Favourite composers

[nightwindsonata]

I personally love Liszt, Rachmaninov, Chopin. But a lot of stuff is kinda hit or miss for me personally, like I love Hungarian rhapsody’s no 2/6/15 but I despise the transcendental etudes. Same with Chopin I love most of the etudes, ballade in g minor, some preludes are great but I don’t like his nocturnes. Rachmaninov to I love concerto’s no 1/3, etude tableaux op 39 no 6, prelude in g minor, but a lot of his other stuff is a bit to overly complicated for me. I also love Beethoven sonata 14 and violin sonata no 9, but I don’t put him in my list of favorites because a lot of his other stuff I just don’t like that much. Also with Prokofiev I love the toccata op 11, most of suggestion diabolique, and concerto no 2 if I’m in the mood for some real complicated stuff, but I don’t rate him as one of my favorites as well as with Beethoven most of his other things are just not my thing. So I’m interested, you say you really like Rachmaninov do you like all his pieces (or most of them it seems impossible to me to like every single thing a composer wrote but that’s just me), or is it just specific pieces that are so good that your ate him as your favorite as your favorite piece might be written by him?

I have a slightly different perspective than most. As someone who has studied both composition and music theory extensively, I appreciate classical music in a much different way than most people. Even if I don't necessarily fall head-over-heels in love with everything a composer has written, I can usually see the elements they were manipulating in each piece and recognize the genius of it. So, in this way, I can often find things to appreciate and enjoy (since these composers were expert craftsmen, and nearly everything they wrote reaches a standard that I can only hope to attain). One has to do this when one wants to be a professional musician, since eventually a professional (as opposed to an amateur) has to learn things that they may or may not enjoy to the fullest, in the sense that an amateur musician can focus on the things they want. I personally love the style of Rachmaninoff, and their complexity means that I can come back to them over and over again and find new things to appreciate, something that you don't find with every composer, even masters. I've been listening to Rach 2 a lot lately, since it's on my list of repertoire to learn in the near future, after I finish my graduate school applications.

[thorn]

I have a slightly different perspective than most. As someone who has studied both composition and music theory extensively, I appreciate classical music in a much different way than most people. Even if I don't necessarily fall head-over-heels in love with everything a composer has written, I can usually see the elements they were manipulating in each piece and recognize the genius of it. So, in this way, I can often find things to appreciate and enjoy (since these composers were expert craftsmen, and nearly everything they wrote reaches a standard that I can only hope to attain). One has to do this when one wants to be a professional musician, since eventually a professional (as opposed to an amateur) has to learn things that they may or may not enjoy to the fullest, in the sense that an amateur musician can focus on the things they want. I personally love the style of Rachmaninoff, and their complexity means that I can come back to them over and over again and find new things to appreciate, something that you don't find with every composer, even masters. I've been listening to Rach 2 a lot lately, since it's on my list of repertoire to learn in the near future, after I finish my graduate school applications.

I'm from a similar background/have a similar perspective. I've always been particularly fond of Liszt in this respect because his compositional process is more obvious than most- many earlier versions of his works have been published/recorded and I never grow tired of comparing them. That being said I'm very picky about the Liszt I choose to learn, so there seems to be a difference in what my composer brain likes vs. what my pianist brain likes...

[musikalischer_wirbelwind_280]

I still find it strange though, if the intended pronunciation is more like an "ff" than a "v". Aren't we the most interested in saying the name correctly, after all?

If you're aiming for a phonetically faithful transliteration, it definitely makes a lot more sense to write it with "ff". Tricky business, transliteration, on that we can agree! 

Is it?  I dine regularly at the Cholmondeleys, upon their luxury yacht, and have acquaintances among the Featherstonehaughs and the Rothschilds, the latter both pronunciations.

I think they latter have rather small hands,.

Now, why do I find it hard to believe that last bit about the latter's "rather small" hands, old chap?

Language transcription is a funny beast. We could also talk about the letter x as being 'kh' rather than 'ch'. Personally I think it's easiest to just honour the preferred spelling of the man himself: 'Rachmaninoff'.

If you think Russian is bad, go and look at Korean in its many revisions 

Ah, yes, "ch", now that's another tricky one!
Regarding Korean transliteration, I'll just say that it might be one of the things that made me realise the most clearly the need to master the IPA if you're serious about pronouncing a language correctly..or was it Abkhaz? 

As for the OP's subject, well, like I said on another post, I hate having to limit myself when it comes to this sort of things, but I admit it's rather tempting to mention these here, in no particular order:

• Frederic Mompou
• Edvard Grieg
• Walter Niemann
• Isaac Albéniz
• Frédéric Chopin
• Leoš Janáček

[joe000]

Schubert, definitely. Sad to see how underrated he is compared to the likes of Chopin and Beethoven.

JOE

[krncandi]

I love every composer out there... except I'm very selective with the 21st century composers. But I'd say the ones that I adore the most are Rachmaninoff, Medtner, Granados, Albeniz, Lutoslawski, Hindemith, Toru Takemitsu, Ibert, Janacek, Khachaturian, Debussy, Ravel, Kapustin, Muczynski, Scriabin, Myaskovsky, Roslavets, Bartok, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich.

