# "Contemporary" Classical Music...



## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

I tend to stick to what I know and don't really stray into more "contemporary" classical music. However lately I've been listning to a lot of what I would consider contemporary classical music that is work post World War II. 

I tend to be quite skeptical about contemporary or modern art forums, although I try not to automatically dismiss it off-hand. However sometimes a toilet is just a toilet... :devil:

What would you consider contemporary classical music and what do you think of it?

General discussion welcome oh and recommendations please?


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

You may regret this if you don't have a huge disclaimer saying POSITIVE OPINIONS ONLY.


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

Polednice said:


> You may regret this if you don't have a huge disclaimer saying POSITIVE OPINIONS ONLY.


Ha I thought of this but I welcome negative opinions just as much as positive ones. Perhaps I'm going though an experimental phase I'm not sure I never went though n embarrassing phase in my teens. Perhaps this is my bad hairdo or regrettable tattoo?


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

May I ask what you've listened to?


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## Conor71 (Feb 19, 2009)

I don't listen to a whole lot of Contemporary Classical but I really like Ligeti and Arvo Part and neither of them are too difficult to appreciate!.
Ligeti's Lux Aeterna and Requiem (both off the soundtrack to the film 2001) are good starting points with his music.
For Part I would recommend Spiegel Im Spiegel, Fratres and Cantus to begin with! .


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## mmsbls (Mar 6, 2011)

I do not enjoy what most people refer to as atonal or avant-garde music, but I do enjoy other modern music. I'm not sure if you are looking for composers or works, but I'll suggest a few works:

Astor Piazzolla - las 4 estaciones potenas (After Vivaldi's 4 seasons). They are violin concertos like Vivaldi's but with a distinctive modern and South American flavor.

Eric Ewazen - Violin Concerto, Sinfonia for Strong Orchestra. He is a contemporary composer who is neo-Romantic. 

Arvo Part - Tabula Rasa, Fratres. Contemporary composer who has written in various styles. Many like his vocal works, but I prefer these.

I find all of these quite beautiful, but of course, tastes do vary. There are many others I like who compose in a similar manner to Ewazen, but the above three have quite different styles.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

Contemporary music is the same as music from any other period in history in that 95%+ is mediocre at best... there's a lot of crap... and then there are some absolutely stunning achievements. The challenge, which we don't face with older music where most of the filtering out of the lesser work has been done over time, is to wallow through the mass of mediocrity and crap to discover the hidden gems. Then there is the probability that what you will imagine as being a possible "classic" of today will be something others will dismiss as crap... and vis-versa.


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

violadude said:


> May I ask what you've listened to?


My apologise *Violadude* I was away making coffee. It's a real mixed bag at the moment:

*Philip Glass*
*Arvo Pärt*
*Krzysztof Penderecki*

I've really just been hoping from video to video on *Youtube* and "*Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought*" on *Amazon*. I'm sorry it's not a more precise list but I'll try to update it.

Some I like some I don't so thought it worth exploring. I haven't come across anything spectacular yet but I may have been unjusitly crtitical of "contemporary" work in the past, perhaps a little snooty of me?


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

Some recommendations...

Xenakis: _Keqrops_, _Kraanerg_, _Oresteia_, _La Legend d'Eer_
Stockhausen: _Tierkreis_, _Gruppen_, _Luzifer's Zorn_, _Dienstag aus Licht_
Schnittke: _Symphony No. 1_, _Historia von D. Johann Fausten_, _String Quartets_
Ligeti: _Atmospheres_, _Lux aeterna_, _Piano Etudes_, _Musica Ricercata_, _Le Grande Macabre_
Messiaen: _Turangalila Symphonie_, _La Nativite du Seigneur_, _Quatuor pour la fin du temps_, _Vignt Regards sur l'enfant Jesus_
Kagel: _Broken Chords_, _Zwei-Mann Orchester_, _Improvisation Ajoutee_


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

One big word of advice is, on these forums, a lot of gross generalisations will be made about contemporary classical music. Also about other eras, but esp. music closer to our time, or of our time. Take these with a HUGE grain of salt is what I say. I personally respect the opinions of people speaking from some level of experience, not just way too broad generalisations.

The post-1945 period is a rich period of classical to delve into. A lot of different strands, many of them reaching back to the past, but not necessarily in obvious ways.

I would just delve into the area/s or genre/s you like, in a natural way. Eg. if you like chamber music or string quartets, then there are plenty written after 1945 to today to get into. Same with orchestral music, art-song, music with electronics, choral, you name it.

