Here's going to be a difficult list to make (for some), but narrow down your favorite composers to three choices and THREE CHOICES ONLY PLEASE!!!! No honorable mentions and no second guessing. This is your final list of three composers who you couldn't live without and that give you the most satisfaction of them all. Now go!!! :D
Mine would be the following:
Shostakovich:
(http://chicagoclassicalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Shostakovich.jpg)
Schnittke:
(http://24.media.tumblr.com/62d6d0b4a51a9d884f1126bde14da235/tumblr_mjjyrdSxZ61ri5efwo1_500.jpg)
Hartmann:
(http://notendatenbank.net/kbild/hartmann_karl_amadeus.jpg)
Bach and Mahler, certainly.
Number 3 would be Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Shostakovich--but there's no way I could choose among them.
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on September 25, 2013, 06:55:57 PM
Bach and Mahler, certainly.
Number 3 would be Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Shostakovich--but there's no way I could choose among them.
But you have to! That's the whole purpose of this thread.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 25, 2013, 06:58:08 PM
But you have to! That's the whole purpose of this thread.
Well, if you insist--and since you are the OP, I'll pick one in your honor....
goes off to find an appropriate image......
(http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.5036013503841612&w=157&h=168&c=7&rs=1&pid=1.7)
Bach, Scriabin and Shostakovich.
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on September 25, 2013, 07:05:24 PM
Well, if you insist--and since you are the OP, I'll pick one in your honor....
goes off to find an appropriate image......
(http://ts1.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.5036013503841612&w=157&h=168&c=7&rs=1&pid=1.7)
Okay, so your three favorites are Bach, Mozart, and Mahler. Interesting choices.
Quote from: Sammy on September 25, 2013, 07:14:52 PM
Bach, Scriabin and Shostakovich.
Great! Thanks for stopping by this thread. Was this a hard choice for you, Bulldog or have you always known this in the back of your mind?
Today?
Beethoven
Dvořák
and a coin flip between Haydn and Copland
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 25, 2013, 07:16:06 PM
Great! Thanks for stopping by this thread. Was this a hard choice for you, Bulldog or have you always known this in the back of your mind?
It was a little difficult as I hated leaving Schumann out in the cold. Wait! I'll give him "honorable mention". I feel better now.
Quote from: Sammy on September 25, 2013, 07:20:51 PM
It was a little difficult as I hated leaving Schumann out in the cold. Wait! I'll give him "honorable mention". I feel better now.
I wonder how many honorable mentions Schubert and Schumann have racked up over the years......
Quote from: Bogey on September 25, 2013, 07:17:02 PM
Today?
Beethoven
Dvořák
and a coin flip between Haydn and Copland
No, your three favorite composers of all-time. Three composers you CANNOT live without. But, please try to narrow it down between Haydn and Copland. Two totally different composers for sure, but you can do this, Bill! May the force be with you! :)
Quote from: Sammy on September 25, 2013, 07:20:51 PM
It was a little difficult as I hated leaving Schumann out in the cold. Wait! I'll give him "honorable mention". I feel better now.
Well, I certainly hated leaving out x composer and y composer, but I had to make cuts and so I did with a vengeance! >:D
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 25, 2013, 07:26:56 PM
No, your three favorite composers of all-time. Three composers you CANNOT live without. But, please try to narrow it down between Haydn and Copland. Two totally different composers for sure, but you can do this, Bill! May the force be with you! :)
Oh? Sorry about that. ;D
John Williams
Beethoven
Miles
If just "classical"
Beethoven
Haydn
Copland (He's my "real time" soundtrack.)
Quote from: Bogey on September 25, 2013, 07:34:08 PM
Oh? Sorry about that. ;D
If just "classical"
Beethoven
Haydn
Copland
Was this a difficult decision or were picking these three composers something you've formulated years ago?
I wonder if Kyle will be participating in this thread? I'd also like to see lists from Paul, Daniel, Karlo, Karl Henning, and many others. Even James is welcome here! ;) :P
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 25, 2013, 07:35:38 PM
Was this a difficult decision or were picking these three composers something you've formulated years ago?
Beethoven was a slam dunk....Copland has always made my "top" lists. Haydn has replaced Mozart in more recent times, as did Dvořák.
I tried to find an old post of mine for such a list as my memory fails me on these, because they do change a bit. Could not track down mine, but here one of yours:
Quote from: Mirror Image on January 20, 2011, 06:58:56 AM
I voted for my three B's (Bruckner, Berg, Bartok), my three S's (Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Sibelius), Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Debussy, and Mahler.
Cool how lists do evolve when it comes to music. Just shows your passion for exploring new avenues, John. :)
Quote from: Bogey on September 25, 2013, 07:48:17 PM
Beethoven was a slam dunk....Copland has always made my "top" lists. Haydn has replaced Mozart in more recent times, as did Dvořák.
I tried to find an old post of mine for such a list as my memory fails me on these, because they do change a bit. Could not track down mine, but here one of yours:
Cool how lists do evolve when it comes to music. Just shows your passion for exploring new avenues, John. :)
There is one thing about it: we're all in constant evolution. That list of mine is quite surprising to read now, but, yes, it shows how one's own personal tastes change.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 25, 2013, 07:58:07 PM
There is one thing about it: we're all in constant evolution. That list of mine is quite surprising to read now, but, yes, it shows how one's own personal tastes change.
....or might we say expand.
Beethoven
Dvořák
-
Honestly, while third place could go to Schubert, Ravel, Janacek, or Sibelius, the truth is that none of those four, or anyone else, has had anything like the influence of my top two so far in life. So I'm gonna do the exact opposite of what everyone does in these polls, and UNDER-report!
Quote from: Brian on September 25, 2013, 08:05:24 PM
Beethoven
Dvořák
-
Honestly, while third place could go to Schubert, Ravel, Janacek, or Sibelius, the truth is that none of those four, or anyone else, has had anything like the influence of my top two so far in life. So I'm gonna do the exact opposite of what everyone does in these polls, and UNDER-report!
Leave it to Brian to be the defiant one! ;) :D Your two choices stay but your third one, until you can actually pick a composer, falls on deaf ears.
I am surprised Chopin hasn't broken through yet.
The first two are easy: Bach and Mahler
The third one may be any of the following:
Beethoven, Liszt, Medtner, Brahms...
OK, Beethoven it is!
Quote from: springrite on September 25, 2013, 08:52:42 PM
The first two are easy: Bach and Mahler
The third one may be any of the following:
Beethoven, Liszt, Medtner, Brahms...
OK, Beethoven it is!
So Bach, Mahler, and Beethoven are your choices. Seeing a lot of Mahler love, which isn't that unusual. He's certainly an influential and astonishing composer.
First two, easy: Elgar and Wagner.
But then ...., oh. I could easily say Handel or Mozart, especially if I were desperately trying to project myself misleadingly as a well-balanced sensible fellow. But I'm going to stick with the sad and truthful image of a weak and soppy old romantic, base the choice on the extreme degree of wear and tear on my CD/DVDs, and go:
Puccini.
Ravel, Janacek & Prokofiev for now
Bach, Beethoven, Brahms. Not very interesting really, but there it is. The list from no 4 onwards is more interesting.
I hate to leave 20th century composers out of the equation, but I just have to go with Rachmaninov, Tchaikovsky and Mahler. They have been the composers closest to my heart ever since I started loving classical music.
Beethoven, Brahms and Shostakovich
They are on the same line. I consider them my favourite three, equally.
My holy trinity hasn't changed in 40 years: Wagner, Bruckner, Mahler.
And since John loves to cheat so much in this type of thread, I'm going to pay him back by announcing my second three: Sibelius, Haydn, Beethoven 8)
Standby for the next three :D
Sarge
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on September 26, 2013, 03:02:16 AM
My holy trinity hasn't changed in 40 years: Wagner, Bruckner, Mahler.
And since John loves to cheat so much in this type of thread, I'm going to pay him back by announcing my second three: Sibelius, Haydn, Beethoven 8)
Standby for the next three :D
Sarge
May I join you in cheating, Sarge? ;) My second three: Sibelius, Shostakovich, Bruckner
My second three: Shostakovich, Handel and Monteverdi.
Quote from: kyjo on September 26, 2013, 03:04:46 AM
May I join you in cheating, Sarge? ;)
The question, really, is: What took you,
Kyle? ;)
Thread duty:Stravinsky,
Chopin,
ShostakovichSince three is an impossibly short list, I don't feel I'm "leaving anyone off" (quite a crowd of well-loved composers cannot fit onto the head of that pin); but the three on this list absolutely reign there.
Quote from: karlhenning on September 26, 2013, 03:09:28 AM
The question, really, is: What took you, Kyle? ;)
Thread duty:
Stravinsky, Chopin, Shostakovich
Since three is an impossibly short list, I don't feel I'm "leaving anyone off" (quite a crowd of well-loved composers cannot fit onto the head of that pin); but the three on this list absolutely reign there.
Stravinsky, Chopin and Haydn could well be my next three.....
Wagner, Beethoven and Liszt for me.
Quote from: Elgarian on September 26, 2013, 12:00:07 AM
First two, easy: Elgar and Wagner.
But then ...., oh. I could easily say Handel or Mozart, especially if I were desperately trying to project myself misleadingly as a well-balanced sensible fellow. But I'm going to stick with the sad and truthful image of a weak and soppy old romantic, base the choice on the extreme degree of wear and tear on my CD/DVDs, and go:
Puccini.
For me the first 2 are easy too:
Elgar
J. S. BachThe third one then... ...for long Handel has occupied that position but... ...just watched again Giulio Cesare on DVD (yes, that Glyndebourne/William Christie one) and even that ultra-high-quality performance didn't hit me that hard. Maybe I am not in Handel-mood these days but anyway, I need to re-evalute Handel.
Who's gonna take the third position if not Handel? Today my answer is
Taneyev.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 25, 2013, 06:42:53 PM
Schnittke:
How does a composer that you half hate make it as your favorite?
My four are still Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach.
Quote from: karlhenning on September 26, 2013, 03:09:28 AM
Stravinsky, Chopin, Shostakovich
But Chopin isn't Russian! >:D
My first choice is still Vaughan Williams, who became a personal favourite in the 1970s, when I was 15. He still is. Second and third choices have differed over time. Today (:-)) they are Tubin and Holmboe.
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on September 26, 2013, 03:02:16 AM
My holy trinity hasn't changed in 40 years: Wagner, Bruckner, Mahler.
Sarge is still driving the
BMW after 40 years! ;D
Quote from: ChamberNut on September 26, 2013, 02:50:44 AM
Beethoven, Brahms and Shostakovich
They are on the same line. I consider them my favourite three, equally.
My next three, as some have done - impossible to come up. There are probably about 10 composers who could vie for the # 4 spot.
The first 3 were easy.
*Mozart
*Schumann
*Bruckner
*Schubert
*Tchaikovsky
I'd say those are my 'next' favourites, in no order.
Atterberg, Bruckner, Sibelius
other three for regular cheats:
Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss, Mahler
:blank:
this kind of thing...
If I look back at the history of my listening career (like I'm getting paid for it) it would have to be R.Strauss, Prokofiev and Britten.
But in the past few years I've certainly been listening to more Haydn, Rameau and Berg. , soooo take your pick...I don't like this thread. ??? :)
Easy. Same as it has been for the last 7 or 8 years.
1. Mahler
2. Prokofiev
3. Brahms
Sorry, I can't respond to every post but thanks to all for participating!
In related news, I asked my Dad for his top three picks and without hesitation they were: Mahler, Dvorak, and Liszt.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 26, 2013, 06:53:05 AM
Sorry, I can't respond to every post but thanks to all for participating!
In related news, I asked my Dad for his top three picks and without hesitation they were: Mahler, Dvorak, and Liszt.
Dad has slightly better taste than son, I'd reckon...
Quote from: DavidW on September 26, 2013, 04:25:00 AM
How does a composer that you half hate make it as your favorite?
I do not hate Schnittke's music anymore. Hate is such a strong word, I remember I actively 'disliked' it, but didn't hate it. Anyway, have you read the Schnittke thread in the past couple of months? I had a major breakthrough with his music and as a result of this he has ended up superseding so many of my other favorites. I found a connection in his music that I haven't felt in another composer's music. This is a connection that isn't superficial or homogenized. It's 100% admiration for what he managed to accomplish despite his ill health.
Quote from: springrite on September 26, 2013, 06:56:36 AM
Dad has slightly better taste than son, I'd reckon...
No question about it! What I like sucks big time! :D
Has to be the hardest thread of the Year this one....a bit like a Man going to the Hangman and having his last favourite meal ever...Starter, Main & Desert.
As the words "can not live without" are included then;
Beethoven
Mahler
Vaughan Williams
Hard to dump these gusy...Bach, Bruckner, Brahms, Dvorak, Stravinsky, Shostakovich but one has to!
Just my opinion but good ole Beethoven has everything needed, Mahler has My World stage for the Symphony, and Vaughan Williams is the English equivalent, to me, albeit modernish who's music is so accessable as your choices are to you.
Can't help whom we love :)
Disclaimer : I could not include or consider Haydn as I am a total novice where his music is concerned...a few masses and the London/Paris symphonies, couple of quartets, cello/vc cons etc. DRDavies complete box set of symphonies on the way from the USA for £17 :laugh:
I see and hear Haydn is well liked on these boards :laugh:
Quote from: AnthonyAthletic on September 26, 2013, 07:23:03 AM
Can't help whom we love :)
Wise words and thanks for participating! I never said picking only three was going to be an easy choice, but I'm glad that so many of you have given me straightforward answers so far. Remember NO honorable mentions and NO second guessing. This is your list of three composers that you will take to that desert island because you can't imagine yourself without their music in your life.
