# What are your TOP 25 from the Modern Era (1945-present)?



## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

I am feeling guilty for only asking for five from some of you who really love recent music, so....

In an effort to get a more fleshed out list of the great music of modern times, *what are your top twenty-five works (unranked) from 1945-Present?* Please include the year(s) associated with the composition of the work or, if needed, use the date of the premiere.

I'll kick it off with:


Rzewski: El Pueblo Unido... (1975)
Rihm: Phantom und Eskapade (1994)
Adams: Harmonielehre (1985)
Adams: Nixon in China (1987)
Arnold: Symphony No. 5 (1971)
Arnold: Brass Quintet (1960)
Van der Aa: Up Close (2010)
Harvey: Moruous Plango, Vivos Voco (1980)
Berio: Sinfonia (1969)
Andriessen: De Staat (1976)
Prokofiev: Symphony no.6 (1947)
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto no.1 (1955)
Xenakis: Jonchaies (1977)
Crumb: Ancient Voices of Children (1970)
Messiaen: Éclairs sur l'Au-Delà … (1991)
Bernstein: West Side Story (1957)
Bernstein: Chichester Psalms (1965)
Denisov: Saxophone Concerto (1986)
Lutoslawski: Funeral Music (1958)
Ruders: Symphony no.4 (2008)
Pärt: Fratres: (1977)
Gubaidulina: Bassoon Concerto (1975)
Gubaidulina: In tempus praesens (2007)
Davies: Trumpet Concerto (1988)
Davies: Strathclyde Concerto no. 9 (1994)

There are several other works (Ligeti, Abrahamsen, Corigliano, Stravinsky, Romitelli) that could easily make the list but this is pretty close for me.


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## calvinpv (Apr 20, 2015)

I tried to limit myself to one work per composer, and I still ended up with 30! Since I can't choose, I'll keep the extra five works in.

Abrahamsen: Schnee (2006-2008)
Andriessen: De Materie (1985-1988)
Babbitt: All Set (1957)
Barrett, N.: Trade Winds (2006)
Berio: Coro (1974-1976)

Billone: Sgorgo Y. N. oO. (2012-2013)
Boulez: Répons (1981, revised 1984)
Cage: Sonatas and Interludes (1946-1948)
Crumb: Black Angels (1970)
Feldman: Piano and String Quartet (1985)

Grisey: Les espaces acoustiques (1974-1985)
Haas: limited approximations (2010)
Lachenmann: Grido (2001)
Lang, B.: Monadologie series (2007-present) <-- I haven't heard every work in the series
Ligeti: Lux Aeterna (1966)

Manoury: Pluton (1988-1989)
Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946-1948)
Murail: Désintégrations (1982)
Penderecki: Symphony No. 3 (1988-1995)
Poppe: Speicher (2008-2013)

Rădulescu: infinite to be cannot be infinite, infinite anti-be could be infinite, Op. 33 (1976-1987)
Reich: Music for 18 Musicians (1974-1976)
Rihm: Jagden und Formen (1995-2001, revised 2008)
Saariaho: L'Amour de loin (2000)
Scelsi: Uaxuctum (1966)

Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 1 (1976-1977)
Steen-Andersen: Black Box Music (2012)
Stockhausen: Kontakte (1958-1960)
Varèse: Déserts (1950-1954)
Xenakis: ST/4, 1-080262 (1956-1962)


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

calvinpv got his Scelsi in ahead of me, but this is because I was busy rankin' my 25. 

1.	Andre Jolivet's _Symphonie No.3_ (1964)
2.	Maurice Ohana's _Livre des Prodiges_ (1978-'79)
3.	Meyer Kupferman's _Jazz Symphony_ (1988)
4.	Toru Takemitsu's _A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden_ (1977)
5.	Bohuslav Martinu's _The Epic of Gilgamesh_ (1955)
6.	Einojuhani Rautavaara's _Angels and Visitations_ (1978)
7.	Arne Nordheim's _Spur_ (1975)
8.	Einar Englund's _Concerto for 12 Cellos_ (1981)
9.	_Les Perses_ (1961) by Jean Prodromides [the 1961 Philips LP cover serves as my TC avatar]
10.	Giacinto Scelsi's _Uaxuctum_ (1966)
11.	Roberto Gerhard's _The Plague_ (1964)
12.	_Le Livre des Katuns_ (1977) by Jean Prodromides
13.	Karl-Birger Blomdahl's _Sisyphus_ (1954)
14.	Richard Rodney Bennett's _Violin Concerto_ (1975)
15.	Henri Dutilleux's _Timbres, Espace, Mouvement_ (1978)
16.	Andre Jolivet's _Missa Uxor Tua_ (1962)
17.	_La Noche Triste_ (1989) by Jean Prodromides
18.	Luis de Pablo's _Danzas Secretas_ (2007)
19.	_Geysir_ (1961) by Jon Leifs
20.	Luigi Dallapiccola's _3 Questions with 2 Answers_ (1962/'63)
21.	Erik Bergman's _Dreams_ (1977)
22.	Aarre Merikanto's _Genesis_ (1956)
23.	Friedrich Cerha's _Instants_ (2006-2008)
24.	Geert van Keulen's _Tympan_ (1990)
25.	Andre Jolivet's _Sonata for Flute and Piano_ (1958)


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

An attempt. Alphabetically per composer obviously. And probably forgetting quite a few....

