Vocal music. Anything with integral vocal writing. Primarily songs, choir, etc. Try to refrain from listing complete operas here, I'll create a separate thread for a survey of that.
Strauss: Four Last Songs
Martinů: The Epic of Gilgamesh (1955), The folk cantatas H. 354, 360 & 364 (1955, '56, '57)
Shostakovich: opp. 79, 100, 127, 145, 146
Britten: The Holy Sonnets of John Donne (1945), Winter Words (1954), Nocturne (1958), War Requiem (1961), Phaedra (1975)
Schnittke: Choir Concerto
Pärt: Stabat Mater
Grisey: Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil (1998)
Britten's Spring Symphony. Is from 1949, it brings together lyrics from several eras and blends them into a satisfying celebration of Spring using the full vocal forces including boy's choir.
Britten Phaedra, his final vocal work, a cantata for mezzo soprano.
Mike
Carl Rutti: Requiem. A Naxos disc. Here is a modern piece of choral music that will certainly stick in the repertoire. It starts and ends with a single soprano voice, we enter life and we leave....alone. I can't imagine this piece to be better performed. Premiered in 2007 the commission stipulated scoring as for the Faure Requiem with the Soprano and Baritone soloists, accessable, but significant.
Mike
Some Spanish stuff that certainly makes the mark:
Manuel de Falla / Ernesto Hallfter: Atlántida
Cristóbal Halffter: Officium defucnctorum; Preludio para Madrid '92
from Italy:
Luigi Dallapiccola: Canti di liberazione
from the US:
Elliott Carter: A Mirror on which to dwell; Syringa
Roger Sessions: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd
from the UK:
Alexander Goehr: The Death of Moses
from Germany:
York Höller: Der ewige Tag
Momente
Scardanelli Zyklus
Transit
Kafka Fragments
Syringa
Caminantes . . . ayacucho
Pli selon pli
Strauss: Four Last Songs
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Bernstein: West Side Story
Numerous works by Arvo Pärt, Veljo Tormis, and Morten Lauridsen.
It's interesting how in these types of lists people who's ideas I find stimulating are always choosing Messages of the Late Miss R.V. Troussova rather than Kafka Fragments. I'm going to have to listen to it soon, if anyone knows if the text is online in English or French, please post a link.
Quote from: James on March 22, 2015, 02:36:55 PM
Off the top, quickly ..
Strauss, 4 Last Songs
Stravinsky, Abraham and Isaac, Canticum Sacrum, Requiem Canticles
Berio, Épiphanie, Sinfonia, Recital I, Sequenza III, Circles, Folk Songs
Boulez, Pli Selon Pli, Le marteau sans maître, Le soleil des eaux, Le visage nuptial
Stockhausen, Song of the Youths, Momente, Stimmung, Welt-parlament, Lichter-Wasser, Angel Processions
Nono, Il canto sospeso
Ligeti, Requiem, Lux Aeterna, Aventures
Kurtág, Messages of the Late Miss R.V. Troussova
Viñao, Son Entero
Don't forget about Ligeti's
Clocks and Clouds! >:(
Also,
Mysteries of the Macabre (as a stand-alone work from his opera).
I'm surprised that you didn't list Stockhausen's
Carre.
I'll add Feldman's
Rothko Chapel.
And how could we forget George Crumb's Star-Child ? ? ? ? :-[
Herbert Howells's 'Hymnus Paradisi'
Vaughan Williams 'Hodie'
Martinu 'Epic of Gilgamesh'
Honegger 'Christmas Cantata'
Finzi 'In Terra Pax'
Quote from: Christo on March 24, 2015, 12:39:58 AM
With orchestra etc.:
Howells: Hymnus Paradisi
Villa-Lobos: Choros No. 10
Pärt: Te Deum
Einhorn: Voices of Light
A cappella:
Tormis: Unustatud rahvad (Forgotten Peoples)
Sisask: Gloria Patris
Pärt: Kanon Pokajanen
other favourites I'm reminded of thanks to you:
Quote from: vandermolen on March 23, 2015, 02:47:24 PMDurufle: Requiem
Quote from: Sergeant Rock on March 23, 2015, 03:06:58 PMBritten War Requiem
Quote from: Draško on March 23, 2015, 03:53:10 PMMartinu - The Epic of Gilgamesh
Quote from: Christo on March 30, 2015, 03:15:20 PM
other favourites I'm reminded of thanks to you:
Forgot that the Durufle was published in 1947, so definitely should have included it along with Britten's War Requiem which certainly is one of the major post WW2 scores.
What about Messiaen's Trois Petites Liturgies? That was written during WWII (towards the end, I think).
Henryk Gorecki has written a number of beautiful choral and other vocal works. Many here are familiar with his "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" (#3); there is also a lovely Beatus Vir and, I think, a fair catalogue of unaccompanied choral music.
I had the privilege to hear Crumb's Star Child live in Kansas City in the late 1970s, shortly after its world premiere. Amazing piece! 8)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/412DfeB6sqL._SS480.jpg)
Messiaen's La Transfiguration from the late 60s is easily the greatest work in this category; there's also only one worthwhile recording, the Dorati.
Quote from: Sean on March 31, 2015, 08:08:16 AM
Messiaen's La Transfiguration from the late 60s is easily the greatest work in this category; there's also only one worthwhile recording, the Dorati.
I still don't care for this (and I love Messiaen). It isn't that I hate it -- it just bores me. I can't sit through the whole thing comfortably. Maybe it's too static for me. I don't know. I hope I am able to appreciate it someday.
You probably don't have the Dorati... Other recordings show a singular misunderstanding of the work; it hasn't been that successful in performance or recordings but it's one of M's top few greatest achievements, totally otherworldly and weird inspiration.
Morton Feldman : For Stefan Wolpe
I was reminded of how good this piece is after listening to it on Spotify from this interesting recording:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SziN%2BqEWL._SY355_.jpg)
Quote from: knight66 on March 22, 2015, 09:28:53 AM
Carl Rutti: Requiem. A Naxos disc. Here is a modern piece of choral music that will certainly stick in the repertoire. It starts and ends with a single soprano voice, we enter life and we leave....alone. I can't imagine this piece to be better performed. Premiered in 2007 the commission stipulated scoring as for the Faure Requiem with the Soprano and Baritone soloists, accessable, but significant.
Mike
Sounds most interesting. Must look out for this.
Quote from: Sean on March 31, 2015, 01:50:22 PM
You probably don't have the Dorati... Other recordings show a singular misunderstanding of the work; it hasn't been that successful in performance or recordings but it's one of M's top few greatest achievements, totally otherworldly and weird inspiration.
This is good to know. Thanks!
I had the Dorati in LP days then bought it on CD too. Matchless instrumental soloists including Loriod and Janos Starker, both in totally manic moods.
Include
Cardew - The Great Learning Paragraphs 3, 4 and 7
Aarre Merikanto - Genesis
Maurice Ohana: Cantigas
André Jolivet: Le coeur de la matière (cantata on texts by Teilhard de Chardin and Songe à nouveau rêvé for soprano and orchestra
Gordon Crosse: Changes
Nicholas Maw: Scenes and arias