# Another Desert Island scenario!



## poconoron (Oct 26, 2011)

Okay folks, you have been cast away on that desert island again (with /CD player and solar power ) and this time, you can choose all of the particular works of any one composer, but by genre. That is, you can have all of the operas of, let's say Wagner, but no one else. Here's my list by by genre , by composer:

Symphonies: Haydn over Beethoven by a hair due to the sheer number of wonderful works.

All types of concertos: Mozart

Piano sonatas, violin sonatas: Beethoven

Operas: Mozart

Concert arias: Mozart

Sacred music: Mozart, closely followed by JS Bach

Oratorios: Handel

Cantatas: JS Bach

Chamber music: Mozart by a hair over Haydn, Schubert

With those choices I think I could live very comfortably, thank you...............


----------



## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Symphonies: Mahler
Concertos: Mozart
Symphonic poems: Strauss
Piano sonatas: Beethoven
String quartets: Shostakovich
Other chamber music: Brahms
Lieder: Schubert
Choral works: Bach
Opera: Wagner

I even managed to choose 9 different composers.


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

Art Rock said:


> Symphonies: Mahler
> Concertos: Mozart
> Symphonic poems: Strauss
> Piano sonatas: Beethoven
> ...


Wow. With the exception of choral works and operas this would be my list. For choral works and operas my choice would have been:

Choral works: ? I could not pick just one.
Opera: Britten.

I would add band works: Persichetti.


----------



## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

This required some contortion to make sure there wasn't too much of a very few composers:

Symphonies: Mahler
Concertos: Bartók
Symphonic poems: Sibelius
Piano sonatas: Scriabin (on the grounds that I can hear a substantial part of Beethoven's internally!)
Other solo piano works: Bartók 
Other solo sonatas: Hindemith
Duo sonatas: Beethoven
Trios: Haydn
String quartets: Webern 
Quintets upwards: Mozart 
Lieder with solo accompaniment: Wolf
Orchestral Lieder: Britten
Choral works: Bach
Opera: Britten


----------



## Barbebleu (May 17, 2015)

Art Rock said:


> Symphonies: Mahler
> Concertos: Mozart
> Symphonic poems: Strauss
> Piano sonatas: Beethoven
> ...


Thanks Art. You saved me the bother.:lol:


----------



## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

Solo Keyboard - Bach
Chamber - Dvorak
Concertos - Mozart
Symphonies - Mahler
Sacred Choral - Bach
Operas - Mozart
Lieder - Schubert
Piano Sonatas - Beethoven
Piano Preludes - Scriabin


----------



## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

Symphonies: Brahms
Concertos: Brahms
Symphonic Poems: Mendelssohn
Piano Sonatas: Haydn
Piano Trios: Haydn
String Quartets: Dvorak
Other Chamber Music: Mozart
Opera: Wagner


----------



## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

Symphonies: Mahler/Beethoven (couldn't choose I would have to do it randomly)
Concertos: Mozart
Symphonic Poems: Strauss
Piano Sonatas: Beethoven
Piano Trios: Beethoven
String Quartets: Janacek or Beethoven
Other Chamber Music: Brahms
Opera: Wagner


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Opera: can't and wont choose 
Symphonies: Mahler
Concertos: Mozart
Symphonic Poems: Strauss
Piano Sonatas: Field 
Piano Trios:Brahms
String Quartets: Beethoven
Other Chamber Music: Mendelssohn


----------



## ProudSquire (Nov 30, 2011)

Symphonies - Sibelius
Concertos - Mozart
Piano Quartets - Brahms
String Quartets - Beethoven
Piano Sonatas - Schubert
Opera - Mozart
Serenades - Mozart
Other Chamber Music - Brahms


----------



## juliante (Jun 7, 2013)

Symphonies: Mahler. Volume and quality

All types of concertos: Brahms. Quality. 

