# 5 - 5 - 5: Favorite 20th-Century Composers: Finest Works w. Finest Performances



## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

What are, for you, the five best works of your five favorite 20th-century composers -- and if possible, your favorite performances of those five works? Here's mine:

*Bela Bartok*
1. Music for Strings, Percusson & Celesta - Fritz Reiner / Chicago (RCA)
2. Concerto for Orchestra - Fritz Reiner / Chicago (RCA)
3. String Quartet #5 - Takacs Quartet (Decca)
4. String Quartet #4 - Takacs Quartet (Decca)
5. Violin Concerto #2 - James Ehnes / Gianandrea Noseda / BBC (Chandos)

*Igor Stravinsky*
1. Rite of Spring - Valery Gergiev & Kirov (Phillips)
2. Symphony in Three Movements - Pierre Boulez / Cleveland (DG)
3. Symphony of Psalms - Simon Rattle / Berliner Philharmoniker (EMI)
4. Agon - Michael Gielen / SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden (Hänssler)
5. Histoire du soldat - Igor Stravinsky / Columbia (Columbia / Sony)

*Claude Debussy*
1. La Mer - Bernard Haitink / Concertgebouw (Philips)
2. Preludes - Paul Jacobs (Nonesuch)
3. String Quartet - Quatuor Ebene (Virgin Classical)
4. Sonate pour flute, alto & harpe - Montreal Chamber Players (_Autour de la harpe_)
5. Prelude à l'après-midi d'une faune - Pierre Boulez / Cleveland (DG)

*Gyorgy Ligeti*
1. Atmospheres - Claudio Abbado / Berliner Philharmoniker (Clear & Cloudy)
2. Lux Aeterna - Terry Edward / London Sinfonietta (GL Edition, vol. 2)
3. Preludes - Pierre-Laurent Aimard (GL Edition, vol. 3)
4. Lontano - Jonathan Nett / Berliner Philharmoniker (GL Project, vol. 2)
5. Melodien - Reinhert de Leeuw / Schönberg Ensemble (GL Project, vol. 1)

*Sergei Prokofiev*
1. Piano Concerto #2 - Vladimir Ashkenazy / Andre Previn (Decca)
2. Violin Concerto #1 - Maxim Vengerov / Mstislav Rostropovich (Teldec)
3. Piano Concerto #3 - Martha Argerich / Claudio Abbado (DG)
4. Piano Sonata #2 - Freddy Kempf (BIS)
5. Symphony #5 - Valery Gergiev / London Symphony (Philips)


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

I started off listing the recordings, too, but after a while I realized I just didn't care.

*Dmitri Shostakovich*
1. 24 Preludes and Fugues
2. String Quartet No. 15
3. String Quartet No. 11
4. String Quartet No. 8
5. Cello Concerto No. 2

*Paul Hindemith*
1. Ludus Tonalis
2. Der Schwanendreher
3. Symphony: Mathis der Maler 
4. Trauermusik
5. Bassoon Sonata

*Benjamin Britten*
1. Sacred and Profane (8 medieval lyrics)
2. Cello Symphony
3. Cello Suite No. 3
4. Lachrymae for Viola and Piano
5. Six Metamorphoses after Ovid

*Samuel Barber*
1. Piano Sonata
2. Essay for Orchestra No. 3
3. Ballade for Piano
4. Summer Music for Wind Quintet
5. Violin Concerto

*Alban Berg*
1. Violin Concerto
2. Piano Sonata
3. Lyric Suite
4. Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano
5. String Quartet


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

Post deleted.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

My favorites:

*Olivier Messiaen*
1. Saint François d'Assise - Ozawa
2. Turangalîla - Ozawa 
3. Des canyons aux étoiles - Myung-Whun Chung
4. Quatuor pour la fin du temps - DG
5. Poèmes pour Mi - Pollet