Well, I'll just pick one from the Baroque, Classical, & Romantic Periods:
Bach, Hydzart, & Dvorak - ;D
Now to go along w/ the Bs and the periods above - Bach, Boccherini, & Brahms - Haydn vs. Mozart - probably Wolfie? Dave :)
Dave hard to stop without Schubert, Brahms and Shostakovich.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 26, 2013, 07:27:40 AM
This is your list of three composers that you will take to that desert island because you can't imagine yourself without their music in your life.
I'm a bit confused. My three favorite composers are probably not the same three I would take to a desert island. So I am not clear on what you want to know.
Beethoven, then Bach and then there is really a hard choice Haydn or Mozart, probably Haydn.
Quote from: mc ukrneal on September 26, 2013, 09:16:09 AM
I'm a bit confused. My three favorite composers are probably not the same three I would take to a desert island. So I am not clear on what you want to know.
I'm having second thoughts too :D If it's the desert island for life, then I might choose Mozart, Haydn and Bach because their output was so vast. I'd have nearly 2000 works to choose from. If I took Mahler, Bruckner and Wagner I'd be stuck with 75 or so!
Sarge
Why always "desert" island? Most islands I know are quite pleasant, and some are known as "Virgin" islands. Most deserts seem to be on the continents.
If I were indeed on an desert island, I may decide to trade in my music for something else... I will simply sing the music myself.
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on September 26, 2013, 10:02:20 AM
I'm having second thoughts too :D If it's the desert island for life, then I might choose Mozart, Haydn and Bach because their output was so vast. I'd have nearly 2000 works to choose from. If I took Mahler, Bruckner and Wagner I'd be stuck with 75 or so!
Sarge
But what 75 works they would be!
Since I chose Bach, Mozart and Mahler, I wouldn't face the dilemma you do.
Quote from: springrite on September 26, 2013, 10:08:29 AM
Why always "desert" island? Most islands I know are quite pleasant, and some are known as "Virgin" islands. Most deserts seem to be on the continents.
If I were indeed on an desert island, I may decide to trade in my music for something else... I will simply sing the music myself.
I think "desert" in this phrase means "not inhabited by people" (as in 'deserted').
The Virgin Islands are more properly dessert islands: they're a nice after dinner sail away from each other if you want to island hop.
Prokofiev, Haydn, and Dvorak will do for today.
Quote from: Scots John on September 26, 2013, 05:00:57 AM
Atterberg, Bruckner, Sibelius
You and I will get along quite well, then! :)
Quote from: Christo on September 26, 2013, 04:28:16 AM
My first choice is still Vaughan Williams, who became a personal favourite in the 1970s, when I was 15. He still is. Second and third choices have differed over time. Today (:-)) they are Tubin and Holmboe.
Three excellent composers, Johan! Their music has meant a lot to me since I first discovered it. :)
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 25, 2013, 07:37:11 PM
I wonder if Kyle will be participating in this thread?
You seriously think I wouldn't? :P I'm a poll maniac! :D
Quote from: DavidW on September 26, 2013, 04:25:00 AM
But Chopin isn't Russian! >:D
Got your back, Karl:
Frédéric François Chopin (/ˈʃoʊpæn/; French pronunciation: [fʁe.de.ʁik ʃɔ.pɛ̃]; 1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849; born, and known in Poland as, Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin, the surname being pronounced [ˈʂɔpɛn], with alternative, phonetic spelling Szopen) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era. Chopin was born at Żelazowa Wola, a village in the Duchy of Warsaw, then under Russian rule
For all those throwing Haydn in your top 3 like me, (or five or so), I wonder if I would have made him one of my three if I did not spend time at this forum. I mean Gurn's (and others) passion for him has made me take pause and appreciate and enjoy his music at a higher level.
Thanks, Bill! ;D
Quote from: Bogey on September 26, 2013, 03:39:53 PM
For all those throwing Haydn in your top 3 like me, (or five or so), I wonder if I would have made him one of my three if I did not spend time at this forum. I mean Gurn's (and others) passion for him has made me take pause and appreciate and enjoy his music at a higher level.
Haydn was my #1 before the Internet even existed. So you kids get off my lawn!
Quote from: Daverz on September 26, 2013, 04:28:24 PM
Haydn was my #1 before the Internet even existed. So you kids get off my lawn!
Post of the year.
Quote from: Bogey on September 26, 2013, 03:37:19 PM
Frédéric François Chopinthen under Russian rule[/b]
There is no possibility to be
less Russian than to be Polish under Russian rule.
Purcell
to represent my love for the old
Busoni
to represent my love for the bold
Langgaard
to represent my love for the f*ck it, i'm an albatross!
Third Three:
Vaughan Williams, Havergal Brian, Mozart
Sarge
Quote from: kyjo on September 26, 2013, 01:42:26 PM
Three excellent composers, Johan! Their music has meant a lot to me since I first discovered it. :)
Whew. I know I won't be taken seriously if don't pay due honour to the Big Names. But at the same times: these are composers I really like, though in fact I don't have a Top 3, but rather a Top 30. And that includes "bigger" names like Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Dvořák, Bruckner and Mahler. Nevertheless. ;)
Quote from: Christo on September 28, 2013, 02:04:21 AMBut at the same times: these are composers I really like, though in fact I don't have a Top 3, but rather a Top 30.
As I've said once or twice before, a Top 300 would more accurately define my taste in music.
Sarge
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on September 28, 2013, 02:13:21 AM
As I've said once or twice before, a Top 300 would more accurately define my taste in music.
Sarge
Why not go ahead and see how far the moderators let you go? ;D
Quote from: Christo on September 28, 2013, 02:27:21 AM
Why not go ahead and see how far the moderators let you go? ;D
I don't want to push it so I'll just keep it to a Top 99, i.e., thirty-three sets of threes 8)
Sarge
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on September 28, 2013, 01:51:00 AM
Third Three:
Vaughan Williams, Havergal Brian, Mozart
Sarge
'Morning, Szellster. Just curious when Wolfie broke your top 10. Or has he always been there?
Quote from: Bogey on September 28, 2013, 04:41:34 AM
'Morning, Szellster. Just curious when Wolfie broke your top 10. Or has he always been there?
Despite growing up near, and often hearing live, one of the greatest Mozart/Haydn bands in the world (Szell and the Cleveland), I came to love the repertoire quite late. I didn't
get the music until after I'd read
The Classical Style in the late 70s; didn't start seriously collecting recordings of the music until the early 80s. At that time Mozart dominated Haydn. In other words, I was 30 before I fell in love with Mozart. When did Mozart creep into the Top 10? I'm not sure I can answer that. I don't think I ever thought about that kind of list before I joined internet forums. My trinity was revealed by the time I was 22 but I never thought beyond the Top 3. At least I can't recall doing it.
Certainly by 1999 Mozart was Top 10. Haydn came later, eventually pushing Mozart into a lower ring. Haydn is the one composer I knew superficially 40 years ago, and thought little of, who I now consider one of the giants. That appreciation has grown over the last five years.
Sarge
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on September 28, 2013, 01:51:00 AM
Third Three:
Vaughan Williams, Havergal Brian, Mozart
Sarge
My third three: VW, Ravel, Prokofiev
....and while I'm at it I might as well announce my tenth place: a tie between Debussy and Grieg.
Miaskovsky
Vaughan Williams
Sibelius
First one is easy, of course it's Mahler 0:)
I would used to easily follow that up with Elgar and R.Strauss, but I find it a bit more difficult to do that now.
Tempted to say Ravel, Chopin... and give it a few more weeks, and Schnittke could be there!
But I have to stick to Elgar at least, such a special composer for me, with the symphonies + Gerontius etc. I listen to a lot less Strauss nowadays and even though I love his music a lot, and so many pieces of his are among my favourites, I think I might have to replace his spot with Ravel.
So: Mahler, Elgar, Ravel.
Second list: Chopin, Dvorak, Strauss. (with Schnittke sneaking in :P )
Quote from: madaboutmahler on September 29, 2013, 06:32:27 AM
I listen to a lot less Strauss nowadays and even though I love his music a lot, and so many pieces of his are among my favourites, I think I might have to replace his spot with Ravel.
So: Mahler, Elgar, Ravel.
You've made wise decision, my friend! :) Ravel's music is head-and-shoulders above Strauss' IMO.
Quote from: Lisztianwagner on September 26, 2013, 03:45:06 AM
Wagner, Beethoven and Liszt for me.
Since many have also added a second list:
Mahler, Rachmaninov, Johann Strauss.
Quote from: Lisztianwagner on September 29, 2013, 06:55:03 AM
Since many have also added a second list:
Mahler, Rachmaninov, Johann Strauss.
Those that add a second list don't understand, or care, what I asked of them in my initial post. :-\
1. Shostakovich
2. Musorgsky
3. Weinberg
Quote from: kyjo on September 29, 2013, 06:52:04 AM
You've made wise decision, my friend! :) Ravel's music is head-and-shoulders above Strauss' IMO.
+1 I would go as far to say there's not even a contest.
Quote from: PaulR on September 29, 2013, 07:14:54 AM
1. Shostakovich
2. Musorgsky
3. Weinberg
I figured you would pick these composers, Paul. You're so predictable. ;) :D
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 29, 2013, 07:12:24 AM
Those that add a second list don't understand, or care, what I asked of them in my initial post. :-\
Oh my...the irony :laugh:
When the OP asked for a single concert you'd like to conduct, how many concerts did you list in that thread, John? :D When the OP asked for five unsung works, how many did you list, John? :D
Sarge
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on September 29, 2013, 07:32:07 AM
Oh my...the irony :laugh:
When the OP asked for a single concert you'd like to conduct, how many concerts did you list in that thread, John? :D When the OP asked for five unsung works, how many did you list, John? :D
Sarge
Fair enough!
In the thread 'five unsung works,' I don't remember the OP specifying how many lists we could make.
But, I just think it's interesting that some people can't make up their minds about which three composers are their absolute favorites. Shows the difficulty of this thread.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 29, 2013, 07:37:11 AM
But, I just think it's interesting that some people can't make up their minds about which three composers are their absolute favorites. Shows the difficulty of this thread.
All of us have given you a primary three. But it is ridiculous trying to keep the choices down to just three composers when we're talking about a thousand years of music and thousands of composers. It may be easy for you (your range is relatively limited) but most of us have much broader taste.
Sarge
First is Brahms.
Second is a tie between Beethoven and Rachmaninov; for purposes of this thread I'll break the tie with Beethoven. His harmony is not as interesting as Rachmaninov's sometimes, but overall I think when push comes to shove I'm almost certain to enjoy a work by Beethoven, whereas with Rachmaninov is a little more hit or miss for me.
Third is Bach. I wasn't sure between him and Telemann or Handel, but his music is more enduring than either of these two masters (surprising, because Telemann and Handel were both waaay more popular for their compositions than Bach was during their time, Telemann especially for his many ouverture-suites).
But Brahms has been my number one for as long as I can remember. I think his music is as enduring as Bach's, if not more, because he studied the older master so thoroughly. Nobody's music moves me in such an inexpressible, unspeakable way like his does.
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on September 29, 2013, 07:49:36 AM
All of us have given you a primary three. But it is ridiculous trying to keep the choices down to just three composers when we're talking about a thousand years of music and thousands of composers. It may be easy for you (your range is relatively limited) but most of us have much broader taste.
Sarge
I never said that picking three composers wasn't going to a difficult task, but I'm grateful to read that it was no problem for many members. A list like this, if nothing else, lets me, and others, see what composers really are next to a member's heart and that, in the end, is all that matters to me. I'm simply trying to get to know my fellow members better and the only way to do this effectively is to push them into a corner. :)
Quote from: dbrcarson on September 29, 2013, 07:55:01 AM
First is Brahms.
Second is a tie between Beethoven and Rachmaninov; for purposes of this thread I'll break the tie with Beethoven. His harmony is not as interesting as Rachmaninov's sometimes, but overall I think when push comes to shove I'm almost certain to enjoy a work by Beethoven, whereas with Rachmaninov is a little more hit or miss for me.
Third is Bach. I wasn't sure between him and Telemann or Handel, but his music is more enduring than either of these two masters (surprising, because Telemann and Handel were both waaay more popular for their compositions than Bach was during their time, Telemann especially for his many ouverture-suites.
But Brahms has been my number one for as long as I can remember. I think his music is as enduring as Bach's, if not more, because he studied the older master so thoroughly. Nobody's music moves me in such an inexpressible, unspeakable way like his does.
Nice post, thank you.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 29, 2013, 07:16:28 AM
I figured you would pick these composers, Paul. You're so predictable. ;) :D
Yeah, unlike you! :P
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 29, 2013, 07:15:14 AM
+1 I would go as far to say there's not even a contest.
I would go that far as well. :)
Since it seems this favorite three (and not desert Island), I will go with:
Offenbach (has everything - depth, melody, stories)
Grainger (I hum/sing this music every single day - can't imagine life without him)
Brahms (not only do i love his individuality, but he has enough of other composers in him to satisfy those cravings as well)
But if it WERE desert island (today), I'd go with Mozart, Donizetti, and Schubert. This is not two lists - but the answer to two different questions.
Quote from: mc ukrneal on September 29, 2013, 08:44:30 AM
Since it seems this favorite three (and not desert Island), I will go with:
Offenbach (has everything - depth, melody, stories)
Grainger (I hum/sing this music every single day - can't imagine life without him)
Brahms (not only do i love his individuality, but he has enough of other composers in him to satisfy those cravings as well)
But if it WERE desert island (today), I'd go with Mozart, Donizetti, and Schubert. This is not two lists - but the answer to two different questions.
