# Who are your Six Living Composers?



## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

I like to focus on several composers at a time as personal favorites at least until I feel I know their lives and music very well. My opinion of them may change with time, and they might get replaced in my personal hierarchy by someone new, but it gives me some focus for my musical exploration.

For example, in the 20th century, I have my "Midcentury Six" (which are Prokofiev, Barber, Hindemith, Messiaen, Sibelius, and Bartok). I have solidified these six as favorites of that time.

Well, I want to eventually solidify a "Turn of the Century Six" as well: *SIX living composers who were at least alive and composing on 01/01/2000.

I'm hoping to hear your thoughts on who are the best living (or recently living) composers. Whose music has the depth and breadth to be revered in 50, 100, or even 200 years?*

I feel like Wolfgang Rihm, Thomas Adès, John Adams are three in my lineup but the other three are totally up in the air.

...and yes, I'm a nerd.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Definitely Gubaidulina, Gorecki, John Adams and Rautavaara. For the other two names many candidates.


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

Like Art Rock, I can solidify four (Saariaho, Boulez, Harvey, and Gubaidulina) but the rest is a toss-up.


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## StDior (May 28, 2015)

My six favorites composer who lived in 2000: Ligeti, Boulez, Stockhausen, Xenakis, Gubaidulina, Lachenmann.
Six favorite living composers: Gubaidulina, Lachenmann, Saariaho, Georg Friedrich Haas, Kurtag, Norgard.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I guess I would pick:

John Adams
Thomas Ades
Hans Abrahamsen
Steve Reich
Pierre Boulez
Krzysztof Penderecki


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## Andolink (Oct 29, 2012)

6 favorite living composers (in no order):

Per Nørgård
Chaya Czernowin
Rebecca Saunders
Harrison Birtwistle
James Dillon
Wolfgang Rihm

and...

these could also make this list depending on which of their pieces I last listened to:

Michael Finnissy
Salvatore Sciarrino
Brian Ferneyhough
Liza Lim
Beat Furrer
Enno Poppe
Hèctor Parra
Simon Holt
Friedrich Cerha
Helmut Lachenmann
Helmut Oehring
etc.
etc.


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## Nereffid (Feb 6, 2013)

Hmmm, you've asked two separate questions here because you look for "favourites" and then "best".

Favourites is admittedly rather narrowly focused:
Steve Reich
Philip Glass
Julia Wolfe
David Lang
Michael Gordon
Donnacha Dennehy

As for the 6 most likely to stand the test of time, I'm just going to defer to my composer polls. The 6 most-liked composers currently alive were:
Arvo Pärt
John Adams
Steve Reich
Philip Glass
Krzysztof Penderecki
Per Nørgård

followed closely by:
Sofia Gubaidulina
György Kurtág
Kaija Saariaho
John Williams (!)
George Crumb
John Corigliano

(worth noting that Rautavaara and Boulez died in 2016 and would otherwise be #1 and #3 on the list)


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## ST4 (Oct 27, 2016)

mmsbls said:


> Pierre Boulez


I love him to bits but he's not exactly walking around is he? :lol:


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

ST4 said:


> I love him to bits but he's not exactly walking around is he? :lol:


Read the first post please.


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

20centrfuge said:


> Well, I want to eventually solidify a "Turn of the Century Six" as well: SIX living composers who were at least alive and composing on 01/01/2000.


Tricky one. Here are six favourites:

Einojuhani Rautavaara
John Adams
John Luther Adams
Krzysztof Penderecki
Philip Glass
Steve Reich


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## PeterFromLA (Jul 22, 2011)

Alive on January 1, 2000:

Luciano Berio
Pierre Boulez
Henryk Gorecki
Gyorgy Kurtag
Gyorgy Ligeti
Steve Reich

Alive today:

Unsuk Chin
Marc-Andre Dalbavie
Pascal Dusapin
Gyorgy Kurtag
Steve Reich
Valentin Silvestrov


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

James MacMillan
Hans Abrahamsen
Jennifer Higdon
Peter Maxwell Davies
Rodion Shchedrin

I am not sure about the 6th, could be...
Unsuk Chin
Gerald Barry


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## Portamento (Dec 8, 2016)

Becca said:


> Rodion Shchedrin


Interesting choice. I've been meaning to explore his piano concertos...


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

Becca said:


> *James MacMillan*
> Hans Abrahamsen
> Jennifer Higdon
> Peter Maxwell Davies
> ...


Yes, Becca, James McMillan is the best!

*James McMillan* (Seven Last Words from the Cross, St. John Passions, various choral music)
*John Corigliano *(The Ghosts of Versailles and the Symphonies )
*Nikolai Kapustin* (my jazzy guilty pleasure)
*William Bolcom *
*Carl Vine* (Five Bagatelles and other piano music)


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## Myriadi (Mar 6, 2016)

Christian Wolff
Howard Skempton
John Luther Adams
Steve Reich
Peter Garland
Pierluigi Billone

Update: misread the OP. Alive in 2000 would be
Christian Wolff
Howard Skempton
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Milton Babbitt
Peter Garland
Iannis Xenakis


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

For me, easier to fill the Top 4:

*Arvo Pärt
Valentin Silvestrov
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Simeon ten Holt*

Then I'll add

*Rihards Dubra*

The last spot I will keep for future consideration.

P.S. He died in 2000, but I believe it will be fair to include

*Alan Hovhaness*


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

After some thought, my five would be:

John Adams
Sofia Gubaidulina
E. Rautavaara
Thomas Ades
Wolfgang Rihm

The sixth is between: Dutilleux, Van der Aa, Xenakis, Maxwell Davies ...?


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

Those of you who like Kurtag, I guess I don't get it. I listened to his Concertante several times; and though I wasn't repulsed, I didn't think it was anything special at all.

Oh well, different strokes for different folks.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

ST4 said:


> I love him to bits but he's not exactly walking around is he? :lol:


Perhaps, simply not in your dimension.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Favourite composers alive and composing on 01/01/2000:

Henri Dutilleux
Ned Rorem
John Corigliano
Gyorgy Ligeti
Augusta Read Thomas
Jacques Hetu

P.S. Krystov Meyer (Poland) is really good too, IMO!


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## Chronochromie (May 17, 2014)

Should have put another title I think

György Ligeti
Pierre Boulez
Steve Reich
Sofia Gubaidulina
Salvatore Sciarrino
Tristan Murail

As far as I know Xenakis didn't compose anything in 2000 or 2001, probably due to his health issues, so he's not on this list.

Dutilleux, Saariaho, G. F. Haas and L. Andriessen could be in the list too.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Ian Anderson................


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## Guest (Aug 28, 2017)

Peter Maxwell Davies
Krzysztof Penderecki
Wolfgang Rihm
John Corigliano
Lera Auerbach
Magnus Lindberg


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

My favorites that no one has yet picked:

Mark Camphouse
Frank Ticheli
Donald Grantham
Cindy McTee
David Maslanka
Philip Sparke
David Gillingham, oops that's seven.

Met the following composers that premiered some cool stuff at the Staunton Music Festival:
Zachary Wadsworth
Moritz Eggert
Eric Guinivan

Mr. Eggert dispels the notion that Germans do not have a sense of humor. One of his piano works is entitled "Holly Golightly Is Surprised by a Thunderstorm On the Steps of the Fire Exit of Her New York Apartment". I came close to falling out my chair laughing when he started to whistle "Moon River".


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Krzysztof Penderecki
Peteris Vasks
Kalevi Aho
Takashi Yoshimatsu
John Coolidge Adams
Phillip Glass


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