*Benjamin Britten*
1. The Turn of the Screw - Harding
2. Peter Grimes - Davis
3. Death in Venice - Bedford
4. Billy Budd - Nagano
5. Serenade for Tenor, Horn & Strings - Britten

*Alban Berg*
1. Lulu - Davis
2. Wozzeck - Abbado
3. Violin Concerto - Davis
4. Three Orchestral Pieces - Davis
5. String Quartet - Alban Berg Quartett

*Steve Reich*
1. Different Trains - Kronos Quartet
2. Music for 18 Musicians - Steve Reich Ensemble
3. Drumming - So Percussion
4. Vermont Counterpoint - Wilson
5. Proverb - Nonesuch Records

*Salvatore Sciarrino*
1. Luci mie traditrici - Furrer
2. Lohengrin - Ceccherini
3. Infinito Nero - Ensemble Recherche
4. Le voci sottovetro - Ensemble Recherche
5. Quartetto n. 7 - Quartetto Prometeo


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Ok, I know there will be a lot of entries for early 20th century composers so for this list I wanted to limit myself to latter half of 20th century composers, include lots of variety in styles and throw in some names that don't usually get as much recognition as others. Sorry, I don't have any recordings listed because I don't pay that much attention to recordings, at least not yet.

*Carter*
String Quartet #1
String Quartet #2
String Quartet #3
Variations for Orchestra
Double Concerto for piano and Harpsichord

*Gubaidulina*
String Quartet #2
String Trio
Seven Words for Bayan, Cello and String Orchestra
Viola Concerto
Stimmun...Verstummen

*Berio*
Sinfonia
Folk Songs
Concerto for Two pianos and orchestra
Chemins I-V (Like the Sequenzas but little concertos instead of solo pieces)
Differences for Flute, Clarinet, Viola, Cello, Harp and Tape

*Meredith Monk*
Urban March
Turtle Dreams
Dolmen Music
Songs of Ascension
Book of Days

*Furrer*
Piano Concerto
Phasma for solo piano
Nuun for two pianos and orchestra
Still for Ensemble
Lotofagos I


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## Alypius (Jan 23, 2013)

violadude said:


> Ok, I know there will be a lot of entries for early 20th century composers so for this list I wanted to limit myself to latter half of 20th century composers, include lots of variety in styles and throw in some names that don't usually get as much recognition as others. Sorry, I don't have any recordings listed because I don't pay that much attention to recordings, at least not yet.


violadude (and schigoich), Thanks for including 20th century composers from the 2nd half. I had thought of mentioning that as a possibility in the opening post. I really need to check out Furrer (I've only heard the Piano Concerto) and Sciarrino (and also more of Gubaidulina -- I really only know 3 of her works well).


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

*Charles Ives*
Symphony No. 4 / Michael Tilson Thomas, Chicago SO (Sony)
Holidays Symphony / Michael Tilson Thomas, Chicago SO (Sony)
Orchestral Set No. 1 "Three Places in New England" / James Sinclair, Orchestra New England (Koch)
Piano Sonata No. 2 "Concord" / Marc-Andre Hamelin (New World)
Songs / Jan DeGaetani, Gilbert Kalish (Nonesuch)

*Dmitri Shostakovich*
Preludes & Fugues, Op. 87 / Vladimir Ashkenazy (Decca)
String Quartet No. 8 / Fitzwilliam Quartet (Decca)
String Quartet No. 15 / Taneyev Quartet (Columbia/Melodiya)
Symphony No. 4 / Kirill Kondrashin, Moscow PO (Melodiya)
Symphony No. 15 / Maxim Shostakovich, Moscow Radio SO (Angel/Melodiya)

*Claude Debussy*
La Mer / Jean Martion, Orchestre National de l'ORTF (EMI)
Preludes / Paul Jacobs (Nonesuch)
Images / Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli (DG)
Prelude à l'après-midi d'une faune / Pierre Boulez, New Philharmonia O (Sony)
Jeux / Pierre Boulez, New Philharmonia O (Sony)

