Favorite Composers

[joaosousa]

I'm starting this topic, although we can find similar topics in the web, with the purpose to discover new composers and pieces. So make a ranking, just write one name, whatever you want and along with that, if you want, indicate some pieces.

1. Rachmaninoff (almost everything, from is moments musicaux to his piano concertos, his preludes to symphonic dances, études to suites for two pianos, has a great melody, rhythm and passion.)

2. Prokofiev/Brahms/Debussy/Ravel (Prokofiev: his piano concertos are so original and well thought; he has a unique style as we can see in his second piano concerto but he can be as romantic as others as we can see in his 1s piano concerto. Brahms: he his so intense and profound, no words to describe it. Debussy: he is so good at transmitting tranquility and calmness, just fantastic and original. Ravel: so animated and original.)

3. Gershwin/Chopin/Lecuona/Tchaikovsky (Gershwin: love the Jazz flavor, his rithyms and his unique style, shame that he died so early. Lecuona: the Cuban sonority imo is just awesome, he is like Chopin but Cuban version. Chopin: you know Chopin, just beautiful. Tchaikovsky: the remarkable melodies, he knows what he is doing.)

4. Beethoven/Liszt/Mendelssohn/Schubert (Beethoven: he his powerfull and passionate at the same time. Liszt: so inovative. Mendelssohn: just hear his piano concertos and you'll understand. Schubert: beautiful articulated melodies.)

5. Bach/Saint-Saëns/Scriabin/etc.

I think I'm not forgetting anyone

[michael_sayers]

Hi Joaosousa,

I don't think I can rank them.  Is it okay if I just give a list?


Mvh,
Michael

[joaosousa]

Hi Joaosousa,

I don't think I can rank them.  Is it okay if I just give a list?


Mvh,
Michael

As I said do whatever you want

[michael_sayers]

Johann Sebastian Bach, Ervin Nyiregyhazi, Ludwig van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Joseph Haydn, Felix Mendelssohn, Hector Berlioz, Anton Bruckner, Claude Debussy, Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, Johannes Brahms, Arnold Schoenberg, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Sergei Prokofiev, George Frideric Handel, Charles Valentin Alkan, Anton Rubinstein, Sigismond Thalberg, Oskar Lindberg, Joachim Raff, Charles Griffes, Selim Palmgren, Maurice Ravel, Eric Satie, John Carollo, Richard Strauss, Arcangelo Corelli, Dieterich Buxtehude, Georg Philipp Telemann, Giacomo Puccini, Alexander Scriabin, Jules Massenet, Giuseppe Verdi, Gioachino Rossini, Umberto Giordano, Vincenzo Bellini, Ernest Bloch, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Modest Mussorgsky, Aaron Copland, Max Bruch, Ronald Stevenson, Alistair Hinton, Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, Ferruccio Busoni, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Alexander Tcherepnin, Domenico Scarlatti, Dmitri Shostakovich, Hildegard of Bingen, Moritz Moszkowski, Charles Ives, Engelbert Humperdinck, Franz Schubert, Frederic Chopin, John Field . . . that is just off the top of my head for favourite composers, probably there are more to add to my personal list but I just am not thinking of them at the moment . . . here is some great music by Engelbert Humperdinck -

.


Mvh,
Michael

[michael_sayers]

Ralph Vaughan Williams and Edward Elgar . . . I just now thought of them, and they belong on the list . . .


Mvh,
Michael

[michael_sayers]

Frederick Delius needs to be there.

I'll stop for now, even if I think of more names, in order to wait and see who gets suggested by the other members.


Mvh,
Michael

[medtnaculus]

Rachmaninov is my favourite. Ravel and Scriabin a close 2nd. Others include (in no particular order):

Bortkiewicz, Debussy, Ornstein, Tcherepnin, Bartok, Chopin, Schubert, Prokofiev, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Medtner, Shostakovich, Myaskovsky, Szymanowski, Eller, Poulenc, Bridge, Baines, Howells, Tveitt, Stanford, Williams and many more. Too many to name.

[thalbergmad]

Yawn.

What is the point of lists without justification?