Piano sonatas, violin sonatas: Beethoven

Operas: Britten


Sacred music: Joasquin

Oratorios: Handel

Cantatas: JS Bach

Chamber music: Brahms


----------



## Mal (Jan 1, 2016)

Symphonies: Beethoven
Piano concertos: Mozart
Violin concerto(s): Beethoven 
Cello concertos: Haydn
Trumpet concerto(s): Haydn
Piano sonatas: Beethoven
Bassoon concertos: Vivaldi
"Triple" concerto(s): Beethoven
Organ concerto(s): Saint Saens
Operas: Mozart
Tone Poems: Sibelius
Solo Organ: JS Bach
Ballet music: Stravinsky
Cantatas: JS Bach
String quartets: Haydn
Piano trios: Haydn

... I'll stop there, not sure I'm doing this right, I'm not sure how to define "genre". Wikipedia leaves me more confused:

"Douglass M. Green distinguishes between genre and form. He lists madrigal, motet, canzona, ricercar, and dance as examples of genres from the Renaissance period. To further clarify the meaning of genre, Green writes, "Beethoven's Op. 61 and Mendelssohn's Op. 64 are identical in genre - both are violin concertos - but different in form. However, Mozart's Rondo for Piano, K. 511, and the Agnus Dei from his Mass, K. 317 are quite different in genre but happen to be similar in form."[4] Some, like Peter van der Merwe, treat the terms genre and style as the same, saying that genre should be defined as pieces of music that share a certain style or "basic musical language."[5] Others, such as Allan F. Moore, state that genre and style are two separate terms, and that secondary characteristics such as subject matter can also differentiate between genres.[6] A music genre or subgenre may also be defined by the musical techniques, the style, the cultural context, and the content and spirit of the themes..."

Oxford Dictionary of Music doesn't attempt to define "genre"...


----------



## poconoron (Oct 26, 2011)

Pugg;1438837[B said:


> _]Opera: can't and wont choose _[/B]
> Symphonies: Mahler
> Concertos: Mozart
> Symphonic Poems: Strauss
> ...


At least your top 3 contenders, please....?????.....!!!!!.....?????


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

poconoron said:


> At least your top 3 contenders, please....?????.....!!!!!.....?????


In that case: Verdi/ Donizetti/ Rossini


----------



## chill782002 (Jan 12, 2017)

Symphonies - Sibelius

Symphonic Poems - Dvorak

Piano Concertos - Prokofiev

Piano Sonatas - Medtner

String Quartets - Bartok

Other Chamber Music - Ravel

Cantatas - Martinu

Operas - Glass


----------



## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

OK, here goes

Symphonies - Beethoven

Symphonic Poems - Dvorak

Piano Concertos - Beethoven

Piano Sonatas - Beethoven

Violin Concertos - Bach

Cello concertos - Boccherini (cos there's so many) 

String Quartets - Beethoven 

Other Chamber Music - Dvorak

Cantatas - none

Operas - Mozart


----------



## Pat Fairlea (Dec 9, 2015)

This is going to be well nigh impossible...

Symphonies: Sibelius
Orchestral tone poems: Sibelius
Piano Concerti: Rachmaninoff
Wind concerti: Arnold
Piano sonatas: Beethoven
Other solo piano: Debussy (or maybe Poulenc...or what about Gottschalk..?)
String quartets: Shostakovich
Other chamber music: Ravel, probably...?
Lieder: Schubert
Choral works: Vaughan Williams
Opera: Britten


----------



## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

This is difficult, but I'll try.


Symphonies: Anton Bruckner
Piano concerto(s): Sergei Prokofiev or Tchaikovsky (or Howells)
Violin concerto(s): Nikolai Rakov
Cello concertos: Dmitri Kabalevsky
Trumpet concerto(s): Mieczysław Weinberg
Piano sonatas: Nikolai Myaskovsky (close runner ups: Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Medtner, Feinberg)
Solo piano works: John Ireland (close runner ups: Rebikov, Glazunov, Faure, Rachmaninoff, Blumenfeld, Debussy, Schmitt, Ravel, Poulenc)
Songs: Rachmaninoff
"Double" concerto(s): Johannes Brahms
Organ concerto(s): Francis Poulenc
Operas: Jules Massenet (close runner ups: Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Merikanto, Rimsky-Korsakov, Puccini)
Operettas: Lehar, Offenbach
Incidental music: Carl Nielsen (close runner ups: Alfven, Grieg, Sibelius)
Film music: Prokofiev (close runner ups: Waxman or Miklós Rózsa or Walton, Leonard Bernstein)
Tone Poems (Orchestral fantasies): Alexander Glazunov (close runner up: Bax)
Ballet music: Maurice Ravel (close runner ups: Schmitt, Tchaikovsky, Glazunov)
Requiem: Antonin Dvorak (close runner up: Foulds' "A World Requiem")
Liturgical: Rachmaninoff (close runner up: Gretchaninoff)
String quartets: Alexander Glazunov (close runner ups: Borodin or Myaskovsky)
Piano trios: Anton Arensky
Like I said, it's difficult. Lots to deliberation tonight.
:tiphat:


----------



## poconoron (Oct 26, 2011)

Pugg said:


> In that case: Verdi/ Donizetti/ Rossini


Rossini would be in my top 3 as well..................


