Off the beaten track -- "new" music recommendations

[jochanaan]

How low can I go?

Low enough to listen and maybe even LIKE, perhaps?

[locrian]

Low enough to listen and maybe even LIKE, perhaps?

Oh, I'm sure there's plenty I would like. If I ever get around to it.

[karlhenning]

I am happy in the knowledge that there are enough masterpieces worth continuous re-visitation among the "warhorse" composers that I won't have to settle for inferior composers in this lifetime.

Life is too short to listen to Dittersdorf. 

[71 dB]

Life is too short to listen to Dittersdorf. 

Life is too short to read your stupid posts.

Seriously, why in the hell do you use so much energy bashing composers you don't care about?

[karlhenning]

Seriously, why in the hell do you use so much energy bashing composers you don't care about?

Seriously, you mean like this guy?

[karlhenning]

So far I contributed on the listening thread for almost 2 years, the most outlandish and unknown composers around.

A recent favorite being Jadin non Jardin 

[Lady Chatterley]

 I recommend Shattered Night,Shivering Stars,by Alexina Louie

[Kullervo]

Might I recommend that fans of late-19th/early 20th Century music give Frank Bridge's four string quartets a try? I'm not sure how obscure they are, but since I never see them discussed, I can only assume.

[Fëanor]

Might I recommend that fans of late-19th/early 20th Century music give Frank Bridge's four string quartets a try? I'm not sure how obscure they are, but since I never see them discussed, I can only assume.

Yes, indeed they are nice quartets:  a little more modern and a bit less "English" than you might suppose ...

[gomro]

After becoming familiar enough with the warhorses of the basic repertoire, many of us begin searching the back alleys and by-ways in hopes of finding less well-known works and composers equally deserving of our attention.  Listing a few such favorites might prove helpful to newcomers (as well as old timers!) eager to explore the vast and somewhat daunting world of classical music. 

I'm not suggesting a competition to list the most obscure and esoteric works so we can bask in the glow of our own exclusive and rarefied taste, but rather a guide to help others branch out in their listening habits.  For instance, those who've enjoyed, say, the Brandenburgs but are concerned about playing them to death might want to explore Zelenka's Trio Sonatas.  Or fans seeking to reach beyond Copland and Barber (is Barber basic repertoire yet?) might give Harris's 3rd symphony or William Schuman's VC a spin.

Care to contribute?

Someone who likes Copland and Barber should give Howard Hanson a shot; a great symphonist who got lost in the post-Webern revolution. This is the disc I'd recommend as a starter:
 

If you like the lighter side of Copland, try Don Gillis. He wasn't a major composer by any means but he wrote fun stuff, and certainly has some elements of the populist Copland in his work. Start with this:

[71 dB]

Seriously, you mean like this guy?

The difference is I told my opinion about RVW once (so it can be known) but you keep bashing Dittersdorf on daily basis. 

If you enjoy bashing my favorite composers why not bash say Johann Friedrich Fasch for a change?

(Open-minded people can take Fasch as my "off the beaten track"-recommendation )

[Grazioso]

Someone who likes Copland and Barber should give Howard Hanson a shot; a great symphonist who got lost in the post-Webern revolution. This is the disc I'd recommend as a starter:
 

If you like the lighter side of Copland, try Don Gillis. He wasn't a major composer by any means but he wrote fun stuff, and certainly has some elements of the populist Copland in his work. Start with this:

For Hanson, you can get all his symphonies on 2 Delos Doubles, and a number of them conducted by the composer on Mercury.

For Coplandesque "Americana" works, try also Virgil Thomson:

[Montpellier]

Might I recommend that fans of late-19th/early 20th Century music give Frank Bridge's four string quartets a try? I'm not sure how obscure they are, but since I never see them discussed, I can only assume.

Bridge is rather an extraordinary composer...

[BachQ]

but you keep bashing Dittersdorf on daily basis. 

Not true.  There was one day back in the late '80's when he was on vacation ........ and distracted ....... and he was simply too focused on bashing Elgar ........