# The Best



## Hazel (Oct 23, 2010)

I hadn't been here in a while and decided to come and see what you all were talking about. Then, I had an idea. Since this could create a debate, answers and reasons for answers would be appreciated.

Who is the best classical composer today? That is a tough one because it depends in part on your musical preferences but who gets elected?

Who is the best conductor today? Gracious! How do you judge a conductor when his reputation rests on the entire orchestra and how they cooperate with his lead? I suppose the question is who can pull together the greatest philharmonic performance today?

Thanks for ideas.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

"Best" is dangerous word indeed...

Excluding ALL my tastes (yeah, it's sad that I can't even agree with the majority of classical listeners, I'm so outcasted):

Beethoven wins. He's known and loved by more people today than any other classical composer. Bach and Mozart are close equals.


----------



## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Best _living _classical composer? Or best all 'round? I'll second Beethoven if the latter. If you mean living, I choose maybe Wojciech Kilar.

You wanted reasons. No other contemporary composer has affected me quite the way Kilar's music does. No composer living or dead has affected me quite as deeply as Beethoven's. This may be only because so much information is available about him and his music.

I certainly haven't heard all composers living or dead, so how can I really say?

I have no idea who the greatest conductor is.


----------



## Hazel (Oct 23, 2010)

Weston said:


> Best _living _classical composer? Or best all 'round? I'll second Beethoven if the latter. If you mean living, I choose maybe Wojciech Kilar.
> 
> You wanted reasons. No other contemporary composer has affected me quite the way Kilar's music does. No composer living or dead has affected me quite as deeply as Beethoven's. This may be only because so much information is available about him and his music.
> 
> ...


Bad wording on my part? By "today", I meant best living composer. Contemporary composer. Wojciech Kilar? Thank you.

I hesitated to ask about a conductor because that depends on so much and so many people. But, once in a while, you get one who attracts national attention and his name becomes known. I something wonder how many philharmonics we listen to and never know the conductor's name.


----------



## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Huilunsoittaja said:


> "Best" is dangerous word indeed...


I couldn't offer an opinion on 'best' in either of those categories- if for no other reason that it would be silly for me to claim any authority on those topics.

In the case of active composers, I freely admit that I don't have enough exposure to offer any kind of credible opinion on 'favorite,' let alone best. I can report that of those active today- John Corigliano has made the most impact on me. However, he's old enough to be my father (and _I'm_ nothing like young), so it might even be a stretch to call him 'contemporary.' For someone less advanced in years, people whose opinions I typically respect have cited Osvaldo Golijov in that discussion- but this should be treated as something not much more reliable than hearsay.

Conductors? Well, I believe that James Levine is probably the _highest-paid_ conductor active today. I don't think anyone will claim that this fact alone qualifies him to be considered THE best- but it does bring a credential to the discussion of those who rank _among_ the best...


----------



## bassClef (Oct 29, 2006)

Best living composer must be John Adams or Carl Vine - my favourites anyway - though most votes would probably go to Philip Glass.


----------



## Hazel (Oct 23, 2010)

Chi_townPhilly said:


> I couldn't offer an opinion on 'best' in either of those categories- if for no other reason that it would be silly for me to claim any authority on those topics.
> 
> In the case of active composers, I freely admit that I don't have enough exposure to offer any kind of credible opinion on 'favorite,' let alone best. I can report that of those active today- John Corigliano has made the most impact on me. However, he's old enough to be my father (and _I'm_ nothing like young), so it might even be a stretch to call him 'contemporary.' For someone less advanced in years, people whose opinions I typically respect have cited Osvaldo Golijov in that discussion- but this should be treated as something not much more reliable than hearsay.
> 
> Conductors? Well, I believe that James Levine is probably the _highest-paid_ conductor active today. I don't think anyone will claim that this fact alone qualifies him to be considered THE best- but it does bring a credential to the discussion of those who rank _among_ the best...


"Authorities"? No. Just we mere listeners who know what we like. Without listeners, where would musicians and poets be?

And, if we are still breathing, we are contemporary. Thanks for three new names.


----------



## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Of those who's music I'm familiar with I like Kaija Saariaho the most.