So just go with genre, maybe that's a good idea. There's more than one way to skin a cat, to use that horrible cliche.

A good thread on this forum called "Exploring Modern and Contemporary Music" might be of help, some interesting selections there, again as I said, speaking from actual experience, not just generalising. Here is the link to that thread -

http://www.talkclassical.com/11807-exploring-modern-contemporary-music.html


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

First of all I would ask just how familiar you are with early Modernism (1900-WWII), which works, etc... It is easier in a sense to build off the traditions that you are already somewhat well-versed in and appreciative of than to bombard you with some extremes of avant garde Modernism almost certain to send you packing.


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## Clementine (Nov 18, 2011)

I think contemporary music is the same as any era for me: I like what I like, I don't like what I don't like. No bias is styles. I don't know much music post WWII (just a few dozen pieces), but I can say with some certainty that these are masterpieces, or near masterpieces:

John Adams: Violin Concerto, Grand Pianola Music, On The Transmigration of Souls
Thomas Ades: Piano Quintet
Benjamin Britten: Cello Symphony, War Requiem
Luciano Berio: Folk Songs
Henri Dutilleux: Cello Concerto
Sergei Prokofiev: Symphony-Concertante
Dmitri Shostakovich: String Quartet #8, Symphony #10, Violin Concerto

These cover a wide range of styles, but are mostly 'conservative' and probably a good starting point.


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## Dodecaplex (Oct 14, 2011)

I also created a thread about appreciating contemporary music. I'm mostly interested in contemporary music written for the piano though, but, still, I guess you could get some good recommendations out of it as well.

*Here is the thread.*


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

I'll just add a few suggestions of my own: 

- Golijov: Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind
- Glass: Aguas da Amazonia 
- Crumb: Black Angels
- Piazzolla: 5 Tango Sensations 
- Reich: Music for 18 Musicians 
- Messiaen: Catalogue d'oiseaux 
- Daugherty: Metropolis Symphony
- Adams: Shaker Loops
- Takemitsu: From Me Flows What You Call Time
- Penderecki: St. Luke Passion 
- Nono: Como una ola de fuerza y luz
- Sciarrino: Sui poemi concentrici 
- Berio: Sinfonia


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## Guest (Dec 30, 2011)

Crudblud said:


> Kagel: _Zwei-Mann Orchester_


Cool beans, blud. Cool beans.:tiphat:


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

> kagel: Zwei-Mann Orchster





some guy said:


> Cool beans, blud. Cool beans.:tiphat:







I checked this composer out, and wow, not sure what I think yet. The work referenced was not on youtube, but, ^ that was interesting...his re-workings of the Beethoven music at times in the above clip are actually quite good (albeit bizarre) and rather comical...almost Zappa-esque in style.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I'm always trying out various composers courtesy of my public library. I just picked up the Arvo Part Naxos box. If you like Penderecki, his chamber music CD on Naxos is really fine. 
http://www.amazon.com/Penderecki-Se...=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1325257879&sr=1-1

Hans Werner Henze is another great contemporary composer who writes tonal music. I can recommend his symphony no.8 along with the other works on this CD. http://www.amazon.com/Henze-Symphonie-No-Nachtstucke-Arien/dp/B001AMM3C0 Or try him out at YouTube.


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## Lenfer (Aug 15, 2011)

Dodecaplex said:


> I also created a thread about appreciating contemporary music. I'm mostly interested in contemporary music written for the piano though, but, still, I guess you could get some good recommendations out of it as well.
> 
> *Here is the thread.*


Thank you *Dodecaplex* for bringing this thread to my attention. I think I may have looked at it once before but shall give it a thorough read later. =]


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## dgmusic (Dec 5, 2011)

I think the important thing to understand about contemporary music, is that it isn't the 50's anymore. The dogma of serialism, and then experimentalism, or what we might just generalize as modernism is not really there anymore. Contemporary music today doesn't really have a specific style, we draw from everything, our music is marked by great variety, there is every style or sound imaginable out there now. Anything goes, so what it sounds like depends on who you ask. It's very easy for people to go through music school and 20th century music class, and get the impression that contemporary music has something to do with making noises, being static or ugly, dissonant, etc. But this doesn't really reflect the reality of contemporary music at all anymore.

As for a few recommendations of some contemporary pieces I like a lot:
Thomas Ades - Violin Concerto - 



John Adams - Short Ride in a Fast Machine - 



Jennifer Higdon - Piano Trio, Fiery Red -


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## Vaneyes (May 11, 2010)

Just kidding.