Alwyn - Lyra Angelica, Concerto for harp and string orchestra (1954)
Barber - Knoxville summer of 1915 (1947)
Berio - Sinfonia (1968)
Britten - War requiem (1962)
Chin - Šu for sheng and orchestra (2009)

Finzi - Cello concerto (1955)
Finzi - Clarinet concerto (1949)
Gorecki - Symphony 3 (1976)
Gubaidulina - Jetzt immer Schnee (1993)
Hovhaness - Symphony No. 50 "Mount St. Helens" (1982)

MacMillan - Veni, Veni, Emmanuel (1992)
Moeran - Cello concerto (1945)
Reich - Different Trains (1988)
Sallinen - Songs of Life and Death (1995)
Shostakovich - String quartet 8 (1960)

Shostakovich - Symphony No. 10 (1953)
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 13 "Babi-Yar" (1962)
Shostakovich - Symphony No. 14 (1969)
Shostakovich - Viola Sonata (1975)
Strauss, R - Metamorphosen (1945)

Strauss, R - Vier letzte Lieder (1948)
Takemitsu - November steps (1967)
Takemitsu - From Me Flows What You Call Time (1990)
Vasks - Cor anglais concerto (1994)
Vaughan Williams - Sinfonia antartica (1952)


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## Trout (Apr 11, 2011)

Abrahamsen: Schnee (2006-08)
Adams, JL: Become Ocean (2013)
Boulez: Répons (1980, rev. 1982/84)
Cage: Roaratorio: An Irish Circus on Finnegans Wake (1979)
Dhomont: Forêt profonde (1994-96)

Dockstader: Quatermass (1966)
Eastman: Femenine (1974)
Furrer: Piano Concerto (2007)
Glass: Einstein on the Beach (1976)
Goebbels: Eislermaterial (1998)

Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques (1974-85)
Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium (1994)
Ligeti: Études pour piano (1985, 1988-94, 1995-2001)
Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie (1946-48)
Nono: Prometeo (1981-84, rev. 1985)

Nyman: MGV: Musique à Grande Vitesse (1993)
Partch: Delusion of the Fury (1966)
Radulescu: Intimate Rituals XI, op. 63 (2003)
Reich: Music for 18 Musicians (1974-76)
Riley: In C (1964)

Romitelli: Dead City Radio (Audiodrome) (2003)
Saariaho: L'Amour de loin (2000)
Schnittke: Peer Gynt (1988)
Takemitsu: From Me Flows What You Call Time (1990)
Vasks: Violin Concerto "Tālā gaisma (Distant Light)" (1996-97)


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## StDior (May 28, 2015)

Arnold: Symphony No. 5 (1961)
Boulez: Anthèmes II (1997)
Boulez: Répons (1984)
Chin: Violin Concerto (2001)
Gorecki: Three pieces in the old style (1963)

Grisey: Les Espaces Acoustiques (1974-85)
Gubaidulina: Quasi Hoquetus, for viola, bassoon, and piano (1984)
Haas: String Quartet 3 "In iij. Noct" (2003)
Harvey: Mortuos Plango, Vivos Voco (1980)
Lachenmann: Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern (1996)

Ligeti: Clocks and Clouds (1973)
Ligeti: Violin Concerto (1992)
Manoury: Tensio (2010)
Nørgård: String Quartet No. 10 "Høsttidløs" (2005)
Pärt: Te Deum (1985)

Radulescu: Intimate Rituals (2003)
Radulescu: Piano Concerto "The Quest" (1996)
Radulescu: String Quartet #4, op. 33 "infinite to be cannot be infinite, infinite anti-be could be infinite" (1976-87)
Richard Strauss: Metamorphosen (1945)
Schnittke: Concerto for Piano and Strings (1979)

Schnittke: Piano Quintet (1972-76)
Silvestrov: Drama (1970-1971), one of his last pieces before rejecting the modernist style. 



Sørensen: Phantasmagoria (2007)
Stockhausen: Gesang der Jünglinge (1955-56)
Xenakis: Tetras (1983)

If the premier counts, these pieces would definitely be included too:
Ives: Piano trio (1915), (premier 1948)
Cavalli: Eliogabalo (1667), (premier 1999)


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## PeterFromLA (Jul 22, 2011)

Abrahamsen: Schnee (2008)
Adams: Nixon in China (1984)
Berio: Sinfonia (1969)
Boulez: Le marteau sans maitre (1955)
Boulez: Pli Selon Pli (1962)

Chin: Akrostichon-Wortspiel (1993)
Dusapin: Seven Solos for Orchestra (2009)
Dutilleux: Tout un monde lointain… (1970)
Feldman: For Philip Guston (1984)
Glass: Music in Twelve Parts (1974)

Gubaidulina: Violin Concerto (In Tempus Praesens) (2007)
Kurtag: Kafka Fragments (1987)
Ligeti: Chamber Concerto (1969-1970)
Ligeti: String Quartet No 2 (1968)
Lutoslawski: Third Symphony (1983)

Messiaen: Des canyons aux étoiles... (1974)
Reich: Music for Eighteen Musicians (1976)
Saariaho: Graal théâtre (1994)
Schnittke: String Quartet No 2 (1980)
Schnittke: Symphony No 5/Concerto Grosso No 4 (1988)

Silvestrov: Symphony No 5 (1982)
Stravinsky: Agon (1957)
Stravinsky: The Rake's Progress (1951)
Strauss: Four Last Songs (1948)
Strauss: Metamorphosen (1945)


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## Artran (Sep 16, 2016)

In alphabetical order:

Berio, Luciano - Sequenzas (1958 - 2002)
Boulez, Pierre - Le Marteau sans Maître (1953 - 1955/1957)
Britten, Benjamin - Turn of the Screw (1954)
Grisey, Gérard - Les espaces acoustiques (1974 - 1985)
Dutilleux, Henri - Ainsi la Nuit (1973 - 1976)

