Composers You’d Like To Explore In 2020

[vandermolen]

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

Fricker's 'Vision of Judgment' was a marvellous discovery for me for which I have the much-missed cilgwyn to thank. Enescu is another composer whose music I'd also like to explore more this year although I have some of the symphonies on CD. I'm sure that Andrei/Florestan will approve!  Which version of Miaskovsky's 6th Symphony did you buy in Oxford Street Johan? (I'm pleased that the shop was open so that you didn't have a repeat of the 'Braga Santos, Portugalsom LP experience  ). Rosenberg is a marvellous composer. What are so few of his symphonies on CD? Like Holmboe and Tubin he deserves a complete cycle of recordings. BIS issued 3 and 6 together but that was it. Symphonies 2,3,4 and 6 are amongst my favourite symphonies. I'd love to have the opportunity to explore more of Rosenberg's symphonies and other works this year. There is a beautiful Christmas work which I gather from my Swedish relatives gets played every Christmas over there. It's called 'Holy Night':

[Florestan]

Actually, I'm having strong second thoughts about this whole exploration thing. I mean, so long as I haven't yet listened to all the music I own of my favorite composers, many works and multiple performances which are guaranteed to give me hours and hours of pleasure and enjoyment, what's the point of listening to the music of other composers, unless I already did it in the past and liked what I heard? My latest explorations have been rather unsatisfactory so I think concentrating on the music of my favorite composers (if I take the Top 10 only, there's enough new music to keep me busy for at least one year) and throwing in every now and then a new name just for measure might ultimately be a more rewarding experience.

[71 dB]

Actually, I'm having strong second thoughts about this whole exploration thing. I mean, so long as I haven't yet listened to all the music I own of my favorite composers, many works and multiple performances which are guaranteed to give me hours and hours of pleasure and enjoyment, what's the point of listening to the music of other composers, unless I already did it in the past and liked what I heard? My latest explorations have been rather unsatisfactory so I think concentrating on the music of my favorite composers (if I take the Top 10 only, there's enough new music to keep me busy for at least one year) and throwing in every now and then a new name just for measure might ultimately be a more rewarding experience.

It's about having a balance I suppose. I started exploring quite a lot when I discovered classical music back in '97 and I have been discovering all kinds of music, but now I feel I have explored so much I can concentrate on listening to what I have discovered. Something can always come up unexpectedly.

A few years ago I purchased some Ligeti, but the exploration hasn't been easy. Ligeti is surely interesting music, but also so chaotic/anarchic and unpredictable it's hard to get any grasp of his art. At the moment I am in the mood for Mozart's music so revisiting the Brilliant complete works box is one logical step to take...  0:)

[Mirror Image]

Actually, I'm having strong second thoughts about this whole exploration thing. I mean, so long as I haven't yet listened to all the music I own of my favorite composers, many works and multiple performances which are guaranteed to give me hours and hours of pleasure and enjoyment, what's the point of listening to the music of other composers, unless I already did it in the past and liked what I heard? My latest explorations have been rather unsatisfactory so I think concentrating on the music of my favorite composers (if I take the Top 10 only, there's enough new music to keep me busy for at least one year) and throwing in every now and then a new name just for measure might ultimately be a more rewarding experience.

But the idea of this whole exercise, Andrei, is to become more familiar with a composer you've either neglected or reconnect with one you haven't heard in ages. We all spend so much time with music we know well (and in many cases, like the back sides of our hands) and seem to forget about music that is just as endearing and timeless as our favorites. If you're referring to your unsatisfactory experience with Cyril Scott's music, I could've saved you a lot of time by telling you he stunk, so you didn't have to worry about it.

[Florestan]

But the idea of this whole exercise, Andrei, is to become more familiar with a composer you've either neglected or reconnect with one you haven't heard in ages. We all spend so much time with music we know well (and in many cases, like the back sides of our hands) and seem to forget about music that is just as endearing and timeless as our favorites.

Yes but the question is, as long as there are still large portions of my favorite composers' output that I am not familiar with, and which I would surely like, why would I neglect them in favor of others which I might or might not like? If I take my Top 10 composers and start listening to those works of theirs I have not listened to yet, or have given only a superficial listening, that would surely keep me busy for at least the whole 2020. 

So much music out there, so little time.

[Mirror Image]

Yes but the question is, as long as there are still large portions of my favorite composers' output that I am not familiar with, and which I would surely like, why would I neglect them in favor of others which I might or might not like? If I take my Top 10 composers and start listening to those works of theirs I have not listened to yet, or have given only a superficial listening, that would surely keep me busy for at least the whole 2020. 

So much music out there, so little time.

Well, that's true and, yes, there's enough music out there to keep one busy for a thousand lifetimes.

[San Antone]

Yes but the question is, as long as there are still large portions of my favorite composers' output that I am not familiar with, and which I would surely like, why would I neglect them in favor of others which I might or might not like? If I take my Top 10 composers and start listening to those works of theirs I have not listened to yet, or have given only a superficial listening, that would surely keep me busy for at least the whole 2020. 

So much music out there, so little time.

