# Your "top 10" works for individual composers of the twentieth century



## Sid James

I'm interested in what people would recommend others to listen to (particularly newcomers) of music of the twentieth century by each composer.

Think of your favourite composers of the twentieth century, whose music you are generally well acquainted with. Make up a list of 10 works which you would recommend others to listen to as a starting point.

Your list doesn't have to have anything to do with the works being the most popular by the composer. As long as even obscure works you choose to put on the list engage or inspire you in some way, and you think that they would do likewise for others, that's fine. Sometimes, lesser-known works can give us a more well-rounded understanding of a particular composer.

Try to choose a number of different works from various genres - if the composer wrote in them (eg. orchestral, chamber, solo instrumental, song, stage works, etc.) & from across his/her compositional career. Your list can also have works on it that you may have only heard bits of, or mainly read about, but want to explore more yourself down the track.

You can include some works as a whole unit if it is warranted in some way. For example, Prokofiev's piano sonatas numbers 6 to 8 are collectively known as his "war sonatas" and are quite inseperable (so I'd say that for the purposes of this list, they consist as one inseperable work). Puccini's opera trilogy_ Il Trittico_ is in the same category. But basically, if you think that a number of works should be listened to together, then you can include them as one work.

I'll start with a perennial favourite, *Bela Bartok*. These works range in date from 1911 to 1945 & all genres are basically covered. I think that listening to these is a good starting point to get to know Bartok's music:

1. Concerto for Orchestra (1943)
2. Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta (1936)/Divertimento for Strings (1939)(both written for Paul Sacher of Switzerland)
3. Violin Concerto No. 2 (1937-8)
4. Piano Concertos 1-3 (1926-45)
5. String Quartets 1-6 (1908-39)
6. Mikrokosmos, solo piano (1926/1932-9)
7. Piano Sonata (1926)
8. Cantata Profana (1930) (haven't heard this but will soon, but Bartok thought it to be his finest work)
9. The Miraculous Mandarin, ballet suite (1918)
10. Bluebeard's Castle, opera (1911)


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## Guest

Good one, Andre. I'll continue with *Samuel Barber*.

1. Adagio for Strings (1938)
2. Violin Concerto (1939)
3. Piano Concerto (1962)
4. 1st & 2nd Essays for Orchestra (1937/1942)
5. Piano Sonata (1949)
6. Vanessa, opera (1957) (haven't heard the whole thing yet, but it won a Pulitzer)
7. Knoxville: Summer of 1915, soprano and orchestra (1948)
8. First Symphony (1936)
9. Cello Concerto (1945)
10. Excursions, piano solo (1942-44)


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## Webernite

Ten introductory works by *Arnold Schoenberg* in the order in which you should hear them:

1. Gurre-Lieder 
2. Verklärte Nacht Op. 4
3. String Quartet No. 1 in D Minor Op. 7
4. Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E Major Op. 9
5. String Quartet No. 2 Op. 10
6. Serenade Op. 24
7. Five Pieces for Orchestra Op. 16
8. Piano Concerto Op. 42
9. A Survivor from Warsaw Op. 46
10. Moses und Aron

But even then, I'd say a newcomer to Schoenberg needs already to have a come to terms with the length and chromaticism of the great works of Wagner and Mahler. Knowing how to listen to counterpoint would also be an advantage.


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## Sid James

Great lists, Webernite. Thanks for starting the ball rolling. Funnily enough, I'm more familiar with Barber than Schoenberg. I really want to hear the latter's _String Trio_, which is said to be a seminal late work. I've heard of neither's piano concertos (or Barber's cello concerto). I borrowed_ Vanessa_ from the library last year, but ended up returning it without hearing it. I had too much other listening on my plate. It's on my list to borrow again and actually listen, because it is said to be one of his best stage works. I was fortunate to "bump into" both these guys works in the concert halls last year - Barber's _Knoxville_ and Schoenberg's _Serenade_ which you list, and also the suite (chamber work). I particularly thought that the Serenade was quite light despite being amongst his first serial works. Here he had invented a new system of composing, and he wrote gavottes, minuets and other ancient dances. It sounded both familiar and "new" (for me, anyway) at the same time. Neoclassical serialism? I thought that the inclusion of the baritone solo in the middle was an interesting "pivot." I have much more to discover from Schoenberg, I've heard none of his solo piano works, nor any of his string quartets. Hopefully, I can rectify this a bit by the end of the year. This year, I have already bought _Pierrot Lunaire_, which I hope to see live here in Sydney in April. A challenging but thoroughly absorbing work indeed...


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## StlukesguildOhio

*Richard Strauss-*

1. Four Last Songs- (Vier letzte Lieder)
2. Salome
3. Elektra
4. Der Rosenkavalier
5. Ariadne auf Naxos
6. Die Frau ohne Schatten
7. Also sprach Zarathustra
8. Death and Transfiguration (Tod und Verklärung)
9. Eine Alpensinfonie
10. Daphne

I went with Strauss because I find that most of those who underestimate him as a composer do so without having listened to his greatest achievements... which are surely his operas. I would unhesitatingly call him the greatest operatic composer of the 20th century. Salome and Elektra build upon the works of Wagner, yet achieve something far more... disturbing. They attain the shock of Expressionism yet within the most exquisitely beautiful music. The closest analogy I can think of is the poetry of Charles Baudelaire.

Der Rosenkavalier, on the other hand, is a return to a classicism. There are elements of traditional Viennese waltzes... the glitter and wit of Mozart's opera... and yet the work never slips into a mere pastiche. Many would argue it is his greatest achievement.

My choice of the Four Last Songs for no. 1 is simply based upon the fact that I find these four symphonic songs to be among the most exquisite and emotionally wrenching vocal works of the century. They are quite likely the 20th century work that I have the most recordings of... and perhaps only second to Schubert's _Winterreise_ in this among all my lieder.

I could have gone with the opera Capriccio instead of Daphne... but I am so enamored of Rene Fleming's recording of Daphne that I recently purchased.


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## Webernite

I'm surprised you didn't include Metamorphosen, or many of the other non-operatic works, especially those from before 1900. But I suppose it's understandable. I had to miss plenty of important works of Schoenberg's off my list, too.


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## Air

*Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev*

Piano Sonata No. 1 (1909)*
Piano Concerto No. 1 (1911-12)*
Toccata (1912) _My introduction to this composer._
Piano Concerto No. 2 (1912-13, rev. 1923)
Violin Concerto No. 1 (1916-17)
Chout (1915, rev. 1920)
Visions Fugitives (1915-17)
Piano Concerto No. 3 (1917-21)
Love for Three Oranges (1919)**
The Fiery Angel (1919-27)**
Quintet (1923)
Symphony No. 2 (1924-5)
Symphony No. 3 (1928)
Piano Concerto No. 5 (1932)
Romeo and Juliet (1935-6)
Alexander Nevsky, cantata (1939)
Violin Sonata No. 1 (1938-46)
Piano Sonata No. 6 (1939-40)
Piano Sonata No. 7 (1939-42)
Piano Sonata No. 8 (1939-44)
War and Peace (1941-43, rev. 1946-52)
Symphony No. 5 (1944)
Symphony No. 6 (1945-7)
Symphony No. 7 (1951-2)***

*Though the 1st Piano Sonata is a relatively lesser work compared to many of the others mentioned, I think it is essential in understanding Prokofiev's development as a composer to analyze his roots as a romantic composer and how he eventually molded out of that. I think when discussing the "jump" between the op. 1 piano sonata and his mighty First Piano Concerto (arguably where the composer first found his "voice"), we often forget that the "new" Prokofiev isn't really all that different from the "old" one, and that this seemingly rapid progression between "styles" is by no means a spontaneous one.

** The beginning of Prokofiev's "wild" period, which lasted until around 1933. After that, his music arguably grows increasingly tonal, with the possible exception of the War Sonatas.

***Prokofiev's last completed work may be the most tonal in his entire career. Yet it's really hard for any beginner to jump to the end of the composer's career, accessible as it is. The 7th symphony is not a work in the 18th century Romantic spirit - or in any way comparable to the symphonies of Brahms and Bruckner. Instead, I see of it more as the composer's last mockery, the most bitter and ironic of them all, in many ways. One can just envision the poor man regressing further and further into a fantasy dream-world, a hiding place perhaps, but also nostalgia and introspection. And in this way he finally gave in...


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## toucan

*Witold Lutoslawski*. A very great and energetic composer as well as a sad and likeable man, sadly neglected since he died. He used methods and techniques of modernism to create music that was above its time as well as above modernism, on a par with the best of Beethoven or of Bela Bartok, whom he resembles in certain ways:

1/ Concerto for Orchestra
2/ Symphony #2
3/ Trois Poemes d'Henri Michaux
4/ Livre pour Orchestre
5/ Symphony #3
6/ Chain #1
7/ Chain #3
8/ Interlude
9/ Piano Concerto
10/ Symphony #4


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## toucan

Air redeems himself for including more than ten works of Prokofiev, by including the unjustly neglected 2nd symphony. I can't get enough of the Tema from the Theme and Variations 2nd movement!


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Webernite said:


> Ten introductory works by *Arnold Schoenberg* in the order in which you should hear them:
> 
> 1. Gurre-Lieder
> 2. Verklärte Nacht Op. 4
> 3. String Quartet No. 1 in D Minor Op. 7
> 4. Chamber Symphony No. 1 in E Major Op. 9
> 5. String Quartet No. 2 Op. 10
> 6. Serenade Op. 24
> 7. Five Pieces for Orchestra Op. 16
> 8. Piano Concerto Op. 42
> 9. A Survivor from Warsaw Op. 46
> 10. Moses und Aron
> 
> But even then, I'd say a newcomer to Schoenberg needs already to have a come to terms with the length and chromaticism of the great works of Wagner and Mahler. Knowing how to listen to counterpoint would also be an advantage.


What about his *violin concerto, opus 36 *(1934 - 1936)? I have that on CD (coupled with a few other works, including _A Survivor from Warsaw_). If you like atonal violin concertos and interested in listening to an early example of one, then this might be for you.


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## Webernite

Andre said:


> Great lists, Webernite. Thanks for starting the ball rolling.


The Barber list was by Jeff N and not by me. He gets the credit for that one. 