----------



## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

I may be conveniently stretching the categories a bit, but here are my desert island choices, by musical genre (with a good deal of second guessing):

Symphonies: I'm debating between Mahler, Sibelius, & Beethoven. I'll pick Sibelius for his 2nd, 5th & 7th Symphonies, though I'd miss Mahler's 9th, and Beethoven's 5th, 6th, 7th & 9th Symphonies (so much so that I'm conveniently putting the 9th in a separate category below). I'd also miss Mozart's No. 31 "Paris" & No. 38 "Prague" Symphonies, which are special favorites of mine.

Choral Symphonies: Beethoven 9 (the alternative was Mahler 2).

Symphonic Tone Poems: Debussy (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, Nocturnes, La Mer, etc.). The alternative was Sibelius.

Piano Concertos: Impossible choice, but it's between Mozart & Beethoven. I'll take Mozart's PCs because there are so many more of them. But I'd miss the slow movements of Beethoven's 5th "Emperor" Concerto & 3rd PC, and the 1st PC too, which is a favorite.

Violin Concertos: Prokofiev Nos. 1 & 2.

Piano Trios: it's between Haydn, Mozart, or Beethoven... I'll take Haydn.

Violin Sonatas: it's between J.S. Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, & Corelli... maybe I'll take Corelli. No, on second thought, I'll take Bach.

Solo Keyboard Music: J.S. Bach. Though I'd greatly miss the solo piano works of Debussy, Ravel, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Schumann, Schubert, & Chopin. I'd also miss the keyboard works for virginals & harpsichord by a number of Elizabethan & Baroque composers--Bryd, Tomkins, Gibbons, Rameau, Scarlatti, etc.

String Quartets: again, it's between Haydn, Mozart & Beethoven (and Debussy & Ravel, if they had only composed more SQs...). I'd pick Mozart for his 10 "Great" String Quartets, but would miss Beethoven's Late Quartets, especially his Op. 132. (Edit: Although since I'm picking Mozart for his 6 String Quintets below, maybe I'll go with Beethoven here, for the sake of variety.) I'd also miss Schubert's final String Quartet no. 15, D. 887.

Piano Quartets & Quintets: Schumann. Though I'd miss Faure, Brahms, and Schubert's "Trout".

String Quintets and/or Sextets: it's between Mozart, Brahms, & Schubert. I'll pick Mozart's 6 String Quintets. 

Chamber music for Winds & mixed instruments: Debussy Sonata for Flute, Harp, & Viola. Though I'd miss Koechlin's chamber version of "Paysages et Marines", Roussel's Sérénade for Flute, String Trio & Harp, Op. 30, Ravel's "Introduction et Allegro", Ropartz's "Prelude, Chanson et Marine", & Nielsen's Wind Quintet. As you can see, I'm a big fan of chamber music composed for any combination of flute, clarinet, bassoon, harp & strings (& especially if the composer adds a human voice to the mix.)

Lieder/Chansons: Guillaume Dufay. Though I'd miss chansons by other early music composers (Machaut, Josquin, Lassus, etc.), along with the lieder of Schumann, which is a favorite of mine, and Schubert, Mozart, Strauss, Wolf, Duparc, & Debussy too.

Orchestral Songs (and song cycles): it's between Mahler and R. Strauss. I'd probably choose Strauss for his "Four Last Songs" & "Morgen". But I'd miss Mahler's "Rückert Lieder"--especially "Ich bin der welt ahbanden Gekommen" (translated,"I am lost to the world"), as well as Ravel's "Shéhérazade", & other orchestral songs by Duparc and Chausson.