Thanks for the feedback, Neal. I didn't realize you loved Offenbach's music this much, but I've probably read many of your posts regarding this composer, I just couldn't remember.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 29, 2013, 07:16:28 AM
I figured you would pick these composers, Paul. You're so predictable. ;) :D
I almost put Schumann, Schubert, Verdi, Schnittke, or Berlioz as #3. 1-2 are the clear top 2, 3-7 are almost interchangeable.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 29, 2013, 07:55:22 AM
I'm simply trying to get to know my fellow members better......
Does this mean you're going to show up at my front door in the near future?
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 29, 2013, 07:12:24 AM
Those that add a second list don't understand, or care, what I asked of them in my initial post. :-\
Only with a real poll can you control the parameters of the thread's intent.
Quote from: Sammy on September 29, 2013, 02:07:25 PM
Does this mean you're going to show up at my front door in the near future?
If I lived in Albuquerque, then I wouldn't mind hanging out with you.
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 29, 2013, 02:10:43 PM
If I lived in Albuquerque, then I wouldn't mind hanging out with you.
You're always welcome in my home. Just let me know your preferred hard drink before ringing my doorbell. I've got two extra bedrooms, and my dogs love having guests.
Quote from: Sammy on September 29, 2013, 02:14:00 PM
You're always welcome in my home. Just let me know your preferred hard drink before ringing my doorbell. I've got two extra bedrooms, and my dogs love having guests.
This is extremely generous of you, Sammy. If I'm ever out West, I'll give you a holler.
Quote from: karlhenning on September 26, 2013, 03:09:28 AM
Thread duty:
Stravinsky, Chopin, Shostakovich
Since three is an impossibly short list, I don't feel I'm "leaving anyone off" (quite a crowd of well-loved composers cannot fit onto the head of that pin); but the three on this list absolutely reign there.
Karl, say it ain't so??? No Tchaikovsky? I was expecting
STS on the list. :'( 8)
Quote from: Sammy on September 29, 2013, 02:14:00 PM
You're always welcome in my home. Just let me know your preferred hard drink before ringing my doorbell. I've got two extra bedrooms, and my dogs love having guests.
And you don't even cook meth in your spare time!
Quote from: Brian on September 29, 2013, 06:49:57 PM
And you don't even cook meth in your spare time!
No, but Walter White's home is in my neighborhood. 8)
1. Beethoven
2. Mahler
3. Someone else (today's shortlist: Schubert, Liszt, Brahms, Bruckner, Sibelius, Busoni, Prokofiev, Bartok and Ligeti).
... and yes, I know Busoni probably looks an odd man out in this, but I think of all composers he's the one whose music sticks in my head for the longest after listening -- I listened to the Sarabande und Cortege last week and the closing bars of the Sarabande still won't go away ...
Mozart
Prokofiev
Tie: Bach/Wagner
Mahler
Bruckner
Beethoven
8)
Thank god it isn't 11! ::)
Haydn
Mozart
Beethoven
8)
Ives
Alkan
Szymanowski
A lot easier than 11
Bach
Mahler
Then: One of Beethoven, Feldman, Brahms, Liszt, Medtner ... or...
OK, make that Beethoven
I'm going to say:
Beethoven
Faure
Holmboe
Beethoven simply because it is so rare to hear anything that isn't impressive in some way. I've been revisiting my collection of Beethoven, such as it is, and I find real rewards in early, middle and late works.
With Faure and Holmboe, I'm in two minds about selecting them over others, but the fact is these are the 2 composers that seem to have a special ability to make me obsess over them. I can go through phases of not wanting to listen to anything else.
With Faure the chamber music alone is enough to keep me occupied. I also adore much of the piano music, and dislike none of it. I've become acquainted with the melodies more recently, and not all of them have fully made an impact yet but I certainly wouldn't object to spending time on an island (climate unspecified) getting to know them better.
With Holmboe it's actually pretty close to Beethoven, in that I've rarely heard anything I'm not impressed by in some way. It just feels a bit strange to be saying that about a not especially well-known composer. But heck, I think it's fair to say that creating a Wikipedia list of a composer's compositions because you're frustrated by the lack of such a list is a reasonable indication that the composer is getting to you...
EDIT: And it looks as if I'm the first person to mention Faure? Which, given how many people have mentioned quite a few more than 3 composers, is a bit of a shock.
Hmm, that is a difficult choice. Ummm...
Beethoven
Shostakovich
Wagner.
:P
For me there are 2 gods of music: WAGNER UND BEETHOVEN.........
Then: I'd say Bach (for his mathematical genius)!
marvin
Quote from: marvinbrown on November 06, 2013, 02:14:24 AM
I'd say Bach (for his mathematical genius)!
He composed some good music too :D ;)
Sarge
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on November 06, 2013, 02:16:08 AM
He composed some good music too :D ;)
Sarge
and how Sarge...and how!
marvin
Quote from: marvinbrown on November 06, 2013, 02:14:24 AM
Then: I'd say Bach (for his mathematical genius)!
"Mathematical" is a bit of a stereotype (misnomer), though.
Have you heard Bach's cantatas, Marvin? They're some of the most lyrical things on the planet. Take a listen to BWV 8 below and see if you can hear mathematical:
http://www.youtube.com/v/Hfkq-S7Vis8
Quote from: Dancing Divertimentian on November 06, 2013, 06:27:30 AM
"Mathematical" is a bit of a stereotype (misnomer), though.
Have you heard Bach's cantatas, Marvin? They're some of the most lyrical things on the planet. Take a listen to BWV 8 below and see if you can hear mathematical:
http://www.youtube.com/v/Hfkq-S7Vis8
All music is by its nature mathematical. Rhythmic subdivisions and pitch relationships have their share of mathematical elements. It's not a dirty word, and I say that as someone who has at times played that marvelous opening chorus of BWV8 10-12 times in a row.
That said, my two favorite are easy - Beethoven and Bach. The third is harder, being a contest between Chopin, Brahms, Mahler, Monteverdi, Wagner, and probably others. If forced, I would go with Chopin.
1. Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven ex aequo
2. Schubert, Schumann, Chopin ex aequo
3. Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov ex aequo
;D ;D ;D
Beethoven
Stravinsky
Rossini
Quote from: Dancing Divertimentian on November 06, 2013, 06:27:30 AM
"Mathematical" is a bit of a stereotype (misnomer), though.
Have you heard Bach's cantatas, Marvin? They're some of the most lyrical things on the planet. Take a listen to BWV 8 below and see if you can hear mathematical:
http://www.youtube.com/v/Hajj's7Vi's8
Yes I am very familiar with Bach's cantatas, I have all of the sacred ones (Leonhardt/Harnoncaourt) By mathematical genius I was referring to the Art of the Fugue, the preludes and fugues the Well tempered Clavier. It is as if he writes in musical mathematical equations. The effect is not only academic, it is simply sublime.
I can not think of anyone that I would like to learn music from more than Bach.
Perhaps mathematical is not the best word here. How about academically sublime?
marvin
Quote from: (poco) Sforzando on November 06, 2013, 06:52:17 AM
All music is by its nature mathematical. Rhythmic subdivisions and pitch relationships have their share of mathematical elements. It's not a dirty word...
No, not a dirty word for sure. I've just seen Bach's name smeared on this board as a one-dimensional "mathematical" hack. As in, no talent except for writing like a typewriter. Marvin's comment brought back some old memories. Not that he had that remotely in mind when he posted.
Quote....and I say that as someone who has at times played that marvelous opening chorus of BWV8 10-12 times in a row.
Yes, my kind of typewriter music. :)
Quote from: marvinbrown on November 06, 2013, 12:35:24 PM
Perhaps mathematical is not the best word here. How about academically sublime?
As long as "sublime" is in there somewhere then it's a winner. ;D
Brahms--I cannot get enough of his somewhat darkly shaded melodicism, whether stormy or peaceful in effect. Being relatively new to classical music, I still have a lot of his works (mainly from his chamber output) yet to explore, in part because I keep going back to re-listen to my favorite symphonies and concertos.
Beethoven--the consistent quality of all the works of his I've heard is staggering: I have yet to hear a string quartet, piano sonata, or symphony that hasn't made me want to hear more. His work also seems to shine in a great variety of interpretive styles.
Bartok--while not quite as consistent for me, the string quartets alone are probably enough for him to make this list, though his position may be threatened as I become more familiar with composers like Webern or Ligeti.
Bach is easy.
I've had a lot of faves in different periods: Mozart, Beethoven, to my eternal shame Mahler, Stravinsky, Bruckner, Palestrina, Brahms, even Sibelius. Long term Stravinsky is #2.
This year #3 is Haydn.
Michael Nyman some days.
Quote from: Bogey on September 26, 2013, 03:39:53 PM
For all those throwing Haydn in your top 3 like me, (or five or so), I wonder if I would have made him one of my three if I did not spend time at this forum. I mean Gurn's (and others) passion for him has made me take pause and appreciate and enjoy his music at a higher level.
I took another look at him after I heard Brautigam's fortepiano set, which stunned me, as I had never been impressed by the music before. That sent me back to the trios and quartets I had always loved, and then HIP symphonies. Few post baroque composers benefit as much from HIP as Haydn. The Hogwood symphonies are magnificent, as are the Weil. The choral pieces sound less polished, more striving, more inventive.
Having read all the replies I am struck by a few impressions.
This is not a typical bunch! The heavy battleships, Mahler, Shostakovich, are way more popular here than in the general public. I suspect 60 minute symphonies appeal more to fanatics like us than most.
No Schubert. No early, except my attempt to smuggle Palestrina past Mirror Image's rules. I should mention Josquin and Dufay, and Fayrfax while I think of it. No Debussy. Surprising.
It looks like the list is skewed towards orchestral too.
Not sure it means much, just getting an impression of the members. I wonder how many of you have kids named Ludwig Gustav Dmitri. :)
Based on a combination of influence on my life & weighted listening preferences:
Beethoven (especially the late quartets & piano sonatas)
...
Schumann (early piano works, songs from 1840)
...
...
...
...
Schubert (late chamber music & piano sonatas)
...
Bartók (string quartets & orchestral music)
Brahms (chamber music & piano works)
...
...
...
...
Mozart (piano concertos, string quintets & quartets, Da Ponte operas)
Haydn (string quartets, piano trios & symphonies)
Bach (keyboard music)
...
Chopin (Ballades, Scherzi, Polonaise-Fantasie, Sonatas, Mazurkas, Preludes)
...
...
Dvořák (symphonies, concertos, chamber music)
Ligeti (orchestral works, chamber & electronic music)
Medtner (sonatas, chamber music, Forgotten Melodies)
Cage (prepared piano music, number pieces, etudes, String Quartet in Four Parts)
Webern (entire output)
Nono (orchestral, choral & electronic music)
Stockhausen (chamber & electronic music)
Stravinsky (middle & late works)
(etc)
1. Mahler
2. Beethoven
3. Shostakovich (to whom I shall listen obsessively today)
Quote from: Jay F on February 16, 2014, 06:59:05 AM
3. Shostakovich
Glad you feel as strongly about his music as I do, Jay! Whereas you rank him your third, he'll forever be my numero uno. 8)
Quote from: Mirror Image on September 25, 2013, 06:42:53 PMMine would be the following:
Shostakovich:
(http://chicagoclassicalreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Shostakovich.jpg)
Schnittke:
(http://24.media.tumblr.com/62d6d0b4a51a9d884f1126bde14da235/tumblr_mjjyrdSxZ61ri5efwo1_500.jpg)
Hartmann:
(http://notendatenbank.net/kbild/hartmann_karl_amadeus.jpg)
I'm still extremely satisfied with these choices. But I'll go ahead and break my own rules (like you guys didn't see this coming :) ) and give Ravel, Stravinsky, Bartok, and Prokofiev honorable mentions. 8)
Quote from: TheGSMoeller on September 26, 2013, 05:35:08 AM
If I look back at the history of my listening career (like I'm getting paid for it) it would have to be R.Strauss, Prokofiev and Britten.
But in the past few years I've certainly been listening to more Haydn, Rameau and Berg. , soooo take your pick...I don't like this thread. ??? :)
Now just add Poulenc, Brahms and Glass and you have my three favorite sets of my three favorite composers. Until they change again. 8)
I would like to thank the fellow nominees Berlioz, Mozart, Dowland, Webern, Shoenfield, Biber and Rouse.
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 16, 2014, 07:01:50 AM
Glad you feel as strongly about his music as I do, Jay! Whereas you rank him your third, he'll forever be my numero uno. 8)
And he's new at #3, too. It's all about the SQs.
It used to be Mahler (always and forever #1), Beethoven, and Bach, but eventually I realized I don't listen to Bach all that obsessively. I have put
St. Matthew Passion on for a month without listening to anything else, or played the organ records a lot when I had a turntable, but beyond that, I listen to Bach only a little. I've never experienced that "Must Find Different/Better Version" pathology with Bach, as I have with Mahler and Beethoven. My favorite SMP is the first one by Herreweghe, incidentally, and my organ records were all by Walcha.
As I said, I have, and have had (I give stuff away), numerous sets of Mahler symphonies and different Beethoven recordings, and I find myself now trying different versions of DSCH recordings. I have the Emerson and Fitzwilliam and Jerusalem versions of the SQs, and I'm going to include most, if not all, of your DSCH suggestions in my next Amazon order. It's become Mahler-like for me: I can't believe this music has existed all these years, and I've never listened to it (I discovered Mahler in 1987). I mean, that's a good thing: life should always have pleasant surprises.