Andre said:


> Funnily enough, I'm more familiar with Barber than Schoenberg. I really want to hear the latter's _String Trio_, which is said to be a seminal late work. I've heard of neither's piano concertos (or Barber's cello concerto). I borrowed_ Vanessa_ from the library last year, but ended up returning it without hearing it. I had too much other listening on my plate. It's on my list to borrow again and actually listen, because it is said to be one of his best stage works. I was fortunate to "bump into" both these guys works in the concert halls last year - Barber's _Knoxville_ and Schoenberg's _Serenade_ which you list, and also the suite (chamber work). I particularly thought that the Serenade was quite light despite being amongst his first serial works. Here he had invented a new system of composing, and he wrote gavottes, minuets and other ancient dances. It sounded both familiar and "new" (for me, anyway) at the same time. Neoclassical serialism? I thought that the inclusion of the baritone solo in the middle was an interesting "pivot." I have much more to discover from Schoenberg, I've heard none of his solo piano works, nor any of his string quartets. Hopefully, I can rectify this a bit by the end of the year. This year, I have already bought _Pierrot Lunaire_, which I hope to see live here in Sydney in April. A challenging but thoroughly absorbing work indeed...


If I remember correctly, the Serenade Op. 24 is only partially serial. I might be wrong, but I think I remember reading that his first _completely_ serial work was the next opus along, Op. 25. This might be why you find the Serenade lighter than, for example, the Violin Concerto, which is completely serial.

Even so, Pierrot Lunaire isn't serial at all, and yet, as you say, it's very challenging. More challenging to me than many of his serial works. So I guess there must be other factors at work - instrumentation, how heavily he uses dissonance, etc.


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## toucan

*Olivier Messiaen*, this highly conservative Catholic, who promoted the music of Pierre Boulez and of Karlheinz Stockhausen!

1/ Huit Preludes
2/ Visions de l'Amen
3/ Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jesus
4/ Trois Petites Liturgies de la Presence Divine
5/ Reveil des Oiseaux
6/ Catalogue d'Oiseaux
7/ Sept Haikai
8/ Chronochromie
9/ Des Canyons aux Etoiles
10/ Concert a Quatre


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## toucan

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> What about his *violin concerto, opus 36 *(1934 - 1936)?


How about the *Variations op 31*? It is the best available introduction to the twelve-note method of composition, and it is superb, as music!


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## Sid James

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> What about his *violin concerto, opus 36 *(1934 - 1936)? I have that on CD (coupled with a few other works, including _A Survivor from Warsaw_). If you like atonal violin concertos and interested in listening to an early example of one, then this might be for you.


I haven't yet listened to Schoenberg's _Piano Concerto_, so I can't comment on that. But I have heard the _Violin Concerto_ (Hilary Hahn's performance) & I think that it is indeed a fine work. I have read, though, that the _Piano Concerto_ is one of his most approachable works, so maybe that's why Webernite included it. I am aiming this thread at the beginner, the lists created should help newbies get a bit of a grasp of these composers music without literally having to listen to almost everything they wrote...


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## Webernite

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> What about his *violin concerto, opus 36 *(1934 - 1936)? I have that on CD (coupled with a few other works, including _A Survivor from Warsaw_). If you like atonal violin concertos and interested in listening to an early example of one, then this might be for you.


You're right, and the Violin Concerto is one of his more famous works nowadays, ever since Hilary Hahn started performing it. But I felt my list already had enough string-based works - two quartets, the sextet, and so on. The list needed more variety, so I chose the Piano Concerto instead.

Edit: Andre posted while I was typing. This thread moves fast!


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## toucan

Another master of the twentieth century - and of the twenty first: *Pierre Boulez*, who in collaboration with Berio, Nono and Stockhausen, perfected the twelve-tone method - and then overcame it, only to redefine a new modernism (with Repons), a modernism that lets go of the apparent aridities and abstractions of Serialism, without returning to a moribund past. Such endless faculty to renew himself, such inventiveness, this Pierre Boulez always displays!

1/ Notations (for piano)
2/ 2nd Piano Sonata
3/ Le Marteau sans Maitre
4/ Cummings ist der Dichter
5/ Structures pour Piano
6/ Explosante-Fixe
7/ Repons
8/ Derives I
9/ Sur Incises
10/ Notations pour Orchestre


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## Sid James

Webernite said:


> The Barber list was by Jeff N and not by me. He gets the credit for that one.


I think it is a very good list, because it includes works from different periods & genres, as I suggested in the opening post...



Webernite said:


> If I remember correctly, the Serenade Op. 24 is only partially serial. I might be wrong, but I think I remember reading that his first _completely_ serial work was the next opus along, Op. 25. This might be why you find the Serenade lighter than, say, the Violin Concerto, which is completely serial.
> 
> Even so, Pierrot Lunaire isn't serial at all, and yet, as you say, it's very challenging. More challenging to me than many of his serial works. So I guess there other factors at work - instrumentation, how heavily he uses dissonance, etc.


Yes, you are right, Schoenberg's _Serenade_ is not fully serial. I attended a public lecture at Sydney Conservatorium before the concert in which it was played (along with Berg's _Chamber Concerto_) & this was discussed. Schoenberg (or Webern or Berg for that matter) did not always fully apply the serial technique.

I think that my difficulty with _Pierrot Lunaire_ is because it's not in English and I don't speak German. The _Ode to Napoleon_ (for baritone speaker and piano & string quartet) is on the same disc and I have been able to access that very quickly (over one or two listens) whereas for Pierrot I will have to wait for the live performance, where there'll be a projection of the translation of the text for the audience to see, as well as lighting and a choreographed dancer "illustrating" the poems. It'll be interesting, and probably in the spirit of the work, which is in the tradition of cabaret-theatre...


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## Webernite

toucan said:


> How about the *Variations op 31*? It is the best available introduction to the twelve-note method of composition, and it is superb, as music!


Again, I agree the Op. 31 is superb. But I, unlike Air, who cheated, restricted my list to only 10 works, and had to miss out plenty of superb pieces of music as a result...


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## Sid James

Some excellent lists there, Air, St. Luke's & Toucan. I think it is important for us all to share our know-how of composers that we are really passionate about. Your lists remind me how I've got much more to learn about and hear from these great composers of our times. My favourite works by some of these composers did not make your lists (funnily enough!). Strauss' _Metamorphosen_ (as has been pointed out), Lutoslawski's _Cello Concerto_ & Messiaen's _Quartet for the End of Time_. But ultimately these lists are about YOUR passion, understanding & perceptions. They're not meant to be academic, and everyone's "top 10" for each composer will perhaps be different. That actually makes this more interesting...


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## toucan

Webernite said:


> Again, I agree the Op. 31 is superb. But I, unlike Air, who cheated, restricted my list to only 10 works, and had to miss out plenty of superb pieces of music as a result.


Well, you can get back at me by faulting me for leaving out _Mi-Parti_ of my Lutoslawski list! I'd deserve castigation


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## Sid James

Webernite said:


> Again, I agree the Op. 31 is superb. But I, unlike Air, who cheated, restricted my list to only 10 works, and had to miss out plenty of superb pieces of music as a result...


Yes, I don't want to be **** here, but it's really a good thing if people restrict themselves to 10. As I said, this isn't set in stone. Air could have included all of Prokofiev's Symphonies 1-7 as one unit (to count as one body of work) if he wished. If you feel that someone relatively new to this repertoire would benefit most from listening to a complete cycle, then there could be logic behind doing this. However, it's also ok to single out certain works (as Webernite has done) to offer stronger guidance...


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## Nix

Barber is the only one who I'm familiar enough to do this with, so I'll go with him for an alternate point of view. 

1. Violin Concerto
2. Cello Concerto
3. String Quartet
4. Piano Concerto
5. Knoxville
6. Piano Sonata
7. Second Essay for Orchestra
8. Nocturne
9. Excursions
9. Symphony No. 1


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## HarpsichordConcerto

I have been thinking about this. I would probably recommend the *Rachmaninoff piano concertos *(being one of my favourite genres anyway). Technically speaking, the first concerto was written before 1900 although revised again well into the early 1900s.


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## Sid James

One of my favourite composers, *Leos Janacek*. Compiling this list is hard for me as I have many favourites by him that can be worthwhile listening to anyone into c20th music, but I'll give it my best:

1. Suite for Strings (1877) - an interesting early work, atypical of his later style, owing much to Dvorak and Tchaikovsky. I think it's ok for people to include a few late c19th works like this, to give people new to a composer a bit of context to work with when listening to their c20th works.
2. Taras Bulba, rhapsody for orchestra (1915-1918)
3. String Quartets Nos. 1 "Kreutzer Sonata" & 2 "Intimate Letters" (1923/8) - These two are like earrings, inseperable in my opinion
4. Violin Sonata (1913)
5. On an Overgrown Path, piano solo (1901-8)
6. Piano Sonata "1 October 1905, From the Street" (1905)
7. The Diary of One Who Disappeared, song cycle for tenor, soprano, female choir and piano (1917-19)
8. Glagolitic Mass (1926-7)
[I'll leave two spots blank for some of his great operas, which I am not familiar with except the suite arrangements, but undoubtedly they are amongst the greatest in the c20th repertoire, and very worthwhile listening judging from the orchestral suites. I'll have to get into his operas later, they've been on the backburner for a while now.]


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## Air

Webernite said:


> Again, I agree the Op. 31 is superb. But I, unlike Air, who cheated, restricted my list to only 10 works, and had to miss out plenty of superb pieces of music as a result...


Forgive me Webernite!  It was to preserve my sanity, I assure you... 

You know, I actually tried quite hard to limit it down to 10, but ended up with 24 instead. Pieces like the First Piano Sonata, First Piano Concerto, and 7th Symphony are not among my favorite works, but I feel that they are essential listening to understanding where Prokofiev came from, how he developed, and where he ultimately went. At least I don't feel the need to castigate myself now...


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## Sid James

HarpsichordConcerto said:


> I have been thinking about this. I would probably recommend the *Rachmaninoff piano concertos *(being one of my favourite genres anyway). Technically speaking, the first concerto was written before 1900 although revised again well into the early 1900s.


I'm really not highly familiar with his work either, except the piano concertos, the 2nd symphony, the 2nd piano trio (a favourite!), the paganini rhapsody, and a handful of the piano preludes and vocalise. I don't remember hearing any of his other vocal, choral or operatic works. So I am quite underqualified to provide a list in this case. Maybe Air or member Myaskovsky or others highly into Russian music can provide their "top 10" for Rachmaninov...


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## Guest

i'm surprised someone hasn't yet taken the easy way out on this one.

Easy, and yet so pertinent and serious and important.... Dead serious and jokey, at the very same time. Yeah.

Edgard Varèse

_Amériques_ (1921) -- I don't know if there's another recording of the complete, original version besides Chailly's, but everyone should probably have Chailly's set, anyway. (I just checked my shelves. Lyndon-Gee on Naxos is the original version, too.)