*Igor Stravinsky*
The Rite of Spring / Pierre Boulez, Cleveland O (Sony)
Petrushka / Pierre Boulez, NYPO (Sony)
The Firebird / Antal Dorati, LSO (Mercury)
Song of the Nightingale / Reiner, Chicago SO (RCA)
Symphony in C / Robert Craft, Philharmonia O (Koch/Naxos)

*Arnold Schoenberg*
Pelleas und Melisande / Eschenbach, Houston SO (Koch)
Gurre-Lieder / Robert Craft, Philharmonia O (Koch/Naxos)
A Survivor from Warsaw / Boulez, BBC SO (Sony)
Variations for Orchestra / Craft, Philharmonia O (Koch/Naxos)
Cello Concerto / Fred Sherry, Craft, Philharmonia O (Koch/Naxos)


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

As someone who listens to a significant amount of 20th century music, I would currently vote the following (and incidentally these are all atonal operas, and I think atonal music works best with opera)

*Alban Berg*
_Wozzeck_ opus 7 (1925)
_Lulu_ (1937)

*Benjamin Britten*
_Peter Grimes_


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

ArtMusic said:


> As someone who listens to a significant amount of 20th century music, I would currently vote the following (and incidentally these are all atonal operas, and I think atonal music works best with opera)
> 
> *Alban Berg*
> _Wozzeck_ opus 7 (1925)
> ...


Couldn't muster up enough pieces for the requirements of the OP, eh?


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

violadude said:


> Ok, I know there will be a lot of entries for early 20th century composers so for this list I wanted to limit myself to latter half of 20th century composers, include lots of variety in styles and throw in some names that don't usually get as much recognition as others. Sorry, I don't have any recordings listed because I don't pay that much attention to recordings, at least not yet.





Alypius said:


> violadude (and schigoich), Thanks for including 20th century composers from the 2nd half. I had thought of mentioning that as a possibility in the opening post. I really need to check out Furrer (I've only heard the Piano Concerto) and Sciarrino (and also more of Gubaidulina -- I really only know 3 of her works well).


Well, in my case I didn't have the intention of selecting composers from the first half, or the second half. I just selected my current top five favorites from the full century.


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

> Ok, I know there will be a lot of entries for early 20th century composers so for this list I wanted to limit myself to latter half of 20th century composers, include lots of variety in styles and throw in some names that don't usually get as much recognition as others. Sorry, I don't have any recordings listed because I don't pay that much attention to recordings, at least not yet.


I like that idea as well (I can do 2 lists!)
These are my top five for late 20th/early 21st, and I believe they are all alive:

*Beat Furrer*
pick any 5 at random will do
*Rodion Shchedrin*
Especially the piano concertos 2 through 6 (3 is my favorite)
*Wolfgang Rihm*
String Quartets #5, 3, and 13, Dionysos, and the Violin Concerto
*Einojuhani Rautavaara*
Piano Concertos 2 and 3, Symphonies 6 through 8
*Zhou Long*
Two Poems from Tang (London Symphony Orchestra, Harding) is my favorite piece of his, but I have immensely enjoyed every single thing I've heard of his.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

Torkelburger said:


> I like that idea as well (I can do 2 lists!)
> These are my top five for late 20th/early 21st, and I believe they are all alive:
> 
> *Beat Furrer*
> ...


OH. Your list reminded me that I really like Rihm. Why wasn't he on my list??


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

ArtMusic said:


> As someone who listens to a significant amount of 20th century music, I would currently vote the following (and incidentally *these are all atonal operas,* and I think atonal music works best with opera)
> 
> *Benjamin Britten*
> _Peter Grimes_


I'm glad to see we're inventing new definitions of atonality every day at this forum, regardless of their relationship with the music itself.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Mahlerian said:


> I'm glad to see we're inventing new definitions of atonality every day at this forum, regardless of their relationship with the music itself.