Gubaidulina, Sofia - Violin Concerto No. 1 ("Offertorium") (1980 - 1986)
Haas, Georg Friedrich - In Vain (2000)
Ferneyhough, Brian - Unity Capsule (1976)
Lutosławski, Witold - Symphony No. 3 (1972 - 1973)
Messiaen, Olivier - Catalogue d’oiseaux (1956 - 1958)

Martinů, Bohuslav - Otvírání studánek (1955)
Murail, Tristan - Les Travaux et les Jours (2003)
Pärt, Arvo - Miserere (1989)
Pärt, Arvo - Passio (1982)
Rihm, Wolfgang - Jagden und Formen (1995 - 2001)

Saariaho, Kaija - L'amour de loin (2000)
Scelsi, Giacinto - Uaxuctum (1966)
Schnittke, Alfred - Viola Concerto (1985)
Schnittke, Alfred - Concerto Grosso No. 1 (1977)
Takemitsu, Toru - A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden (1977)

Xenakis, Iannis - Jonchaies (1977)
Xenakis, Iannis - Evryali (1973)
Ligeti, György - Lux aeterna (1966)
Ligeti, György - Musica ricercata (1951 - 1953)
Zimmermann, Bernd Alois - Requiem für einen jungen Dichter (1967 - 1969)

I had to make some severe omissions...

EDIT 2023-01-05: I made some changes... Real personal choices would be Turn of the Screw, Otvírání studánek, Les Travaux et les Jours, Passio and Requiem für einen jungen Dichter.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

It will have to be just some of the titles that come to mind firstly - stuff most listened to, etc:


Henze Symphony no.1
Prokofiev Symphony 6
Martinu Symphony 6
Pettersson Symphony no.8
Shostakovich Symphony no.15


Lutoslawski Symphony no.3
Holmboe Symphony no.11
Nørgård Symphony no.5
Shostakovich 1st Cello Concerto
Shostakovich 1st Violin Concerto


Pettersson 2nd Violin Cto
Schnittke Viola Concerto
Kokkonen Durch einen Spiegel
Nørgård Piano Concerto, In Due Tempi
Nørgård Percussion Concerto, For a Change


Saariaho Flute Concerto, L'Aile des Songes
Scelsi Uaxuctum
Penderecki Te Deum
Gubaidulina Galgenlieder
Dlugoszewski Fire Fragile Flight


Graugaard Ophelia in the Garden
Ligeti Chamber Concerto
Messiaen Des Canyons aux Etoiles
Pärt Tabula Rasa Concerto
Takemitsu Riverrun, chamber orchestra version


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## Bwv 1080 (Dec 31, 2018)

No love for Carter?

Carter - Concerto for Orchestra
Carter - Third String Quartet
Carter - 90+
Carter - Changes
Carter - Syringa
Carter - Dialogues for Piano & Orch
Ferneyhough - Terrain
Lutoslawski - Chain 3
Ligeti - Clocks & Clouds
Terry Riley - In C
Boulez - Derive I & II
Takemitsu - A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
Messiaen - Couleurs de la Cité Céleste
Henze - Royal Winter Music II
Ginastera - Guitar Sonata
Dutilleux - Metaboles
Wolpe - Piece in Two Parts for Six Players
Schnittke - 3rd SQ
Shostakovich - Viola Sonata
Stravinsky - Agon
Murail - Desintegrations
Xenakis - Palimpsest
Babbitt - All Set
Rzewski - North American Ballades
Britten - Nocturnal


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## Artran (Sep 16, 2016)

Bwv 1080 said:


> No love for Carter?


Well, I had _Symphonia: sum fluxae pretium spei_ in a shortlist...


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

In no particular order.

Elliott Carter - Concerto for Orchestra (1969)
Elliott Carter - Variations for orchestra (1955)
Elliott Carter - String Quartet No. 3 (1971)
Bruno Maderna - _Oboe Concerto_ No. _3_ (1973)
Charles Wuorinen - 4th Piano concerto (2003)

Charles Wuorinen - Chamber Concerto for Oboe and 10 Players (1964)
Joan Tower - Concerto for orchestra (1991)
Joan Tower - Silver Ladders (1986)
Harrison Birtwistle - Earth Dances for orchestra (1986)
Luciano Berio - Sinfonia (1969)

Magnus Lindberg - Sculpture (2005)
Magnus Lindberg - Piano Concerto No. 1 (1991/94)
Gyogy Ligeti - Lux Aeterna (1966)
Krzysztof Penderecki - Violin Concerto No. 2: _Metamorphosen_ (1995)
Krzysztof Penderecki - Sextet (2000)

Stefan Wolpe - Piece for Piano and Sixteen Instruments (1962)
Samuel Barber - Piano concerto (1962)
Ernst Krenek - Static and Ecstatic, for chamber orchestra (1979)
Beat Furrer - Concerto for piano and orchestra (2007)
Unsuk Chin - Violin Concerto (2001)

Sofia Gubaidulina - Violin Concerto No. 1
George Perle - Concerto for piano and orchestra No.1 (1990)
Milton Babbitt - Concerto for piano and orchestra (1985)
Pierre Boulez - Pli Selon Pli (1962)
Per Nørgård - Sinfonia N0.7 (2004/2006)


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

Bwv 1080 said:


> *No love for Carter?*
> 
> Carter - Concerto for Orchestra
> Carter - Third String Quartet
> ...


Ha!

I was creating my list when you posted this. 

I have 3 Carter pieces on my list. I could have easily had more.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Bwv 1080 said:


> No love for Carter?
> 
> Carter - Concerto for Orchestra
> Carter - Third String Quartet
> ...


I tend to like mostly the earliest and the latest Carter, so far. But there are many more possible options/composers/works not on my list ... with 40 works, his chances were better.