_Hyperprism_ (1923)

_Octandre_ (1923)

_Intégrales_ (1925)

_Arcana_ (1927) Get Mehta for this, if you can. Probably you can't. (I still haven't got this on CD.) Lyndon-Gee's good. Slatkin is surprisingly good, coupled with Holst's _The Planets._

_Ionisation_ (1931)

_Ecuatorial_ (1934)

_Déserts_ (1950-1954) There are at least three versions of this. One without the electronic interpolations (which Boulez favors), one with the electronic interpolations but brutally cut down to about 16 minutes (I heard this live in L.A. once--very painful), and the one Varèse wrote. The latter is in the Chailly set, fortunately. There's also a complete performance on Naxos with Lyndon-Gee, which has one of the better _Arcana_s on CD.

_Poème électronique_ (1958)

_Nocturnal_ (1961)

Ten. Easy!!


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## Aramis

Karol Szymanowski: 

1. Symphony No. 4 (concertante, with piano) 
2. Violin Concerto No. 1
3. Symphony No. 3 "Song of the Night"
4. King Roger (opera)
5. Mythes for violin and piano
6. String Quartet No. 1
7. Piano Sonata No. 2
8. Concert Overture 
9. Preludes op. 1 
10. Violin Sonata


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## bassClef

I'll have a go at John Adams:

1. The Chairman Dances
2. Lollapaloola
3. Fearful Symmetries
4. Harmonielehre
5. Nixon in China
6. The Wound-Dresser
7. Shaker Loops
8. Short Ride in a Fast Machine
9. Christian Zeal and Activity
10. Doctor Atomic Symphony


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## bassClef

And Igor Stravinsky (not easy):

1. Le Sacre du Printemps
2. Petrouchka
3. Le Baiser de la Fee
4. Symphony in C
5. Symphony of Psalms
6. The Firebird
7. Pulcinella
8. Jeu de Cartes
9. The Soldier's Tale
10. Suite No.2 for Small Orchestra, Symphony in Eb, Apollo,Symphony in 3 movements, Octet for Wind Instruments, Orpheus, Le Rossignol, Ebony Concerto, Agon (9 way tie, I can't decide)


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## bassClef

Carl Orff:

1. Carmina Burana
2. Der Mond
3. Die Kluge
4. Trionfo di Afrodite
5. Catulli Carmina
6. Musica Poetica (Schulwerk)
7. Antigonae
8. Christmas Story
9. Oedipus der Tyrann
10. De Temporum Fine Comoedia


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## Huilunsoittaja

EASY!

Prokofiev:

1. Cinderella
2. Piano Sonata No. 2
3. Symphony No. 5
4. Piano Concerto No. 3
5. Romeo & Juliet
6. *Flute Sonata*
7. Piano Sonata No. 7
8. Symphony No. 2
9. Violin Concerto No. 1
10. Lt. Kije Suite


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## Pierrot Lunaire

*György Ligeti*

These pieces all showcase his wide range of styles, textures, illusions, humor, absurdity as well as general beauty and horror. Enjoy!

1. Études pour piano
2. Atmosphères, for orchestra
3. Piano Concerto
4. Lux Aeterna, for 16 solo voices
5. String Quartet No. 1 "Métamorphoses nocturnes"
6. Artikulation, for tape
7. Continuum, for harpsichord
8. Melodien, for orchestra
9. Le Grand Macabre, opera
10. Poème Symphonique, for 100 metronomes


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## Rangstrom

Tippett

1. Fantasia Cocertante on a Theme of Corelli
2. A Child of Our Time
3. Symphony 2
4. Piano Concerto
5. String Quartet 3
6. Piano Sonata 1
7. Triple Concerto
8. Concerto for Orchestra
9. Ritual Dances from Midsummer Marriage
10. Midsummer Marriage


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## TresPicos

*Manuel de Falla*

1. Noches en los Jardines de España (Nights in the Gardens of Spain), piano concerto (1916)
2. El sombrero de tres picos (The Three-cornered Hat) (1919)
3. El amor brujo (Love, the magician) (1925)
4. La vida breve (1905)
5. Homenajes (1930s)
6. Harpsichord concerto (1926)
7. Cuatro piezas españolas (1909)
8. Fantasia bética (1919)
9. Serenata andaluza (1900)
10. Nocturno (1896)

Bonus: Seven Spanish folksongs (1914), version for cello and strings


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## emiellucifuge

Tres Picos - I am now at my house in the province of Cadiz, Andalucia, so Manuel has been on my playlist a lot. I only know the first three pieces on your list, are there any similar to de Tres Picos one - thats my favorite of the three?


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## bassClef

Huilunsoittaja said:


> EASY!
> 
> Prokofiev:
> 
> 1. Cinderella
> 2. Piano Sonata No. 2
> 3. Symphony No. 5
> 4. Piano Concerto No. 3
> 5. Romeo & Juliet
> 6. *Flute Sonata*
> 7. Piano Sonata No. 7
> 8. Symphony No. 2
> 9. Violin Concerto No. 1
> 10. Lt. Kije Suite


An alternative view (admittedly piano sonatas are not my cup of tea):

1. Love for the 3 Oranges
2. Scythian Suite
3. Romeo & Juliet
4. Alexander Nevsky
5. Tale of the Stone Flower
6. Cinderella
7. Lt. Kije
8. Cantata for the 20th Annversary of the October Revolution
9. Symphony No.1, 3, 5 or 7
10. Seven, they are Seven


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## SuperTonic

Dmitri Shostakovich:

1. Festive Overture
2. Symphony No. 1
3. Piano Trio No. 1
4. 24 Preludes and Fugues for piano
5. Symphony No. 5
6. Cello Concerto No. 1
7. String Quartet No. 8
8. Symphony No. 10
9. Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk 
10. Symphony No. 7


----------



## Webernite

Here's a tentative list for *Anton Webern*. I had a bit of a struggle with this one, so if anybody has any better suggestions, don't be afraid to say so. Again, these are in the order in which you should hear them:

1. Rondo for piano (without opus number; 1906)
2. Passacaglia Op. 1
3. Five Lieder Op. 3
4. Five Pieces for orchestra Op. 10
5. Six Bagatelles for string quartet Op. 9

_From his twelve-tone (i.e. serial) period:_

6. Quartet for violin, clarinet, tenor saxophone and piano Op. 22 
7. Symphony Op. 21
8. Variations for Orchestra Op. 30
9. Variations for Piano Op. 27
10. Cantata No. 2 Op. 31



Air said:


> Forgive me Webernite!  It was to preserve my sanity, I assure you...


Forgiven.


----------



## Couchie

*Leo Ornstein* (1893 - 2002) was one of the first, and most notorious modernists in the early 20th century. His early works are marked by cluster chords and heavy dissonance. This is best demonstrated by the bombastic *Wild Men's Dance*, and *Suicide in an Airplane*, which eerily imitates WW1 plane engines. These works caused a huge stir, simultaneously hailed by progressives and controversial with conservatives, causing near-riots similarly to Stravinsky's _Rite of Spring_. However in the 20's he began to adopt a much more lyrical and romantic style, in the vein of Rachmaninoff. His contemporaries who had earlier praised his modernist works shunned him, which led to his fall into obscurity. However he ingeniously marries tonality and just the right amount of dissonance to elicit a beautiful uneasiness is many of these works, such as in the *Piano Sonata No. 4*. The *Piano Quintet* is probably his best work (and one of my favourites).

*1. Wild Men's Dance (1913)*





2. Sonata for Violin and Piano (1915)

3. A la Chinoise (1917)

*4. Suicide in an Airplane (1918) *





5. Impressions of the Thames (1920)

6. Arabesques (1921)

*7. Piano Sonata No. 4 (1924)*





*8. Piano Quintet (1927)*
iTunes link to a much better version: Link





9. Piano Sonata No. 7 (1988)

10. Piano Sonata No. 8 (1990)


----------



## Pierrot Lunaire

This one is for *Morton Feldman*. They are in chronological and, if you want, listening order. I feel like he's one of those composers where it's great to listen to how he grew as an artist throughout the years. I broke it down into his three distinct periods and gave each three works (four for the middle period because that is his most accessible and I wanted to include his opera).

Early period:
1. Projections 1-5, for violin, trumpet, 2 pianos, 3 flutes and 3 cellos (1950-51)
2. Ixion, for 3 flutes, clarinet, horn, trumpet, trombone, piano, cello and double-bass (1958)
3. The King of Denmark, for percussion (1964)

Middle period:
4. Rothko Chapel, for soprano, alto, choir, percussion, celesta and viola (1970)
5. For Frank O'Hara, for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, and cello (1973)
6. Piano and Orchestra (1975)
7. Neither [Opera in One Act], for soprano and orchestra (1977)

Late period:
8. Triadic Memories, for solo piano (1981)
9. For Philip Guston, for flute, percussion, and piano (1984)
10. For Samuel Beckett, for 23 instruments (1987)


----------



## bassClef

Khachaturian (though admittedly I haven't heard everything by him yet):

1. Spartacus
2. Gayaneh
3. 2nd Symphony
4. Flute Concerto
5. Masquerade
6. Cello Concerto
7. Rhapsody for Cello
8. Concerto for Piano & Orchestra
9. 1st Symphony
10. Concerto-Rhapsody for Violin & Orchestra


----------



## bassClef

Respighi (just counts since his first work was dated 1900):-

1. The Pines of Rome
2. La Boutique Fantastique
3. La Pentola Magica
4. Fountains of Rome
5. Aincient Airs & Dances
6. Belkis, Queen of Sheba
7. Sinfonia Drammatica
8. The Birds
9. Roman Festivals
10. Church Windows


----------



## Sid James

Great stuff guys. The Webern & Feldman lists are very ripe for my own exploration, since I haven't heard that many of their works. The Tippett & Stravinsky list also offer many avenues for those like me who know some of their works, but not quite a few of the others. Some guy - yes, Varese is quite easy because if you buy about 2 discs (one of the sets you mention) you've got every single note he composed! Someone should do two other "easy" ones - Ravel & Berg - you can probably listen to all of their outputs in the space of a single day!

I'll try *Elliot Carter *(though I haven't heard his opera yet, but I feel that it should be on the list for it to be more representative of the breadth of his output, but being a chamber fan I like those of his works the most)...

1. Concerto for Orchestra (1968)
2. Three Occassions for Orchestra (1986-9)
3. Violin Concerto (1989)
4. Clarinet Concerto (1996)
5. String Quartet No. 1 (1951)
6. Piano Sonata (1945-6)
7. Four Lauds for solo violin (1984-2000)
8. Dialogues for piano & chamber orchestra (2003)
9. Mosaic for harp & ensemble (2004)
10. What Next? - opera in one act (1997)


----------



## Guest

*Luc Ferrari*

In Europe, this guy is pretty highly esteemed. In the U.S., still, he's practically unknown. (Even Lachenmann and Dhomont in the U.S. Something about the place, I guess.) I've put these into chronological order. I'm not convinced that there's any piece (by any composer) that's going to be a good entree piece for everyone. People who aren't composers are just as different from each other as people who are composers.

