Your Desert Island ‘3'

[Mirror Image]

You're on a desert island, but only allowed three composers to listen to for the rest of your life, who would they be and why?

My picks:

Debussy, Mahler and Strauss

[Karl Henning]

You're on a desert island, but only allowed three composers to listen to for the rest of your life, who would they be and why?

My picks:

Debussy, Mahler and Strauss

Did you say why ?

[vandermolen]

VW
Miaskovsky
Sibelius

In a bit of a rush now, but Sibelius because I can listen to his music regardless of what mood I am in - something about the elemental power of nature I think. Have to be loyal to NYM and VW's music has always meant a great deal to me.

[Karl Henning]

Two of my three picks are easy: JS Bach & Haydn, party because of the depth of the catalogues, and the fact that I'm practically always in a humor to listen to them.  The third? For the piano works and concerti, Prokofiev beats Stravinsky by a nose.

[steve ridgway]

Scelsi, Schnittke and probably Takemitsu rather than Penderecki so as to get plenty of variety with quiet, contemplative works as well as the absorbing and awe-inspiring compositions. Varese didn't produce enough and Ligeti didn't produce enough I really like.

[Karl Henning]

Scelsi, Schnittke and probably Takemitsu rather than Penderecki so as to get plenty of variety with quiet, contemplative works as well as the absorbing and awe-inspiring compositions. Varese didn't produce enough and Ligeti didn't produce enough I really like.

Nice selection.

[Karl Henning]

VW
Miaskovsky
Sibelius

In a bit of a rush now, but Sibelius because I can listen to his music regardless of what mood I am in - something about the elemental power of nature I think. Have to be loyal to NYM and VW's music has always meant a great deal to me.

Nice.

[vandermolen]

Nice.

[kyjo]

My top three have been pretty consistent over the past few years: Sibelius, Dvořák, and Atterberg. The music of these composers so often fills me with life-affirming joy due to their melodic gifts and their innate sense of creating narrative, drama, and atmosphere.

[Mirror Image]

My top three have been pretty consistent over the past few years: Sibelius, Dvořák, and Atterberg. The music of these composers so often fills me with life-affirming joy due to their melodic gifts and their innate sense of creating narrative, drama, and atmosphere.

If you didn't pick Atterberg, I would've screamed "What's wrong with you?" But thankfully, that didn't happen.

[Symphonic Addict]

Mine are: Dvorak, Beethoven and Shostakovich.

Their oeuvres are considerable enough to keep me entertained all my life.

[Symphonic Addict]

You're on a desert island, but only allowed three composers to listen to for the rest of your life, who would they be and why?

My picks:

Debussy, Mahler and Strauss

Thumbs up for Strauss. I could have included him in my list.

[Mirror Image]

Did you say why ?

Yes, indeed. I suppose I should answer my question more thoroughly.

Debussy - For his intimate beauty, mainly for the solo piano, melodies and chamber music, but, of course, he wrote some notable orchestral works, too. Not to mention his operatic masterpiece, Pelléas et Mélisande.

Mahler - His symphonic music I could spend so many hours just being consumed by his sound-world. Also, those works like Das Lied von der Erde and the song cycles are heavenly and I wouldn't want to be without them.

Strauss - For his operas, tone poems, lieder and concerti. There is so much great music here and of such variety that I'd never feel bored, but it also helps when his music is flat-out gorgeous and has great surges of energy that never fail to move me.

[Mirror Image]

Scelsi, Schnittke and probably Takemitsu rather than Penderecki so as to get plenty of variety with quiet, contemplative works as well as the absorbing and awe-inspiring compositions. Varese didn't produce enough and Ligeti didn't produce enough I really like.

Very nice list, indeed. I had forgotten you were a big fan of these three composers. I, too, love their music.

[Mirror Image]

VW
Miaskovsky
Sibelius

In a bit of a rush now, but Sibelius because I can listen to his music regardless of what mood I am in - something about the elemental power of nature I think. Have to be loyal to NYM and VW's music has always meant a great deal to me.

I certainly agree with Vaughan Williams and Sibelius --- I love their music. I'm less keen on Myaskovsky, but he did write some good music. But these are your picks and they're good ones for sure.

[Mirror Image]

Mine are: Dvorak, Beethoven and Shostakovich.

Their oeuvres are considerable enough to keep me entertained all my life.

Cesar, I had a hunch that Beethoven would be in your desert island picks.

[Florestan]

My first two choices are obvious: Mozart and Schubert.

For the third place there's stiff competition between Vivaldi (some of the most joyous and life-affirming sacred music ever composed, exactly what I'll be needing on a desert island), Haydn (L'isola disabitata immediately springs to mind --- pun  ), Chopin (nothing like a purple ocean sunset over some melancholy piano music, right?) and Tchaikovsky (PC1 to remember my youth, The Nutcracker to cheer me up and the rest of his works to wallow in dreams, passions and great tunes). And I'd do my best to try to smuggle in Rachmaninoff too.

[Mirror Image]

My first two choices are obvious: Mozart and Schubert.

For the third place there's stiff competition between Vivaldi (some of the most joyous and life-affirming sacred music ever composed, exactly what I'll be needing on a desert island), Haydn (L'isola disabitata immediately springs to mind --- pun  ), Chopin (nothing like a purple ocean sunset over some melancholy piano music, right?) and Tchaikovsky (PC1 to remember my youth, The Nutcracker to cheer me up and the rest of his works to wallow in dreams, passions and great tunes). And I'd do my best to try to smuggle in Rachmaninoff too.

Hopefully, a more decisive answer will arise, Andre.

[Brahmsian]

Had it been five years ago, Beethoven and Brahms would have definitely been part of my DI3, but that is no longer the case.

If it were today:

Bruckner - Nothing moves me or stirs my soul quite like a Bruckner symphony.  And that has only gotten more potent with time, not less.

Shostakovich - Such a varied composer, who excelled in so many different areas, and excelled in different moods.  From the deep and heavy to the frivolous and light hearted.

Dvořák - This is a more recent "rediscovery" of sorts, there are just so many great works that he wrote.  One of the great melodists.

[Florestan]

Hopefully, a more decisive answer will arise, Andre.

I'm afraid it won't. I just can't. Sorry.