One could almost construct a rationale that such invention was a form of creativity.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

ArtMusic said:


> As someone who listens to a significant amount of 20th century music, I would currently vote the following (and incidentally these are all atonal operas, and I think atonal music works best with opera)
> 
> *Alban Berg*
> _Wozzeck_ opus 7 (1925)
> ...


You are kidding, right? Peter Grimes, atonal? No way!


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Debussy
Images - Tilson-Thomas/Boston Symphony
Preludes - Michelangeli
Jeux - Boulez/Cleveland
Etudes - Uchida
Sonata for Viola, Flute, and Harp - Melos Ensemble

Schoenberg
String Quartet No. 2 in F-sharp minor - Upshaw, Arditti Quartet
Pierrot lunaire - Pousseur, Herreweghe/Ensemble Musique Oblique
Suite Op. 25 - Pollini
Moses und Aron - Haseleu, Goldberg, Kegel/RSO Leipzig
Violin Concerto - Hahn, Salonen/Swedish RSO

Stravinsky
Rite of Spring - Boulez/Cleveland on Sony
Duo Concertant - Frautschi, Denk
Rake's Progress - Young, Raskin, Reardon, Stravinsky/Royal Philharmonic
Threni - Stravinsky/Columbia
Requiem Canticles - Gielen/SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden

Messiaen
Quatuor pour la fin du temps - Shaham, Meyer, Wang, Chung
Trois petites liturgies de la presence divine - Loriod, Nagano/Orchestra National de France
Messe de la pentacote - Latry
Oiseaux exotiques - Loriod, Boulez/Ensemble intercontemporain
Des canyons aux etoiles - Muraro, Chung/Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France

Takemitsu
Coral Island - Hamada, Toyama/Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony
November Steps - Tsuruta, Yokoyama, Wakasugi/Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony
In an Autumn Garden - Reigakusha
Toward the Sea - Toronto New Music Ensemble
Rain Tree Sketch II - Fukuma


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

*Olivier Messiaen*:
la Nativité du Seigneur
Méditations sur le mystére de la Sainte Trinité 
Le Banquet Celeste
Harawi
Turangalila-Symphonie

*Dror Feiler*:
Sparagmos
Music for dead Europeans
Müll
Wir sind alle Gottes Lämmchen
Requiem över sjuttitalet - Revenge

*Gérard Grisey*:
Les Espaces Acoustiques
Dérives
Le Temps et l'Écume
Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil 
Périodes

*Dan Garrity*:
Frozen Bob's Estranged Wife 
Male Goat Odes
Motbourne Rag
Urgynes
Oat

*Naji Hakim*:
Hommage a Igor Stravinsky
Rubaiyat
Sakskøbing Præludier
Hymne de l'Univers
Le Tombeau d'Olivier Messiaen

/ptr


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## Piwikiwi (Apr 1, 2011)

Ravel
Piano concerto 1, Argerich
Daphnis et Chloe, Dutoit
Le Tombeau de Couperin, Samson Francois
L'enfant et les sortilèges, maazel
Jeux d'eau, Samson Francois

Stravinsky
Les Noces, Robert Craft
Rite of Spring, Seji Ozawa
Dumbarton Oaks, Robert Craft
Violin Concerto, Robert Craft
Agon, Robert Craft

Prokofiev
Symphony 2, Seji Ozawa
Violin concerto 2, Janine Jansen
Piano Sonata 6, Anne-Marie McDermott
Piano Sonata 7, Anne-Marie McDermott
Piano Concerto 3, Toradze 

Les Six
Germaine Tailleferre, Concertino for Harp and Piano, Art Noveau Ensemble
Germaine Tailleferre, Piano concerto 1, California Parallele Ensemble
Poulenc, Gloria, Dutoit
Poulenc, Concerto for 2 pianos, Dutoit
Poulenc, Concerto for Organ, Dutoit
Honegger, Symphony nr 3, Dutoit
Honegger, Symphony nr 1, Dutoit
Honegger, Pacific 231
Milhaud, Piano concerto nr 2, Korstick
Milhaud Piano concerto nr 1, Kortstick
Milhaud, Piano concerto nr 4, Kortstick