_Und so weiter_ (1966)

_Société II (Et Si Le Piano Était Un Corps De Femme)_ (1967)-- for a long time, this outrageous instrumental piece was only available on a DG LP. But it's out on CD, now.

_Interrupteur_ (1967)

_Tautologos III_ (1970) -- _Interrupteur_ and _Tautologos III_ are both on one CD, conveniently enough.

_Presque rien no. 1_ (le lever du jour au bord de la mer) (1970) -- this was the beginning of a whole new era for Luc Ferrari, and perhaps for music as well. It is the first of a series of _Presque rien_ pieces (five), a systematic and idiosyncratic working out of the world of sound as first explored by John Cage in _4' 33"_.

_Dances organiques_ (1973) -- The most erotic piece I know. (But who knows how much I know?)

_Unheimlich Schön_ (1985)-- And it really is, too.

_Et si tout entière maintenant_ (1987) -- If you're on Amazon, look this up under _Chansons pour le corps,_ otherwise it sends you to the earlier recording of this, which is unavailable.

_Archives sauvées des Eaux_ (2000) -- 1999 was the next big shift for Ferrari (1969/70 being the other one, with the first of the _Presque rien_ pieces. This one is the first of the _Exploitation of the concepts_ series, of which there would be six.

_Les Protorhythmiques_ (2007) -- a bit of a cheat, as it is past the century mark (though realistically, we are still in the post-WW II era of music, aren't we?), and it is after Ferrari had died (in 2005), too. But it's Ferrari music and concepts, mostly, realized by eRikm, who had been working with Ferrari in the last years of his life and who was going to do a _Les Protorhymiques_ concert in 2005 with Ferrari. This performance has Thomas Lehn and eRikm doing a kind of _Protorhythmiques_ improv. (One available as of 7 Jan 2011 at Discogs.)

One word to finish. INA-GRM (which was the first big electronic studio in Paris, long before the now more famous IRCAM) has put out a splendid ten CD set of Ferrari's l'oeuvre électronique. It's not everything, but it's a lot, and it's only about thirty bucks most places. (Amazon's not one of them, but they have an mp3 download of it for 19.95USD.)


----------



## HarpsichordConcerto

some guy said:


> I'm not convinced that there's any piece (by any composer) that's going to be a good entree piece for everyone.
> 
> _Société II (Et Si Le Piano Était Un Corps De Femme)_ (1967)-- for a long time, this outrageous instrumental piece was only available on a DG LP. But it's out on CD, now.


Indeed. So I started off experiencing the first piece that Youtube appeared to have, which was _Société II_. My humble opinion of it was it sounded like random noise of the worse kind, pure crap.


----------



## Meaghan

Benjamin Britten:

1. A Midsummer Night's Dream
2. Peter Grimes
3. War Requiem
4. The Turn of the Screw
5. Holy Sonnets of John Donne (but mostly because of "Death, be not proud*")
6. Violin Concerto
7. Death in Venice
8. Sinfonia da Requiem
9. Albert Herring
10. Simple Symphony

*


----------



## TresPicos

*Maurice Ravel*

1. Gaspard de la nuit (1908)
2. Le Tombeau de Couperin (especially the orchestra version) (1919)
3. Piano concertos ("left hand" and G) (1930, 1931)
4. Jeux d'eau (1901)
5. Valses nobles et sentimentales (1912)
6. Piano trio (1914)
7. Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899)
8. Daphnis et Chloé suites (1911, 1912)
9. Sonata for violin and cello (1922)
10. Miroirs (1905)

Just to get things started... 



emiellucifuge said:


> Tres Picos - I am now at my house in the province of Cadiz, Andalucia, so Manuel has been on my playlist a lot. I only know the first three pieces on your list, are there any similar to de Tres Picos one - thats my favorite of the three?


I'm not very good at such comparisons, but 7-10 are piano pieces and the harpsichord concerto is pretty strange. If there is anything similar the "Sombrero", then it might be some excerpt from La vida breve or possibly Homenajes, but I'm not sure if they are similar enough.


----------



## bassClef

Pierrot Lunaire said:


> This one is for *Morton Feldman*. They are in chronological and, if you want, listening order. I feel like he's one of those composers where it's great to listen to how he grew as an artist throughout the years. I broke it down into his three distinct periods and gave each three works (four for the middle period because that is his most accessible and I wanted to include his opera).
> 
> Early period:
> 1. Projections 1-5, for violin, trumpet, 2 pianos, 3 flutes and 3 cellos (1950-51)
> 2. Ixion, for 3 flutes, clarinet, horn, trumpet, trombone, piano, cello and double-bass (1958)
> 3. The King of Denmark, for percussion (1964)
> 
> Middle period:
> 4. Rothko Chapel, for soprano, alto, choir, percussion, celesta and viola (1970)
> 5. For Frank O'Hara, for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, and cello (1973)
> 6. Piano and Orchestra (1975)
> 7. Neither [Opera in One Act], for soprano and orchestra (1977)
> 
> Late period:
> 8. Triadic Memories, for solo piano (1981)
> 9. For Philip Guston, for flute, percussion, and piano (1984)
> 10. For Samuel Beckett, for 23 instruments (1987)


I'm just reading about Feldman in Alex Ross's "The Rest Is Noise". Quite a remarkable fellow - I'm seeking out Rothko Chapel just because of the description in the book.

EDIT: Is it correct that "For Philip Guston" is 5 hours long?? Only beaten by his String Quartet (II) at 6 hours.


----------



## TresPicos

*Claude Debussy*

1. Children's Corner (1908)
2. Nocturnes (1899)
3. Préludes (1910, 1913)
4. Images I, II, III (1905, 1907, 1912)
5. Violin sonata (1917)
6. Etudes (1915)
7. La mer (1905)
8. Syrinx (1913)
9. Sonata for flute, viola and harp (1915)
10. Some songs, like "3 chansons de Bilitis" (1898) or "3 Ballades de François Villon" (1910)

For a more complete picture, some 19th century works could be included as well:

11. Piano trio (1879)
12. Suite bergamasque (1890)
13. Fantaisie for piano and orchestra (1890)
14. String quartet (1893)
15. Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (1894)


----------



## toucan

Variation on the theme: top ten modern composers who only composed one piece you really like"

1/ Ferruccio Busoni, *Berceuse Elegiaque*
2/ Paul Dukas, Prelude Elegiaque
3/ Francis Poulenc, Sextet for piano and Wind Instruments
4/ Kurtag, *STELE*
5/ Bern Alois Zimmermann, _Metamorphose_
6/ HK Gruber, *Aerial*
7/ Kaija Saariaho, Orion
8/ Wolfgang Rihm. *Marsyas*
9/ Andre Jolivet, 2nd trumpet concerto
10/ Harrison Birtwistle, Endless Parade


----------



## TresPicos

*Frank Bridge*

1. Three Improvisations for the left hand (1918)
2. The Sea (1911)
3. Piano trios (1907, 1929)
4. Three Poems for piano (1915), Three Lyrics for piano (1924)
5. Phantasy piano quartet (1910)
6. Lament (1915)
7. String sextet (1912)
8. Cello sonata (1917)
9. Divertimenti for wind quartet (1938)
10. Piano sonata (1924)

For the piano pieces, I recommend the Ashley Wass recordings (Naxos).


----------



## TresPicos

*William Alwyn*

1. Piano concertos (1930, 1960)
2. Lyra Angelica, harp concerto (1954)
3. String quartet 2, Spring Waters (1975)
4. Symphonies 1-5 (1949, 53, 56, 59, 73)
5. Sonata alla toccata (1947)
6. Concerto for oboe, harp and strings (1945)
7. Haze of noon (1925)
8. Sinfonietta for strings (1970)
9. Twelve preludes (1958)
10. Elizabethan dances (1957)


----------



## Pierrot Lunaire

bassClef said:


> I'm just reading about Feldman in Alex Ross's "The Rest Is Noise". Quite a remarkable fellow - I'm seeking out Rothko Chapel just because of the description in the book.


Rothko Chapel is a great place to start! It's probably his most popular piece and for good reason. If you are going to get a recording of it though, try to get the California EAR Unit version. All the others pale in comparison, in my opinion.

Now, for *Iannis Xenakis*...

1. Metastasis, for orchestra (1954)
2. Kraanerg, ballet for orchestra and tape (1968)
3. Eonta, for 2 trumpets, 3 trombones and piano (1964)
4. Tetras, for string quartet (1983)
5. Orient-Occident, for tape (1960)
6. Mists, for solo piano (1981)
7. Mikka, for solo violin (1971)
8. Psappha, for solo percussion (1975)
9. Jalons, for chamber ensemble (1987)
10. Oresteïa, for chorus and 12 instruments (1966)


----------



## Air

TresPicos said:


> *Claude Debussy*
> 
> 1. Children's Corner (1908)
> 2. Nocturnes (1899)
> 3. Préludes (1910, 1913)
> 4. Images I, II, III (1905, 1907, 1912)
> 5. Violin sonata (1917)
> 6. Etudes (1915)
> 7. La mer (1905)
> 8. Syrinx (1913)
> 9. Sonata for flute, viola and harp (1915)
> 10. Some songs, like "3 chansons de Bilitis" (1898) or "3 Ballades de François Villon" (1910)


I'm shocked that _Jeux_ and _Pelléas et Mélisande_ didn't make the list.



TresPicos said:


> *Maurice Ravel*
> 
> 8. Daphnis et Chloé suites (1911, 1912)


I'd say the *entire* _Daphnis et Chloé_ is essential listening, especially the Dutoit and Boulez recordings. There's so much beauty in the work, why shorten the fun and condense it? I feel very much the same way about the _Firebird_ suite, the _Romeo and Juliet_ suites - well, practically every suite actually...

I'm a bit split on which _Le Tombeau de Couperin_ I prefer. It saddens me that Ravel chose never to orchestrate the _Toccata_, which I will admit, is one of my favorite parts in the original _piano_ suite. It's quite virtuosic, and stunning in the pianistic sense - and orchestrating it properly would be a tough task indeed, even for Ravel. Yet I came across this the other day, and I have to say that Kocsis _quite_ does it justice:






In many ways, I still prefer the piano version though.


----------



## Huilunsoittaja

bassClef said:


> An alternative view (admittedly piano sonatas are not my cup of tea):
> 
> 1. Love for the 3 Oranges
> 2. Scythian Suite
> 3. Romeo & Juliet
> 4. Alexander Nevsky
> 5. Tale of the Stone Flower
> 6. Cinderella
> 7. Lt. Kije
> 8. Cantata for the 20th Annversary of the October Revolution
> 9. Symphony No.1, 3, 5 or 7
> *10. Seven, they are Seven*


Woah! Really? That's a pretty crazy work.