So yes, it's Mahler, Beethoven, and Shostakovich. I just wish I could like the DSCH symphonies as much as I do the chamber music.
Quote from: Jay F on February 16, 2014, 10:31:35 AM
And he's new at #3, too. It's all about the SQs.
It used to be Mahler (always and forever #1), Beethoven, and Bach, but eventually I realized I don't listen to Bach all that obsessively. I have put St. Matthew Passion on for a month without listening to anything else, or played the organ records a lot when I had a turntable, but beyond that, I listen to Bach only a little. I've never experienced that "Must Find Different/Better Version" pathology with Bach, as I have with Mahler and Beethoven. My favorite SMP is the first one by Herreweghe, incidentally, and my organ records were all by Walcha.
As I said, I have, and have had (I give stuff away), numerous sets of Mahler symphonies and different Beethoven recordings, and I find myself now trying different versions of DSCH recordings. I have the Emerson and Fitzwilliam and Jerusalem versions of the SQs, and I'm going to include most, if not all, of your DSCH suggestions in my next Amazon order. It's become Mahler-like for me: I can't believe this music has existed all these years, and I've never listened to it (I discovered Mahler in 1987). I mean, that's a good thing: life should always have pleasant surprises.
So yes, it's Mahler, Beethoven, and Shostakovich. I just wish I could like the DSCH symphonies as much as I do the chamber music.
Shostakovich's symphonies taken as a whole is one of the most outstanding achievements of the 20th Century IMHO. It does take some time to get into them if you're not accustomed to his musical language within an orchestral setting. One thing to remember is that his objective was certainly not the same objective that Mahler or Beethoven had, but I do feel that the music reads almost like a personal diary every bit as much as the more intimacy of his chamber works. Give them time. I wouldn't listen to them one after the other, but rather I think the little bit at a time approach works wonders for Shostakovich's symphonies because many of them are so emotionally draining. Key entry points for me were
Symphonies Nos. 5, 6, & 7. After I devoured these symphonies, everything else seemed much easier to get my mind around.
Jay F "I give stuff away"
My shipping address is ...
You're all just a horrible bunch of Faure haters... :P
Quote from: orfeo on February 16, 2014, 01:27:31 PM
You're all just a horrible bunch of Faure haters... :P
Not so! I'm a big fan. I programmed him a lot when I was in radio. A seriously underrated composer, despite the requiem.
I prefer him to Debussy or Ravel. People stare at me when I tell them this!
This is a tough one (if it were 5, it would be much easier).
Well, after some thinking, my "top 3" are:
Richard Wagner
Igor Stravinsky
Claude Debussy
The list might change now and then, but I doubt Wagner would ever fall from the top position... :)
P.S.: I also enjoy Fauré (many mélodies--La Bonne chanson!--, the String Quartet, Pélléas et Mélisande) but I would be one of the starers Ken B mentions :laugh:
Quote from: Ken B on February 16, 2014, 01:32:25 PM
Not so! I'm a big fan. I programmed him a lot when I was in radio. A seriously underrated composer, despite the requiem.
I prefer him to Debussy or Ravel. People stare at me when I tell them this!
Absolutely, I always thought his major contribution was the Requiem. Until I heard his Piano trio, then his String Quartet, then the Piano Quintets, the Cello Sonatas, etc....
His chamber output is amazing, nothing quite like it.
Quote from: orfeo on February 16, 2014, 01:27:31 PM
You're all just a horrible bunch of Faure haters... :P
I certainly don't hate Faure, but he's far from a favorite of mine. I do enjoy his
Requiem and some of the chamber music like the
Piano Quartets & Quintets. I also liked the
Piano Trio, but I really need to revisit them all at some point.
For me the chamber music is the pinnacle - one should throw the violin sonatas into the mix for starters - but there's also a string of absolutely wonderful piano pieces, and some of the songs are great as well.
It's funny how the Requiem is so prominent. My collection is currently Requiem-free.
Quote from: orfeo on February 16, 2014, 01:39:02 PMIt's funny how the Requiem is so prominent. My collection is currently Requiem-free.
Why? You don't think it's a good work that deserves attention? Personally, I would take Durufle's
Requiem over Faure's.
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 16, 2014, 01:42:47 PM
Why? You don't think it's a good work that deserves attention? Personally, I would take Durufle's Requiem over Faure's.
I am sending you a bar of soap Fed ex. That mouth needs washing! :) :)
Seriously Faure's chamber music is masterly, Brahms level stuff. The piano music and songs are great too. The orchestral music is not at the same level.
Quote from: Ken B on February 16, 2014, 01:53:26 PM
I am sending you a bar of soap Fed ex. That mouth needs washing! :) :)
Seriously Faure's chamber music is masterly, Brahms level stuff. The piano music and songs are great too. The orchestral music is not at the same level.
:D Have you heard Durufle's
Requiem? I think it's a masterwork.
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 16, 2014, 01:42:47 PM
Why? You don't think it's a good work that deserves attention? Personally, I would take Durufle's Requiem over Faure's.
No, it's simply the way things have happened as I've collected. You have to remember that by GMG standards I'm not a collector, with only 1 or 2 versions of works. Heck, the other week I deliberately went looking for a 2nd version of the Faure cello sonatas - for me, deliberate duplications are almost unheard of.
I started with the complete piano music (Kathryn Stott), then picked up Domus in the piano quintets which is basically one of my favourite discs of all time. After that I got more chamber music, and then the songs were taken care of because of Hyperion's complete set. In fact most of my Faure collection is Hyperion.
The Requiem is on the shopping list once I can pick a version. Part of the consideration is what it might be paired with. The choral music is the largest gap in my current Faure collection.
Looks like Shostakovich is now knocked out of the number one slot! The reason being is because each of the following composers have meant more to me than any other composers and this is just me being as honest as I can:
Stravinsky:
(http://www.esquire.com/cm/esquire/images/U7/stravinsky.jpg)
Bartók:
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DSs_DSoQQJU/UVBUwHIVX2I/AAAAAAAAL98/8BD5HHYtSRc/s1600/bela+bartok+1930s.jpg)
Ravel:
(http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2011/05/04/ravel_custom-9e9b31dc2a5664c6c85a2381032dc54c7aadb8d8.jpg)
As a technicality, there is no order in these three favorites and the reason being is each of them could take the number one slot at any time.
As it stands now:
(http://www.zti.hu/bartok/exhibition/pics/2/Ft132.jpg)(https://tigerloaf.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/ligeti.jpg)(http://redmayor.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/mauriceravelwithmouni1.jpg)
Honorable mention:
(http://k09.kn3.net/taringa/7/7/8/0/3/0/1/munchausen/4B0.jpg)(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_sUdLg8iJKa0/TK--51O70DI/AAAAAAAAIDQ/PmCsb1W7vTw/s800/George%20Gershwin%20c.1936.jpg)(http://legendsrevealed.com/entertainment/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/stravinsky.jpg)
Quote from: EigenUser on February 17, 2014, 07:19:34 PM
As it stands now:
(http://www.zti.hu/bartok/exhibition/pics/2/Ft132.jpg)(https://tigerloaf.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/ligeti.jpg)(http://redmayor.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/mauriceravelwithmouni1.jpg)
Honorable mention:
(http://k09.kn3.net/taringa/7/7/8/0/3/0/1/munchausen/4B0.jpg)(http://lh6.ggpht.com/_sUdLg8iJKa0/TK--51O70DI/AAAAAAAAIDQ/PmCsb1W7vTw/s800/George%20Gershwin%20c.1936.jpg)(http://legendsrevealed.com/entertainment/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/stravinsky.jpg)
Not a fan of Gershwin, but I really enjoy Ligeti, although it's nowhere near love (yet). Surprised that Ligeti is in your top three. I suppose his music moves you emotionally and intellectually?
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 17, 2014, 08:12:19 PM
Not a fan of Gershwin, but I really enjoy Ligeti, although it's nowhere near love (yet).
I suppose Gershwin seems a bit out of place. His music is not complicated, but I think he did a great job in orchestral writing ("Concerto in F", "An American in Paris", and "Cuban Overture" are pieces I listen to very often) and I find a great deal of enjoyment in these three works alone. Maybe three pieces seems a bit low for honorable mention, but it's my list :P (I admit, part of this is because I feel bad that he died at such an early age). His early death (38 years old, from a brain tumor) is really a shame since he was starting to show real talent and musical diversity. I think that it's interesting that he thought highly of Schoenberg and twelve-tone music. Even though I don't care much for dodecaphonic music myself, this means a lot to me because it shows that he was capable of appreciating various styles in music (something that I am lacking in, though I try). It leads me to wonder what would have entered his musical influences in the future. Neoclassicism? Minimalism? Micropolyphony? Maybe it sounds absurd (to me, even, as I type), but we really won't know for sure.
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 17, 2014, 08:12:19 PM
Surprised that Ligeti is in your top three. I suppose his music moves you emotionally and intellectually?
Haha, I'm surprised that you're surprised. I've been fearing that my posts have been a one-trick-pony with my posts on Ligeti. There are several reasons why I am particularly attached to his music. I am fairly new here and I should add an "introduction" post for myself soon which may explain.
Since you like both Bartok and Stravinsky, I am going to assume that you particularly like Bartok's second piano concerto -- it has a lot of Stravinsky in it, I think (even aside from the sped-up "Firebird"-finale theme). I love the first two PCs equally (my favorite is whatever one I'm listening to at the time). The third is very good as well, but I don't enjoy it as much as the first two.
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 17, 2014, 04:54:24 PM
Looks like Shostakovich is now knocked out of the number one slot! The reason being is because each of the following composers have meant more to me than any other composers and this is just me being as honest as I can:
Stravinsky
Bartók
Ravel
Wow. No way Mahler could ever sink to #4 with me. Or even #2.
Quote from: Jay F on February 18, 2014, 09:25:08 AM
Wow. No way Mahler could ever sink to #4 with me. Or even #2.
For me he could and probably does sink to #2, but if so, only because of Bach.
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 17, 2014, 04:54:24 PM
Looks like Shostakovich is now knocked out of the number one slot!
Gasp!!! I am shocked, John! :'(
Current favorites
Bach
Beethoven
Mahler
Although Haydn and Shostakovich are nipping closely at their heels.
And of the music of all five I could--l'havdil--apply the aphorism of Ben Bag Bag: "Turn it over and over, for everything is in it".
Quote from: ChamberNut on February 18, 2014, 09:46:51 AM
Gasp!!! I am shocked, John! :'(
Rather we should be shocked if Shostakovich
remained his favorite. ;D
Quote from: TheGSMoeller on February 18, 2014, 10:06:54 AM
Rather we should be shocked if Shostakovich remained his favorite. ;D
:D
John's 3 favourites started off like this (since start of thread):
Shostakovich
Schnittke
Hartmann
Now it is:
Stravinsky
Bartok
Ravel
I didn't all the pages in between to see if there have been other changes. I just know that Shostakovich has long been a favourite of John's. That's why I was shocked. ;D
Quote from: Brian on September 25, 2013, 08:05:24 PM
Beethoven
Dvořák
-
Honestly, while third place could go to Schubert, Ravel, Janacek, or Sibelius Chopin, the truth is that none of those four, or anyone else, has had anything like the influence of my top two so far in life.
The only revision I've had to make so far.
Quote from: Jeffrey Smith on February 18, 2014, 10:03:17 AM
Current favorites
Bach
Beethoven
Mahler
Although Haydn and Shostakovich are nipping closely at their heels.
Haydn could never nip at
my Mahler's heels. He is my least favorite composer whose name I recognize.
Of famous composers, Mahler is probably in my bottom three. Bruckner and Wagner are also down there, though I reserve the absolute lowest spot for John Adams.
Still, lots of smart people think very highly of all those composers, which tends to mitigate the pleasant frisson of being anti-establishment. If most of the people at or above your IQ like something you don't, chances are good you're missing out.
Quote from: amw on February 18, 2014, 11:23:56 AM
Of famous composers, Mahler is probably in my bottom three. Bruckner and Wagner are also down there
Ha!...my top three. If this were 1885 you'd be in Hanslick's camp...and we'd be mortal enemies :D
Sarge
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 18, 2014, 11:43:44 AM
Ha!...my top three. If this were 1885 you'd be in Hanslick's camp...and we'd be mortal enemies :D
Sarge
You have to admit Hanslick's quip is one of the great ones. "Wagner has beautiful moments, but dreadful quarter hours."
The quarter hours thing is peerless. This is my choice for the second best musical insult: "Listening to the fifth symphony of Ralph Vaughan Williams is like staring at a cow for 45 minutes." - Copland
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on February 18, 2014, 11:43:44 AM
Ha!...my top three. If this were 1885 you'd be in Hanslick's camp...and we'd be mortal enemies :D
Sarge
Well, if this were 1885, I'd probably never have heard of any of them. Or if I
had heard of them, due to the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra not being founded for another 60 years, the only way I could get to know them would be by playing the piano four hands arrangements (and humming the vocal parts) with a friend. Then I would send a telegram to Vienna that said something like "Herr Mahler's new symphony is certainly an interesting work, but I am not sure I understand it..." and then probably die of tuberculosis or something.
I'd always seen that quip attributed to Rossini.
Quote from: amw on February 18, 2014, 12:14:00 PM
Well, if this were 1885, I'd probably never have heard of any of them. Or if I had heard of them, due to the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra not being founded for another 60 years, the only way I could get to know them would be by playing the piano four hands arrangements (and humming the vocal parts) with a friend. Then I would send a telegram to Vienna that said something like "Herr Mahler's new symphony is certainly an interesting work, but I am not sure I understand it..." and then probably die of tuberculosis or something.