[krncandi]

Oh! And I love Faure, Milhaud, Satie, and Poulenc as well 

[dizzyfingers]

I love every composer out there... except I'm very selective with the 21st century composers. But I'd say the ones that I adore the most are Rachmaninoff, Medtner, Granados, Albeniz, Lutoslawski, Hindemith, Toru Takemitsu, Ibert, Janacek, Khachaturian, Debussy, Ravel, Kapustin, Muczynski, Scriabin, Myaskovsky, Roslavets, Bartok, Mussorgsky, Prokofiev and Shostakovich.

Krncandi -
I've never heard about piano works by Ibert, Muczynski, Myaskovsky - are there any pieces in the main concert repertoire, how would describe their styles, what pieces do you play?

Also curious what you've played by Roslavets and Takemitsu.

[thorn]

I don't know if you'll get a response given the age of this thread, but I've played some Takemitsu- Litany, Romance, both Rain Tree Sketches. The Litany was actually one of my undergrad audition pieces. Although my favourite work in this style is Oliver Knussen's Prayer Bell Sketch which was commissioned when Takemitsu died, it takes a bit of time getting the rhythms but it's a great piece to play.

[dizzyfingers]

I don't know if you'll get a response given the age of this thread, but I've played some Takemitsu- Litany, Romance, both Rain Tree Sketches. The Litany was actually one of my undergrad audition pieces. Although my favourite work in this style is Oliver Knussen's Prayer Bell Sketch which was commissioned when Takemitsu died, it takes a bit of time getting the rhythms but it's a great piece to play.

Thanks for replying and posting the Knussen, very evocative and listenable piece.

Krncandi was active recently in another post so he's around, if he clicks on "show new replies to your posts" he should see it.

[essence]

Bach not emotional? A myth.

I recommend Netherlands Bach Society,

Try these.

Aus Liebe
Mache dich, mein Herze, rein
Erbarme dich ( my favourite)
Indeed, every aria or chorus is full of emotion.

Organ?

Try

I could go on and on.

[dizzyfingers]

Bach not emotional? A myth.
I recommend Netherlands Bach Society,
Try these.

I could go on and on.

Thank god you stopped!
LOL - just kidding.
I'm writing to point out that a quote would have been helpful in your post, since we don't know which post you are replying to, what that person said exactly.

[essence]

sorry. I was replying to this

I think Bach is a bit boring. It is not so emotional. I like Rachmaninoff because it is very emotional music. I also like other composer of course it's just Rachmaninoff is my favourite.

but others have also contributed showing how emotional Bach can be.

[lelle]

I can understand if young people are more thrilled with Rachmaninoff than Bach. I think Bach contains emotional frequencies that you appreciate more when you grow older. And there is nothing wrong with that, there is a time and place for everything.

[thorn]

I can understand if young people are more thrilled with Rachmaninoff than Bach. I think Bach contains emotional frequencies that you appreciate more when you grow older. And there is nothing wrong with that, there is a time and place for everything.

The trouble is Bach wrote a range of pieces for learners where Rachmaninoff is all more difficult. So in most cases, mine for sure, you're fed Bach at the wrong time and place which means you come to see him (and others I can think of) as dull, pedagogical, "eating your greens" and people like Rach, Chopin, Debussy as having more depth, freedom- the reward for slogging through Bach and co.

I'm still not the greatest fan of Bach but I'm more open to listening to him now he's not rammed down my throat, and have found individual pieces to love (my favourite Bach is the Eb/D#m P&F from WTC1)

[dizzyfingers]

The trouble is Bach wrote a range of pieces for learners where Rachmaninoff is all more difficult. So in most cases, mine for sure, you're fed Bach at the wrong time and place which means you come to see him (and others I can think of) as dull, pedagogical, "eating your greens" and people like Rach, Chopin, Debussy as having more depth, freedom- the reward for slogging through Bach and co.

I'm still not the greatest fan of Bach but I'm more open to listening to him now he's not rammed down my throat, and have found individual pieces to love (my favourite Bach is the Eb/D#m P&F from WTC1)

So funny - the contrast.  I really enjoyed Bach as a young student but didn't get enough.  I played some Two Part Inventions, and would have been happy working on them continually, in their entirety, but my teacher only gave them to me sporadically.  He was not a fan, and admonished me for showing early signs of the Gould-condition.  He was more of a romanticist - - "shoved" Chopin preludes down my throat when I could barely comprehend them.

[gralva]

I'm quite basic in that I love anything by Liszt and Chopin, but honestly, I've really been diggin Grieg lately. So Chopin for his melodic richness, Liszt for his novel-like compositions, Grieg for that texture.

[harusoma.k]

I'm currently obsessed with BACH.
It's very challenging to play his pieces but they all sound beautiful!

[dizzyfingers]

I'm currently obsessed with BACH.
It's very challenging to play his pieces but they all sound beautiful!

Which ones are you working on?