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

2nd list (no restrictions):

Debussy
La Mer
Nocturnes
Images
String Quartet
Preludes for Piano

Stravinsky
Symphony of Psalms
The Rite of Spring
Symphony in C
Concerto in D for strings
Symphony in Three Movements

Martinu
Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra
Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano, and Timpani
Concerto for Oboe and Small Orchestra
Nonet
Concertino for Piano Left Hand and Small Orchestra

Vaughn-Williams
Symphony No. 4
Symphony No. 6
Piano Concerto
Oboe Concerto
Tuba Concerto

Barber
Violin Concerto
Symphony No. 1
Overture to The School for Scandal
Piano Sonata
Excursions


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

*Richard Strauss:*

1.Salome
2. Four Last Songs
3. Elektra
4. Der Rosenkavalier
5. The Alpine Symphony

*Gustav Mahler:*

1. Das Lied von der Erde
2. Symphony no. 2
3. Symphony no. 1
4. Symphony no. 8
5. Symphony no. 5



*Giacomo Puccini:*

1. La Boheme
2. Madama Butterfly
3. Tosca
4. Il Trittico (or Suor Angelica choosing on of the "triptych")
5. Turandot

*Claude Debussy:*

1. Pelléas et Mélisande
2. Preludes
3. Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune
4. Images for Orchestra
5. Songs (mélodies)



*Maurice Ravel*

1. Daphnis et Chloé 
2. Le tombeau de Couperin
3. La Valse
4. Piano Concerto in G
5. L'enfant et les sortilèges


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

hpowders said:


> Post deleted.


Ouch!!!!!! Vaneyes "Liking" my deleted post!!!


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Today, Mahler, Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Bartok, Shostakovich. Tomorrow, Scriabin, Myaskovsky, Nono, Berio, Schnittke. The day after, Nielsen, Sibelius, Janacek, Enescu, Ligeti. That's as far as I got. Sorry.:tiphat:


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I seem to be able to do all that and still find time for a luncheon buffet...far from home.

Why 5 favorite works, by the way?

William Schuman: Symphonies 3,4, 6, 8 and 10 Gerard Schwarz, Seattle Symphony.

Prokofiev: Piano Concertos # 1, 3, 5, Abdel Rahman, Romeo and Juliet Ballet, Andre Previn, Symphony #5, Ormandy/Philadelphia.


Charles Ives: Symphonies # 2, Leonard Bernstein, NY Philharmonic and 3, James Sinclair, Concord Piano Sonata, Easley Blackwood, Three Places In New England, Michael Tilson Thomas 
String Quartets, Emerson.

Vincent Persichetti: Piano Sonatas # 2,4, 5, 9 and 10. Geoffrey Burleson.

Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring, Bernstein, NY Philharmonic, Billy the Kid, Tilson Thomas, SF Symphony, Piano Sonata, Easley Blackwood, Connotations for Orchestra, Bernstein, NY Philharmonic, Clarinet Concerto, Stanley Drucker, Bernstein, NY Philharmonic.


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## senza sordino (Oct 20, 2013)

Shostakovich Symphonies 5&10; Violin Concerto #1; Piano Concerto #2; Piano Trio #2

Prokofiev Classical Symphony; Piano Concerto #3; Romeo and Juliet; Lt Kije; Violin Concerto #1

Britten Four Sea Interludes; Serenade for Tenor horn and Strings; Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge; First String Quartet; Ceremony of Carols

Ravel Le Tombeau de Couperin; Piano Concerto in G; Gaspard du nuit; Tzigane; Daphnis and Chloe Suite 

Sibelius Symphonies #2,3,5, Violin Concerto, Karelia Suite


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