Mahler's first published work was a four-hand arrangement of Bruckner's Third. I wonder what your 19th century self would have thought of that ;D
Actually, Hanslick wasn't so critical of Mahler, at least not critical of some of the works he heard. Of the
Wunderhorn songs he said:
"
It would have been contrary to his nature to have treated these poems in the simple, undemanding manner of previous composers. Although a folk-like character is retained in the vocal line, this is underlaid by a sumptuous accompaniment, alert in its sprightliness and vivid in modulation, which Mahler gives, not to the piano, but to the orchestra. For folk songs, this is an uncommonly large and indeed refined ensemble. It is impossible to ignore the fact that there is a contradiction between the concept of "folk song" and this artful, super abundant orchestral accompaniment. Yet Mahler has pursued this venture with extraordinary delicacy and masterly technique."
Sarge
Quote from: Ken B on February 18, 2014, 12:12:07 PM
The quarter hours thing is peerless.
I thought it was
Rossini who said that, but I may well be in error.
It was Rossini, as far as I know...I'm afraid Eduard Hanslick didn't have that kind of humour... ???
Quote from: karlhenning on February 18, 2014, 12:42:07 PM
I thought it was Rossini who said that, but I may well be in error.
Another reason to like Rossini!
Quote from: Ken B on February 18, 2014, 01:00:41 PM
Another reason to like Rossini!
In addition to
Tournedos Rossini.
Quote from: Ken B on February 18, 2014, 12:12:07 PM
The quarter hours thing is peerless. This is my choice for the second best musical insult: "Listening to the fifth symphony of Ralph Vaughan Williams is like staring at a cow for 45 minutes." - Copland
God, that's ironic. It's ironic in so many ways.
Quote from: EigenUser on February 18, 2014, 09:13:09 AM
I suppose Gershwin seems a bit out of place. His music is not complicated, but I think he did a great job in orchestral writing ("Concerto in F", "An American in Paris", and "Cuban Overture" are pieces I listen to very often) and I find a great deal of enjoyment in these three works alone. Maybe three pieces seems a bit low for honorable mention, but it's my list :P (I admit, part of this is because I feel bad that he died at such an early age). His early death (38 years old, from a brain tumor) is really a shame since he was starting to show real talent and musical diversity. I think that it's interesting that he thought highly of Schoenberg and twelve-tone music. Even though I don't care much for dodecaphonic music myself, this means a lot to me because it shows that he was capable of appreciating various styles in music (something that I am lacking in, though I try). It leads me to wonder what would have entered his musical influences in the future. Neoclassicism? Minimalism? Micropolyphony? Maybe it sounds absurd (to me, even, as I type), but we really won't know for sure.
Haha, I'm surprised that you're surprised. I've been fearing that my posts have been a one-trick-pony with my posts on Ligeti. There are several reasons why I am particularly attached to his music. I am fairly new here and I should add an "introduction" post for myself soon which may explain.
That's cool. We all enjoy composers for different reasons. Some composers we enjoy more than others of course. That would be cool if you could give us an introduction to yourself, especially since you seem like you'll be sticking around for awhile (I hope so anyway). 8)
Quote from: EigenUser on February 18, 2014, 09:13:09 AMSince you like both Bartok and Stravinsky, I am going to assume that you particularly like Bartok's second piano concerto -- it has a lot of Stravinsky in it, I think (even aside from the sped-up "Firebird"-finale theme). I love the first two PCs equally (my favorite is whatever one I'm listening to at the time). The third is very good as well, but I don't enjoy it as much as the first two.
I love all three of Bartok's PCs. :) BTW, I don't just like Stravinsky and Bartok. I LOVE their music and the same equally applies to Ravel. These three composers are my desert island picks and three I couldn't live without no matter how far I stray from their music, I always find a way back to my 'home base' if that makes any sense.
Quote from: ChamberNut on February 18, 2014, 09:46:51 AM
Gasp!!! I am shocked, John! :'(
I still love Shostakovich, so no need to worry here, Ray. I've just been trying to figure out what's musically important to me and, while Shostakovich's music has meant a lot to me, he's not in the final picture.
Quote from: TheGSMoeller on February 18, 2014, 10:06:54 AM
Rather we should be shocked if Shostakovich remained his favorite. ;D
:P
The wit of Rossini
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/gioachino_rossini.html
Quote from: Ken B on February 18, 2014, 06:02:30 PM
The wit of Rossini
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/gioachino_rossini.html
"One can't judge Wagner's opera Lohengrin after a first hearing, and I certainly don't intend to hear it a second time"What's the Italian for "snark"?
But I've snatched the tastiest quote for my .sig line.
A few years ago I would have said that Bach was my favourite composer but I have hardly listened to his music lately. Since I started seriously listening to Classical Music about 7 years ago I have re-visited Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Sibelius many time and think they could more realistically rank as favorites. Truth is I like a lot of Composers and am always changing my mind - I am also very fond of Debussy, Vaughan Williams and Prokofiev (a late addition to my list). Really if Iwas to list my favourite composers there would probably be about 50 names on it :)
Quote from: Conor on February 18, 2014, 06:26:23 PM
A few years ago I would have said that Bach was my favourite composer but I have hardly listened to his music lately. Since I started seriously listening to Classical Music about 7 years ago I have re-visited Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Sibelius many time and think they could more realistically rank as favorites. Truth is I like a lot of Composers and am always changing my mind - I am also very fond of Debussy, Vaughan Williams and Prokofiev (a late addition to my list). Really if Iwas to list my favourite composers there would probably be about 50 names on it :)
One way to single your favorite composers out and pick three is to figure out whose music you have been listening to since the very beginning who have made the greatest impression on you emotionally and intellectually. In other words, three composers you simply could not live without. The reason I changed mine is because, again, if I'm going to be completely honest here, then I will have to trace my classical listening all the way back to the beginning and find who has made the greatest impression on me. Of course, these three composers don't have to be necessarily composers you listen to on a regular basis. Not only do I think Stravinsky, Bartok, and Ravel are the greatest composers to ever walk on this planet, but I think each of them were men of principles and tried to stay true to their own intuitions and I respect that greatly.
MI,
So you're saying Bach had no legs? I don't recall that from any liner notes.
How did he play the organ??
I'm confused.
:-\
Quote from: ChamberNut on February 18, 2014, 10:44:19 AM
:D
John's 3 favourites started off like this (since start of thread):
Shostakovich
Schnittke
Hartmann
Now it is:
Stravinsky
Bartok
Ravel
I didn't all the pages in between to see if there have been other changes. I just know that Shostakovich has long been a favourite of John's. That's why I was shocked. ;D
Projections of John's Top 3 composers by early 2015:
(in no order)
Delius
Strauss, R. :D
Beethoven ;D
;)
Quote from: Brian on February 18, 2014, 01:10:23 PM
God, that's ironic. It's ironic in so many ways.
Yes, it is.
Quote from: Jay F on February 18, 2014, 09:25:08 AM
Wow. No way Mahler could ever sink to #4 with me. Or even #2.
Same here. I've done plenty of music searching through the last, probably (at least close to) 10 years that he has been my favorite composer and it just seems that I'll never find anyone that has the same powerful effect, and most likely he'll always be my favorite. Fortunately, I discovered some great non-classical music that surprisingly comes close to how much I enjoy his music, but I just don't see how the language of music can even express anything greater than he did.
Quote from: ChamberNut on February 20, 2014, 05:14:05 AM
Projections of John's Top 3 composers by early 2015:
(in no order)
Delius
Strauss, R. :D
Beethoven ;D
;)
Good one! Lol...:D
Quote from: Jay F on February 18, 2014, 09:25:08 AM
Wow. No way Mahler could ever sink to #4 with me. Or even #2.
Quote from: Greg on February 20, 2014, 05:38:42 AM
Same here.
Same here. I first heard Mahler when I was 17 (Klemp's
Resurrection) and it was love at first listen. And now, 48 years later, he's still part of my personal Trinity.
Sarge
Quote from: Mirror Image on February 18, 2014, 04:55:19 PM
That's cool. We all enjoy composers for different reasons. Some composers we enjoy more than others of course. That would be cool if you could give us an introduction to yourself, especially since you seem like you'll be sticking around for awhile (I hope so anyway). 8)
This wasn't addressed to me, and since I'm a fan of minimalist music John may not want me around, :-), but I'll take the opportunity anyway. I'm a middle-aged computer professional, I've been listening to music seriously for almost 40 years, and I spent a while in radio where I was the classical music director of two radio stations. I especially like early music, and Baroque.
I first discovered music when I was about 16, I didn't much care for music on the radio with my friends listen to. I did listen to James last and a lot of music from the 50s and some older music. Then one day I was flipping around late night TV and sought Merv Griffin of all people play a little bit of Tchaikovsky. I liked it. The next day I went to the public library put on the cheap headphones and listened to a scratchy recording of von Karajan conducting Swan Lake. Within 30 seconds my life changed forever. I am still an addict.
Quote from: Ken B on February 20, 2014, 06:56:47 PM
This wasn't addressed to me, and since I'm a fan of minimalist music John may not want me around, :-), but I'll take the opportunity anyway. I'm a middle-aged computer professional, I've been listening to music seriously for almost 40 years, and I spent a while in radio where I was the classical music director of two radio stations. I especially like early music, and Baroque.
I first discovered music when I was about 16, I didn't much care for music on the radio with my friends listen to. I did listen to James last and a lot of music from the 50s and some older music. Then one day I was flipping around late night TV and sought Merv Griffin of all people play a little bit of Tchaikovsky. I liked it. The next day I went to the public library put on the cheap headphones and listened to a scratchy recording of von Karajan conducting Swan Lake. Within 30 seconds my life changed forever. I am still an addict.
Nonsense! It wouldn't matter to me if you liked Nono or Purcell, I'm sure you and I will find some common ground. Thanks for the introduction, BTW. Everybody here should feel like they're welcomed because they most certainly are! We need all the members we can get! This is what makes this such a diverse, and fascinating, forum to be on.
So, in closing, welcome aboard!
Have I done this yet? ???
Beethoven
Chopin
Someotherguy
Quote from: mn dave on March 04, 2014, 12:44:17 PM
Someotherguy
With his most famous piece...
Something like a Concerto: For Some Instruments and Some Other Accompaniment
Quote from: Greg on February 20, 2014, 05:38:42 AMSame here. I've done plenty of music searching through the last, probably (at least close to) 10 years that [Mahler] has been my favorite composer and it just seems that I'll never find anyone that has the same powerful effect, and most likely he'll always be my favorite. Fortunately, I discovered some great non-classical music that surprisingly comes close to how much I enjoy his music, but I just don't see how the language of music can even express anything greater than he did.
I've felt this way since 1987, when I started listening to Symphonies Nos. 1, 4, and 8. My instant top-of-mind reaction when someone asks "favorite music?" is Mahler's Sixth Symphony. It has been since I first heard it in 1988. It was so instantly and immediately available to me. So familiar, though I know I never heard it before then. My mother's classical record collection began at Beethoven's symphonies and ended at his piano concertos. I did not hear Mahler at home.
Also, it's interesting you looked to non-classical music to find music you like nearly as much (if I'm paraphrasing you correctly) as Mahler. It's the same for me. While not much classical music comes close to Mahler in terms of my finding it my "favorite," chamber music by Beethoven, Schubert, and DSCH being the main exception, my affection for certain popular music practitioners
does get close to my love of Mahler. These include Warren Zevon, Bruce Springsteen (until and including 1987), the Beatles, Linda Ronstadt, anything Phil Spector/girl group, and the Beach Boys.
A friend who writes about classical music told me Mahler probably has more fans who like popular music than they do the rest of the classical canon. Though I do like a lot of classical music, I know I'm one of the people he's talking about. You may be as well.
Quote from: TheGSMoeller on March 04, 2014, 01:32:33 PM
With his most famous piece... Something like a Concerto: For Some Instruments and Some Other Accompaniment
;D
Third place is wide open for composers like Bach, Schubert, Brahms, Prokofiev, Purcell...
This thread is painful to respond to with so many powerful compositions revolving around us. I feel so lucky living in this century when we have all these pieces at our fingertips. More people than ever are exposed to the great composers.
Err....can I pick 4?
1. JS Bach (an infinite kaleidoscopic journey)
(http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/files/2010/03/20081008_Bach.jpg)
2. Haydn
(http://facstaff.uww.edu/allsenj/MSO/NOTES/1112/images/Haydn.jpg)
3/4. Verdi
(http://www.biography.com/imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/V/Giuseppe-Verdi-9517249-1-402.jpg)
3/4. Wagner
(http://oberon481.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c4e3853ef017eeb4654bb970d-pi)
But it is a cruel exercise...... :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
Honorable mention to Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Schubert, Handel and Sibelius. I guess I am pretty traditional (and I feel quite ill after making these choices.....)
Notice the (almost) complete absence of 20th century composers!! >:D >:D
Neato thread. My top two are easy, Bach and Haydn in either order, but the third has taken some reckoning. Measuring pure pleasure per minute of listening, it's... Guillaume de Machaut.
Does his even count as classical music? No matter, I have kerplunked.
I wonder if I posted on this earlier and am now contradicting myself... Bach, Haydn, Beethoven.
Quote from: chasmaniac on March 27, 2014, 09:52:25 AM
Neato thread. My top two are easy, Bach and Haydn in either order, but the third has taken some reckoning. Measuring pure pleasure per minute of listening, it's... Guillaume de Machaut.