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## Artran (Sep 16, 2016)

And what about @Shaughnessy, @SanAntone, @Highwayman, @allaroundmusicenthusiast, @RobertJTh, @SuperTonic, @feierlich, @Doublestring, @Bulldog, @kyjo and especially @justekaia?


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## Aries (Nov 29, 2012)

Martin Scherber - Symphony No. 2 (1952)
Martin Scherber - Symphony No. 3 (1955)

Alexey Rybnikov - Symphony No. 6 (2008)
Alexey Rybnikov - Symphony No. 5 (2005)

Dimitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 12 (1961)
Dimitri Shostakovich - The Song Of The Forests (1949)
Dimitri Shostakovich - The Sun Shines Over Our Motherland (1952)
Dimitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 10 (1953)

Wilhelm Furtwängler - Symphony No. 2 (1945)

Georgy Sviridov - The Blizzard (1965)
Georgy Sviridov - Music for chamber orchestra (1964)

Bernard Herrmann - Vertigo (1958)
Bernard Herrmann - Psycho (1960)

Otar Taktakishvilli - Symphony No. 1 (1949)

Joly Braga Santos - Symphony No. 4 (1950)
Joly Braga Santos - Symphony No. 1 (1947)
Joly Braga Santos - Symphony No. 2 (1948)
Joly Braga Santos - Symphony No. 3 (1949)

John Williams - Star Wars (1977-2019)

Shunsuke Kikuchi - Dragonball/Dragonball Z (1986-1996)

Ottmar Gerster - Symphony No. 2 (1952)

Sergei Prokofiev - Symphony No. 6 (1947)

Janis Ivanovs - Symphony No. 19 (1979)

Evgeny Brusilovsky - Symphony No. 5 (1961)

Vladimir Vlasov - Pathethic Symphony (1980)


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## allaroundmusicenthusiast (Jun 3, 2020)

Artran said:


> And what about @SanAntone, @Highwayman, @allaroundmusicenthusiast, @RobertJTh, @SuperTonic, @feierlich, @Doublestring, @Bulldog, @kyjo and especially @justekaia?


I'll try to come up with something (although in a lot of other threads I've already given my recommendations on the subject), I am just getting back on the horse now, after a dreadful year of music listening. Only 36 days of music against almost a hundred in 2021, according to my Last.fm stats


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## Kjetil Heggelund (Jan 4, 2016)

Britten Nocturnal
Britten Songs From the Chinese
Denisov Guitar Sonata
Denisov Flute/guitar Sonata
Denisov Concerto for 2 violas, Harpsichord & string orchestra

Takemitsu Towards the Sea
Carter Changes
Berio Sequenza XI
Riley Electric Counterpoint
Lindberg Mano a Mano

Nobre Entrada e Tango
Nørgård Tales of a Hand
Davies Symphony no. 3
Davies Symphony no. 10
Palomo Andalusian Nocturnes

Schnittke Concerto Grosso no. 1
Schnittke Piano Concerto
Abrahamsen Let Me Tell You
Henze Royal Winter Music
Messiaen Turangalila Symphony

Messiaen 20 Regards...
Grisey Les Espaces Acoustiques
Kurtag Grabstein für Stephan
Saariaho du Cristal
Nordheim Tenebrae


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## composingmusic (Dec 16, 2021)

An impossible task, but I'll try and stick to some that aren't on the lists already!
In alphabetical order:

Abrahamsen: Left, Alone
Adamék: Where are you?
Benjamin: Dream of the Song
Birtwistle: Carmen Arcadia Mechanicae Perpetuum
Boulez: Éclat

Carter: Double Concerto for Harpsichord and Piano
Crumb: Makrokosmos
Dallapiccola: Piccolo Musica Notturna
Fagerlund: Water Atlas
Grisey: Quatre Chants pour franchir le seuil

Harvey: String Quartet no. 3
Knussen: Coursing
Knussen: Where the Wild Things Are
Lachenmann: Guero
Ligeti: Lontano

Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra
Messiaen: Chronochromie
Messiaen: Poèmes pour Mi
Murail: Gondwana
Saariaho: Lichtbogen

Stockhausen: Gruppen
Takemitsu: Spirit Garden
Takemitsu: Twill by Twilight
Unsuk Chin: Rocaná
Xenakis: Persephassa


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## feierlich (3 mo ago)

Artran said:


> And what about @SanAntone, @Highwayman, @allaroundmusicenthusiast, @RobertJTh, @SuperTonic, @feierlich, @Doublestring, @Bulldog, @kyjo and especially @justekaia?


Thanks for inviting but this is also almost impossible for me... I could already list more than 25 composers, not to mention individual works, but I tried my best and here's my 25, in alphabetical order of composer's last name:

Mark Andre: _... auf ..._ (2005/06)
Franck Bedrossian: _Swing_ (2009)
Luciano Berio: _Coro_ (1974-76)
Pierre Boulez: _Notations I-IV_ for orchestra (1980)
Brian Ferneyhough: _Cassandra's Dream Song_ (1970)
Beat Furrer: _Begehren_ (2001)
Clemens Gadenstätter: _Sad Songs_ (2012)
Gérard Grisey: _Le Temps et l'écume_ (1988-89)
Helmut Lachenmann: _Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern_ (1990-96)
György Ligeti: _Le Grand Macabre_ (1974-77)
Marco Momi: _Ludica II_ (2009)
Olga Neuwirth: _Lost Highway_ (2002-03)
Luigi Nono: _Caminantes... Ayacucho_ (1986-87)
Alberto Posadas: _Oscuro Abismo de llanto y de ternura_ (2005)
Horațiu Rădulescu: String Quartet No. 5 _Before the universe was born_ (1990-95)
Fausto Romitelli: _An Index of Metals_ (2003)
Rebecca Saunders: _miniata_ (2004)
Giacinto Scelsi: _Konx-Om-Pax_ (1969)
Salvatore Sciarrino: _Macbeth_ (2002)
Mathias Spahlinger: _passage/paysage_ (1988-90)
Karlheinz Stockhausen: _Mantra_ (1969-70)
Edgard Varèse: _Déserts_ (1950-54)
Iannis Xenakis: _La Légende d'Eer_ (1977)
Hans Zender: _Shir Hashirim_ (1992-96)
Bernd Alois Zimmermann: _Requiem für einen jungen Dichter_ (1967-69)

