# Introduce me to 20th/21st Century Classical Music



## Ulalume!Ulalume! (6 mo ago)

And by that I mean anything after the era of Schoenberg and pals whom I'm already acquainted with.
You can be as obvious as you like, I'm entirely ignorant of anything that came after them. 
I'm looking for names of composers, particular works, ensembles, conductors.
*And please no Youtube videos！* For purely aesthetic reasons... I hate the way they look on messageboards...
My own tastes lean baroque, I like the rich, the sensuous, not so much the abrasive or the discordant but I'm willing to give everything a chance.

Thanks！


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## janwillemvanaalst (5 mo ago)

If you want 20th/21st century but little or no dissonance, you may want to check out the following:

*Ola Gjeilo* (1978, Norwegian), e.g. his Sunrise Mass;
*Max Richter* (1966, American), e.g. "Vivaldi recomposed" or "Sleep";
*Peteras Vasks* (1946, Latvian), e.g. his Viola concerto, Cello concerto, or choral works like "Pater Noster", "Laudate Dominum" and his Mass;
*John Rutter* (1945, British), e.g. his Requiem, Magnificat, or Mass of the children;
*Philip Glass* (1937, Canadian), e.g. his score for movies like The Hours, Candyman and Mishima; his Metamorphosis or Satyagraha;
*Morten Lauridsen* (1943, American), try the CD "Light eternal" with a selection of his mesmerizing choral works;
*Arvo Pärt* (1935, Estonian), e.g. his CD "Alina", his Berliner Messe, Passion, or his Symphony no.4;
*Georgy Sviridov* (1915-1998, Russian), e.g. his "Hymns and Prayers" and "The Snowstorm" (or Blizzard);
*Alan Hovhaness* (1911-2000, Armenian/American), e.g. his Symphonies 2, 19, 22, 38 or 50, and his String quartet 3;
*Maurice Duruflé* (1902-1986, French), e.g. his Requiem and his Mass;
*Gerald Finzi* (1901-1956, British) e.g., his Requiem da Camera, Anthems, Intimations of immortality, Dies Natalis;
*Pancho Vladigerov* (1899-1978, Bulgarian), e.g. his violin concerto, piano concerto, exotic preludes, Impressions, and Bulgarian Suite.

But if you are indeed willing to give everything a chance, you should definitely try the following composers:

*George Enescu* (1881-1955, Romanian), start with his orchestral suites, then his chamber works;
*Henri Dutilleux* (1916-2013, French), e.g. his cello concerto, violin concerto and symphony no.2;
*Aram Khachaturian* (1903-1978, Russian/Armenian), e.g. his piano concerto, cello concerto and violin concerto;
*Dmitri Kabalevsky* (1904-1987, Russian), same;
*Michael Tippett* (1905-1998, British), try his oratorio "A child of our time";
*Dmitri Shostakovich* (1906-1975, Russian), try his symphonies and String quartet 8;
*Olivier Messiaen* (1908-1992, French), try his Quartet for the end of time, and his "20 regards";
*Samuel Barber* (1910-1981, British), start with his well-known Adagio for strings;
*John Cage* (1912-1992, British), try his "Dream" and his "Sonatas and interludes";
*Benjamin Britten* (1913-1976, British), too much good stuff to mention;
*Mieczyslaw Weinberg* (1919-1996, Polish), try his piano sonatina and his violin'/piano sonatina;
*Astor Piazzolla* (1921-1992, Argentinian), for example his Estaciones Porteñas;
*György Ligeti* (1923-2006, Hungarian), try his "Lontano" and his etudes for solo piano books 1-3;
*Alfred Schnittke* (1924-1998, Russian), try his Requiem and Concerto for choir;
*Morton Feldman* (1926-1987, American), piano works such as "For Bunita Marcos"
*Enojuhani Rautavaara* (1928-2016, Finnish), e.g. Cantus Arcticus, Piano concerto 3, symphonies;
*Wojciech Kilar* (1932-2013, Polish), try the Requiem for Father Kolbe;
*Krysztof Penderecki* (1993-2020, Polish), try the CD "Sacred choral works" (Kuivanen);
*Henryk Górecki* (1933-2010, Polish), try his "Symphony of sorrowful songs";
*John Adams* (1947, American), e.g. Harmonium, Gates, The Dharma at Big sur;
*James MacMillan* (1959, British), e.g., Miserere, St. John's Passion; Stabat Mater and Symphony 3.