And I would have done what you did for no. 9, because I love so many symphonies. Same goes for piano sonatas, personally.

I'm glad you like Cinderella too


----------



## bassClef

Huilunsoittaja said:


> Woah! Really? That's a pretty crazy work.


Yep, crazy but wonderful  It was pretty hard to find though - out of print now.


----------



## TresPicos

Air said:


> I'm shocked that _Jeux_ and _Pelléas et Mélisande_ didn't make the list.


Perhaps they should have. It was difficult to fulfill all of the list criteria and also get all the important works in there.

"...works which you would recommend others to listen to as a *starting point*"
"...works you choose to put on the list engage or *inspire you* in some way"
"Try to choose a number of different works from *various genres*"
"& from across his/her compositional career"

I hope there will be alternative Debussy and Ravel lists. My ambition was not to present the ultimate ones.



> I'd say the *entire* _Daphnis et Chloé_ is essential listening, especially the Dutoit and Boulez recordings. There's so much beauty in the work, why shorten the fun and condense it? I feel very much the same way about the _Firebird_ suite, the _Romeo and Juliet_ suites - well, practically every suite actually...


I'm not a Daphnis et Chloé fan myself, but I guess it would have been another shocker not to include them. 



> I'm a bit split on which _Le Tombeau de Couperin_ I prefer. It saddens me that Ravel chose never to orchestrate the _Toccata_, which I will admit, is one of my favorite parts in the original _piano_ suite. It's quite virtuosic, and stunning in the pianistic sense - and orchestrating it properly would be a tough task indeed, even for Ravel. Yet I came across this the other day, and I have to say that Kocsis _quite_ does it justice:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> In many ways, I still prefer the piano version though.


Wow, nice to hear that one orchestrated!

Choosing between versions could be tricky for the Pavane and Valses as well.


----------



## Pierrot Lunaire

*Henri Dutilleux*. An all too neglected composer.

1. L'arbre des songes, for violin and orchestra (1985)
2. Timbres, espace, mouvement ou la nuit etoilée, for orchestra (1978)
3. Ainsi la nuit, for string quartet (1976)
4. Symphonie No. 2 "Le double", for orchestra (1959)
5. Trois Préludes, for solo piano (1988)
6. The Shadows of Time, for 3 children voices and orchestra (1997)
7. Les citations, for oboe, double bass, harpsichord and percussion (1985)
8. Trois strophes sur le nom de Sacher, for solo cello (1976)
9. Tout un monde lointain, for cello and orchestra (1970)
10. Métaboles, for orchestra (1964)


----------



## TresPicos

Pierrot Lunaire said:


> *Henri Dutilleux*. An all too neglected composer.
> 
> 1. L'arbre des songes, for violin and orchestra (1985)
> 2. Timbres, espace, mouvement ou la nuit etoilée, for orchestra (1978)
> 3. Ainsi la nuit, for string quartet (1976)
> 4. Symphonie No. 2 "Le double", for orchestra (1959)
> 5. Trois Préludes, for solo piano (1988)
> 6. The Shadows of Time, for 3 children voices and orchestra (1997)
> 7. Les citations, for oboe, double bass, harpsichord and percussion (1985)
> 8. Trois strophes sur le nom de Sacher, for solo cello (1976)
> 9. Tout un monde lointain, for cello and orchestra (1970)
> 10. Métaboles, for orchestra (1964)


Too neglected, indeed.

I would have included Mystère de l'instant and the piano sonata, but that's just because they are my favorite works.


----------



## vamos

Stockhausen

1. Kontakt
2. Hymnen
3. Stimmung
4. Mantra
5. Gesang der Junglinge
6. Tierkreis


that's only how far I am right now. I have a long way to go on everyone in this thread.


----------



## Guest

I'd love to see a list for Martinu; I'm familiar with his Symphonies and String Quartets, which I love, but that's it. I'd really like to explore him more.


----------



## bassClef

I don't feel qualified to do any others. Though I love what I've heard from *Carl Vine*, *Akira Ifukube*, *Lars Erik Larsson*, *Henryk Gorecki* and *Wojciech Kilar*, I've not really heard enough of their full repertoire in order to attempt top-10 recommendations for these.


----------



## TresPicos

*Lars-Erik Larsson*

1. Pastoral suite (1938)
2. God in Disguise (Förklädd gud) (1940)
3. 12 concertinos for solo instruments (1953-57)
4. Little serenade for string orchestra (1932)
5. Lyric fantasy (1966)
6. Quattro tempi, for wind quintet (1968)
7. Piano sonatinas 1-3 (1936, 1947, 1950)
8. String quartet 3 (1975) 
9. Sinfonietta (1932)
10. Saxophone concerto (1934)


----------



## MrTortoise

We need to add some ladies to this list! Here is my short list for Sofia Gubaidulina. I would include more, but these are the only pieces of her's that work as in introduction to her music. I hope others can fill in the gap I have left... 

In Croce
The Canticle of the Sun of St Francis of Assisi
In Erwartung
String Quartet #3
De profundis (for solo accordian!)


----------



## Air

*Sofia Gubaidulina* (working off of MrTortoise's list above)

1. In Croce
2. The Canticle of the Sun of St Francis of Assisi
3. In Erwartung
4. String Quartet #3
5. De profundis
6. _Stimmen... Verstummen..._
7. _Offertorium_
8. _Chaconne / Piano Sonata_
9. _Garten von Freuden und Trauigkeiten_
10. _Johannes-Passion / Johannes-Ostern_


----------



## Jeremy Marchant

*Stockhausen *(a more comprehensive list than Vamos's)

_Kreuzspiel _(1951)
_Gruppen _(1957)
_Kontakte _(1960)
_Klavierstück _X (1955/61) [or XI (1956)]
_Hymnen _(1967)
_Stimmung _(1968)
_Mantra _(1970)
_Michaels Reise um die Erde _(_Michael's journey around the world_) (from _Donnerstag aus Licht_) (1978)
_Helikopter-Streichquartett _(from M_ittwoch aus Licht_) (1993)
_Freude _(from _Klang_) (2005)


----------



## Ravellian

Aww, why didn't they let me do the "Ravel" list? Well, I'm going to do one anyway. This is in approximate order of greatness.

1. Piano Concerto in G
2. Daphis et Chloe
3. Gaspard de la Nuit
4. Rapsodie espagnole
5. La Valse
6. Piano Concerto for the left hand
7. Piano Trio in A minor
8. Miroirs
9. Jeux d'eau
10. Tzigane

I'm not a big fan of the Bolero or the Couperin piece.


----------



## Air

Ravellian said:


> I'm not a big fan of the Bolero or the Couperin piece.


Well, I could live without Bolero too, but _Le Tombeau de Couperin_??? HERESY!!! 

Frankly, it's such a good piece that I wouldn't even mind dumping _La Valse_ and _Rapsodie espagnole_ for it. *And definitely Tzigane.* I don't buy the virtuosic violin stuff.


----------



## Sid James

I'm glad you guys included Ravel's _Piano Trio _on your lists, because I think it sums up a lot of his talents (& he had many!). Another work, which TresPicos was right to include (imo) was the _Sonata for cello & piano_. I heard it on a friend's disc last year & was pretty much blown away. The dissonance, intensity & even aggressiveness of this work is highly atypical of Ravel, but I love it! It should be better known, particularly since there's not a lot of works that have been written for that combination of instruments. I think it's an important thing to listen to more obscure works of a composer as well, apart from their greatest hits (& people have interpreted my intentions for the thread well - this is not meant to be a list of composer's "greatest hits" or the like).

I particularly liked the Bridge & Alwyn lists. I have heard practically zero music by these composers & want to get to know their music a bit more in the future. You guys know your music, and the aim of this thread is to share this knowledge a bit.

Regarding Luc Ferrari, I have seen a couple of cd's of his electronica in the store (a non-classical store actually, it was in the "avant-garde" section!) & they are on my to-get list. They may well have been some of the works which some guy mentions, but I honestly can't remember...


----------



## Sid James

I'll try *Alban Berg*, though he's an easy one, since he didn't compose much in terms of quantity (but quality is another thing!).

1. Three Pieces for orchestra, 1914-15
2. Violin Concerto, 1935
3. Lulu-Suite, soprano & orchestra, 1935
4. String Quartet, op. 3, 1910
5. Lyric Suite for string quartet, 1925-6
6. Chamber Concerto for violin, piano & 13 wind instruments, 1923-5
7. Piano Sontata, 1907-8
8. Some of his many sets of songs, which I have not as yet heard
9. Wozzeck, opera in 3 acts, 1914-22
10. Lulu, opera, 1929-35 (orchestra part of Act 3 completed by Friedrich Cerha)

I included both the opera _Lulu _and the extracted suite because I think that ultimately one should hear both to get a fuller picture of Berg's output. Although based around the same themes, they are in different genres, one opera the other mainly orchestral...


----------



## starthrower

Andre said:


> I'll start with a perennial favourite, *Bela Bartok*. These works range in date from 1911 to 1945 & all genres are basically covered. I think that listening to these is a good starting point to get to know Bartok's music:
> 
> 1. Concerto for Orchestra (1943)
> 2. Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta (1936)/Divertimento for Strings (1939)(both written for Paul Sacher of Switzerland)
> 3. Violin Concerto No. 2 (1937-8)
> 4. Piano Concertos 1-3 (1926-45)
> 5. String Quartets 1-6 (1908-39)
> 6. Mikrokosmos, solo piano (1926/1932-9)
> 7. Piano Sonata (1926)
> 8. Cantata Profana (1930) (haven't heard this but will soon, but Bartok thought it to be his finest work)
> 9. The Miraculous Mandarin, ballet suite (1918)
> 10. Bluebeard's Castle, opera (1911)


Bartok is one of my favorites as well. I've heard the Cantata Profana and I recommend it coupled with The Wooden Prince on Boulez's DG recording.


----------



## Sid James

starthrower said:


> Bartok is one of my favorites as well. I've heard the Cantata Profana and I recommend it coupled with The Wooden Prince on Boulez's DG recording.


Thanks very much for the recommendation. I never knew about that disc & have heard neither of those important works. Will have to get it at some point this year...


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## StlukesguildOhio

Debussy would probably be my favorite 20th century composer after Richard Strauss (and like Strauss, he also straddles the 19th into the 20th centuries).