I have to admit this is very hard... had to exclude Claude Vivier, Pierluigi Billone, Péter Eötvös, Toshio Hosokawa, Luigi Dallapiccola, Misato Mochizuki, Ying Wang, Enno Poppe, Isang Yun, György Kurtág, John Cage, George Benjamin, Morton Feldman and so on and so on.


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## Artran (Sep 16, 2016)

feierlich said:


> Thanks for inviting but this is also almost impossible for me... I could already list more than 25 composers, not to mention individual works, but I tried my best and here's my 25, in alphabetical order of composer's last name:
> 
> Mark Andre: _... auf ..._ (2005/06)
> Franck Bedrossian: _Swing_ (2009)
> ...


Great list. It _is _hard, but it's also good mental exercise.


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## SuperTonic (Jun 3, 2010)

These are the first 25 that came to mind that I listen to on a regular basis:

Messiaen: Turangalila-Symphonie (1948)
Cage: Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano (1948)
Carter: String Quartet no. 1 (1951)
Carter: Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello, and Harpsichord (1952)
Shostakovich: Symphony no. 10 (1953)

Ligeti: Musica ricercata (1953)
Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra (1954)
Xenakis: Metastasis (1954)
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto no. 1 (1959)
Ligeti: Lontano (1967)

Berio: Sinfonia (1969)
Lutoslawski: Cello Concerto (1970)
Crumb: Black Angels (1970)
Dutilleux: Tout un monde lointaine (1970)
Messiaen: Des canyons aux etoiles... (1971)

Schnittke: Piano Quintet (1976)
Feldman: Piano and String Quartet (1985)
Schnittke: Cello Concerto no. 1 (1986)
Feldman: Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello (1987)
Cage: number pieces (1987-1992)

Boulez: ...explosante-fixe... (1993)
Boulez: Anthemes II (1997)
Gubaidulina: Canticle of the Sun (1997)
Ligeti: Etudes for piano (1985-2001)
Andrew Norman: Play (2013)


I realize it is probably cheating to list all of Cage's number pieces in one entry, but I like all of the ones I've heard, which is most of them, and I couldn't pick any individual number piece that I like more than any of the others.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Trying to give as broad a list as possible (but failing in one case)...

Hans Abrahamsen - let me tell you (2014)
William Alwyn - Lyra Angelica (1954)
Luciano Berio - Rendering (1990)
Alexander Brincken - Symphony #4 (2014)
Peter Maxwell Davies - An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise (1985)

Jennifer Higdon - City Scape (2002)
Douglas Lilburn - A Song of Islands (1946)
George Lloyd - Symphonic Mass (1993)
George Lloyd - Symphony #11 (1985)
Witold Lutoslawski - Concerto for Orchestra (1954)

James MacMillan - Piano Concerto #2 (1999,2003)
Bohuslav Martinů - Symphony #5 (1946)
William Mathias - Symphony #1 (1966)
David Matthews - Symphony #9 (2016)
José Pablo Moncayo - Tierra de temporal (1949)

Francis Poulenc - Gloria (1959)
Edmund Rubbra - Symphony #5 (1949)
Joly Braga Santos - Symphonic Variations on a popular song from the Alentejo (1951)
Rodion Shchedrin - Carmen Suite (1967)
Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony #11 (1957)

Michael Tippett - Symphony #2 (1957)
Ralph Vaughan Williams - Symphony #8 (1956)
William Walton - Variations on a Theme by Hindemith (1962)
Graham Waterhouse - Sinfonietta for string orchestra (2002)
Mieczysław Weinberg - Symphony #3 (1950)


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

One work per composer, chronologically listed:

Hindemith: When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd (1946)
Sessions: String Quartet no. 2 (1951)
Messiaen: Catalogue d'oiseaux (1958)
Stockhausen: Kontakte (1960)
Davies: Eight Songs for a Mad King (1969)

Dutilleux: Tout un monde lointain (1970)
Penderecki: Utrenja (1971)
Shostakovich: String Quartet no. 15 (1974)
Schnittke: Piano Quintet (1976)
Xenakis: Jonchaies (1977)

Henze: Royal Winter Music (1979)
Carter: Night Fantasies (1980)
Saygun: Piano Concerto no. 2 (1985)
Birtwistle: Earth Dances (1986)
Takemitsu: From Me Flows What You Call Time (1990)

Wuorinen: Piano Quintet (1994)
Grisey: Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil (1998)
Ligeti: Etudes for piano (2001)
Lindberg: Clarinet Concerto (2002)
Hosokawa: Circulating Ocean (2005)

Boulez: Dérive 2 (2006)
Gubaidulina: In Tempus Praesens (2007)
Saariaho: D'Om le Vrai Sens (2010)
Ferneyhough: Liber Scintillarum (2012)
Dench: Piano Sonata (2016)

This was _*very *_hard...


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

feierlich said:


> Thanks for inviting but this is also almost impossible for me... I could already list more than 25 composers, not to mention individual works, but I tried my best and here's my 25, in alphabetical order of composer's last name:
> 
> Mark Andre: _... auf ..._ (2005/06)
> Franck Bedrossian: _Swing_ (2009)
> ...