These lists are merely meant as "starters". There's a whole world of talented composers to be discovered...


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Lush and sensuous are not typical adjectives describing contemporary classical music written over the past 100 years, but there were/are plenty of composers who did/do not utilize 12-tone techniques.

Because abrasive dissonance is my favorite sort of music, my recommendations are not for you.

Nonetheless, if you are receptive towards highly chromatic harmonics, then sample what Aarre Merikanto was writing during the 1920s.

Takemitsu was not a dogmatic serialist and most of what he wrote unveils its contents leisurely ... and can be received as sensuous.

Americans such as Henry Cowell or Lou Harrison issued much consonant-sounding music frequently in Asian modes.

Here are a few of my Top 10 composers who were not dodecaphonic: Maurice Ohana & Arne Nordheim. You might be able to get 'into' their works.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Ulalume!Ulalume! said:


> And by that I mean anything after the era of Schoenberg and pals whom I'm already acquainted with.
> You can be as obvious as you like, I'm entirely ignorant of anything that came after them.
> I'm looking for names of composers, particular works, ensembles, conductors.
> *And please no Youtube videos！* For purely aesthetic reasons... I hate the way they look on messageboards...
> ...


There are several active threads discussing music from the 20th and 21st centuries, had you bothered to look.

*Best contemporary composers*

*New Orchestral Music - Works of the 21st Century*

*Late 20th Century Music: works written between 1975-1999*

*The Contemporary String Quartet: works written since 1970*

*21st Century Chamber Music*

Welcome.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

I've been curating the thread A Beginner's Guide to Classical Music and just posted my 200th work, plus a smattering of "bonus" works interpolated along the way.

Here's the works included that were published from *1899 up to 2013*. Granted, there's a few works going back to the late 1880s that might be of interest, but one must draw the line somewhere.

1. Holst – The Planets, Op. 32 [1918]
4. Stravinsky – The Firebird [1910]
13. Mussorgsky - Pictures at an Exhibition (Ravel orchestration). [1874/1922]
14. Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue [1924]
15. Stravinsky - The Rite of Spring [1913]
18. Carl Orff - O Fortuna from Carmina Burana [1937]
21. Claude Debussy - The Sunken Cathedral, from Préludes [1910]
22. Sergei Rachmaninoff - Prelude Op. 23 No. 5 [1901]
25. Ravel – Bolero [1928]
26. George Martin – _Pepperland_ [1968]
41. Ottorino Respighi - The Pines of Rome [1924]

69. Strauss - Salomé – _“Dance of the Seven Veils”_ [1905]
70. Shostokovich – Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor [1944]
72. Aaron Copland - Appalachian Spring, [1944]
73. Ravel – Miroirs, No. 5 _“La vallee des cloches”_ [1905]
74. Ravel – String Quartet in F [1903]
79. Steve Reich – Music for 18 Musicians [1976]
80. Stockhausen – Gesang der Jünglinge [1956]
84. Legeti – Requiem [1965]
85. Elgar – Enigma Variations [1899]
86. Krzysztof Penderecki – Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima [1960]
100. Aaron Copland - Fanfare for the Common Man [1943]