*Claude Debussy:*

1.La Mer
2.Trois Nocturnes
3.Images (orchestral)
4.Preludes (solo piano)
5.Etudes (solo piano)
6.Images (Firsty and Second Series- solo piano)
7.Melodies de Jeunesse
8.Recueil Vasnier
9.La Damoiselle elue
10.Rhapsody for Orchestra with Saxophone (or Clarinet)

This list is in no particular order. I excluded _Pelléas et Mélisande_ because I have yet to listen to it close enough to offer an honest opinion. I do include a good deal of Debussy's vocal music. Indeed, I probably could have included the whole of his songs or melodies which are among the finest art songs ever composed.


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## StlukesguildOhio

*Benjamin Britten:*

1. War Requiem
2. Peter Grimes
3. Turn of the Screw
4. A Midsummer Night's Dream
5. Billy Budd
6. Death in Venice
7. A Ceremony of Carols
8. Cello Suites nos. 1 & 2 (Rostropovitch)
9. The Canticles
10. Serenade; Les Illuminations; Nocturne 
(A trio of songs for orchestra and tenor commonly recorded together as they were initially by Britten and his partner, Peter Pears)


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## Air

StlukesguildOhio said:


> 7.Melodies de Jeunesse
> 8.Recueil Vasnier
> 9.La Damoiselle elue
> 10.Rhapsody for Orchestra with Saxophone (or Clarinet)


Wonderful recommendations! Never heard these before until now - and I was blown away upon first hearing!

Thank you.


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## jurianbai

I will say, Tan Dun!

1. *Martial Arts Trilogy *, from Hero, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragons and The Banquet movie score.

Organic Concerto Trilogy:
2. Stone Concerto
3. Paper concerto4. Water concerto





5. Ghost Opera





6. The Love, Violin Concerto

7. Zheng Concerto





8. The First Emperor, opera





9. Marco polo , opera
10. Youtube Internet SYmphony


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## SuperTonic

jurianbai said:


> I will say, Tan Dun!
> 
> 1. *Martial Arts Trilogy *, from Hero, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragons and The Banquet movie score.
> 
> Organic Concerto Trilogy:
> 2. Stone Concerto
> 3. Paper concerto4. Water concerto
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 5. Ghost Opera
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 6. The Love, Violin Concerto
> 
> 7. Zheng Concerto
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 8. The First Emperor, opera
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 9. Marco polo , opera
> 10. Youtube Internet SYmphony


I am going to see the Water Concerto in a few months when the Fort Worth Symphony performs it. It should be an interesting experience. I wasn't aware that it was part of a trilogy. I'll have to check out the other ones as well.


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## jurianbai

I bet! I think the Trilogy is more a performance purposes term, not initially on composer's intention, but I am not sure!


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## Pierrot Lunaire

I'm surprised no one has done *Charles Ives* yet.

1. Central Park in the Dark, for chamber orchestra (1906)
2. Universe Symphony (1928, unfinished)
3. Piano Sonata No. 2 "Concord, Mass., 1840-60" (1919)
4. String Quartet No. 1 & 2 (1900, 1913)
5. Symphony No. 4 (1916)
6. The Celestial Railroad, for solo piano and optional drum (1925)
7. Three Quarter Tone Piano Pieces, for two pianos (1924)
8. Orchestral Set No. 1 "Three Places in New England" (1916)
9. Hallowe'en, for string quartet, piano and optional drum (1914)
10. The Unanswered Question, for chamber orchestra (1906)


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## Sid James

A great list Pierrot Lunaire, and your familiarity with Ives' music is far greater than mine (I only began to listen to & collect his music in the past year). However, I would include some of his many songs, because they are undoubtedly some of the greatest in the genre in the c20th...


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## Sid James

I'll try American composer *Alan Hovhaness*. Speaking of other c20th composers with prolific outputs, would someone like to do Villa-Lobos, Martinu, Poulenc or Milhaud?

Symphony No. 2 "Mysterious Mountain" (1955) - I feel this and the other two symphonies are a great place to start. Also interesting are his numerous symphonies for wind band.

Symphony No. 22 "City of Light" (1970) - A finale that recalls that of Brahms 4th in its treatments of counterpoint, marrying it with a very American sense of space and grandeur.

Symphony No. 50 "Mount St. Helens" (1982) - Some of the wildest and most intense percussion work in the "eruption" part of the finale, which recalls the "battle of the timpanists" in Nielsen's 4th "The Inextinguishable."

Cello Concerto (1936) - an early work decades ahead of it's time, in particular the use of repetition and an Eastern (non-European) aesthetic which very much looks forwards to some of the minimalists.

Trumpet Concerto "Return and Rebuild the Desolate Places" for trumpet solo, winds and percussion (date?) - a short work full of contrasts and a passage of wild dissonance & mayhem.

Meditation on Orpheus, symphonic poem for orchestra (1958) - quite dissonant for Hovhaness, reminds me a bit of Lutoslawski who used similar controlled "chance" techniques.

And God Created Great Whales (taped whale songs and orchestra) (1970) - the main theme is a bit banal to tell you the truth, but it's interesting how he develops a dialogue between the taped and "live" elements.

Celestial Fantasy for string orchestra (1935/44) - one of his best prelude & fugue works, imo. Extreme control coupled with the expression of very deep emotions.

Suite from String Quartet No. 2 (1950) - this uses the pentatonic scale in Gamelan music.

Magnificat (SATB soli, SATB choir and orchestra) (1958) - haven't heard this one, but apparently it's his finest choral work.


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## emiellucifuge

The magnificat really is good Andre, you should try and hear it.


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## Pierrot Lunaire

Now for another underappreciated mastermind: *Gérard Grisey*. Sadly, he died when he was fifty two so this list contains a large part of his output but definitely listen to this one in order, or at least start with the first piece (one of my favorite works of the whole twentieth century).

1. Les espaces acoustiques I-V, for solo viola, chamber ensemble and orchestra (1974-1985)
2. Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil, for soprano and chamber ensemble (1998)
3. Talea, for violin, cello, flute, clarinet and piano (1986)
4. Vortex temporum, for piano and chamber ensemble (1996)
5. Jour, contre-jour, for electric organ, 14 musicians, and tape (1979)
6. Tempus ex machina, for 6 percussionists (1979)
7. L'icône paradoxale, for 2 female voices and 2 orchestral groups (1994)
8. Solo pour deux, for clarinet and trombone (1981)
9. Les chants de l'amour, for 12 voices and tape (1984)
10. Le noir de l'étoile, for 6 percussionists, tape, and live electronics (1990)


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## Air

A *Villa-Lobos* list! Really a very fun composer, and quite innovative too - only problem being that Euro-centric listeners tend to listen to his work with nothing more than mild curiosity - as an exotic flavor for the regular diet, one could say, that would include the more mainstream German, French, American, and Russian composers.

When praising Stravinsky or Schoenberg's influence on the future of 20th century influence, one cannot ignore how extremely influential Villa-Lobos was in shaping Latin American classical music. He is one of the greatest examples of a composer who was able to fuse the Western classical tradition with the tradition of his native country, and produce, a unique, distinctive sound.

It's not an easy task to narrow down a few key works from a guy who is reputed to have composed over 1000! But I'm not even close to having heard a majority of them, and that certainly helps narrow things down a bit...

*Heitor Villa-Lobos*

*1. A Floresta do Amazonas (1958)*

Maybe the best entrance into Villa-Lobos's world. Adopted from his film score for _Green Mansions_, the work can best be described as a gargantuan symphonic poem containing a soaring soprano voice and male chorus. It's a lovely escape into the interiors of the Amazon, and the wonder of the sights and sounds within the dense forest. Certainly the composer was familiar with these regions, having been an explorer of the jungle himself, even claiming to have been abducted by cannibals...

*2. Chôros, nos. 8-11 (1925-9)*

For me, the _Chôros_ series, though lesser-known than the _Bachianas Brasileiras_, are by far the superior set of works. Complex and exotic, they proved a lasting legacy on Brazil's music - and remain the supreme example of classical music in that country today. No. 10 in particular is a wonder - large, terrifying choruses, savage and untamed by civilization - perhaps the same sort of jungle feeling as in _A Floresta do Amazonas_, but far more menacing and complex rhythmically and melodically.

*3. Rudepoêma (1921-26)*

It's a pity that this masterpiece of 20th century piano music, as great as any of the sonatas of Bartok, Prokofiev, and Boulez, is not more commonly performed today, especially when it was modeled after the great Artur Rubinstein - who himself failed to record it. Often described as "_Le Sacre du Printemps_ meets the Brazilian jungle", this work has all the savagery of the _Chôros_ concentrated on an 88-key keyboard, yet with an added virtuosic element as well. It's not a work that can be easily performed.

*4. Uirapuru, ballet (1917)*

There's also his ballet _Amazonas_, but _Uirapuru_ stands out for its great tunes - which often seem to me like cries of Romanticism trying to be heard in the midst of the wild Amazon forest.

*5. String Quartet No. 3 (1917)*

I'm not the most qualified to speak about the String Quartets, as I have only heard a number of them, but this one caught me immediately. There's no doubt that the *2nd movement scherzo played almost entirely in pizzicato* influenced Bartok a decade later when he wrote his famous _4th string quartet_ (1927). Frankly, though I enjoy Bartok, the sounds produced by Villa-Lobos in this one movement seem far more intriguing (I will avoid trying to use the work "exotic"), and it's a wonder to me why the cycle of Quartets and this one in particular haven't gained the same sort of renown as Bartok's cycle.

*6. Bachianas Brasileiras (1930-45)*

It isn't a surprise that most classical fans know Villa-Lobos exclusively through the _Bachianas_, as they are some of the most accessible and melodically rich works of his. I'd take the Bachianas in the following order - 5, 2, 1, 9, 4, the rest. #9 is the favorite for me with its fugue - in one of the strangest meters - and topped off with soaring melodies within the fugue itself. #5 is the most famous, and for good reason too - with a good soprano like Victoria de los Angeles, it can become a true jewel. #2 is a good early listen too - good use of instruments and percussion (not just standard percussion, mind you) to create a Brazilian like anthem - with all the suggested Bach elements included as well.

*7. Guitar Concerto Fantasia Concertante (1951)*

I'm sure all guitarists are familiar with this piece, though it is not one of my favorites.

*8. A Prole do Bebê, series nos. 1 & 2 (1920-1)*

Villa-Lobos started a 3rd book too, which gives these series a sort of parallel to Ligeti's famed _Etudes_ in my mind. Even though they were clearly written with younger children in mind, I don't think it would be wrong to say that Villa-Lobos _did_ intend to use these series, like Ligeti, to experiment with the piano and form his own ideas and innovations regarding the instrument. My introduction to this composer, a 30-minute long elementary piece from the first book named "O Pochinelo", experiments with conflicting chords, all played at a massive speed to create an almost "cluster"-like effect, though in truth, the child performing the piece would probably see the piece as nothing but "fun" and "cool".