A wonderfully esoteric list


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## juliante (Jun 7, 2013)

I applaud your knowledge folks. I never give modern music enough time. Maybe this will inspire me.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

I'm gonna cheat big time.

Shostakovich: Symphonies 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15
Shostakovich: Violin Concertos 1 and 2
Shostakovich: Cello Concerto 1 and 2
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto no. 2
Shostakovich: String Quartets 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15
Shostakovich: Violin Sonata
Shostakovich: Viola Sonata
Shostakovich: 24 Preludes and Fugues
Shostakovich: Michelangelo Songs


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## composingmusic (Dec 16, 2021)

RobertJTh said:


> I'm gonna cheat big time.
> 
> Shostakovich: Symphonies 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15
> Shostakovich: Violin Concertos 1 and 2
> ...


Seems like you’re a fan of Shostakovich – might that be possible?


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

composingmusic said:


> Seems like you’re a fan of Shostakovich – might that be possible?


Yes, but I was exaggerating quite a bit, of course 😋

Let me try again, with no more than 3 works per composer.

Brian: Symphony no. 8
Britten: String Quartet no. 3
Britten: The Turn of the Screw
Britten: Nocturne
Furtwängler: Symphony no. 2
Hartmann: Symphony no. 6
Honegger: Symphony no. 3 "Liturgique"
Myaskovsky: Symphony no. 27
Pettersson: Symphony no. 7
Prokofiev: Symphony no. 6
Prokofiev: Symphony no. 7
Prokofiev: Cello Sonata
Poulenc: Gloria
Poulenc: Clarinet Sonata
Schoenberg: String Trio
Schoenberg: Fantasy for Violin and Piano
Schoenberg: A Survivor from Warsaw
Shostakovich: Symphony no. 10
Shostakovich: String Quartet no. 9
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto no. 1
Strauss: Four Last Songs
Strauss: Metamorphosen
Strauss: Oboe Concerto
Vaughan Williams: Symphony no. 6
Walton: Symphony no. 2

Still very traditional and conservative, I'm afraid. And too many symphonies.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

RobertJTh said:


> Still very traditional and conservative, I'm afraid. And too many symphonies.


R.I.P., Classical Music, dearly departed during 1975.

Will we have the pleasure of RobertJTh's presence during TC's upcoming 1989 game?


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

Let me see if I can try my hand at this...

In no particular order:

Ligeti: _Études_
Scelsi: _Uaxuctum_
Feldman: _Cello and Orchestra_
Boulez: _Sur Incises_
Henze: _Undine_
Carter: _Three Occasions for Orchestra_
K. A. Hartmann: _Symphony No. 6_
Grisey: _Les espaces acoustiques_
Penderecki: _Kosmogonia_
Shostakovich: _String Quartet No. 8_
Takemitsu: _Autumn_
Silvestrov: _Symphony No. 5_
Lutosławski: _Jeux vénitiens_
Strauss: _Vier letzte Lieder_
Panufnik: _Autumn Music_
Schnittke: _Piano Quintet_
Adams: _Harmonielehre_
Tabakova: _Cello Concerto_
Gubaidulina: _Sieben Worte_
Duruflé: _Requiem_
Kabeláč: _The Mystery of Time_
Xenakis: _Jonchaies_
Stravinsky: _Orpheus_
Britten: _Death in Venice_
Adès: _Arcadiana_


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

I can find 25 works by just Stravinsky and Shostakovich without breaking a sweat. But that would exhaust my list before even considering Cage, Boulez, Bernstein, and a number of other composers.


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## Neo Romanza (May 7, 2013)

SanAntone said:


> I can find 25 works by just Stravinsky and Shostakovich without breaking a sweat. But that would exhaust my list before even considering Cage, Boulez, Bernstein, and a number of other composers.


Don't worry I edited my own list to include Duruflé's _Requiem_.  A work that I know you love unequivocally. I love it, too, of course.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

Prodromides said:


> R.I.P., Classical Music, dearly departed during 1975.
> 
> Will we have the pleasure of RobertJTh's presence during TC's upcoming 1989 game?


In my defense, it isn't a matter of "unknown equals unloved". I studied music theory and composition and had intensive contact with teachers and fellow students who were exponents of the avant-garde styles. And I can show you dozens of compositions from those years that employed modern and post-modern techniques. It's just that when I was released into the free again, I realized that my heart wasn't in it, so after a while I returned to the warm womb of tonality. And this decision affected my listening habits too.
I also think no-one should be obliged or pressured into loving all music that's critically acclaimed, and the "you're missing out of great stuff" argument is completely lost on me. Life's just too short.


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## Artran (Sep 16, 2016)

RobertJTh said:


> In my defense, it isn't a matter of "unknown equals unloved". I studied music theory and composition and had intensive contact with teachers and fellow students who were exponents of the avant-garde styles. And I can show you dozens of compositions from those years that employed modern and post-modern techniques. It's just that when I was released into the free again, I realized that my heart wasn't in it, so after a while I returned to the warm womb of tonality. And this decision affected my listening habits too.
> I also think no-one should be obliged or pressured into loving all music that's critically acclaimed, and the "you're missing out of great stuff" argument is completely lost on me. Life's just too short.


Shoenberg is "the warm womb of tonality"?


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## composingmusic (Dec 16, 2021)

Artran said:


> Shoenberg is "the warm womb of tonality"?


I think early period Schoenberg could be classified as such. Look at Verklärte Nacht, for instance. Later period Schoenberg I wouldn’t classify as tonal, but it does have a lot in common with earlier German music. Indeed, Schoenberg saw his music as a natural continuation of the German tradition.


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

Artran said:


> Shoenberg is "the warm womb of tonality"?