Does his even count as classical music? No matter, I have kerplunked.
Bravo for Machaut!
The birds in the forrest, the wind in the willows, the waves in a starry night... ;D
Quote from: DavidW on March 27, 2014, 11:33:04 AM
I wonder if I posted on this earlier and am now contradicting myself... Bach, Haydn, Beethoven.
Well, but that's a troika you cannot go wrong with . . . .
I suppose resistance is futile. 8)
Bach
Ravel
Chopin
Quote from: North Star on April 24, 2014, 07:26:54 AM
I suppose resistance is futile. 8)
Actually, the
question is futile, but we do our best... ;D
Have I done this yet?
Beethoven
Schubert
Chopin
Quote from: mn dave on April 24, 2014, 07:47:18 AM
Beethoven
Schubert
Chopin
Mon semblable, — mon frère! --- if you'll excuse my French... :D
Quote from: Florestan on April 24, 2014, 08:02:35 AM
Mon semblable, — mon frère! --- if you'll excuse my French... :D
0:)
based on my current listening right now its
Beethoven
Schumann
Mahler
1. Mahler
2. Sibelius
3. Shostakovich
In no particular order:
Sibelius
Vaughan Williams
Ravel
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 20, 2015, 06:10:48 PM
In no particular order:
Sibelius
Vaughan Williams
Ravel
Glad you are well again. Delius fever can be crippling; in the worst cases it leads to Koechlin. And piles.
:P >:D :laugh:
Quote from: Ken B on May 20, 2015, 06:15:30 PM
Glad you are well again. Delius fever can be crippling; in the worst cases it leads to Koechlin. And piles.
:P >:D :laugh:
:P
Hmmm...I'm pretty sure I voted earlier in the thread with my three B's: Beethoven, Brahms, and Bartók. The first two places hold firm, but Shostakovich may have slightly displaced Bartók for the third spot. I have a hard time choosing between them, in that I find almost everything Bartók wrote to be wonderful, but my responses to Shostakovich are more divided--I find his string quartets (and at least some of the other chamber works I've heard) to be among the most compelling works of all time, but his symphonic writing often leaves me cold. [I hasten to add that I don't blame the symphonic writing itself for my personal lack of connection to it thus far]. So if I put Shostakovich in that spot, it is perhaps ironically not in any way due to the work for which he is most famous.
For now:
1. Stravinsky. He exactly fits in the middle of "old" and "postmodern" music to me. Perfect.
2. Handel. Just great.
3. Beethoven.
maybe Bach, Schumann, Feldman...that or Bach, Bach, and Bach
Quote from: Christo on September 26, 2013, 04:28:16 AMMy first choice is still Vaughan Williams, who became a personal favourite in the 1970s, when I was 15. He still is. Second and third choices have differed over time. Today (:-)) they are Tubin and Holmboe.
Still the same, here. First choice is easy, but more than a dozen composers qualify for the other ranks.
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 16, 2017, 04:07:00 AM
It's a difficult one but for me it'll have to be:
1 Beethoven
2 Bach
3 Vivaldi
??? A complete head-scratcher, especially since you're supposed to be this ultra contemporary classical guy.
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 16, 2017, 04:07:00 AM
It's a difficult one but for me it'll have to be:
1 Beethoven
2 Bach
3 Vivaldi
You've expressed your love for the music of Beethoven and Bach before, but I don't recall Vivaldi so much. I'm wondering if you misspelt Xenakis?
Vaughan Williams
Miaskovsky
And today's choice:
Bax
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 16, 2017, 04:07:00 AM
It's a difficult one but for me it'll have to be:
1 Beethoven
2 Bach
3 Vivaldi
You're quite the traditionalist.
I don't remember if I voted and how I voted. But for now:
Bach
Brian
Beethoven
(I think it may have been Bach, Mahler and Feldman?)
From my modest little collection, I think the works I like most are by
Ravel
Scriabin
Vaughan Williams
Quote from: 71 dB on September 26, 2013, 03:45:36 AM
For me the first 2 are easy too:
Elgar
J. S. Bach
The third one then... ...for long Handel has occupied that position but... ...just watched again Giulio Cesare on DVD (yes, that Glyndebourne/William Christie one) and even that ultra-high-quality performance didn't hit me that hard. Maybe I am not in Handel-mood these days but anyway, I need to re-evalute Handel.
Who's gonna take the third position if not Handel? Today my answer is Taneyev.
Updating:
Taneyev out,
Weinberg in. ;D
This third name is so difficult. At the moment could be Nielsen, C.P.E. Bach, ... :P
Quote from: springrite on May 21, 2017, 10:47:31 PM
I don't remember if I voted and how I voted.
Nor I. But, first three to come to mind:
Stravinsky
Chopin
JS Bach
1. J.S Bach
2. Beethoven
- and yes, the third name is more difficult, might e.g. be
Froberger or Buxtehude.
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 22, 2017, 01:07:34 AM
:P
No I like to troll around when I'm really stressed by life and pissed off at my education. Mirror Image made a thread on the same thing, where my accurate answer is:
Xenakis (Cause he is life)
Kagel
Webern
(though Messiaen or Zorn could fit in there too)
The natural order of the universe has been re-established.
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 20, 2015, 06:10:48 PM
In no particular order:
Sibelius
Vaughan Williams
Ravel
A gnat's whisker away from mine. 😊
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 22, 2017, 01:12:00 AM
Interesting list, I knew from the 'dark side' that you liked Ravel and Scriabin. Are you still fond of those post-war composers? and the spectralists? :)
I am, but I bought so much in such a short space of time that when I finally paused I went back and revisited a lot of stuff. I found, to my own surprise, how much I enjoyed music I had sort of skipped through quickly. Or maybe it's just creeping old fartdom. Actually I now have a shrine to Scriabin; it's what He would have wanted. Your tastes still Xenakis, Iannis and Greek-French composers?
Quote from: nodogen on May 21, 2017, 11:42:48 PM
From my modest little collection, I think the works I like most are by
Ravel
Scriabin
Vaughan Williams
I am always surprised to see Ravel and Scriabin mentioned on favorite composers lists. I do like Ravel's Piano Concerto in G minor A LOT, in fact it's one of my favorite Piano Concertos and I also think Menuet Antique is a great piece of music, but his other music has yet to impress me. Maybe I think him too much as the composer of Bolero? Ravel's output is pretty limited, isn't it?
I never explored Scriabin beyond the symphonies. The third is great, I admit. Is he really that great and worth exploring deeper?
Quote from: 71 dB on May 22, 2017, 01:27:31 AM
I am always surprised to see Ravel and Scriabin mentioned on favorite composers lists. I do like Ravel's Piano Concerto in G minor A LOT, in fact it's one of my favorite Piano Concertos and I also think Menuet Antique is a great piece of music, but his other music has yet to impress me. Maybe I think him too much as the composer of Bolero? Ravel's output is pretty limited, isn't it?
I never explored Scriabin beyond the symphonies. The third is great, I admit. Is he really that great and worth exploring deeper?
Ravel's output is relatively limited I believe. Bolero is the one orchestral work of his that I don't really rate, I generally skip it. I'd suggest his high points might include Daphnis et Chloe and Gaspard de la Nuit.
My love of Scriabin comes from his body of piano works; not so much the orchestral although I do have them. Most of his pieces are miniatures, but the usual ones to be highlighted are the 10 sonatas, particularly the later ones. No.6 might have to be my favourite, perhaps played by Varduhi Yeritsyan.
Quote from: 71 dB on May 22, 2017, 01:27:31 AM
I am always surprised to see Ravel and Scriabin mentioned on favorite composers lists. I do like Ravel's Piano Concerto in G minor A LOT, in fact it's one of my favorite Piano Concertos and I also think Menuet Antique is a great piece of music, but his other music has yet to impress me. Maybe I think him too much as the composer of Bolero? Ravel's output is pretty limited, isn't it?
I never explored Scriabin beyond the symphonies. The third is great, I admit. Is he really that great and worth exploring deeper?
Ravel's output is indeed fairly small, but each piece is a beauty. And
Bolero is a fine piece but bringing it up here is equal to saying you're surprised to see
Beethoven in someone's top 3, because you never liked
Für Elise.
I'd suggest trying the other
Piano Concerto, for the left hand, the
Piano Trio, the rest of the chamber music, and the songs in particular (
Deux Mélodies hébraïques, the
Mallarmé songs,
Chansons madécasses,
Histoires naturelles,
Chants populaires,
Cinq mélodies grecques), the one-act opera
L'enfant et les sortilèges, the solo piano works
Miroirs and
Le tombeau de Couperin in addition to
Gaspard, and
Ma Mère l'Oye for piano duo.
Quote from: nodogen on May 22, 2017, 02:10:21 AMMy love of Scriabin comes from his body of piano works; not so much the orchestral although I do have them. Most of his pieces are miniatures, but the usual ones to be highlighted are the 10 sonatas, particularly the later ones. No.6 might have to be my favourite, perhaps played by Varduhi Yeritsyan.
Vers la flamme!
Thread dutyRavel
Sibelius
Chopin
Quote from: North Star on May 22, 2017, 02:36:35 AM
Ravel's output is indeed fairly small, but each piece is a beauty. And Bolero is a fine piece but bringing it up here is equal to saying you're surprised to see Beethoven in someone's top 3, because you never liked Für Elise.
I'd suggest trying the other Piano Concerto, for the left hand, the Piano Trio, the rest of the chamber music, and the songs in particular (Deux Mélodies hébraïques, the Mallarmé songs, Chansons madécasses, Histoires naturelles, Chants populaires, Cinq mélodies grecques), the one-act opera L'enfant et les sortilèges, the solo piano works Miroirs and Le tombeau de Couperin in addition to Gaspard, and Ma Mère l'Oye for piano duo.
Vers la flamme!
Thread duty
Ravel
Sibelius
Chopin
+1, as they say.
Quote from: nodogen on May 22, 2017, 02:10:21 AM
Ravel's output is relatively limited I believe. Bolero is the one orchestral work of his that I don't really rate, I generally skip it. I'd suggest his high points might include Daphnis et Chloe and Gaspard de la Nuit.
I have "Complete Orchestral Music" by Inbal. :P Gaspard de la Nuit I have on Naxos.
Quote from: nodogen on May 22, 2017, 02:10:21 AMMy love of Scriabin comes from his body of piano works; not so much the orchestral although I do have them. Most of his pieces are miniatures, but the usual ones to be highlighted are the 10 sonatas, particularly the later ones. No.6 might have to be my favourite, perhaps played by Varduhi Yeritsyan.
I must say I have not explored Scriabin's piano music. Some 20 years ago I heard the third symphony on radio and liked it a lot. So, I got the symphonies on Naxos. Symphonies 1 & 2 are nice too, but not as good as the third. Somehow I moved on to other composers before exploring Scriabin further...
Quote from: North Star on May 22, 2017, 02:36:35 AM
Ravel's output is indeed fairly small, but each piece is a beauty. And Bolero is a fine piece but bringing it up here is equal to saying you're surprised to see Beethoven in someone's top 3, because you never liked Für Elise.
I'd suggest trying the other Piano Concerto, for the left hand, the Piano Trio, the rest of the chamber music, and the songs in particular (Deux Mélodies hébraïques, the Mallarmé songs, Chansons madécasses, Histoires naturelles, Chants populaires, Cinq mélodies grecques), the one-act opera L'enfant et les sortilèges, the solo piano works Miroirs and Le tombeau de Couperin in addition to Gaspard, and Ma Mère l'Oye for piano duo.
I think I have all of this except the opera and songs. I do LIKE Ravel. Nice, even great music. I just don't see him as one to enter my top 10. So why Ravel and not Fauré, Debussy or Saint-Saëns? Didn't they compose great works too? If Ravel for the "Spanish" feel, then why not Albeniz or Granados? Didn't they compose stunning spanish piano music? That's what I find curious. How is Ravel able to get into top 3 when it's so hard for the other composers I mentioned (to mention just a few!) ? Getting into top 20 is a huge thing for any composer.
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 22, 2017, 03:30:33 AM
To speed the explanation out, here is a snippet (which is still missing plenty of composers I really really love)
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?topic=4603.165;wap2 (http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php?topic=4603.165;wap2)
Did that work? the previous link didn't :-[
It did indeed. Quite a list!
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 22, 2017, 01:08:50 AM
Bach? yeah some of it, Beethoven? only a few late works (like 5? but more recently as a side tangent), Vivaldi? you gotta be jokin' :laugh: :laugh:
Vivaldi is an excellent opera composer but i don't think opera is really your thing. :P
Shall I make three and be done with it?
Boulez
Wagner
Natasha Barrett
But idk that just seems to represent some of the music I just really like at the moment.
Quote from: 71 dB on May 22, 2017, 03:27:58 AM
I do LIKE Ravel. Nice, even great music. I just don't see him as one to enter my top 10.
Which is fine. The question is, why are you so hung up about him entering other people's top 3?
Bach
Mozart
Schubert
Quote from: ørfeo on November 05, 2013, 10:32:30 PM
Beethoven
Faure
Holmboe
I see no real reason to alter this. I can think of about 3 others that are contenders but until they inspire a couple of mad binges they're not
quite there.
Quote from: nodogen on May 22, 2017, 01:12:50 AM
A gnat's whisker away from mine. 😊
My list probably wouldn't look like that today, but it'd be somewhat similar:
Sibelius
Nielsen
Vaughan Williams
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 22, 2017, 05:40:39 AM
My list probably wouldn't look like that today, but it'd be somewhat similar:
Sibelius
Nielsen
Vaughan Williams
And your list won't look like
that tomorrow ;D ;)
Sarge
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 22, 2017, 05:40:39 AM
My list probably wouldn't look like that today, but it'd be somewhat similar:
Sibelius
Nielsen
Vaughan Williams
I really need to push Vaughan Williams higher up my 'to do' list. I know almost nothing apart from a few (very good) songs. But I have a number of reasons to suspect I might like his music a great deal.