----------



## Argus (Oct 16, 2009)

There is no 'best', only 'favourite'.:tiphat:

TERRY RILEY

Search for 'greatest living composer' on Google and Steve Reich is the 5th result.
I like him but not as much as Riley, Young, about on par with Glass, but much more than Adams. These five are all old codgers now though.

Other names up there include Penderecki, Branca, Part, Lucier. Wow, even Branca is 62 and he's the youngest of the lot. I guess classical music really is an old man's game. Not to miss out on old women, I'll add Oliveros and Radigue (both 78).

I don't really care about conductors, although I will say the best living conductors appear to sport afros (Rattle, Dudamel) as opposed to the immaculate pomps of the old school (Bernstein, Karajan).

Brian Eno deserves a mention as one of my favourite living music makers.


----------



## Delicious Manager (Jul 16, 2008)

Although I agree that the word 'best' should never be used in instances like this (who is to judge??), I would put-forward the great Finnish composer Kalevi Aho (b 1949) as one of the great original voices of the 20th and 21st centuries. His symphonies and concertos have added many very important works to the symphonic repertoire.


----------



## Hazel (Oct 23, 2010)

Thank you. I have added him to my list. I now have five and shall check them out on my next trip. 

How about "best in your opinion"?


----------



## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

I will put forward the Israeli composer Avner Dorman as the *most promising* composer because he's a youngster (born in 1975, I think). My *favourite* living composer is an American one, Michael Daugherty. As for who is the *best*, I don't know, but anyway I've given you two more names to add your list.


----------



## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

My favorite living composers are Norgard, Boulez, Saariaho, and Part (in roughly that order).

Favorite conductor? No thanks, although Boulez is very prominent in my collection in this capacity also.


----------



## Hazel (Oct 23, 2010)

Thank you for two more. :tiphat:


----------



## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Favourite living composers: probably Krzysztof Penderecki and Thomas Ades. Had I been asked this question about 5 or 6 years ago I would have probably said Malcolm Arnold.


----------



## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

My favourite composer is Verdi.

Favourite conductor - not easy. Up until last Tuesday I would have said Antonio Pappano, he's so lovely & definitely eye-candy. But last Tuesday I saw Rigoletto at ROH conducted by Dan Ettinger & I thought he was sensational.

He's such a poppet & very fit.


----------



## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Favourites are probably Gubaidulina, Nørgård, Silvestrov, Saariaho, Penderecki (only a handful of his works though, like the "Te Deum"), Gloria Coates (she´s somewhat liberating herself from the long-drawn glissandi, apparently), Dutilleux, Carter, Pawel Szymanski, Boulez, Henze, Artyomov, Pärt ...

.


----------



## Hazel (Oct 23, 2010)

joen_cph said:


> Favourites are probably Gubaidulina, Nørgård, Silvestrov, Saariaho, Penderecki (only a handful of his works though, like the "Te Deum"), Gloria Coates (she´s somewhat liberating herself from the long-drawn glissandi, apparently), Dutilleux, Carter, Pawel Szymanski, Boulez, Henze, Artyomov, Pärt ...
> 
> .


Now, there's a list!!! Thanks.


----------



## Fsharpmajor (Dec 14, 2008)

I forgot to name my favourite conductor. I think it has to be Esa-Pekka Salonen. He's also a good composer.


----------



## superhorn (Mar 23, 2010)

There are more than a few who believe that the venerable Elliott Carter,who turns 102 !
next month,is the greatest living composer. His highly complex and esoteric music is anything but easy listening,though. 
Carter is still active composing,believe it or not. There are quite a few recordings of his music,such as the five string quartets,the piano concerto and various orchestral works,etc,and even a brief opera called "What's Next" which he wrote in his late 80s !
Impossible to say who the greatest conductor is. There are many outstanding ones, such as Boulez,also an important composer, Abbado, Barenboim, Haitink, Maazel, Levine, Rattle, 
Dutoit, Gergiev, Slatkin, Masur, Chailly, Harnoncourt, Muti, Thomas, Dohnanyi, Neeme Jarvi and his son Paavo, Jansons, Salonen, to name only some.


----------