I find myself listening to the same music over and over, here lately it's been the Well-Tempered Clavier.  I'll even cycle through the same recordings.  I guess it is me that changes, day to day, my mood, what's on my mind, etc., and the music is more of a touchstone.  But I am also exploring new things, like a current fascination with opera, Verdi mainly, but also a little Wagner.

From among my favorite composers, Bach and Bernstein are the ones I have been listening to more than the others.  So adding in Verdi and Wagner is a nice contrast.

We all approach listening to music in our own way - there is no wrong way.

[Mirror Image]

We all approach listening to music in our own way - there is no wrong way.

Amen.

[AlberichUndHagen]

Definitely Langgaard.

[vers la flamme]

I feel somewhat inclined to explore some more of the American composers this year, Charles Ives, Samuel Barber, Elliott Carter, Charles Wuorinen, Milton Babbitt, Morton Feldman, George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, perhaps even Copland, whose music I've disliked in the past. Currently listening to Ives' Orchestral Set No.2, a fascinating work, as so many of his works tend to be. (I wonder if I'll ever come to like his songs, though). And I'm just discovering these past few days what an excellent, ever inventive composer Leonard Bernstein was, a longtime favorite as a conductor, thanks to the crusading of a few members here on behalf of the man as composer. I definitely want to delve into more of his works, probably starting next with the symphonies.

Aside from that, I have been for too long neglecting the English composers, and while some of them I'm sure I will continue to dislike (I question whether I'll ever come around on Delius), there are others I'd like to explore in further depth: Gustav Holst, Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Malcolm Arnold, Arnold Bax, Edward Elgar, Herbert Howells being some of the big names that come to mind.

I'm glad I still (hopefully) have the better part of a lifetime ahead of me to spend with great music, as I've just barely scratched the surface.

[Symphonic Addict]

Definitely Langgaard.

I support this. 

[Madiel]

Maybe I'll finally listen to something by Schnittke.

It's genuinely on the to-do list.

[Mirror Image]

Maybe I'll finally get a handle on Schnittke.

Just out of curiosity, what is it about the composer that you're having trouble connecting with, Daverz?

[Mirror Image]

Maybe I'll finally listen to something by Schnittke.

It's genuinely on the to-do list.

That would be awesome, Madiel. Do you own many recordings of his music?

[Madiel]

That would be awesome, Madiel. Do you own many recordings of his music?

I own zero.

This is what I use streaming services for these days.

[vers la flamme]

I have yet to discern a core compositional personality (for example among works like the Piano Quintet, the Symphony No. 3, and Peer Gynt).  With, say, Braga Santos, who went thru several periods, there's still a core personality there to draw the ear in.

Oh, you will find it. Schnittke is a composer who, like Stravinsky, despite that he traversed so much ground, he never wrote two notes without inflecting a deeply Schnittkean personality into it. I can tell a work of his from the first bar. And I'm not even speaking as that big of a fan of his music. I just think that personality is exactly where he happens to excel.

[Mirror Image]

I own zero.

This is what I use streaming services for these days.

You should definitely have plenty of recordings at your disposal (granted, all of those wonderful BIS recordings have been uploaded).

I have yet to discern a core compositional personality (for example among works like the Piano Quintet, the Symphony No. 3, and Peer Gynt).  With, say, Braga Santos, who went thru several periods, there's still a core personality there to draw the ear in.

Interesting. Since you brought him up, I don't find much of a personality in Braga Santos' music but find a ton of personality in Schnittke's music. There are actually several stylistic developments within Schnittke's oeuvre that one should be aware of: the early Shostakovich-influenced student period, the Polystylistic period, and the period following a series of strokes where his music became bleak, introspective, and darkly eerie. I love all of these periods.

[Symphonic Addict]

You should definitely have plenty of recordings at your disposal (granted, all of those wonderful BIS recordings have been uploaded).

Interesting. Since you brought him up, I don't find much of a personality in Braga Santos' music but find a ton of personality in Schnittke's music. There are actually several stylistic developments within Schnittke's oeuvre that one should be aware of: the early Shostakovich-influenced student period, the Polystylistic period, and the period following a series of strokes where his music became bleak, introspective, and darkly eerie. I love all of these periods.

Well put, John (bolded text). Schnittke is one of those composers whose creativity, imagination and struggle with life are more than admirable.

[San Antone]

Although I've listened to his music a lot over the years, I don't think I've really listened to it in depth - Pierre Boulez will join Verdi and Wagner as my 2020 composers to explore.

[Mirror Image]

Well put, John (bolded text). Schnittke is one of those composers whose creativity, imagination and struggle with life are more than admirable.

Thanks. Indeed, Schnittke's life wasn't easy by any means and mostly this stems from his poor health that seemed to hover around him throughout most of his adult life. One of the most noticeable elements in his music is the struggle between the Jewish, German, and Russian sides of his persona. It's as if these three entities are tearing him apart. He grew up in a German Jewish household (his father was Jewish while his mother was a Volga German) that spoke German at home and Russian in the outside world. From what I've read in one of his biographies, some of his happiest memories as a child are when he was able to stay in Vienna while his father lived there. This is where his formative influences were formed.