# Living Composers



## pluhagr (Jan 2, 2012)

What are some of your favorite living composers?
How about a top 5 list. Here's mine:
Glass
Corigliano
Part
Ades
Muhly


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## FrankieP (Aug 24, 2011)

Crumb
Penderecki
Pärt
Kurtág
Murail

...probably


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## Ravellian (Aug 17, 2009)

Ades, Rautavaara, Golijov, Adams, Crumb


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## chrislowski (Aug 20, 2011)

Looking through my collection I'd say:

Anders Eliasson
Arvo Part
Sally Beamish
Harrison Birtwistle
Sofia Gubaidulina
Hans Werner Henze
Haukur Tómasson
James MacMillan
Kalevi Aho
Krzysztof Penderecki
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Wolfgang Rihm
Christopher Rouse


Out of those I would say Rautavaara and Aho are the ones I listen to the most, with MacMillan coming in a close 3rd


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

Ades and Penderecki are my favourites with Reich (still working on his box set), Henze and Rorem (not really got enough of their stuff yet) not too far behind.


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## NightHawk (Nov 3, 2011)

Great lists by Pluhagr and FrankieP, I like all the composers mentioned. 

I would add: 

One of the greatest, most original of the avant grade composers of our day is Sophia Gubaidulina (in her 80's) - check her out on Youtube - intense. Watch anything, but these three are great: 'Seven Words', 'De Profundis' and 'Fachwerk' (the latter is a documentary about the piece with plenty of music).


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## Meaghan (Jul 31, 2010)

In no particular order, my top 5 are _probably_ Adams, Crumb, Pärt, Saariaho, and Corigliano. I need to get to know Ades, as I keep hearing good things about him!


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## pluhagr (Jan 2, 2012)

Meaghan said:


> In no particular order, my top 5 are _probably_ Adams, Crumb, Pärt, Saariaho, and Corigliano. I need to get to know Ades, as I keep hearing good things about him!


 Ah then I must suggest you watch some clips of his opera "The Tempest". It is magnificent. His violin concerto is also quite good.


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

My list has a few lessor known composers:

Eric Ewazen
John Adams
Lowell Liebermann 
Kalevi Aho
Sylvie Bodorova


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

The number seems to be waning, but some favourites are

- Gubajdulina, Silvestrov, Pärt, Artyomov, Glonti, Smirnov, Slonimsky, Dorokhov, Firsova
- Nørgård, Saariaho, Rautavaara 
- Murail, Boulez 
- Carter, Crumb 
- Henze, Killmayer 
- Penderecki, Kotonski, Kulenty, Symanski 
- Murray Schafer


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## pluhagr (Jan 2, 2012)

I remembered another: Tarik O'Regan. He's really wonderful. Check out "The Ecstasies Above" and "Acallam na Senórach". I saw the latter performed by the National Chamber Choir of Ireland with the composer sitting just a few seats away.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

One of my favorite living composers not mentioned yet is Roberto Sierra. He has some good works for guitar, I look forward to exploring this guy further.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Roland Dyens and Leo Brouwer are two other favorites of mine:


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## HenryPenfold (Apr 29, 2018)

Harrison Birtwistle 
borne.15th July 1935
died. 18th April 2022


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