Modern Piano Composers of today?

[brendan765]

I'm trying to find some good Piano composers that are alive today...I've realized the good ones are usually a talented pianist in a college somewhere...or a older concert pianist like Katsaris or Hamelin...And they can both compose well.  Are their any other composers alive that compose music that was as musically great as Chopin, Beethoven, Liszt, or even Bach?  Of course we all have different styles...but it seems like most modern composers lack a good form, and lack the expression.

[j_menz]

Some suggestions for you to check out - Stephen Hough, Carl Vine, Nikolai Kapustin, Peter Sculthorpe and Ross Edwards.  A YT search should get you started.

[brendan765]

I wonder why some of these guys just don't give up playing classical music and start composing their own...Maybe it's a job security thing.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Carl Vine is a freaking DOG!!!

Conrad Tao is also pretty kickass as well.

Oh, well look what we have here!  It's Conrad Tao PLAYING Carl Vine!!!

[ajspiano]

Somehow I have this sneaking suspicion that many Concert Pianists who derive their income from performance and recordings, also like composing and do so frequently despite you not knowing about it.

Copysists or (99% of Concert Pianists) concertize the past obsessively.

Aside from performance being a reasonable artistic choice (even if don't personally share it, and do like composing) - can you even name 100 concert pianists, and have reasonable proof that they don't compose music privately?

[andreslr6]

Aside from performance being a reasonable artistic choice (even if don't personally share it, and do like composing) - can you even name 100 concert pianists, and have reasonable proof that they don't compose music privately?

Don't feed the trolls! (although I share your thoughts... notice also how now he says Bach was a great composer... well, at least that's a change for good haha)

But anyways, to answer the OP's question, I'm playing a Sonata from a living Mexican composer. I wouldn't compare him to the greats, but he is a very good composer and writes a lot. I'm not sure how many piano sonatas he has written but I'm playing the 7th. He has a concerto for piano and chamber orchestra too, as well as chamber works with piano, plus all of his 100+ works that are for other instruments.

Here's me playing the first movement of the 7th. Structurally, is a "usual" sonata form with intro.

Here's the 2nd and 3rd. (I apologize for the awful mistakes of the 3rd... I had several brain farts and moments of hesitation... distractions... but hey! at least you'll hear it complete )

[49410enrique]

there's a bunch, and it's all over the place

wojciech kilar
this is FREAKIN AWESOME!

( you can hop to the other mvmnts from the viddy), his no 2 premiered in 2010, trying to find a recording for that one.
read about him here:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/120959905/Quarta-Polish-Contemporary-Music-Magazine-Includes-features-on-Wojciech-Kilar-and-his-music


karen tanka (lots of variety, from her children's pieces to her amzing modern 'crystaline' to these bad a$$ etudes)

masashi hamauzu (really has some nice influences by ravel and satie)

[brendan765]

I'm somewhat picky I guess...The Asian boy playing the atonal sonata...that music is always a bit mysterious and interesting. I liked that. I didn't especially like any other pieces on here...The little girl has some good ideas, and is not as repetitive as others...but the Ravel enthusiast was to jazzy feeling for me.

[49410enrique]

edgar artemiev

[49410enrique]

eduardo gilardoni
i.e sonatina (this thing is awesome-that last movement! )

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I'm somewhat picky I guess...The Asian boy playing the atonal sonata...that music is always a bit mysterious and interesting.

+1

Try listening to the first movement, it's pretty cool.

His piano concerto I think is his best work so far.

[nikolasideris]

There are tons of composers who go unnoticed usually...

Alexander Tanev (Bulgaria) for example. Somewhat recently gone from this world, has composed a lot for the piano... Following are his sonata and sonatina:

Sonata

Sonatina

Then there's the composers we represent in Editions Musica Ferrum.

There's Scott Miller, who is working on another set of preludes currently.
There's Christos Anastassiou (Greek), who recently completed his work 'Paravasis', for solo piano, yet to be performed in public (but it should get its premier in 2013-2014 period I think).
There's me (Nikolas Sideris, Greek) who keep composing for piano. Recently released works include piano duets, and solo piano for semi-educational purposes...

Instead of listing all the videos from our publishing house, here's a link to the youtube channel:

videos?view=0 It holds some 13 videos for piano, piano duet and 2 pianos... Lots of stuff to see and hear I guess...

[pavel_musicforpiano]

Pavel Konyukhov is a contemporary composer who creates music mostly for piano. Check his website www.konyukhovp.narod.ru

[andreslr6]

There are tons of composers who go unnoticed usually...

Alexander Tanev (Bulgaria) for example. Somewhat recently gone from this world, has composed a lot for the piano... Following are his sonata and sonatina:

Sonata

Where can I get the sheet music for this?? I'm liking it a lot, I'll continue listening to the rest you posted.

[nikolasideris]

Where can I get the sheet music for this?? I'm liking it a lot, I'll continue listening to the rest you posted.

Well... I'm trying to get his daughter to sign in with Editions Musica Ferrum (my publishing house) in which case you'd be getting your score(s) around September or so!

Other than that I'm not exactly sure if they are available in public. I do know that Al. Tanev xoro (horo?)-tocatta was published more than 10 years ago from a Bulgarian publisher, but don't know much else for that.

The rest of the list and the EMF youtube channel are all available already...

[drexo]

Kim Kwang-min;

Tempei Nakamura:

[pies]

a

[revanyoda777]

I know this is a bit redundant but these contemporary composers are fascinating to me.

Ryuichi Sakamoto. Sounds like Villa Lobos I like it!
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Unshakably beautiful
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John Adams. Some Minimilistic piano music
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Masashi Hamauzu. I know Enrique already posted this composer but he's a favorite of mine and his piano music in particular is very heartwarming and fresh.  
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Hauntingly beautiful
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[fridad]

M. Loridan, french composer, has composed several interesting works for piano.
I especially like "4 fragments d'un rêve" (2012)

His trio for clarinet, viola and piano is nice too