*9. Gênesis, symphonic poem & ballet (1954)*

I include this work for its absolutely thrilling atmosphere. The bird sounds are wonderfully apparent here, and the glissandos send shivers up my spine everytime I hear them. There's contrapuntal writing too - it's just a great culmination of Villa-Lobos's talents and a piece at the end of his career that beautifully sums up his life's work in the unique musical language he developed.

*10. Momoprecoce, fantasy for piano and orchestra (1921)*

An awesome piano fantasy with groovy melodies and much of the same sort of ear-candy that _Gênesis_ provides. It would certainly be a joy to play, if I can ever get to it.


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## Sid James

Thanks, Air. I've only heard about half of the Villa-Lobos works on your list. _Rudepoema_ sounds like a "must-get." Well done...


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## starry

StlukesguildOhio said:


> I excluded _Pelléas et Mélisande_ because I have yet to listen to it close enough to offer an honest opinion.


This is how I think any list should be done, not on others opinions but after hearing it yourself. Also I think if should be 'favourite' rather than 'top' works. I like to look at alot of modern composers rather than concentrate on any individually, so hard for me to do a list.


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## Sid James

Nobody has done *Vaughan Williams*. Not my favourite composer by any stretch of the imagination, though he kind of used to be so over the years I have become familiar with his major works. I have heard his opera _Hugh the Drover_(1914), but don't consider it an important/significant enough part of his output to include on the list.

The Lark Ascending, for violin & orchestra (1920)

Fantasia on 'Greensleeves,' for orchestra (1930's)

Piano Concerto (1931)

Symphonies 1-9 (1909-58) - All of these are worth listening to, to find out which ones you like the most. The 1st is choral ('A Sea Symphony') & still has elements of Romanticism, the 2nd ('A London Symphony') can be quite Impressionistic, the 3rd ('A Pastoral Symphony') & the 5th are perhaps his most typical creations, quite English, the 4th and 6th show strong Modernist influences, the 7th is a film score in disguise ('Sinfonia Antartica'), the 8th is the lightest in the set & the 9th sounds quite mystical to my ears anyway.

The Wasps, incidental music to Aristophanes play (1909)

Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, for double string orchestra (1910)

Partita for double string orchestra (1946-8)

Job, a masque for dancing (ballet) (1930)

Mass in G minor (1920-1)

Many of his fine songs, eg. 'Linden Lea' (c. 1908)


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## StlukesguildOhio

This is how I think any list should be done, not on others opinions but after hearing it yourself. Also I think if should be 'favourite' rather than 'top' works. I like to look at alot of modern composers rather than concentrate on any individually, so hard for me to do a list.

This is one of the reasons that I have not been able to tackle more composers. I have a sizable collection of Modern and Contemporary music... but there are but few Modern and Contemporary composers whose works I have explored in great depth... and honestly, there are not a great many that I have come across that have 10 pieces that I would think of as "favorites". Certainly Stravinsky and Shostakovitch and Strauss... but not Golijov or MacMillan, or Tristan Murail.


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## Guest

Andre said:


> Nobody has done Vaughan Williams. Not my favourite composer by any stretch of the imagination, though he kind of used to be so over the years I have become familiar with his major works. I have heard his opera Hugh the Drover(1914), but don't consider it an important/significant enough part of his output to include on the list.


I was thinking about doing RVW but never got around to it. He's one of my favorites. I like your list, but I would add the Phantasy Quintet to it.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Thanks to Andre's example, I immediately thought, yes, Vaughan-Williams... and Delius!

*Vaughan-Williams:*

1. Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
2. Fantasia on Greensleeves
3. The Lark Ascending
4. Symphony no. 3 (A Pastoral Symphony)
5. Symphony no. 5
6. Symphony no. 1 (A Sea Symphony)
7. Symphony no. 2 ( A London Symphony)
8. Dona Nobis Pacem
9. Sancta Civitas
10. Hodie: A Christmas Cantata

*Frederick Delius:*

1. A Village Romeo and Juliet
2. Sea Drift
3. Songs of Farewell
4. Requiem
5. On First Hearing the Cuckoo in Spring
6. In a Summer Garden
7. Summer Night on the River
8. Florida Suite
9. Brigg Fair
10. A Song Before Sunrise


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## Sid James

I'll do another one on *Prokofiev*:

1. Symphony No. 1 "Classical" (1917) - These two symphonies are really at opposite ends of the spectrum & are a great way to begin exploring his symphonic output.

2. Symphony No. 5 (1944)

3. Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5 (1911-32) - I think that all are worth exploring, which is feasable since they can be acquired in a 2 disc set at a small price.

4. Violin Concerto No. 1 (1916-17) - an etherial work with it's head in the clouds which I think is unique in his output.

5. Peter and the Wolf, for narrator & orchestra (1936) - A delightful work that brings the child out of us adults.

6. Alexander Nevsky, cantata for mezzo-soprano, chorus & orchestra (1939)

7. Piano Sonatas 6-8, the "War Sonatas" (1939-44) - Some of the most technically demanding works & some very intense listening.

8. Visions Fugitives, piano solo (1915-18) - another early work in another bizarre world.

9. Romeo & Juliet, ballet (1936) - One of the finest ballets of the c20th.

10. The Love for Three Oranges, opera (1919) - I have only heard the suite, but judging from it's whimsicality, this must be a great opera.

"Extras"

11. Scythian Suite (Ala & Lolly) (1914-15) - Prokofiev's "take" on _The Rite of Spring _- Glazunov walked out at the premiere performance.

12. Symphony No. 3 (1928) - Perhaps not as cohesive as the 5th, but it has some great moments and offers the usual kaliedescope of colours and moods.

13. Suggestion Diabolique Op. 4 No. 4, solo piano (date?)- Another virtuoso showpiece.

14. String Quartets 1 (1930) & 2 (1941) - The 1st has to be one of the most significant of it's time, while the 2nd is a lot of fun, but not half as much groundbreaking.

15. Symphony -Concerto for cello and orchestra (1950-2) - Quite a difficult piece to grasp for me, even in the hands of the great Rostropovich, but it's great as long as you just let yourself go a bit.


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## Huilunsoittaja

Andre said:


> 11. Scythian Suite (Ala & Lolly) (1914-15) - Prokofiev's "take" on _The Rite of Spring _- Glazunov walked out at the premiere performance.


Indeed! I heard it on youtube, that ending is so *loud*! That's really why he walked out, it was just too loud.


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## Pierrot Lunaire

*George Crumb*:

1. Black Angels, for electric string quartet (1970)
2. Makrokosmos I-IV, for amplified pianos and percussion (1972-1979)
3. Vox Balaenae, for electric flute, electric cello and amplified piano (1971)
4. Star-Child, for soprano, children's voices, male choir, bell ringers and orchestra (1977)
5. Eleven Echoes of Autumn, 1965, for violin, alto flute, clarinet and piano (1966)
6. Quest, for guitar, soprano saxophone, harp, double bass and percussion (1994)
7. Echoes of Time and the River, for orchestra (1967)
8. An Idyll for the Misbegotten, for amplified flute and percussion (1986)
9. Dream Sequence, for violin, cello, piano, percussion and off-stage glass harmonica (1976)
10. A Little Suite for Christmas, A.D. 1979, for solo piano (1980)


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## TWhite

I think I'll go with the Argentinian composer Alberto Ginastera. Haven't heard everything, but what I have heard I like a lot. 
A sampling:
1: Suite de Danzas Criollas (Piano)
2: Argentine Dances (Piano)
3: Sonata #1 (Piano)
4: Malambo (Piano)
5: Piano Concerto #1
6: Harp Concerto
7: Estancia (ballet)
8: Panambi (ballet)
9: Tres Piezas (piano)
10: Cantata Para America Magica (Soprano/53 percussion instruments)

Tom


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## StlukesguildOhio

*Toru Takemitsu-*

1. A Flock Descends into the Pentagonal Garden
2. In an Autumn Garden
3. Quatrain
4. Autumn
5. Stanza I and II
6. Toward the Sea
7. And then I Knew 'twas Wind
8. Eclipse
9. Air
10. Voice

Takemitsu is easily one of my favorite modern composers. I probably have more CDs by him than any other post-WWII classical composer... with the possible exception of Arvo Part. His music is a synthesis of Eastern and Western musical traditions. His music conveys elements of Impressionism... especially Debussy as well as later composers such as Messiaen... merged with a meditative and "minimalist" Japanese aesthetic. Like Debussy and Ravel, his music is constructed from a sensitive and sometimes surprising array of instrumentation painting the most subtle sound "colors." One reviewer wrote that he was simply dazzled by the fact that Takemitsu could employ so much dissonance... and yet the result was still so unabashedly beautiful.


























Takemitsu offers not only a link between East and West but also a bridge from Debussy through Messiaen and on through the contemporary Tristan Murail.


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## Sid James

I also like Takemitsu's _Three Film Scores_ for string orchestra (a clip of the waltz below on youtube from the Naxos disc I have). It just shows that he was very versatile at composing more European sounding music as well...






I want to get some of his chamber & solo piano music as I only have that Naxos disc of his orchestral works. Interesting how there's such a unity there, from the earliest work _Solitude Sonore_ from the 1950's right up to the works composed before his death in the '90's. Stravinsky apparently thought much of Takemitsu's music & saw the younger man's promise at the beginning...


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## MrTortoise

Andre: I have that same disc with "A flock descending..." and enjoyed it this weekend. I had forgotten what a master of orchestral color Takemitsu is. I found a lot of pleasure simply listening to the sounds of his works without worrying about thematic development or technique. I'm going to search out more of his music.


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## emiellucifuge

My Prokofiev list:

1. Symphony No. 5
2. Piano Concerto No. 3
3. Romeo and Juliet
4. Symphony No. 1
5. Piano Concerto No. 2
6. Violin Concerto D
7. Symphony No. 6
8. Sinfonia Concertante
9. Cinderella
10. Piano Sonata 7


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## emiellucifuge

Stravinsky:

1. The Rite of Spring
2. Petrouchka
3. The Firebird
4. Symphony in C
5. Violin Concerto 2
6. Agon
7. Symphony in 3 movments
8. Symphony of Psalms
9. Dumbarton Oaks
10. Octet


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## Guest

I'll throw in *Rachmaninov*:

Piano Concerto No. 2
Piano Concerto No. 3
Symphony No. 2
Elegiac Piano Trio No. 2
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Isle of the Dead
Preludes Op. 23
Preludes Op. 32
Etudes-Tableaux Op. 39
Morceaux de Fantaisie Op. 3

I really love the 2nd piano concerto, but his solo piano works are not to be missed. I haven't explored them as much as I'd like, but enjoy all that I have heard.

