]

Continuing the exploration of British and Irish composers:

* Delving into the recent acquisitions of Holst, Finzi, Cooke, Rubbra.
* Re-do a full run through the symphonic cycles of Lloyd, Arnold, Alwyn and RVW.
* Focus on Bax likely later this month - should be getting the Lyrita 2/5 & 1/7 as birthday presents in a couple of weeks.
* Listen to more of Kinsella
* I fancy spending time on some of the folk songs CD in the RVW EMI edition as well
* Sample more composers: Britten, Coates, Ireland, Joubert, Stanford, Wordsworth, Bate, Bush, Fricker, Searle, Simpson, Tippett, Berkeley, Bowen, Cowen, Goossens, Jacob, Hoddinott, Holbrook, Jones, Parry, Rawsthorne, Mathias, Maconchy.

Non British stuff:
* Try the Sibelius symphonies again.
* Wagner later in the year ? ...that Ring book that San Antone bought recently has been in my basket since I bought the Solti box yonks ago, boxset mostly untouched 

[Florestan]

First and foremost, Beethoven.

In my late teens he was my favorite composer but as time went by my interest in his music dwindled greatly. I still list him on my Top 10 Favorite Composers list more from sentimental reasons than from any keen interest in his music. 2020 is a good opportunity to try rekindling the flame.

Then, in no particular order:

Berlioz, Liszt, Dvorak, Sibelius, Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Holst, Bax, Florent Schmitt, Gabriel Pierne, Albert Roussel, Alberic Magnard, Guy Ropartz, Vincent d'Indy, Jean Cras.

[Mirror Image]

Mainly buying more CDs, since i plan to do more stuff that IMO sort of requires sound to accompany (reading, etc.)

First in mind would be getting a set of the Beethoven sonatas.

But not going crazy with it. Already have easily 50+ nonclassical CDs i might buy already for this year.

I didn't even think you listened to classical music any more, Greg. You never post in the main part of the forum.

[San Antone]

Along with my regular looking for and listening to new, living, composers, all signs appear to have Richard Wagner on my horizon ... yet again.  I suppose over the last twenty years, or more, I've made repeated attempts to make a dent in my intolerance to his music.  I just started reading a pretty good book on The Ring and reading about a composer's work usually translates into curiosity to hear the music. 

In the past I've lasted no longer than one opera, if that, sometimes just one Act.  So we'll see.

Opera.  Besides Wagner (which may never develop), I already have been listening/studying a Verdi opera-a-day - in chronological order. 

Very enjoyable.  I re-subscribed to the Met Opera on Demand, so that besides listening to recordings I will have access to some productions.  From Louisa Miller on, the Met has all of the Verdi operas available.  Of the early works, Nabucco, Ernani,, Macbeth, and maybe some I'm forgetting.

[greg]

I didn't even think you listened to classical music any more, Greg. You never post in the main part of the forum.

I don't listen to much music in general any more... very little for classical.

Music is good to accompany another quiet activity...

[Madiel]

I've got a list as long as my arm, and move though it very slowly. I mean, my chronological explorations often take several years...

Fairly high on the list at the moment, and so the composers most likely to actually get a proper look during the year, are:

Bartok
Richard Strauss
Grieg
Vaughan Williams

[jess]

Jana Winderen is one (and some guy mentioned here as well)

Eva Reiter is someone I started listening to a couple of years ago and I hope to hear more of her works in the near future.

Stefan Prins, Horacio Vaggione and Malin Bång are another three whose music I definitely want to explore further.

Jana Winderen, for sure.

Rocío Cano Valiño.

Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri.

And, naturally, Jess Maticevski.

Exciting times ahead, for sure.

Aw, nice to see myself up there on your list. I feel a bit obliged to pump out a few more electronic works this year!

[Christo]

Explored them all, didn't like what I heard.   

Hope to listen with fresh ears to: Walter Braunfels, Joseph Marx, Olav Kielland, Hilding Rosenberg, Niels Viggo Bentzon, Erland von Koch, George Enescu, Nikolai Miaskovsky (esp. the Sixth again, bought in Oxford Street, 1995, time to play it now  ) , Peter Racine Fricker (many thanks, Jeffrey), David Matthews, and some more. 

Continuing the exploration of British and Irish composers:

* Delving into the recent acquisitions of Holst, Finzi, Cooke, Rubbra.
* Re-do a full run through the symphonic cycles of Lloyd, Arnold, Alwyn and RVW.
* Focus on Bax likely later this month - should be getting the Lyrita 2/5 & 1/7 as birthday presents in a couple of weeks.
* Listen to more of Kinsella
* I fancy spending time on some of the folk songs CD in the RVW EMI edition as well
* Sample more composers: Britten, Coates, Ireland, Joubert, Stanford, Wordsworth, Bate, Bush, Fricker, Searle, Simpson, Tippett, Berkeley, Bowen, Cowen, Goossens, Jacob, Hoddinott, Holbrook, Jones, Parry, Rawsthorne, Mathias, Maconchy.

Not a bad start to begin with, at first; please report back your findings. 

[aukhawk]

Benjamin Britten
There are many operas I haven't heard like Paul Bunyan, Gloriana, Owen Wingrave, Albert Herring, Billy Budd, amongst others. ...

I don't know Britten's operas (not even Peter Grimes, which is criminal of me) but I do like Billy Budd, which I think was written for TV originally, and this is a YouTube of the original 1966 TV production including Peter Pears as Captain Vere, a rather Wotan-like figure who can't do right for doing wrong:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1lVBfqQyjs

Of course Britten was known for enjoying the company of young boys, so it's no surprise that he wrote The Golden Vanity for the Vienna Boys Choir, all marching around the stage in their smart little sailor suits and waving wooden swords.  It's a fun piece, a playground romp set to music.  I can't find a YouTube of the Vienna production, but this more recent version redresses the balance a little by having young girls on stage as well as boys:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AdwiObH4uc

On this recording the boys choir is not from Vienna, but from Wandsworth, a markedly less exotic location:

Olivier Messiaen
Messiaen is one tough nut to crack!

I really like some Messiaen and am indifferent to the rest - I divide his output up into Orchestral music, Piano music, Organ music.  I don't really like the orchestral music at all.  His most approachable music is that 60% of his organ music which is quiet, contemplative.  The other 40% is loud and to my ears bombastic.  The problem is sorting out the quiet movements from the loud ones - though if a movement has 'Dieu' in the title then the chances are it's going to be a loud one.  Jennifer Bate is a reliable guide and Livre d'Orgue and Le Banquet Celeste are good places to start.
I like pretty much all of his piano music although some parts are more approachable than others.  I've recently listened a couple of times to Vingt Regards sur l'enfant Jesus and have come to the conclusion that this is probably the easiest way in to Messiaen's piano world.  Mostly (13 out of 20) quiet, reflective movements.  Steven Osborne is very good in this, although being on Hyperion he is not found on Spotify.  Otherwise Yvonne Loriod, who was married to the composer, is a good option.  Oiseau No.6, L'Alouette Lulu (the Wood Lark), is also a good starting point for the piano music - though some of the other Oiseaux are, as you say, tough nuts to crack - for example the Barn Owl is, by the composer's own description, "like the scream of a murdered infant".