# We the living



## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

Okay, let's put aside these glorified cover bands and their conductors who are riding on the royalty-free coat-tails of the deceased :lol:

Who are the best living composers and their works etc?
Or, who are the ones you've got penciled as having great potential.


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## DrKilroy (Sep 29, 2012)

I do not know who are the "best". I can tell you a few of my favourites, though.

John Adams
Kaija Saariaho
Einojuhani Rautavaara
Wojciech Kilar
Steve Reich
Krzysztof Penderecki

There are some other living composers considered "best", but I do not like their music very much, like:

Arvo Part
Philip Glass
Brian Ferneyhough
Frederick Rzewski
George Crumb
Thomas Ades
John Tavener

and many others.

Best regards, Dr


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Sofia Gubaidulina for me, definitely.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

My current favorites are:

-Georg Friedrich Haas: 



, 




-Beat Furrer: 



, 




I also like:

-Harrison Birtwistle: 




-Unsuk Chin:


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## Andolink (Oct 29, 2012)

Per Nørgård
Alexander Goehr
Helmut Lachenmann


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

Art Rock said:


> Sofia Gubaidulina for me, definitely.


Yes, and a long with Arvo Part, Lera Auerbach, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, John Adams.


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2013)

There are many pitfalls about threads like this.

The newer a piece is, the less familiar it will be. The less familiar it is, the trickier it is to assign "greatness" or even "potential" to it. And after it has become more familiar, then it's not nearly as new as it once was. We should, as Herbert Brün advised, savor that brief moment of bewilderment before understanding sets in. 

Anyway, I have too many friends among contemporary composers to start listing my favorites. And in any case, it's probably better to recommend labels, anyway, as one label gives you many many different composers.

Pogus
emprientes DIGITales
Wergo
sub rosa
For4ears
asphodel
editionRZ
Erstwhile
Cybele

Just those few (and they are just a few) could keep anyone busy for many happy hours. (Thousands of hours, yes.)


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

some guy said:


> Anyway, I have too many friends among contemporary composers to start listing my favorites


HAHA

Now we know the real reason why you always talk about contemporaries as of your favoruties. They're your friends, they come to you and say "listen, John, nobody in the world cares for me any my collegues, everybody sticks to that old stuff like Mozart or Chopin... so, you see, I was wondering... maybe it's too much, but, you know... we've been friends for some time, so... what I'm trying to say... CAN I BE YOUR FAVOURITE COMPOSER?!"

So you agree out of good heart and later it spreads and another one asks the same, and another, another... you just can't say "no" after you said "yes" to another... and so you got your list full of living, contemporary composers who you have met.

I'm not saying there's something wrong about that, actually IT'S VERY KIND OF YOU!


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

aleazk said:


> My current favorites are:
> 
> -Georg Friedrich Haas:
> 
> ...


Do try Beat Furrer and the Georg Friedrich Haas: wonderful composers. I would add a few more:

David Lang ~ Child:





















Thomas Ades ~ In Seven Days, for piano and orchestra





Mark-Andre Dalbovie


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2013)

I agree with you people. Maybe just add Aho.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

Lately Jennifer Higdon gets my vote.


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

Cheers everyone...now I've got some music to check out.


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

some guy said:


> There are many pitfalls about threads like this.
> 
> The newer a piece is, the less familiar it will be. The less familiar it is, the trickier it is to assign "greatness" or even "potential" to it. And after it has become more familiar, then it's not nearly as new as it once was. We should, as Herbert Brün advised, savor that brief moment of bewilderment before understanding sets in.
> 
> ...


I researched the first label you listed out of curiosity. At its website, it says the following, which I found laughable:-

"Pogus Productions features releases of Electronic, Electro-Acoustic, and Experimental music. *Uncompromising, non-commercial, and definitely not for everyone (unfortunately), these releases are geared towards discerning listeners.*"

Anyway, turning attention to living composers that are more likely to be for "everyone" (fortunately), and for listeners who are just as discerning, I would list say five namely

John Adams
Philip Glass
Kaija Saariaho
Brett Dean
Patrick Doyle

PS I have no commercial interests. I name living composers themselves, not record labels.


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## Guest (Oct 23, 2013)

Between Rautavaara, Saariaho, and Aho, the Finns are totally dominating right now.


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## jimsumner (Jul 7, 2013)

Let me add James MacMillan to the list.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

arcaneholocaust said:


> Between Rautavaara, Saariaho, and Aho, the Finns are totally dominating right now.


Add Aulis Sallinen and Magnus Lindberg.


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## Guest (Oct 23, 2013)

Aramis said:


> Now we know the real reason why you always talk about contemporaries as of your favoruties. They're your friends....


I hate to have to point it out, 'cause I do like being thought of as kind, but you've got things exactly backwards here.

I started listening to twentieth century music in 1972. I wasn't "caught up" to the present until 1984. And with a few exceptions (John Cage, Bill Kraft), did not meet or know any of my "favorites" until about ten years ago.

I.e., generally speaking, contemporary composers were my favorites long before I met any of them. And if some of them have become friends since then, "oh well." But the favorite part came first.

Sorry!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

A "living" work mentioned on this forum today, and a beautiful one. John Adams's "Eros Piano," a tribute to Toro Takemitsu, 1989.


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## Guest (Oct 23, 2013)

Any work being played is alive.

Composers die. As do listeners.

But all a work needs in order to be alive is to be played.

Couac mentioned deceased composers in the OP. And the fact that their still living works are royalty-free.

Introducing the idea that "living" can apply to a recent piece (and its flip side, that "dead" can apply to an old piece) is to just add one more pitfall to this already perilous thread.

("Look, let me go back in there and face the peril."

"No, it's too perilous.")


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## Garlic (May 3, 2013)

Surprised there's been no mention of Boulez and Wuorinen yet. Too old school modernist?

I second Saariaho, Lachenmann, MacMillan and Birtwistle, and would add Unsuk Chin, Olga Neuwirth, and Peter Maxwell Davies. I'll also check out the labels some guy mentioned, the only one I've heard of is Erstwhile. It's a shame some are so dismissive about electro-acoustic music - I wish people would at least listen before judging.


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

I'd like to add Detlev Glanert, Julian Anderson, George Benjamin, Peter Eotvos and York Holler in no particular order and second Unsuk Chin and the fantastical Helmut Lachemann and Friedrich Cerha who appear to be still awesome


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

and lets not forget Tristan Murail and Brian Ferneyhough. And if anyone is carrying on where Fausto Romitelli unfortunately left off please let me know!


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## julianoq (Jan 29, 2013)

My favorites at this moment are:

Einojuhani Rautavaara
Per Nørgård
Unsuk Chin
Arvo Part
Thomas Ades
David Lang
Magnus Lindberg

But I assume my ignorance on the matter, there are many famous names that I still haven't listened.


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## Ravndal (Jun 8, 2012)

Ned Rorem. He is 90 years today.


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## mstar (Aug 14, 2013)

Me. Myself. I. 20 characters has a lot of potential as well.


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## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)

Hitoshi Sakimoto


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2013)

^ Most depressingly predictable poster


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