And, since nobody has mentioned him, I'm including *Arvo Part*:

Alina
Spiegel im Spiegel
Tabula Rasa
Passio
Berliner Messe
Miserere
Kanon Pokajanen
Te Deum
Symphony No. 4 "Los Angeles" - haven't heard yet, but would like to.
Cello Concerto (Pro et contra) - from his earlier period, doesn't fit in all that well here with these others - maybe closest to Tabula Rasa - but interesting to see where he started


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## TresPicos

*Francis Poulenc*

1. Concerto for 2 pianos (1932)
2. Stabat mater (1950)
3. Flute sonata (1956)
4. Quatre motets per le temps de Noël (1952)
5. Piano concerto (1949)
6. Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano (1926)
7. Sonata for piano 4 hands (1918)
8. Gloria (1959)
9. Intermezzi for piano (1934-43)
10. Sinfonietta (1947)


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## Huilunsoittaja

TresPicos said:


> *Francis Poulenc*
> 
> 1. Concerto for 2 pianos (1932)
> 2. Stabat mater (1950)
> 3. *Flute sonata (1956)*
> 4. Quatre motets per le temps de Noël (1952)
> 5. Piano concerto (1949)
> 6. Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano (1926)
> 7. Sonata for piano 4 hands (1918)
> 8. Gloria (1959)
> 9. Intermezzi for piano (1934-43)
> 10. Sinfonietta (1947)


I want to play that sooo much! I love Gloria too.


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## toucan

Highly recommended by Takemitsu, *Fantasma/Cantos*, with Sabine Meyer and Claudio Abbado, and by Poulenc, the Sextet for piano and wind instruments, with Jacques Fevrier at the piano (EMI).

Another nice piece by Poulenc is his sonata for clarinet and piano, which would fit well on a cd with Brahms' clarinet sonatas, I should think, because of a common melancholy.

*Luciano Berio*. His closest affinity among his contemporaries would appear to be Boulez. There is some parallelisms between their careers, both of them getting noticed for their (brief) stints as Darmstadt-style serialists (Berio, rather less disciplined than the others) - and both evolving toward the smoother, time-oriented, renewed modernism of the 1980's and beyond.

In between, however, Berio does something _unique_, his Sinfonia of 1968, unique because of his uncanny ability to compose original music, while making such heavy use of the music of others (especially the Scherzo from Gustav Mahler's 2nd Symphony).

1/ Kol Od, Chemins VI for trumpet and Orchestra (1999)
2/ Formazioni (1987)
3/ Sinfonia (1968)
4/ Chemins IV for oboe or saxophone (1975)
5/ Ekphrasis (1999)
6/ Solo for trombone & orchestra (2000)
7/ Requies (1984)
8/ Sincronie for string quartet (1964)
9/ Serenata for flute and fouteen instruments (1957)
10/ Points on the Curve to Find, for Piano and 22 instrumentlists (1974)


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## Sid James

Thanks for introducing Berio, toucan (& your other insightful contributions here). I've only heard one short piece for him for double bass solo, which I have on a compilation cd. I have also read about his "orchestration" of Schubert's unfinished 10th symphony, which (from what I understand) is a loose knitting together of the remaining fragments. Reading about it, it sounds to me to be a work which challenges the whole notion of "finishing" a great composer's unfinished work...


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## PetrB

Sid, your TC mailbox is full!!!

The Cantata Profana is A Very Fine Work (and gorgeous!), I think not often enough performed merely because of the resources required, ergo expense of production.

You in for a treat - here a Hungarian ensemble (the work MUST be sung in Hungarian) with a bit more 'true' (less homogenized) intonation....

in one link, Music begins @ 3'50''





Boulez' recording, in Hungarian, with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra:
(Youtube playlist, three movements on auto-play)





enjoy!


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## DeepR

Alexander Scriabin

Etudes Op. 8
Preludes Op. 11
Sonata No. 2
Piano Concerto
Sonata No. 5
Vers La Flamme
Symphony No. 1
Symphony No. 3
The Poem of Ecstasy
Prometheus: The Poem of Fire


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## Renaissance

Arvo Part

Te Deum
Tabula Rasa
Symphony No.3
Symphony No.4
Berliner Messe
Missa Syllabica
The Beautitudes 
Seven Magnificent Antiphons
Litany
Cantatus In Memoriam Benjamin Britten for Orchestra and Bell.


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## Art Rock

*Ernest John Moeran*

A criminally neglected composer.

Symphony in G minor 
Cello Concerto
Violin Concerto
Sinfonietta 
Two pieces for small orchestra
In the Mountain Country
Phyllida and Corydon
Songs of springtime
String Quartet in A minor
String Quartet in E flat


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## etkearne

My favorite composer is Bela Bartok, so here is my top ten compositions by the master himself: 

1. Piano Sonata (1926)
2. Piano Concerto No. 1
3. Dance Suite
4. Out Of Doors Suite
5. Piano Concerto. No. 2
6. Contrasts
7. Concerto For Orchestra
8. Three Rondos On Folk Tunes
9. Music For Strings et. al.
10. Allegro Barbaro!


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## Guest

Prokofiev:

1. Symphony no. 5
2. Piano Concerto no. 3
3. Piano Sonata no. 7
4. Symphony no. 1
5. Piano Concerto no. 2
6. Romeo and Juliet
7. Violin Concerto no. 1
8. Cinderella
9. Piano Sonata no. 8
10. Piano Sonata no. 6


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## tdc

My Bartok Top Ten: 

1) Bluebeard's Castle
2) Piano Concerto No. 2
3) Piano Concerto No. 1
4) String Quartet No. 4
5) Violin Concerto No. 2
6) Concerto for Orchestra
7) Music for Percussion, Strings, and Celesta
8) String Quartet No. 6
9) Piano Concerto No. 3
10) The Miraculous Mandarin


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## Jimm

*KARLHEINZ STOCKHAUSEN*
1. Kontra-punkte op.1
2. Klavierstucke I-IV op.2
3. Klavierstucke V-X op.4 
4. Zeitmasze op.5
5. Gruppen op.6
6. Kontakte op.12
7. Momente op.13
8. Hymnen op.22
9. Stimmung op.24
10. Mantra op.32

Alternate list:
1. Zyklus op.9
2. Refrain op.11
3. Mikrophonie I op.15
4. Luzifers Tanz op.53
5. Weltraum op.62
6. Welt-Parlament op.66
7. Orchester Finalisten op.68
8. Lichter-Wasser op.75
9. Licht-Bilder op.77
10. Freude op.82

(and still we are missing _many_ amazing works)


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## violadude

etkearne said:


> My favorite composer is Bela Bartok, so here is my top ten compositions by the master himself:
> 
> 1. Piano Sonata (1926)
> 2. Piano Concerto No. 1
> 3. Dance Suite
> 4. Out Of Doors Suite
> 5. Piano Concerto. No. 2
> 6. Contrasts
> 7. Concerto For Orchestra
> 8. Three Rondos On Folk Tunes
> 9. Music For Strings et. al.
> 10. Allegro Barbaro!


A top ten of Bartok's works that doesn't contain at least one of the string quartets is a crime.


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## tdc

Ravel:

1) Piano Trio
2) Daphnis et Chloe
3) Piano Concerto in G
4) Miroirs
5) String Quartet
6) Le Tombeau de Couperin 
7) Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte
8) Introduction et Allegro
9) Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
10) Gaspard de la Nuit

This one was hard, I like all of his works so much and it pains me to leave so many off.


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## etkearne

VIOLADUDE:

I deeply admire his String Quartets, but string chamber music is literally my least favorite classical genre, along with (you may be able to ascertain this as well from my Bartok list...) Pantomime Ballets! haha.

PS- The viola and cello are the only two "family members" I can stand.


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## Toddlertoddy

Stravinsky

1. The Rite
2. The Firebird
3. Petrushka
4. Pulcinella
5. Symphony of Psalms
6. Agon
7. Concerto for Two Pianos
8. Dumbarton Oaks
9. Violin Concerto
10. Ebony Concerto


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## xuantu

I have to make a post here:

Bartok is, at the moment, the only 20th century composer among my absolute favorites. Gramophone critic Rob Cowan once wrote something along the lines of "soul is perhaps the most abiding quality of Bartok's music", which I wholeheartedly agree (and explains why I love his music so much). There is this great thread in "Today's composers" section started by *etkearne* discussing more about the technical aspects of Bartok's music; I hope one day I could understand more when reading it. As an untrained listener, here are 10 works from Bartok I enjoy the most:

1. Cantata Profana - I agree with PetrB that this is a gorgeous work. And it is a very unique piece. It is an age-old, magical story told with almost cinematic vividness. The music starts off by depicting (in my mind) of a forest, which opens its way for us, the listeners. The chorus chant like spirits in the forest, telling us about a father who taught his nine sons only the hunting arts. One day, the sons out for a hunt crossed a magical bridge in the forest and turned into stags. When the father arrived and aimed at the stags with his arrow, the eldest son spoke, revealed to him their true identities. Father pleaded, asking his sons to return home. But the answer was no. "Our antlers will no longer pass your doorway... our mouths can only drink from the mountain springs". When the story is done, as we the listeners draw back from the forest, it closes its paths behind us. This is a magical piece with terrific dramatic tension. The music Bartok wrote for the bass (father) and tenor (son) soloists is simply amazing, particularly the electrifying tenor part.

2. Bluebeard's castle - Often cited as a psychodrama, it is also a symphonic opera, with its stage wrapped in the score.

3. String Quartet No. 4 - Perhaps the most economically and tightly woven of the 6, with an 'arch' structure. Cello leads the ensemble singing ecstatically in the central movement, followed by a skittish allegretto pizzicato.

4. String Quartet No. 5 - Another symmetrically structured quartet, lush, expansive and brilliant.

5. String Quartet No. 6 - An emotionally potent piece, spiritually connected to Beethoven's late quartets.

6. Sonata for solo Violin - An important post-Bach essay for the solo violin, originally written for the great Yehudi Menuhin (my favorite violinist/musician).

7. Sonata for two pianos and percussion - A feast of rich, yet delicate sonorities. Not without passages of frightening intensity, but the quiet parts in the central movement tickles.

8. Violin Concerto No.2 - Bartok's finest concerto. Strong in variation. Colorful orchestration. Whimsical violin solos.

9. The Miraculous Mandarin - A story of greed, lust and violence in a cosmopolitan era. Branded as the most movie-music-like score from Bartok. Inspired many a movie-music composer (as I heard).

10. Concerto for Orchestra - In his own words, a work sending a "life-affirming" message. A rare entry in symphonic music by Bartok.


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