Like composingmusic said, there are elements in Schoenberg's music that make it not completely detached from the German romantic tradition. Schoenberg quoted Brahms as a major influence, even in his 12-tone compositions. And since I value that tradition highly, I somehow have a high tolerance to Schoenberg.
Well, either that or I just imprinted on it, listened to it a lot and found beauty in it. Don't get me wrong, I realize that there are lots of modern compositions that I plainly ignore or even haven't heard and that are worthy of such investment. It's just that I don't aspire encyclopedic knowledge of all music ever composed, and yeah... there are just that many hours in a day.


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## Artran (Sep 16, 2016)

composingmusic said:


> I think early period Schoenberg could be classified as such. Look at Verklärte Nacht, for instance. Later period Schoenberg I wouldn’t classify as tonal, but it does have a lot in common with earlier German music. Indeed, Schoenberg saw his music as a natural continuation of the German tradition.


I specifically meant the compositions mentioned by RobertJTh in his top 25, on top of that when we speak about Schoenberg we don't usually mean his early tonal period.



RobertJTh said:


> Like composingmusic said, there are elements in Schoenberg's music that make it not completely detached from the German romantic tradition. Schoenberg quoted Brahms as a major influence, even in his 12-tone compositions. And since I value that tradition highly, I somehow have a high tolerance to Schoenberg.
> Well, either that or I just imprinted on it, listened to it a lot and found beauty in it. Don't get me wrong, I realize that there are lots of modern compositions that I plainly ignore or even haven't heard and that are worthy of such investment. It's just that I don't aspire encyclopedic knowledge of all music ever composed, and yeah... there are just that many hours in a day.


Fair enough. I understand that you just want to listen to what you like (and that's perfectly fine), I was just surprised, that you included late Schoenberg in your top 25, which is quite a high regard, especially because you mentioned tonality as your main focus. And because that's the case I think that maybe it would be fruitful for you to pursue composers which are somehow between old and new (like Schnittke, Vasks, Kancheli, Tüür, or late Penderecki for example). There're lots of great contemporary composers who don't sound like Stockhausen, Ferneyhough or Lachenmann!


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

RobertJTh said:


> In my defense, it isn't a matter of "unknown equals unloved". I studied music theory and composition and had intensive contact with teachers and fellow students who were exponents of the avant-garde styles. And I can show you dozens of compositions from those years that employed modern and post-modern techniques. It's just that when I was released into the free again, I realized that my heart wasn't in it, so after a while I returned to the warm womb of tonality. And this decision affected my listening habits too.
> I also think no-one should be obliged or pressured into loving all music that's critically acclaimed, and the "you're missing out of great stuff" argument is completely lost on me. Life's just too short.


You're not alone! I'm another who much prefers tonality. I've tried and tried, but I just don't like a lot of dissonance and/or atonality. At this point, I don't often try. I just stick to tonal pieces which I know I will enjoy...and only occasionally try a dissonant piece to see if my tastes have changed. They haven't.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

RobertJTh said:


> In my defense, it isn't a matter of "unknown equals unloved". I studied music theory and composition and had intensive contact with teachers and fellow students who were exponents of the avant-garde styles. And I can show you dozens of compositions from those years that employed modern and post-modern techniques. It's just that when I was released into the free again, I realized that my heart wasn't in it, so after a while I returned to the warm womb of tonality. And this decision affected my listening habits too.
> I also think no-one should be obliged or pressured into loving all music that's critically acclaimed, and the "you're missing out of great stuff" argument is completely lost on me. Life's just too short.


While I don't have your background, I do have very similar feelings so it was interesting to note that over 30% of my list was post-1990 - albeit not what one would consider as 'modernist' (whatever that actually means.)


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## Artran (Sep 16, 2016)

cybernaut said:


> You're not alone! I'm another who much prefers tonality. I've tried and tried, but I just don't like a lot of dissonance and/or atonality. At this point, I don't often try. I just stick to tonal pieces which I know I will enjoy...and only occasionally try a dissonant piece to see if my tastes have changed. They haven't.





Becca said:


> While I don't have your background, I do have very similar feelings so it was interesting to note that over 30% of my list was post-1990 - albeit not what one would consider as 'modernist' (whatever that actually means.)


If I can speak for myself it's not that easy to draw a line between tonal and atonal. Maybe I'm spoiled already .


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Has anyone mentioned Evan Johnson?


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## composingmusic (Dec 16, 2021)

Artran said:


> If I can speak for myself it's not that easy to draw a line between tonal and atonal. Maybe I'm spoiled already .


Berg is an excellent example of this!


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

Artran said:


> If I can speak for myself it's not that easy to draw a line between tonal and atonal. Maybe I'm spoiled already .


You're lost!!!


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## cybernaut (Feb 6, 2021)

composingmusic said:


> Berg is an excellent example of this!


Not to my ears. Berg is definitely in the atonal/dissonant camp for me. I can't stand listening to him. But my brother likes Berg, so different strokes for different folks...