#112. Ralph Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending (1914/1921)
#114. Britten - Cello Symphony (Symphony for Cello and Orchestra), Op. 68 (1963 /1964)
#121. Copland - Billy the Kid (1938)
#122. Britten - A Boy was Born, Op. 3 (1934)
#138. Rachmaninoff - Symphony No. 2, Op. 27 (1907)
#140. Elgar - Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 85 (1919)
#141. Sibelius - Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 43 (1902/1903)
#143. Mahler - Symphony No 4 in G Major (1900)
#145. Messiaen - Quatuor pour la fin du temps (Quartet for the End of Time) (1941)
#146. Sibelius - Symphony No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 82 (1915 / 1916 / 1919)
#147. Copland – Rodeo (1942)
#150. Sibelius - Finlandia (1899)

#151. Ives - The Unanswered Question (1908 / 1935)
#152. Rodrigo - Concierto De Aranjuez (1939)
#153. Shostakovich - Symphony No.5 (1937)
#154. Ligeti - Atmospheres (1961)
#156. Stockhausen – Kontakte (1960)
#157. Glass – Glassworks (1981)
#160. Prokofiev - Symphony No. 1 "Classical" (1917)
#163. Gershwin - Porgy and Bess (1935)
#166. Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 (1901)
#169. Ravel - Piano Concerto in G major (1932)
#170. Shostakovich - Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102 (1957)

BONUS. George Martin – Sea of Monsters (1968)
*188. Béla Bartók - Allegro barbaro* (*1911)
189. Jean Sibelius - Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39 (1899 (rev. 1900))
190. Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartet No. 8 (1960)
192. Joseph Schwantner - Concerto for Percussion Solo and Orchestra (1994) 
195. Giacomo Puccini - "Un Bel Di Vedremo", Madame Butterfly, Act II (1904)
197. Ernesto de Curtis* - *“Non ti scordar di me” (1912)
198. Alexander Scriabin - The Poem of Ecstasy (Le Poème de l'extase), Op. 54 (1908)
199. John Luther Adams - Becoming Ocean (2013)
200. Gustav Mahler - Das Lied von der Erde ("The Song of the Earth") (1909)*

Frankly, I'm somewhat surprised at the number of works from the *20th* and *21st centuries* that DID make the list, considering the volume of great music from the *19th* and *18th centuries*.

Still, only one work from the *21st Century* made the list, and most of the *20th Century* works are *pre-1950*.

But if you're looking for great works, this list might be as pertinent as any other.


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

A perennial favorite of mine is Copland's 3rd Symphony. The final movement is based on the theme from Fanfare for the Common Man.


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## prlj (10 mo ago)

Prodromides said:


> Lush and sensuous are not typical adjectives describing contemporary classical music written over the past 100 years,


I disagree slightly with this, particularly over the last 20 years or so. There is a TON of new piano music that I would call "lush and sensuous." Start with works by *Ludovico Einaudi. *

From there, one could branch out to *Ólafur Arnold's, Johann Johannasson, Max Richter,* etc. 

And then head over to *John Luther Adams.*

There has been a massive shift back toward tonality recently. Thankfully.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

Thanks for the info, "prlj".

I've not kept up-to-date with 'new' music since around 2008, so I was unaware of any movement returning to the tonal (though I still listen to Finns such as Lindberg, Saariaho & Salonen).

Which music between 1920 & Y2K would you describe as lush or sensuous?


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

Prodromides said:


> Thanks for the info, "prlj".
> 
> I've not kept up-to-date with 'new' music since around 2008, so I was unaware of any movement returning to the tonal (though I still listen to Finns such as Lindberg, Saariaho & Salonen).
> 
> Which music between 1920 & Y2K would you describe as lush or sensuous?


I don't think that "tonality" ever really "left".

Perhaps it's more just an abandonment of Atonality. In theory, and intellectually, it may be of interest, but people may be bored with it.


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## prlj (10 mo ago)

Prodromides said:


> Which music between 1920 & Y2K would you describe as lush or sensuous?


One could start with Hovhaness, Rautavaara, and Pärt. Oh, and some Górecki.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

My tastes tend toward the 'thorny' sounding end of the spectrum, but these, I think, may have enough of what you are looking for.