Quote from: ørfeo on May 22, 2017, 04:56:00 AM
Which is fine. The question is, why are you so hung up about him entering other people's top 3?
I don't have a problem with it. Just surprised to see him in the top 3 of so many people. It's
statistically interesting.
You have Fauré on your top 3 which is great. 0:)
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on May 22, 2017, 05:43:01 AM
And your list won't look like that tomorrow ;D ;)
Sarge
That's quite possible! :)
Quote from: ørfeo on May 22, 2017, 05:44:21 AM
I really need to push Vaughan Williams higher up my 'to do' list. I know almost nothing apart from a few (very good) songs. But I have a number of reasons to suspect I might like his music a great deal.
If you'd like some recommendations, then don't hesitate to ask. His oeuvre is full of so many masterpieces.
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 22, 2017, 05:49:22 AM
If you'd like some recommendations, then don't hesitate to ask. His oeuvre is full of so many masterpieces.
I plan to start with the symphonies.
Quote from: ørfeo on May 22, 2017, 05:51:10 AM
I plan to start with the symphonies.
A fine of a start as any. They're all magnificent.
Quote from: 71 dB on May 22, 2017, 03:27:58 AMI have "Complete Orchestral Music" by Inbal. :P G
That explains it all (at least: much). This box is certainly not among my favourite performances of Ravel, even far from it. Please try Martinon. :)
Quote from: Christo on May 22, 2017, 07:06:34 AM
That explains it all (at least: much). This box is certainly not among my favourite performances of Ravel, even far from it. Please try Martinon. :)
WHAT ?? :o I thought I did my homework when I bought the set. I have lived in the faith that Inbal is the man with Ravel's orchestral music. What the hell??
I am afraid I can't try anyone's Ravel for a while because there's many discs ordered. I need to explore at least Scriabin's piano sonatas... :P
Well, as we know from the diverse listenership on GMG 8) we can find fans for almost any conductor/recordings. I don't know the Inbal Ravel recordings, but whatever the 2 or 3 Inbal recordings I heard in the Deep Past, the impression they made has not had me ever desirous to hear more.
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 22, 2017, 05:40:39 AM
My list probably wouldn't look like that today, but it'd be somewhat similar:
Sibelius
Nielsen
Vaughan Williams
I suspect that Nielsen may be my next to investigate. I've no idea why, I can just feel it in my water. 🤔
Quote from: nodogen on May 22, 2017, 09:32:26 AM
I suspect that Nielsen may be my next to investigate. I've no idea why, I can just feel it in my water.
A splendid idea. How much
Nielsen have you heard so far, if any?
Quote from: nodogen on May 22, 2017, 09:32:26 AM
I suspect that Nielsen may be my next to investigate. I've no idea why, I can just feel it in my water. 🤔
Check out his six symphonies and concerti (three in all: one for violin, flute, and clarinet). If you need any recommendations for performances, then I'll happily help you. Also, the Nielsen thread may be of interest to you:
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,230.0.html
Quote from: North Star on May 22, 2017, 09:33:36 AM
A splendid idea. How much Nielsen have you heard so far, if any?
"None" would be an over-exaggeration. Thanks, I shall follow up your suggestions (be aware I am somewhat snail-like)...
Quote from: nodogen on May 22, 2017, 09:32:26 AM
I suspect that Nielsen may be my next to investigate. I've no idea why, I can just feel it in my water.
I don't know why you feel what you feel, but in my opinion
Nielsen is one of the greatest 20
th century composers. 0:)
Quote from: 71 dB on May 22, 2017, 09:52:31 AM
I don't know why you feel what you feel, but in my opinion Nielsen is one of the greatest 20th century composers. 0:)
I've only been listening to classical music for about 5 years; my knowledge is like my CD collection: skimpy! Thanks for the confirmation of my inkling.
Quote from: nodogen on May 22, 2017, 09:39:02 AM
"None" would be an over-exaggeration. Thanks, I shall follow up your suggestions (be aware I am somewhat snail-like)...
I'd urge you to check out the
Wind Quintet, along with the works
John (MI) recommended.
And a couple of fine shorter orchestral works that are a good entry point:
Rhapsody Overture: An imaginary journey to the Faroe Islands &
Helios Overture.
The piano music is not to be neglected, either:
Chaconne Op. 32,
Theme & vars. Op. 40,
Piano Suite 'Luciferian' Op. 45, and
Three Pieces, Op. 59.
(First law of GMG: eventually everything will be recommended. >:D)
Quote from: nodogen on May 22, 2017, 10:05:28 AM
I've only been listening to classical music for about 5 years; my knowledge is like my CD collection: skimpy! Thanks for the confirmation of my inkling.
I have been listening to classical music for 20 years, so I was 15 years ago where you are now. Well, 15 years ago I though I know a lot. Today I feel I know hardly anything. The more CDs I buy the skimpier my collection feels! It's the insanity of abundance. I was lucky to discover the music of Nielsen very early on (I heard the 4th symphony on radio and I was blown away) but only now I am exploring composers like Bax, Alwyn, Liszt, Weinberg, C.P.E. Bach, Scriabin's piano music, etc. ;)
Quote from: 71 dB on May 22, 2017, 10:30:50 AM
I have been listening to classical music for 20 years, so I was 15 years ago where you are now. Well, 15 years ago I though I know a lot. Today I feel I know hardly anything. The more CDs I buy the skimpier my collection feels! It's the insanity of abundance. I was lucky to discover the music of Nielsen very early on (I heard the 4th symphony on radio and I was blown away) but only now I am exploring composers like Bax, Alwyn, Liszt, Weinberg, C.P.E. Bach, Scriabin's piano music, etc. ;)
The key is not to worry about what you know and what you don't know and just listen at your own pace. When I first got into classical music, I had this exploratory attitude, but, nowadays, it's not too terribly important for me to hear music I haven't heard before. I have more than 10 lifetimes worth of music in my collection. I just go at my own leisure and I have found this is much more beneficial and rewarding for me.
Quote from: jessop on May 22, 2017, 04:45:04 AM
Shall I make three and be done with it?
Boulez
Wagner
Natasha Barrett
But idk that just seems to represent some of the music I just really like at the moment.
You are a man of excellent taste,
jessop! Your list is very similar to mine:
- The "número uno":
Richard Wagner-
Claude Debussy
- Pierre Boulez Still can't believe I left out Igor Feodorovich, but "Claude de France" gets the upper hand
chez ritter these days. ..
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 22, 2017, 10:52:56 AM
The key is not to worry about what you know and what you don't know and just listen at your own pace.
I miss those early years when I did just that. I didn't even have an internet connection home until 2002 or was it 2003? I just
Googled Altavisted about Elgar and other favorite composer in the university/work. The problems started when I joined GMG. Suddenly I was a target of heavy influence and I started to worry about a lot of things! Suddenly people started telling me how my Leaper Nielsen cycle isn't good and I am totally confused. :-X
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 22, 2017, 10:52:56 AMWhen I first got into classical music, I had this exploratory attitude, but, nowadays, it's not too terribly important for me to hear music I haven't heard before. I have more than 10 lifetimes worth of music in my collection. I just go at my own leisure and I have found this is much more beneficial and rewarding for me.
Sometimes I feel I should just stop exploring and buying and listen to what I have, but I make amazing discoveries among non-classical music, so it's difficult to not explore classical music too. :P
Quote from: ritter on May 22, 2017, 11:34:43 AM
You are a man of excellent taste, jessop! Your list is very similar to mine:
- The "número uno": Richard Wagner
- Claude Debussy
- Pierre Boulez
Still can't believe I left out Igor Feodorovich, but "Claude de France" gets the upper hand chez ritter these days. ..
;D
I have always enjoyed your Wagner and Boulez posts!
Quote from: 71 dB on May 22, 2017, 11:54:16 AM
I miss those early years when I did just that. I didn't even have an internet connection home until 2002 or was it 2003? I just Googled Altavisted about Elgar and other favorite composer in the university/work. The problems started when I joined GMG. Suddenly I was a target of heavy influence and I started to worry about a lot of things! Suddenly people started telling me how my Leaper Nielsen cycle isn't good and I am totally confused. :-X
Sometimes I feel I should just stop exploring and buying and listen to what I have, but I make amazing discoveries among non-classical music, so it's difficult to not explore classical music too. :P
I'm not sure why you feel the need to bring up Leaper's Nielsen cycle yet again? ??? I thought we already resolved that issue? You like it, I don't. So what? Anyway, I'm enjoying music at my own pace now and I don't feel compelled to listen to classical music just because I'm on a classical forum just like I don't feel compelled to listen to jazz on a jazz forum. I go where my heart desires and where my mood is. Classical music just hasn't been under my radar lately and that's perfectly fine with me as I listened to so much of it for almost a seven year stretch with no kind of musical detours. Classical, jazz, and progressive rock are all genres that a part of my spiritual being and I don't know what I'd do without them.
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 22, 2017, 02:15:00 PM
I'm enjoying music at my own pace now and I don't feel compelled to listen to classical music just because I'm on a classical forum just like I don't feel compelled to listen to jazz on a jazz forum. I go where my heart desires and where my mood is. Classical music just hasn't been under my radar lately and that's perfectly fine with me as I listened to so much of it for almost a seven year stretch with no kind of musical detours. Classical, jazz, and progressive rock are all genres that a part of my spiritual being and I don't know what I'd do without them.
Those are all good points and I wholly agree. I think it's perfectly natural to go through cycles of listening (and watching and reading) and in a way perhaps it might even be healthy, to help sharpen previous appetites for when they return. It's all cool.
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 22, 2017, 02:15:00 PM
I'm not sure why you feel the need to bring up Leaper's Nielsen cycle yet again? ??? I thought we already resolved that issue? You like it, I don't. So what?
I don't know. Perhaps I haven't really resolved it yet? Good to know at least you have. :)
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 22, 2017, 02:15:00 PMAnyway, I'm enjoying music at my own pace now and I don't feel compelled to listen to classical music just because I'm on a classical forum just like I don't feel compelled to listen to jazz on a jazz forum. I go where my heart desires and where my mood is. Classical music just hasn't been under my radar lately and that's perfectly fine with me as I listened to so much of it for almost a seven year stretch with no kind of musical detours. Classical, jazz, and progressive rock are all genres that a part of my spiritual being and I don't know what I'd do without them.
I have also had my non-classical years when I have listened to classical music very little if at all. I find those non-classical periods easier to "execute" at my own pace.
Quote from: NikF on May 22, 2017, 02:54:29 PM
Those are all good points and I wholly agree. I think it's perfectly natural to go through cycles of listening (and watching and reading) and in a way perhaps it might even be healthy, to help sharpen previous appetites for when they return. It's all cool.
How I go about things as well. Although everyone tells me reading is very very good for me and yet I don't consistently read...I would like to
Quote from: NikF on May 22, 2017, 02:54:29 PM
Those are all good points and I wholly agree. I think it's perfectly natural to go through cycles of listening (and watching and reading) and in a way perhaps it might even be healthy, to help sharpen previous appetites for when they return. It's all cool.
Absolutely. I'm not worried about anything other than what gives me pleasure at moment.
Quote from: 71 dB on May 22, 2017, 03:14:40 PMI have also had my non-classical years when I have listened to classical music very little if at all. I find those non-classical periods easier to "execute" at my own pace.
I'm sure I'll make a return to classical music at some point, but right now it's not even a concern if I do or if I don't.
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 22, 2017, 04:39:02 PM
For me:
Prometheus
Piano Sonatas (so so good!)
Mysterium
Etudes
Do you know le poème de l'extase?
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 22, 2017, 04:45:12 PM
Yes, I know most of Scriabin's work. The Poem of Ecstasy is great late Scriabin but it never quite hit me like many of his other works
Ah okay. That one is one of my favourites. ^_^
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 22, 2017, 04:39:02 PM
For me:
Prometheus
Piano Sonatas (so so good!)
Mysterium
Etudes
Oh, I thought Mysterium was never finalised?
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 22, 2017, 04:13:32 PM
I'm sure I'll make a return to classical music at some point, but right now it's not even a concern if I do or if I don't.
There has been days in my life when I have feld I might never return to classical music, but so far I have eventually. What I have learned about myself is that for me some music genres are "soulmates". For me for example electronic dance music (techno, house, trance, jungle, etc.) is a soulmate genre with classical music. Whenever I am into the other, I am also into the other. Another soulmate group is formed of genres such as ambient/new age/electronic non-dance (e.g. Tangerine Dream), pop (e.g. Kesha), rock (e.g. King Crimson) and movie soundtracks. My dad is a jazz-nut and I spent my childhood listening to Max Roach's epic drum solos, but I never became a jazz-nut myself. I find jazz pretty boring music, all it is is improvisation. Of course there are exceptions and there's some jazz to my liking. Max Roach's drum solos are still epic! >:D Since I listen to jazz so little, I don't know in what group it belongs to. Probably with classical music and electronic dance music. It's also possible, there's more soulmate groups than two?
I started my music listening with electronic dance music in 1988. In 1997 I discovered classical music, perhaps because these two genres are soulmates (for me at least). Perhaps we discover other genres of music for two reasons:
(1) we discover another soulmate genre in the group that we are currently in.