Chamber or Consort Songs: William Byrd, especially for his elegy on the death of his teacher, Thomas Tallis, "Ye Sacred Muses". The alternatives were John Dowland, and various French composers--Ravel, Faure ("La bonne chanson"), etc.

Motets: Josquin Desprez. However, there are a great many others I'd miss, as this is one of my favorite genres of music: such as the motets of Machaut, De Vitry, Ciconia, Dufay's "Flos Florum", "Nuper Rosarum Flores", etc., Lassus' "Seven Penitential Psalms", Tallis' "Spem in Alium" & "Miserere", Mouton's "Nesciens Mater", Sheppard's "Media Vita", Dunstable's "Veni Sancte Spiritus", etc.

Masses (including Requiems): I'd be choosing between Mozart, Ockeghem, Dufay, Josquin, Byrd, Tallis, and J.S. Bach. What an impossible choice! If Dufay's Requiem weren't lost, I might pick Dufay, but it is lost. & while I consider Bach's "Mass in B minor" to be the finest mass ever composed, I don't really need Bach's other Masses. So, I'd be tempted to pick Ockeghem here, but I'll probably go with Josquin Desprez. Although since I've already picked Josquin for the motets, maybe I will go with Ockeghem, for the sake of variety. How's that for indecisiveness...

Cantatas: J.S. Bach--that was easy, for a change.

Oratorios: Handel--for Messiah, Saul, Samson, & Israel in Egypt, most especially. Another easy choice.

Other choral genres: Magnificats, Stabat Maters, & Choral Anthems: my choice would be between Josquin, Handel, Lassus, & J.S. Bach's Magnificat... I'll pick Handel's 4 Coronation Anthems, which includes "Zadok the Priest".

Operas: it's either Mozart or Wagner. I guess I'll take Wagner, primarily for Tristan und Isolde, but also Lohengrin, Tannhäuser, Parsifal, and The Ring cycle. But, are any of Wagner's operas superior to Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute? Maybe not. (I'd miss certain operas by Verdi & Puccini too.)

Ballet music: it's between Stravinsky, Ravel, & Debussy. I'll pick Ravel, for his "Daphnis et Chloe".

Phew! That was difficult.


----------



## poconoron (Oct 26, 2011)

Josquin13 said:


> I may be conveniently stretching the categories a bit, but here are my desert island choices, by musical genre (with a good deal of second guessing):
> 
> Symphonies: I'm debating between Mahler, Sibelius, & Beethoven. I'll pick Sibelius for his 2nd, 5th & 7th Symphonies, though I'd miss Mahler's 9th, and Beethoven's 5th, 6th, 7th & 9th Symphonies (so much so that I'm conveniently putting the 9th in a separate category below). I'd also miss Mozart's No. 31 "Paris" & No. 38 "Prague" Symphonies, which are special favorites of mine.
> 
> ...


Wow, alot of effort put into those choices. It was rewarding to follow your thought process..............


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

arpeggio said:


> Wow. With the exception of choral works and operas this would be my list. For choral works and operas my choice would have been:
> 
> Choral works: ? I could not pick just one.
> Opera: Britten.
> ...


I have been giving this some thought and I do not know how to say this without coming across as a complete whatever, so I will try.

I know that most of the members find these threads very helpful but for me not really, so I avoid them so I will not offend anyone.

The choral one stumped me. This is ironic because my favorite classical works tend to be choral. My favorites include:

Verdi _Requiem_
Britten _War Requiem_
Beethoven _Ninth_
Randel Thompson _Testament of Freedom_
Howard Hanson _Song of Democracy_
Walton _Balthazar's Feast_
Rachmaninoff _The Bells_ 
Holst _Hymn of Jesus_ (I know he was a one hit wonder with _The Planets_, so what.)
Bernstein _Chichester Psalms_
Stravinsky _Symphony of Psalms_

So who do I pick? What piece of enlightenment would I be conveying to the members if I did choose one?