Thal

[chopinlover01]

I'm going to try and justify mine (as Thal said), so here we go!
1) Chopin:
Yes yes, I know, everybody loves him and ranks his compositions, etc... But he's what changed my desire to play piano from something I was forced to do to something I loved. With the C# minor waltz, no less, which happens to be (now) one of my least favorite compositions of his. Funny how that changes.
2) Rachmaninoff:
Again, a popular pick, but I feel that he has a balance of using Chopinesque and Mozartesque techniques like bel canto and rubato while also giving the layering (for lack of a better word) that classical composers like Beethoven and his contemporaries did.
3) Ravel/Debussy:
A two way tie here, mainly because I love their music for largely similar reasons. Impressionistic music (or rather, good impressionistic music) is some of my favorite, and these two make it better than most others I've listened to (that said, my listening habits in the impressionist period are not very extensive, so I'm open to listening to new people if anyone has recommendations)
4) Schubert:
His melodic gift is on par (if not better) with every other composer on this list, but there's a certain almost strangeness to his writing (for example, the transition from E flat major to b minor in his E flat impromptu) that just hasn't quite grown on me yet. He'll probably take over this list sooner or later.
5) Liszt:
Everything to say about Liszt has already been said; he has a very beautiful melodic quality, and makes the whole thing virtuosic while he's at it (or rather, it's because of it's virtuosity that it's beautiful? Or perhaps the other way around..)
Everyone here was born after 1800. Hmm..

[michael_sayers]

I left out Edvard Grieg!


Mvh,
Michael

[michael_sayers]

Yawn.

What is the point of lists without justification?

Thal

Hi Thal,

Why does there need to be justification?


Mvh
Michael

[medtnaculus]

Very well I'll justify my list.

Rachmaninov (and I guess to a lesser extent Bortkiewicz) to me is the master of melodies. I struggle to find a piece by him which doesn't stick with me for days. Scriabin's unique voice and wonderful harmonies (especially in his 5th sonata) have really got to me lately. I wish Ravel had another 10 years to his life (and avoided the crash) just so he could output more masterpieces. I love everything by him. Such a unique tonal language as well; very dream like.

Ravel, Debussy, Williams, Palmgren, Bridge and Baines all have lush impressionistic flavours which I simply adore. Their use of colour is superb. I wish there was more of Baines out there (I came upon a book with 4 poems by him which doesn't seem to be available at all online). Though I've only really listened to one piece by him Guy Ropartz is another favourite of mine too (his prelude marine and chanson is absolutely charming).

Ornstein, Prokofiev, Szymanowski, Tveitt, Bartok and Tcherepnin have one of a kind vvoices which haven't ever been equalled. You can't compare them to anyone else. I wish there was more Ornstein recordings, however. Huge fan of the epic scale of Mahler, Myaskovsky and Shostakovich's symphonies. Don't want to make a colossal post so I'll not go in depth with each of them. However, it is amazing though how Ornstein was ahead of the trend with wild mens dance, predicting trends to come, yet lived to see the 21st century. Shame about Tveitt losing most of his output in a fire.

In terms of more traditional sounding romantics I adore Schubert, Stanford, Mendelssohn and Chopin. Mendelssohn never ceases to surprise me, and the other two are what got me into classical music in the first place; absolutely divine.

Eller, Poulenc and Tailleferre have many lovable pieces which I could listen to all day. When I first stumbled upon them I juts immediately fell in love. Really wish there were more recordings of Bortkiewicz online too.

As a brass bander Howells, Lloyd and Gregson have a special place in my heart.

Medtner took some time for me to warm up to him but now I'm a huge fan of his works. And how could I forget Liszt for his foresight and virtuosity. Love his later works especially. I've been exploring so much music as of late and I can't seem to ever slow down and take more time to appreciate what I've already found. There's just too much music and not enough time!

[medtnaculus]

Hi Thal,

Why does there need to be justification?


Mvh
Michael

Though I'm not Thal, I can see his point. Without justification it just becomes a meaningless list. It bears no difference to simply pasting a list of composers off of wikipedia. It's best to make it more personal so others can understand your reason for liking them to being with.

[michael_sayers]

Though I'm not Thal, I can see his point. Without justification it just becomes a meaningless list. It bears no difference to simply pasting a list of composers off of wikipedia. It's best to make it more personal so others can understand your reason for liking them to being with.

Hi Medtnaculus,

If one has a reason to like a particular composers's music, then I agree!  What I like in music is decided on an emotional basis, and many other persons might do the same.


Mvh,
Michael

[thalbergmad]

Though I'm not Thal, I can see his point. Without justification it just becomes a meaningless list. It bears no difference to simply pasting a list of composers off of wikipedia. It's best to make it more personal so others can understand your reason for liking them to being with.

Could not have put it better myself.

Thal

[mjames]

Everyone here was born after 1800. Hmm..

Except Schubert.

[chopinlover01]

Except Schubert.

We can't allow a three year margin of error?
(duely noted, though, of course)