Don't know where your Contemporary begins, nor your preferred genre. Anyway, some composers--Berio, Boulez, Carter, Dusapin, Dutilleux, Enescu, Ginastera, Gubaidulina, Janacek, Khachaturian, Kodaly, Krenek, Ligeti, Lourie, Lutoslawski, Martin, Martinu, Myaskovsky, Penderecki, Poulenc, Rawsthorne, Roussel, Schnittke, Szymanowski, Takemitsu.


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

dgmusic said:


> I think the important thing to understand about contemporary music, is that it isn't the 50's anymore. The dogma of serialism, and then experimentalism, or what we might just generalize as modernism is not really there anymore. Contemporary music today doesn't really have a specific style, we draw from everything, our music is marked by great variety, there is every style or sound imaginable out there now. Anything goes, so what it sounds like depends on who you ask. It's very easy for people to go through music school and 20th century music class, and get the impression that contemporary music has something to do with making noises, being static or ugly, dissonant, etc. But this doesn't really reflect the reality of contemporary music at all anymore.
> 
> As for a few recommendations of some contemporary pieces I like a lot:
> Thomas Ades - Violin Concerto -
> ...


I agree, completely.


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## Guest (Jan 1, 2012)

dgmusic said:


> I think the important thing to understand about contemporary music, is that it isn't the 50's anymore.


No, it's not.








dgmusic said:


> The dogma of serialism, and then experimentalism, or what we might just generalize as modernism is not really there anymore.


Was it ever the only thing?



dgmusic said:


> Contemporary music today doesn't really have a specific style, we draw from everything, our music is marked by great variety, there is every style or sound imaginable out there now. Anything goes, so what it sounds like depends on who you ask.


Hey! That sounds just exactly like the fifties and sixties!!























dgmusic said:


> It's very easy for people to go through music school and 20th century music class, and get the impression that contemporary music has something to do with making noises, being static or ugly, dissonant, etc. But this doesn't really reflect the reality of contemporary music at all anymore.


Or ever.

There will always be pieces that seem noisy to some people. And ugly. And dissonant. And those same pieces will seem pleasant to some people. And beautiful. And lovely.

Like this gorgeous thing.


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## StlukesguildOhio (Dec 25, 2006)

There will always be pieces that seem noisy to some people. And ugly. And dissonant. And those same pieces will seem pleasant to some people. And beautiful. And lovely.

Luckily that latter group remains a minuscule, albeit overly vocal, minority. It's bad enough that I've got to listen to all sorts of rock and pop schlock when I go out for an evening dinner at the local restaurant or bar. Can you imagine the absolute torture if this sort of crap actually became popular!!!


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## Guest (Jan 1, 2012)

You really need a new hobby, St.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

I thought fingernails on chalkboard was bad but this piece brings fingernails to sheet-metal! Honestly, this sub-culture of cacophony stuff deserves a different discussion forum elsewhere in the world-wide-web. If someone comes here and starts talking about Black Sabbath, we would say the same.

Decadence and sound perversion, I think.


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## Guest (Jan 2, 2012)

Of course, HC and St. are the only people whose ears are absolutely trustworthy.

If anyone wants to mention anything that the almighty HC and his sidekick St. do not find worthy, fuggidaboudit. You will be trounced and traduced and thrashed. Mention anything these mighty trolls think is unworthy and be prepared to suffer not only slings but arrows, too.

'Course, since all this violence is virtual only, it's not terribly devastating. Tedious, sure thing!

But heigh ho. There's lots of nice music out there, and lots of other people, who _are_ nice, who like nice music and who like to talk about it. Odd how threatening that perfectly innocuous and innocent desire can be made out to be, eh?


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I know what you mean but I found dgmusic's post (#19 on this thread) reasonable. 

What it says to me that dogmatism & probably cliquishness is markedly less now than in decades past. 

Even Boulez has largely retracted his pronouncements from 50 years ago. He may well regret them now. But of course, there's been a lot of water under the bridge since then, Boulez has changed and so have many other things. I largely agree that "total" serialism kind of became a dogma basically just as restrictive as the old conservative ideologies of before 1945 (eg. that music stopped with the three B's in terms of "greatness" whatever that means). Now we have plurality, not that it didn't exist, it's just that now it makes more sense to embrace the diversity for any classical music listener (incl. listeners of new or newer musics), rather than adhere to any rigid dogmas. I find none of these helpful, either extremes of hard core conservative or radical progressive, eg. believing in the ideology of "progress" being the be all and end all; or the other extreme of not approving of anything newer than the pyramids of Egypt. 

I say that it's a pity that some people mix (their?) ideology with the actual music at hand...


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