----------



## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Symphonies: Sibelius 
Tone Poems: Sibelius 
Ballets: Prokofiev
Miscellaneous orchestral works: Rachmaninoff (Symphonic Dances, Isle of the Dead)
Piano Concertos: Prokofiev
Violin Concertos: Bach
Cello Concertos: Moeran
Duo Concertos: Brahms
Concerti Grossi: Bach (Brandenburgs)
Piano Sonatas: Beethoven
String Quartets: Beethoven
String Quintets: Mozart
Other chamber music: Brahms
Songs with piano: Rachmaninoff
Songs with orchestra: Strauss (4 Last Songs)
Choral: Bach
Opera: Wagner
Operetta: Kalman


----------



## pianoforever (May 20, 2020)

Piano sonatas: Beethoven. Runner ups (not really close): Schubert and Haydn
Solo piano music: Bach. Runner ups: Debussy, Ravel and Brahms
Solo cello: Bach.
Solo violin: Bach
Cello sonatas: Beethoven. Runner up: Brahms
Viloin sonatas: Bach. Runner up: Beethoven
Piano trios: Haydn. Runner up: Mozart
Piano quartets. Mozart. Runner up: Brahms
Chamber music for wind: Brahms. Runner up: Mozart
String quartets: Beethoven. Runner ups: Bartok and Shostakovic
String quintets: Mozart
Piano concertos: a tie between Beethoven and Mozart
Violin concertos: Tchaikovski
Wind concertos: Mozart. Runner up (for quantity, if for nothing else): Vivaldi
Symphonies: Mahler. Runner up: Brahms
Compostions for voice and orchestra: Mahler. Runner up: Strauss
Ballet: Stravinsky
Film music: Morricone
Sacred music: Bach
Lieder: Schubert
Opera: a tie between Wagner and Mozart


----------



## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Symphonies: Beethoven. Runner up: Mahler 
Concerto Grosso: Bach. Runner up: Corelli
Solo Concertos: Mozart. Runners up: Brahms and Beethoven
Multiple-Instrument-but-not-concerto-grosso: Brahms Double
Symphonic poems: Smetana
Serenades: Mozart
Baryton Trios: Haydn
String Trios: Beethoven
String Quartets: Beethoven. Runner up: Bartok
String Quintets: Brahms. Runner up: Mozart
String Sextets: Brahms
String Octets: Mendelssohn
Chamber music w/ piano: Brahms. Distant Runner up: Schubert
Chamber music w/clarinet: Brahms
Solo violin: Bach
Solo cello: Bach
Solo flute: Bach
Solo lute: Bach
Organ music: Bach
Keyboard music of all sorts: Bach. Runners up: Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms
Operas: Verdi. Runner up: Mozart
Oratorios: Handel. Distant Runners up: Bach, Haydn, Mendelssohn
Requiems: Brahms German. Runners up: Berlioz and Mozart
Other mass settings: Bach. Runner up: Beethoven
Motets: Bach
Madrigals: Monteverdi
Cantatas: Bach
Lieder: Mahler. Runner up: Schubert


----------



## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

Symphonies: Ralph Vaughan Williams
Orchestral works that aren't symphonies: Ottorino Respighi
Choral: Johann Sebastian Bach
Masses: Joseph Haydn
Concertos of any type: Dmitri Shostakovich
String Quartets: Ludwig van Beethoven
Other Chamber: Franz Schubert
Opera: Benjamin Britten


----------



## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

Oooohh...this isn’t a bad desert island scenario at all!

Symphonies: Mahler (by a very reluctant hair over Sibelius)
Tone Poems: Sibelius
Piano Concerti: Rachmaninoff
Violin Concerto: Sibelius
Cello Concerto: Dvorak
Miscellaneous concerti: Mozart
Choral: Bach
Art Song with Orchestra: Mahler
Art Song with Piano: Schubert
Opera: Wagner (possibly Puccini)
String Quartets: Beethoven
Piano chamber works: Brahms
Woodwind chamber works: Mozart
Organ Works: Bach (though I’m really tempted to say Messiaen)
Solo Piano: Chopin
Piano Sonatas: Schubert

This was tougher than I thought! I was able to sneak the majority of my very top-tier composers in though, so I’m decently satisfied.


----------



## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

Operas - Mozart

String Quartets - Haydn

Solo piano - Liszt

Chamber music - Brahms

Sacred music - Palestrina

Orchestral music - Debussy


----------



## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

Symphonies: Beethoven

Keyboard Concertos: Mozart

Violin Concertos: Vivaldi

Tone Poems: Sibelius

Ballet: Tchaikovsky

Solo Keyboard: Beethoven

Sacred Choral: Bach

Chamber: Beethoven

Operas: Wagner


----------

