# Kalevi Aho, Alla Pavlova, Kamran Ince etc. - Oft-recorded not oft-discussed?



## MonagFam (Nov 17, 2015)

I was going through my online collection and seeing where there were some gaps. Kalevi Aho came up and I was thinking how I have maybe all but two or three of his symphonies. It also got me thinking about other contemporary (as of this writing) composers I know of that have a large recorded output -- such as Alla Pavlova and Kamran Ince. I did a brief search of these and didn't find a lot of discussions. To be fair, I didn't dig deep, but it seemed like it was more "current listening" type threads/ 

I assume if a composer isn't discussed much, it's because there isn't enough sustained interest -- a thread here or there that lasts six posts (essentially any thread started by me! :lol: ). What might account for their popularity in terms of their works being recorded? Or why aren't they a bigger deal here?

I like the idea of supporting the contemporary scene, and happen to quite like much of Aho, Pavlova, and Ince, but was curious why they don't generate much interest. 

You could include James MacMillan in this list, but I didn't actually perform a search for him, but may be the same.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

There are only a few users that are daily active here so if nobody is a particular fan of Aho there will not be much discussion about him. Aho is also what I see really not a composer who is particularly disliked so no haters will bring him up either.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I know a number of Aho's and Pavlova's works. I have enjoyed everything I've heard by Pavlova and have a couple of CDs. Her Elegy is gorgeous. 

For some reason my reaction to Aho's works is less consistent. I like several of his later symphonies and especially enjoy his Symphonic Dances and Concerto for two cellos. I have several more works of his on my "To Listen" list (Viola Concerto and Book of Questions).

I do not know Kamran Ince and have nothing on my "To Listen" list so either I haven't seen any suggestions or I've heard something but didn't find it interesting (and don't remember him). 

I view both Aho and Pavlova as neo-Romantic (I still don't know if that's a generally used term by people who actually know music or whether it's simply used by people like me to mean modern/contemporary music that has Romantic ties). I do enjoy many composers who write in this general style, but I often find that they interest me less than composers who exhibit newer sounds. They don't seem to have that potential "Wow" factor that can captivate me. So while I find myself liking their music, I don't think of them as composers I'm eager to explore as much as others.


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## Phil loves classical (Feb 8, 2017)

Neo-Romantic is right. i have a couple of Pavlova's symphonies on CD. I thought they were great.


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## Guest (Apr 3, 2017)

I don't always go for neo-romanticism, but Aho's brand usually agrees with me.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I liked his Insect Symphony but haven't played it for years


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## MonagFam (Nov 17, 2015)

mmsbls said:


> I know a number of Aho's and Pavlova's works. I have enjoyed everything I've heard by Pavlova and have a couple of CDs. Her Elegy is gorgeous.
> 
> For some reason my reaction to Aho's works is less consistent. I like several of his later symphonies and especially enjoy his Symphonic Dances and Concerto for two cellos. I have several more works of his on my "To Listen" list (Viola Concerto and Book of Questions).
> 
> ...


Thanks for your reply. I think your definition is apt. I enjoy both Aho and Pavlova, but I find it interesting that while I agree with your thoughts I do find myself drawn more to Aho (even if Pavlova is more consistent and beautiful at times).

Here is an Ince Symphony - I believe it is about a soccer club...


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## MonagFam (Nov 17, 2015)

Phil loves classical said:


> Neo-Romantic is right. i have a couple of Pavlova's symphonies on CD. I thought they were great.





nathanb said:


> I don't always go for neo-romanticism, but Aho's brand usually agrees with me.





Triplets said:


> I liked his Insect Symphony but haven't played it for years


 Thanks! I do like the insect symphony as well. As or the first quote, I agree about everything I have heard by Pavlova.


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## MonagFam (Nov 17, 2015)

Sloe said:


> There are only a few users that are daily active here so if nobody is a particular fan of Aho there will not be much discussion about him. Aho is also what I see really not a composer who is particularly disliked so no haters will bring him up either.


Thank you. I can definitely see that. Or they get lumped in more general threads as opposed to specific analysis -- "I like him" or "his work has done nothing for me" type of comments.


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