(2) we are fed up with the soulmate genre(s) we have been listening for long and we want the opposite
In 2001 I probably did (2) by discovering pop music* and a few years later new age and my classical music listening almost stopped. Of course at that time I did not know what is happening, and all of this is still only a theory (to be called crazy by you, I know). For the last 15 years or so I have been flip-flopping between the two (?) soulmate groups and perhaps 5 years ago I started to see the soulmate connections between different music genres.
So, you'll return to classical music when you are fed up with the soulmate group you are currently listening to. ;)
_____________________________________________________________
* I moved 2001 and for the first time in my life I was able to see MTV channel on TV. That probably triggered my "need" to change the soulmate group I was listening to.
Quote from: ritter on May 22, 2017, 11:34:43 AM
- The "número uno": Richard Wagner
- Claude Debussy
- Pierre Boulez
Interesting list! On the surface, it seems all over the place; but really, there is a solid core there.
Quote from: ritter on May 22, 2017, 11:34:43 AM
You are a man of excellent taste, jessop! Your list is very similar to mine:
- The "número uno": Richard Wagner
- Claude Debussy
- Pierre Boulez
Still can't believe I left out Igor Feodorovich, but "Claude de France" gets the upper hand chez ritter these days. ..
Interesting, we have almost the same top 3. Wagner and Debussy, that is. About Boulez as a composer I know pretty much nothing at all, a shame to admit.
Thread duty:
Wagner
Debussy
Sibelius
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 22, 2017, 11:33:46 PM
Alexander Nemtin's reconstruction?
Ah, news to me. Will investigate. Merci.
Quote from: Alberich on May 24, 2017, 07:03:59 AM
Interesting, we have almost the same top 3. Wagner and Debussy, that is. About Boulez as a composer I know pretty much nothing at all, a shame to admit.
This is a new music ensemble here at the New England Conservatory (for whom the piece is already rather a classic, of course o:) )
http://www.youtube.com/v/x2A30tJAH3s
Quote from: nodogen on May 24, 2017, 07:16:56 AM
Ah, news to me. Will investigate. Merci.
Nemtin produced a performing version of the
Prelude ("
Preparation") to
Mysterium...it was recorded by
Ashkenazy in Berlin...
[asin]B00002R2SQ[/asin]
...a recording that is also included in the big Decca box:
[asin]B00SCGAXAQ[/asin]
Regards,
Haydn, Mozart, Schubert
Thanks ritter, it looks a bit pricey! Having read a bit about it I'm not sure I like the idea of a reconstruction; it seems more like a construction to me. I'd want to know it's 100% Scriabin which it clearly cannot be. Still, interesting. Who knows what Scriabin might have done next if he'd lived? Disappeared into Tibet probably!
Quote from: Florestan on May 24, 2017, 09:23:28 AM
Haydn, Mozart, Schubert
I can live with that, unamended.
I would add Beethoven and Vivaldi to make a round 5.... 0:)
8)
The third name is always the hardest:
Bach
Haydn
Vivaldi
Actually, when I wrote Vivaldi, I felt I'm being terribly ungrateful and unfair to Schubert, Shostakovich, Schumann, Brahms, Frescobaldi, Monteverdi... :( :)
Quote from: Gordo on May 24, 2017, 09:53:30 AM
The third name is always the hardest:
Bach
Haydn
Vivaldi
I appreciate both the challenge, and the immediate remorse 8)
. . . but I thoroughly approve your
troika.
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on May 24, 2017, 10:36:08 AM
I appreciate both the challenge, and the immediate remorse 8)
. . . but I thoroughly approve your troika.
:D ;D :D
As a Catholic, I have a good training in remorse and forgiving. :P
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 24, 2017, 12:59:38 PM
Well Nemtin truly believed he was a reincarnation of Scriabin.......
That's taking marketing too far.
Quote from: Thatfabulousalien on May 24, 2017, 02:24:20 PM
At one point I was the eighth reincarnation of Scriabin, if you remember :laugh:
Good times! 8)
Were you?! 😮
I either missed that or it's leaked out of my mind. Probably the latter.
J.S. Bach - IMHO the greatest Composer ever (and deservedly one of GMG's most popular)..
Shostakovich - I get a lot of value out of his Orchestral and Chamber music.
Wagner - Only really started to listen to his music seriously the last few weeks and I am astounded by it..
That ever reliable trio: Zappa, Mahler, Ravel.
Quote from: Conor71 on June 02, 2017, 09:02:29 PM
Wagner - Only really started to listen to his music seriously the last few weeks and I am astounded by it..
<obligatory snark>
Oh, it's astonishing, all right.
</obligatory snark>
8)
currently
Beethoven, Schumann & Ferneyhough
It's easy. In chronological order: Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven.
Quote from: mszczuj on June 06, 2017, 02:15:09 AM
It's easy. In chronological order: Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven.
This is the three thread, not the four. 😊
Quote from: nodogen on June 06, 2017, 02:17:56 AM
This is the three thread, not the four. 😊
Then the first is Beethoven, the second is Bach and the third are Haydn and Mozart.
Quote from: mszczuj on June 06, 2017, 02:27:28 AM
Then the first is Beethoven, the second is Bach and the third are Haydn and Mozart.
Precisely what I guessed.
Haydn and Mozart only counts for one half each.
;)
Quote from: Neil Asuolubaftaht on June 06, 2017, 02:26:07 AM
I can take a nice dose of that everyday 8)
Not
every day, might get sick... I'm on a Frescobaldi kick right now anyway.
Quote from: Crudblud on June 06, 2017, 03:07:28 AM
Not every day, might get sick... I'm on a Frescobaldi kick right now anyway.
YES!
I'm up to four equal favourites now.
It began about 14 years ago with Beethoven.
Then Brahms;
Then Shostakovich
And now Bruckner forms the four headed monster.
Mozart, Schubert, Chopin
(30 years ago it was Beethoven, Beethoven, Mahler)
With age comes wisdom.
Quote from: San Antone on March 01, 2019, 10:41:01 AM
I probably have answered in this thread before, but I feel fairly certain that my choices would no longer be the same. I only have two truly favorite composers:
Brahms & Debussy.
I can't even think of a third whose music I enjoy as nearly as much as I do that of these two.
;)
Your love for Brahms has its limits, though:
Quote from: San Antone on March 01, 2019, 06:40:58 AM
pick your favorite symphony or concerto - and I won't like it.
;D ;D ;D
Brahms
Prokofiev
Ravel
Quote from: San Antone on March 01, 2019, 10:48:36 AM
For sure, I don't listen to Brahm's orchestral music
Try his two serenades, they are delightful.
Quote from: ritter on May 22, 2017, 11:34:43 AM
...
- The "número uno": Richard Wagner
- Claude Debussy
- Pierre Boulez
...
Almost two years later,
im Westen nichts Neues. :)
Quote from: Florestan on March 01, 2019, 10:53:19 AM
Try his two serenades, they are delightful.
I will. Thanks for the suggestion.
;)
Wagner
Debussy
Berlioz
Quote from: Florestan on March 01, 2019, 09:56:15 AM
With age comes wisdom.
Some of us have been old for a long time.
I suppose I should update my trifecta:
Debussy
(https://www.ikon-gallery.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Claude_Debussy_ca_1908_foto_av_F%C3%A9lix_Nadar_crop-2-600x606.jpg)
Ravel
(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/5c/ea/cd/5ceacd1e7a234b811e31990245d7caec--classical-music-composers-maurice-ravel.jpg)
Bartók
(http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium/bela-bartok-hungarian-composer-everett.jpg)
Due more to changes in my personal definition of "favorite" than any actual rebalancing, my current choices would be Schubert, Mozart & Dvořák.
Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Bach & Bartók are still very important composers to me but not always ones I listen to with the same sense of love; there are days, weeks or months that can go by without me having a desire to hear their music. The composers whom I always am down to listen to who are just behind the top 3 would be Mendelssohn, Poulenc, Haydn, Cage, Ravel & Sciarrino.
Quote from: Christo on September 26, 2013, 04:28:16 AM
My first choice is still Vaughan Williams, who became a personal favourite in the 1970s, when I was 15. He still is. Second and third choices have differed over time. Today (:-)) they are Tubin and Holmboe.
Nothing very different today. ;D
Quote from: Christo on March 04, 2019, 02:54:06 AM
Nothing very different today. ;D
Not that I keep a ranked list of such things, but your signature file has always seemed to speak volumes about the composer and his work, and although the enthusiasm of both
vandermolen and
Mirror Image have pointed me in that direction, it's an ongoing reminder to listen to RVW.
Quote from: NikF4 on March 04, 2019, 03:21:59 AM
Not that I keep a ranked list of such things, but your signature file has always seemed to speak volumes about the composer and his work, and although the enthusiasm of both vandermolen and Mirror Image have pointed me in that direction, it's an ongoing reminder to listen to RVW.
??? :D
Very similar to Christo regarding Vaughan Williams although I was a year or two older when I latched on to Vaughan Williams, 16 or 17 ( late developer 8)). Regarding VW I was lucky that my 17th year coincided with the centenary of VW's birth in 1972 and that I lived in central London, so was able to attend, for example the centenary concerts in the Festival Hall and Westminster Abbey (both conducted by Boult). I think that Miaskovsky is my No.2 choice. Sibelius and Bruckner are two of the greatest. At the moment I'm listening to a lot of Alwyn, so maybe he is today's No3 choice although, Diamond, Bate, Braga Santos and Tubin rate very highly for me.
Now I feel that I should have included Shostakovich or Sibelius as my third choice. ::)
Recently it's been Atterberg, Dvořák, and Sibelius (in no particular order).
Here is a nice photo of one of my favourites:
And another:
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Quote from: vandermolen on March 10, 2019, 03:09:02 AM
Here is a nice photo of one of my favourites:
And another:
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Nice, Jeffrey. Here's a good one of ol' Ralph:
Zappa, Mahler, Stravinsky. No! Schoenberg, Ravel, Beethoven! Uh... wait! Webern, Frescobaldi, Crumb! Or... that is... Ah, I've got it! Carter, Ives, Froberger! Damn... wrong again. Bear with me folks, this could go on all night.
Quote from: Mirror Image on March 10, 2019, 07:22:58 AM
Nice, Jeffrey. Here's a good one of ol' Ralph:
That's a lovely photo as well John. I first saw it on the back of an LP of VW's hymns in my early days of collecting his music. And here is another one plus one of another of my favourite composers. I wonder why I like these images in particular?
8)
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At the moment I think my top 3 composers are:
Sir Edward Elgar
Johann Sebastian Bach
Mieczyslaw Weinberg
Quote from: 71 dB on March 11, 2019, 03:21:36 AM
At the moment I think my top 3 composers are:
Sir Edward Elgar
Johann Sebastian Bach
Mieczyslaw Weinberg
I like Weinberg too - was listening to his Piano Quintet yesterday and look forward to discovering more. Symphony 5 is a masterpiece IMO and I also think very highly of 1,3 and 6.
Quote from: vandermolen on March 11, 2019, 02:17:58 AMI wonder why I like these images in particular?
8)
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It's quite possible you like them because they show the composers in a natural position and they're not really 'posing' or you could just have a thing for cats? ;)
Quote from: Mirror Image on March 12, 2019, 06:44:45 AM
It's quite possible you like them because they show the composers in a natural position and they're not really 'posing' or you could just have a thing for cats? ;)
;) Sadly I couldn't find a picture of Miaskovsky with a cat but here is another composer I greatly admire with some slightly larger cats 8)
Nice CD too!
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Quote from: vandermolen on March 12, 2019, 06:59:57 AM
;) Sadly I couldn't find a picture of Miaskovsky with a cat but here is another composer I greatly admire with some slightly larger cats 8)
Nice CD too!
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Well, there you go, I stand corrected. ;)
Quote from: vandermolen on March 11, 2019, 11:52:31 PM
I like Weinberg too - was listening to his Piano Quintet yesterday and look forward to discovering more. Symphony 5 is a masterpiece IMO and I also think very highly of 1,3 and 6.
Inspired by you I'm listening to the Piano Quintet. I have/know symphonies 10, 12, 19 & 20. People keep talking about 5, but I haven't heard it yet so there's a lot to explore. Most of my Weinberg is chamber music.
Quote from: 71 dB on March 12, 2019, 09:25:15 AM
Inspired by you I'm listening to the Piano Quintet. I have/know symphonies 10, 12, 19 & 20. People keep talking about 5, but I haven't heard it yet so there's a lot to explore. Most of my Weinberg is chamber music.
What did you think of it?
Here is the very nice CD with Bloch PQ2 which I was listening to.
Yes, you must get to hear Symphony 5, preferably in Kondrashin's unrivalled performance.
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Quote from: 71 dB on March 12, 2019, 09:25:15 AM
Inspired by you I'm listening to the Piano Quintet. I have/know symphonies 10, 12, 19 & 20. People keep talking about 5, but I haven't heard it yet so there's a lot to explore. Most of my Weinberg is chamber music.
Two of my favorite Weinberg works include the atmospheric 3rd Symphony and the gorgeous Cello Concerto. I find that I tend to prefer his more lyrical earlier works - his later works are a bit too unremittingly dark and bleak for my tastes.
Quote from: kyjo on March 13, 2019, 11:18:04 AM
Two of my favorite Weinberg works include the atmospheric 3rd Symphony and the gorgeous Cello Concerto. I find that I tend to prefer his more lyrical earlier works - his later works are a bit too unremittingly dark and bleak for my tastes.
My thoughts exactly.
3 perennial favorites:
Brahms, Dvorak and Shostakovich.
Here's one of them:
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