Best Living Composer?

[starstruck5]

My nominations go to Mayumi Kyoto or Anne Lovett

[niluh01]

Joe Hisaishi

[thepianist09]

Karl Jenkins.

[ahinton]

Karl Jenkins.

Really?(!) What a musically threadbare world we would now inhabit were this to be the case!

Best,

Alistair

[thepianist09]

I was only joking. 

It could have been worse, I could have said Peter Maxwell-Davis.

[rachmaninoff_forever]

Carl Vine.

[ahinton]

I was only joking.  

I did wonder, actually!...

It could have been worse, I could have said Peter Maxwell-Davis.

...which would arguably have been interesting, since I doubt that anyone here has ever heard of him; I certainly haven't. I've heard of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, though...

Best,

Alistair

[thepianist09]

...which would arguably have been interesting, since I doubt that anyone here has ever heard of him; I certainly haven't. I've heard of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, though...

You're not trying to say you like him are you???

[ahinton]

You're not trying to say you like him are you???

I'm saying what I'm saying, no more, no less; I'm not "trying" to say anything!

That said, I would seriously like to know whatever happened to his orchestration of the first two movements of Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum that he made around 1955 but of whose possible whereabouts I understand he has no recollection...

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

That said, I would seriously like to know whatever happened to his orchestration of the first two movements of Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum that he made around 1955 but of whose possible whereabouts I understand he has no recollection...

I asked him when I visited the Orkneys last year. He said there was a shortage of bog paper in the late 50's and so the manuscript was put to a far better use than had it been published.

Thal

[ahinton]

I asked him when I visited the Orkneys last year. He said there was a shortage of bog paper in the late 50's and so the manuscript was put to a far better use than had it been published.

That joke, which originated long before PMD was even born, is much better in the version by Max Reger who, on perusing a negative review of the première of one of his string quartets, is reputed to have written something along the lines of "I am sitting in the smallest room of my house. I have your review before me. It will shortly be behind me".

That said, I'm sure that I'm far from alone in finding it interesting that PMD has told everyone else who's asked about his orchestration of the first two movements of OC that he cannot recall what became of it yet has confessed to you that he knows perfectly well what he did with it; I'm afraid that there is also no evidence of a dearth of toilet tissue in the latter 1950s in the area where PMD was living and working and it is well known that rationing, which had in any case more or less ended by then, extended largely to foodstuffs and fuel.

I'm sure nevertheless that many of us here will be agog to hear what conversations actually did take place between you and PMD during your sojourn to the Orkneys last year, so do feel free to tell us all about it.

Best,

Alistair

[thalbergmad]

1. I am sure you would not wish me to reveal the full contents of what was a private conversation.

2. I defer to your first hand experience on the effects of rationing.

Thal

[ahinton]

1. I am sure you would not wish me to reveal the full contents of what was a private conversation.

Not the full contents, necessarily, of course, but at least some interesting nuggets thereof that were not of a personal, private and confidential nature...

2. I defer to your first hand experience on the effects of rationing.

That would be both unwise and pointless, since I have none and did not suggest otherwise although, as I am perfectly capable of reading histories, I do know something about it, as do many others without such first-hand experience.

Best,

Alistair

[barnardo]

I did wonder, actually!...
...which would arguably have been interesting, since I doubt that anyone here has ever heard of him; I certainly haven't. I've heard of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, though...

Best,

Alistair

I've heard of him (PMD), and played his wonderful 7 movement Piano Sonata in the late eighties.