Hopefully you won't mind links to YouTube videos.

Augusta Read Thomas - Prisms of Light (2014)

Prisms of Light

Joan Tower - Silver Ladders (1987)

Silver Ladders

Thomas Ades - Asyla (1997)

Asyla

Magnus Lindberg - Sculpture (2005)

Sculpture


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

janwillemvanaalst said:


> If you want 20th/21st century but little or no dissonance, you may want to check out the following:
> 
> *Ola Gjeilo* (1978, Norwegian), e.g. his Sunrise Mass;
> *Max Richter* (1966, American), e.g. "Vivaldi recomposed" or "Sleep";
> ...



Great list you provided the OP. Let me highlight a few. 

*Ola Gjeilo* (1978, Norwegian), e.g. his Sunrise Mass;
*Max Richter* (1966, American), e.g. "Vivaldi recomposed" or "Sleep";
*John Rutter* (1945, British), e.g. his Requiem, Magnificat, or Mass of the children;
*Philip Glass* (1937, Canadian), e.g. his score for movies like The Hours, Candyman and Mishima; his Metamorphosis or Satyagraha;
*Samuel Barber* (1910-1981, British), start with his well-known Adagio for strings;
*Henryk Górecki* (1933-2010, Polish), try his "Symphony of sorrowful songs";
*John Adams* (1947, American), e.g. Harmonium, Gates, The Dharma at Big sur;
*James MacMillan* (1959, British), e.g., Miserere, St. John's Passion; Stabat Mater and Symphony 3.
*György Ligeti* (1923-2006, Hungarian), try his "Lontano" and his etudes for solo piano books 1-3;
*Alfred Schnittke* (1924-1998, Russian), try his Requiem and Concerto for choir;


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I'll just name a few composers. Britten is an obvious choice if you haven't got there yet as is Messiaen. Tippett is also worth exploring as is Gubaidulina. Then, going more modern, the obvious choices are two Hungarians: Ligeti and Kurtag. Elliott Carter was a very great composer but many people find him very thorny until the language clicks. Boulez should also be given a chance. 

Personally, I don't have a lot of time for the more conservative moderns who are in many of the lists above (people like MacMillan, Ades, Adams): although some of their music is enjoyable enough I don't feel they are central to the development of music (well, maybe Adams is?). Maybe they will be your thing, though, and certainly they should offer no challenge so someone who enjoys Schoenberg.


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## progmatist (Apr 3, 2021)

Enthusiast said:


> I'll just name a few composers. Britten is an obvious choice if you haven't got there yet as is Messiaen. Tippett is also worth exploring as is Gubaidulina. Then, going more modern, the obvious choices are two Hungarians: Ligeti and Kurtag. Elliott Carter was a very great composer but many people find him very thorny until the language clicks. Boulez should also be given a chance.
> 
> Personally, I don't have a lot of time for the more conservative moderns who are in many of the lists above (people like MacMillan, Ades, Adams): although some of their music is enjoyable enough I don't feel they are central to the development of music (well, maybe Adams is?). Maybe they will be your thing, though, and certainly they should offer no challenge so someone who enjoys Schoenberg.


Approach Tippett with caution. His later works are more atonal.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

Here is a recent survey of _43 members_ ranking the best _living composers_:



VoiceFromTheEther said:


> After 43 votes for the top 5 living composers, for all 68 nominees:
> 
> *Top 10:*
> 1. Sofia Gubaidulina (18 votes)
> ...


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

progmatist said:


> Approach Tippett with caution. His later works are more atonal.


Given that the OP noted familiarity with Schoenberg and pals I am not sure a warning is needed. Also, most of my list goes a lot further than Tippett. And why oh why would anyone want to avoid atonal music while becoming familiar with the music of the 20th century?


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## Nawdry (Dec 27, 2020)

Ulalume!Ulalume! said:


> *Introduce me to 20th/21st Century Classical Music*
> ...
> My own tastes lean baroque, I like the rich, the sensuous, not so much the abrasive or the discordant but I'm willing to give everything a chance.


