# a sereous tread on modernist era 21 century to nowadays



## deprofundis (Apr 25, 2014)

Some people perceived modernism has Noisy awfull racket, to be frankly honnest, i can't get into Stockhausen but i like the modernists in general.

But i pretty mutch like the modernist of the 21 century, Bartók ,Penderecki, Hovhaness, Leifs, Crumbs ect.

Im really far into ancient music, but modernism movement deserve more lisen, but like everyone else here we have phase, time will tell what i like best modern work or ancient work ,but the question is futile i like both.

You dont hear me talk about baroque because im not a specialist, baroque repertoire of classicals composer is hudge there output is hugde,just look aat Teleman were to start, so i avoid baroque
for now and lisen to everything before and after, baroque is too mutch material, but i aknowledge the academic effort put into this movement.

But let's stay in the subject i think the best modernist may come as place like japan and china there blend of exotic tradition in the music make em very interresting to me, look at Matsudaira ,Shuya,Takemitsu,Hosokawa. and ect..

But i know there are modernist in scandinavia Worth mentioning, i seen a Gesualdo it's the philharmonic of estonia and it featured also obscur estonian modernists that sound like Gesualdo..
I want to know more on scandinavia modernists?

:tiphat:


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## Foghunter (Jan 28, 2016)

I agree with you that there are many interesting modernist experiments that come from Japan and, mostly nowadays, composers with a Chinese background that blend in their native music. But the question was more about Scandinavian modernists. Given the list of composers in your original message, I take the modernism very wide.

A good starting point here seems to be Alan Pettersson, though you need to have the stomach for the later symphonies. They are hugely interesting after repeated hearing. Others that come up in the general list of modern Scandinavian composers are Rautavaara, Aho, Sallinen, Nørgard, all worth listening to. Most recently I heard something by Karen Rehnquist (Sweden), which certainly fits the bill and seems highly interesting as well. 

If you a a blank sheet on the composers above, try Pettersson 7th symphony. If it is too 'classical' go up with the numbers (try No. 11 or 13), if it is too much for the stomach, go Rautavaara.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I enjoy some of the music of Poul Ruders who is from Denmark.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

I admit to having a large collection of music from the northern European countries. I've long had an interest in Scandinavian composers, ever since hearing Sibelius and Nielsen. Those are great 20th century composers to start with, whether you are looking for post-romanticism or modernism. Interestingly enough, most of the Scandinavian composers I encounter are quite modern, many contemporary and still living and writing. There remain several from the pre-modernist period who are well worth getting to know, folks such as Berwald, Gade, Borresen and of course Grieg. But the late 20th century and 21st century Scandinavians prove quite a varied lot to explore.

I'll offer a few suggestions, but this is by no means near complete. (Remember, exploring music on your own, letting way lead to way and taking on new listens in unfamiliar territory remains one of the great joys of this musical art we enjoy.)

You might want to start in Finland with a post-Sibelian. I refer to Einojuhani Rautavaara (born 1928 and still alive); he has several symphonies to his credit and a concerto for birds and orchestra titled _Cantus Arcticus_. You'll find much of his music on NAXOS and ONDINE labels. Everything is well worth hearing, but I'll recommend two ONDINE discs for starters: ODE740-2 which features the first three symphonies and ODE747-2 which gives you symphonies 4 and 5 and an astounding performance of the _Cantus Arcticus_. This is music that can change your life, believe me. You'll be seeking out Rautavaara for further listening. (Symphony 3 invokes Bruckner's Seventh, while the opening of the Fifth is astoundingly original, in the way Nielsen's Fourth's opening is -- I hear it as the breaking of ocean waves.)

A second Finnish composer of note is Einar Englund (1916-99) whose symphonies fall into a more tonal patterning than many modernists. You could equate him with neo-classicism. But I always enjoy listening to Englund's work.

Sweden offers several great composers of modernist vein. Two I'll recommend that spend a lot of time in my CD player and on my turntable are Karl-Birger Blomdahl (1916-68) whose three symphonies are available on BIS CD-611 (and the third, titled "Facetter" from 1950, ranks as one of the greatest symphonies of the 20th century and is a must hear!), and Hilding Rosenberg (1892-1985) who produced some of the most beatiful music of the 20th centuries in his symphonies (of which number 2 remains my favorite.) Rosenberg's Symphony No. 2, the "Sinfonia Grave", is on a Turnabout LP disc coupled with the remarkable Symphony No. 4 by Dag Wiren (1905-86), another composer worth exploring.

A Dane who has captured my attention is Vagn Holmboe (1909-96) whose 13 symphonies are available on BIS, and prove well worth a modernist fan's time. Each is splendid in its own fashion, but I have a particular fondness for BIS CD-573 which features Symphony No. 6 and Symphony No. 7, two "contemporary" sounding works which well present Holmboe's art. Too, you should explore his various concerti and string quartets as well. Another Dane to look at (or listen to) is Per Nørgård (b. 1932) whose music is distinctive, even for a northern master. You'll find a couple of his symphonies on CHANDOS. Don't overlook Kalevi Aho (b. 1949) or Joonas Kokkonen (b. 1921) either. I've collected many of their pieces, much of it on the BIS label, and they never fail to surprise and please. And before you leave Denmark's listening sphere, please explore some of the symphonies of Rued Langgaard (1893-1952) -- who is one of the most eccentric and astounding composers of the first half of the 20th century.

A Norwegian of great interest is Fartein Valen (1887-1952) whose symphonies and string quartets are quite an earful and certainly marked by "modernism" even though he died midway through the 20th century.

Of course, Iceland gives us the unique music of Jón Leifs (1899-1968) who writes modern epic sounding orchestral works that make use at times of swords smashing on shields and the pounding of giant rocks. This is music for people who love to read the _Eddas _in their original language. It's also music for anyone interested in orchestral modernism. Iceland, too, provides some artists on ECM label who are worth exploring -- more on that line between classical and jazz, folks like Jóhann Jóhannsson (b. 1969), Ólafur Arnalds (b. 1986), and Hildur Guðnadóttir (b. 1982). I've collected quite a few discs from those three composers and though it is not strictly "classical" in the Bach/Mozart/Beethoven vein, it is quite astounding stuff.

And then there are the Estonians ....


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

SONNET CLV said:


> No. 4 by Dag Wiren (1905-86), another composer worth exploring.
> .


I would say Dag Wirén is conventional accessible. He said that his aim was to please and entertain and even wrote the music to Sweden´s entry in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1965.

There is also Gösta Nystroem that is described as modernist. He liked to be on the sea so much of his music is based on maritime themes very approachable.


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