Your Favorite Composer Whose Last Name Starts with 'O'

Brian · March 31, 2024, 03:23:53 PM

Was just going through my collection and discovered I only have the following O composers:

Jacques Offenbach
Julian Orbon
Otakar Ostrcil
Henrique Oswald

Of course, there are more:

Tarik O'Regan
Jacob Obrecht
Johannes Ockeghem
Hiroshi Ohguri
Frantisek Ondricek
Gyorgy Orban
Carl Orff
Leo Ornstein
Diego Ortiz
Gabriela Ortiz
Hans Otte
etc.

Personally I'll go with Offenbach and Gabriela Ortiz, but need to explore more Orban. What do you make of this curiously underpopulated letter of the alphabet?

Luke · March 31, 2024, 03:36:14 PM

*coughs meaningfully, Brian*

Luke · March 31, 2024, 03:44:18 PM

There's also Maurice Ohana, who I like quite a bit.

Of your Os (and ignoring the obvious Omission) I like everything I've heard by Orban, and Ornstein is something incredible.

Karl Henning · March 31, 2024, 03:48:46 PM

Quote from: Luke on March 31, 2024, 03:36:14 PM*coughs meaningfully, Brian*

I know @Brian didn't mean the slight!

Luke · March 31, 2024, 03:54:09 PM

I know!

Brian · March 31, 2024, 03:58:45 PM

Quote from: Luke on March 31, 2024, 03:36:14 PM*coughs meaningfully, Brian*

O no!

(Makes note: don't do H next

)

Cato · March 31, 2024, 04:00:47 PM

Quote from: Luke on March 31, 2024, 03:54:09 PMI know!

Ahem!

Ottevanger wins my vote!

Followed by Leo Ornstein!

(poco) Sforzando · March 31, 2024, 04:01:00 PM

Quote from: Luke on March 31, 2024, 03:36:14 PM*coughs meaningfully, Brian*

Karl Henning · March 31, 2024, 04:11:12 PM

Quote from: Brian on March 31, 2024, 03:58:45 PMO no!

(Makes note: don't do H next )

ROTFLMAO

Todd · March 31, 2024, 04:14:43 PM

Ockeghem for me, by some distance, followed by Obrecht then Offenbach on the strength of the Infernal Galop alone (though Les contes d'Hoffmann and the full Orphée aux Enfers are enjoyable).

Q is my biggest laggard letter.

DavidW · March 31, 2024, 04:46:42 PM

Onslow for me

(poco) Sforzando · March 31, 2024, 04:55:04 PM

Of O's, I have Ockeghem, Obrecht, Offenbach, Onslow, Orbon, and Orff on CD, some Ortiz on YouTube downloads.
No Q's, very little U, X, or Y, though a few Z's. (But I always catch a few Z's listening to some of Dave Hurwitz's videos.)

Daverz · March 31, 2024, 04:56:19 PM

The O composers in my collection (a quaint concept these days) with at least one disc dedicated to them are:

Ockeghem
Offenbach
Ohguri
Ohki
Ohzawa
Poul Rovsing Olsen
Onslow
Orbon
Orff
Ornstein

The 3 "Oh" composers are all in the Naxos Japanese Composers series. Of these, I suppose my favorites are Ockeghem, Orbon, and I won't deny enjoying some Orff now and then. I collected a lot of Onslow before deciding that all his music sounds the same, though it is very pleasing.

Symphonic Addict · May 08, 2024, 10:29:30 AM

What I've heard by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov (1936-2019) (not much as he's a rather obscure composer) has been pretty outstanding in a sort of way. His Symphony No. 1 in E-flat minor and War and Peace Suite contain some very good music.

Cato · May 08, 2024, 11:05:05 AM

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on May 08, 2024, 10:29:30 AMWhat I've heard by Vyacheslav Ovchinnikov (1936-2019) (not much as he's a rather obscure composer) has been pretty outstanding in a sort of way. His Symphony No. 1 in E-flat minor and War and Peace Suite contain some very good music.

YES! I should have mentioned OVCHINNIKOV earlier!

It is scandalous that his entire oeuvre is not yet available!

Here is rarity:

brewski · May 08, 2024, 11:11:47 AM

I'm going with Obrecht, by a hair, since on my first trip to Amsterdam, my hotel was on Jacob Obrechtstraat, and I was charmed beyond belief that a city would name a street after a 15th-century composer.

Carry on.

-Bruce

vandermolen · May 08, 2024, 11:15:09 AM

Quote from: Cato on May 08, 2024, 11:05:05 AMYES! I should have mentioned OVCHINNIKOV earlier!

It is scandalous that his entire oeuvre is not yet available!

Here is rarity:

Ovchinnikov is another fine composer. His score for the Soviet version of 'War and Peace' is wonderful as are his first two symphonies. Robin Orr's 'Symphony in One Movement' is another favourite as is the 3rd Symphony by Leon Orthel.

Luke · May 08, 2024, 11:32:50 AM

One of my favourite composer names (O used interchangeably for surname and forename, as explained in the link. No idea what his music is like*, but the name makes it immortal

(* I do, a bit: like bland Elgar in civic mode)

Roasted Swan · May 08, 2024, 12:11:13 PM

Has to be Otakar Ostrcil

T. D. · May 08, 2024, 12:22:53 PM

To add some variety I'll throw in Pauline Oliveros.

Kind of liked Hans Otte's Das Buch der Klänge, but he can't rank with the top names.

Being of Irish descent I was hoping for an O' name, but I don't have any favorites. Tarik O'Regan is a cool-sounding name, but although Brian listed him, I didn't even know of him until just summoning a Wiki list.

Props of course to Ottevanger, Ockeghem, Obrecht and Ornstein. Like what I've heard from Orban.