Particularly in terms of tonality, melodic/harmonic development, structural form innovations, and achievements in composition, the 20th century represented a veritable explosion of phenomenal advancement in classical music and the sheer volume of superb masterpieces added to the repertory.

Since you mention the Baroque period, I'll point out the achievements of the neo-classical movement (and stylistic trend) among a wide array of composers in the 20th century, including composers as diverse as Hindemith, Stravinsky, Cowell, Casella, Bloch, Prokofiev, Rozsa, Holmboe, and Respighi (to cite a few). Many composers of this trend drew inspiration from composers such as Bach and Corelli. Whether neo-classical or otherwise, there was certainly no lack of richness and sensuosity in works of this era.

Works you might consider as a "starter course" intro to "rich & sensuous" 20th-century music:
Rozsa — Concerto for String Orchestra; Theme, Variations & Finale
Hindemith — Metamorphoses on Themes of Weber; Nobilissima Visione (ballet suite)
Prokofiev — Symphony #1 (Classical); Violin Concerto #2
Respighi — Ancient Airs & Dances for Lute (Suites 1-3, for orchestra)
Bloch — Concerti Grossi Nos. 1-2
Cowell — Symphony No. 4 (Short Symphony)
Barber — Symphony #1 (In One Movement)
Vaughn Williams — Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis; Symphony #5
Sibelius — Symphony #5
Copland — Appalachian Spring (ballet); Billy the Kid (ballet suite)


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

*Introduce me to 20th/21st Century Classical Music*

Of course, the most _logical_ introduction to 20th/21st Century "classical" music is an acquaintance with the music that _preceded_ those centuries, meaning a firm grounding in the Medieval/Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo, Classical, Romantic, and Impressionistic eras.

Perhaps the most marked feature of 20th/21st Century "classical" music remains its diversity. Though the sense of "newness" is inherent in consideration of this music, one can never escape the traces of the past that run through so much of the era's soundtrack. Sure, you find atonalism, polytonalism, post-tonalism, aleatoricism, modalism, expressionism, hyperrealism, surrealism, and all sorts of modernism, post-modernism, and post-post-modernism. But those "movements" exist side-by-side with traditional tonalism, neo-Baroque-ism, neo-Classicism, neo-Romanticism, and likely neo-neoism as well as neo-oldism. 20th/21st century music proves a true smorgasbord with just about anything for anybody, and everything for those who want it.  

Any shortlist of "representative works of 20th/21st century music" will be a shortcomings listing as well. Diamond Music of our modern era may be as diverse as Karl Jenkins Baroque-ish Vivaldi-echoes or the sublimely austere neo-Romantic symphonies of David Diamond. A "symphony" of our modern age can contrast as starkly as do those of Webern's Op. 21, Brian's _Gothic_, Rachmaninoff's Second, Prokofiev's "Classical", Ustvolskaya's "Amen", Dutilleux's «Le Double», Sibelius's Fourth, Penderecki's First, Shostakovich's Fifteenth, Arvo Pärt's "Polyphonic", Nielsen's "Inextinguishable", and Schnittke's First. One can find startling contrasts in _every_ genre of the music of our current and the prior centuries, and, often, in the works of a single composer. Stravinsky comes immediately to mind. What exactly is "the Stravinsky style", does anybody know?

The beauty and the wonder and the joy of our late centuries' music, of which there is _so much_ in comparison to that of _any_ century prior to 20 or 21, is its diversity, a notion that sets up the era as a true golden age for musical explorers, of which I count myself a devoted adherent. And that is something I would encourage all of you to consider becoming. At least when you are not engaged in surveying the absolutely astounding sound worlds created by the masters of _earlier_ centuries, which are also well worth exploring. And there you have a fine introduction to 20th/21st Century "classical" music. Perhaps the only introduction you really need.


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