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## Andante Largo (Apr 23, 2020)

Wolf-Ferrari - Cello Concerto Op. 21 'Invocazione' (1945)
Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Overture to "Antony and Cleopatra" (1947)
Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Overture to "The Tragedy of Coriolanus" (1947)
Still - Symphony No. 4 "Autochthonous" (1947)
Howells - Music for a Prince: Two Pieces for Orchestra (1948)
Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Guitar Concerto No. 2 in C major, Op. 160 (1953)
Finzi - Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 40 (1955)
Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Concerto in G for two Guitars and Orchestra, Op. 201 (1962)
Mingxin Du - Symphony "Great Wall" (ca. 1980)
Yoshimatsu - Symphony No. 1, Op. 40 (1990)
Kilar - Piano Concerto No. 1 (1996)
Theodorakis - Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra (1996)
Yoshimatsu - Ode to Birds and Rainbow, Op. 60 (1996)
Pavlova - Symphony No. 2 "For the New Millennium" (1998)
Pavlova - The Old New York Nostalgia Suite (1998)
Schmidt-Kowalski - Symphony No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 67 (2000)
Liu Xue Xuan - Erhu Concerto No. 2 (2003)
Schmidt-Kowalski - Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor, Op. 100 (2005)
Guan Naizhong - Erhu Concerto No. 4 "Love and Hatred" (2008)
Schmidt-Kowalski - Violin Concerto No. 3 in F-sharp minor, Op. 111 (2010)
Adams - Become Ocean (2013)
Hisaishi - 'I'd Rather be a Shellfish' for Violin and Orchestra (2014)
Hisaishi - Symphonic Fantasy 'The Tale of the Princess Kaguya' (2014)
Brincken - Symphony No. 4 in G minor, Op. 27 (2015)
Khanmammadov - Concerto for Kamancha and Symphonic Orchestra (?)


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

Andante Largo said:


> Wolf-Ferrari - Cello Concerto Op. 21 'Invocazione' (1945)
> Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Overture to "Antony and Cleopatra" (1947)
> Castelnuovo-Tedesco - Overture to "The Tragedy of Coriolanus" (1947)
> Still - Symphony No. 4 "Autochthonous" (1947)
> ...


Nice to see that I'm not the only one listing Alexander Brincken's 4th. I know that he is trying to get his 3rd recorded, which I have heard in a computer generated form, but the cost/logistics aren't easy (is there anyone with $thousands to spare?)

P.S. If there are any interested TC members with orchestra programming influence, please PM me and I'll be glad to put you in touch with him.


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

One per composer:

*Prokofiev: Violin Sonata No. 1 (1946)
Korngold: Symphony in F-sharp (1947-52)
Strauss: Vier letzte Lieder (1948)
Braga Santos: Symphony No. 4 (1950)
Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra (1950-54)
Holmboe: Symphony No. 8 'Sinfonia boreale' (1952)
Tippett: Fantasia Concertante on a Theme of Corelli (1953)
Alwyn: Harp Concerto 'Lyra Angelica' (1954)
Tubin: Symphony No. 6 (1953-56)
Martinu: Piano Concerto No. 4 'Incantations' (1956)

Vaughan Williams: Symphony No. 9 (1956-57)
Poulenc: Gloria (1959)
Barber: Piano Concerto (1962)
Penderecki: Utrenja (1969-71)
Mathias: Harp Concerto (1970)
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 15 (1971)
Arnold: Symphony No. 7 (1973)
Ginastera: Cello Sonata (1979)
B. Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 3 'Sevastopol' (1980)
Xenakis: Tetras (1983)

Schnittke: Cello Concerto No. 1 (1985-86)
Górecki: String Quartet No. 2 (1991)
Nyman: MGV (1993)
Rouse: Flute Concerto (1993)
Rautavaara: Symphony No. 8 (1999)*


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## StDior (May 28, 2015)

StDior said:


> Arnold: Symphony No. 5 (1961)
> Boulez: Anthèmes II (1997)
> Boulez: Répons (1984)
> Chin: Violin Concerto (2001)
> ...


After about 3 years:
Instead of the Arnold, Chin, Gorecki, Haas, Harvey, Part, Strauss pieces and Ligeti's Violin concerto I would include the following works:

Abrahamsen: String Quartet No. 4 (2012)
Gubaidulina: String Quartet No. 2 (1987)
Kurtág: String Quartet No. 3 (Officium breve) (1988–89)
Nancarrow: String Quartet No. 3 (1987)
Ligeti: Chamber Concerto (1969-70)
Lutoslawski: Symphony no. 3 (1981–83)
Rihm: String Quartet No. 13 (2011)
Sørensen: L'isola della Città (2015)


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## sqorda (Aug 9, 2013)

This was tough. The things I had to leave out… And still I cheated.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7fHlekdm9maYwGdCMZXuLe?si=f8e0c5ee424945fe

1. Bartók: Piano Concerto 3 (1945)
2. Boulez: Piano Sonata 2 (1947–1948)
3. Barraqué: Piano Sonata (1950–1952)
4. Messiaen Réveil des oiseaux (1953)
5. Xenakis: Metastaseis (1953–1954)
6. Varèse: Déserts (1950–1954)
7. Boulez: Le Marteau sans maître (1953–1955/1957)
8. Stockhausen: Gruppen (1955–1957)
9. Ligeti: Apparitions (1958–1959)
10. Messiaen: Chronochromie (1960)
11. Boulez: Pli selon pli (1962)
12. Xenakis: Bohor (1962)
13. Dutilleux: Métaboles (1963–1964)
14. Ligeti: Requiem (1963–1965)
15. Ligeti: Lontano (1967)
16. Ligeti: String Quartet 2 (1968)
17. Reich: Four Organs (1970)
18. Dutilleux: Tout un monde lointain (1970)
19. Ligeti: Melodien (1971)
20. Louis Andriessen: De Staat (1972–1976)
21. Xenakis: Jonchaies (1977)
22. Feldman: Triadic Memories (1981)
23. Lachenmann: Mouvement (1982–1984)
24. Ligeti: Piano Concerto (1985–1988)
25. Nono: La lontananza nostalgica utopica futura (1988/1989)
26. Lachenmann: Grido (2001)
27. Lachenmann: Concertini (2005)
28. Rebecca Saunders: Solitude (2013)
29. Fedele: Pulse & Light (2014)
30. Stefan Prins: Third Space (2016–2018)


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