Greatest Living Composer -- WHO ??

McCartney

Assuming you are referring to classical music (or art music if you prefer), I'd offer names like Dutilleux, Gubaidulina, Balada, Boulez, and Carter, with Hartke and Dusapin two to watch.


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Alternatively, I say Boulez, followed in no particular order by...

Hartke
Gubaidulina
Ades
Salonen
Adams
Reich
Corigliano
Woolrich
Carter

Okay, this is interesting. Now how about some recommendations of which albums to start with from, say, the top 5.

I've been curious about Adams, but where to start?

daniel

Arvo Part?

OK so he is one of very few living composers I've listened to but I find much of his work fascinating. Much more so than Tavener.

bruce

Stockhausen hasn't done very much recently, and nor has Boulez (other than conduct, and tinker with some old scores) so I don't think either of them qualify for "lifetime achievement".

My vote goes to Howard Skempton.

Mark S

Daniel, Try Adams' 'Road Movies' a collection of five of his works from various stages of his career.

He's even on Myspace if you want to try out a few of his compositions.

either Robert Ashley or Anthony Braxton IMHO

I don't go in much for lists, but I think Ades (the violin concerto is stunning) and Adams are my favourites amongst the classical living.

Where to start with Adams? Well, a Short Ride in a Fast Machine is a lot of fun. What really hooked me onto his work is his opera The Death of Klinghoffer, which is extremely powerful. His 9/11 work 'On the Transmigration of Souls' is interesting too.

For Ades, his CD of the piano quintet (which is paired with a fine recording of Schubert's Trout) is well worth a listen and before too long we'll have the violin concerto from Marwood (the violinist for whom it was written) with Ades conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Have heard them do it in Edinburgh this August, I can't wait.

regards, Tam

Dunno. I like Peter Maxwell Davies's Naxos Quartets, and Boulez is pretty cool. Haven't heard much Salonen. There's some Dutcg bird whose name escapes me who wrote a nice concerto for Gidon Kremer.

Probably between PMD, Kurtag and Boulez for me, but I'm not as well up on them as I ought to be.

Although there can't be a single greatest living composer, in my view both Steve Reich and Arvo Part are among the best living composers.

I'd also offer that another two of the greatest living composers surely must be Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays, whose 30 year span of work, both as collaborators and as individuals, comprises one of the major achievements in music composition. Their most recent work, The Way Up, is a 68 minute magnum opus combining rigorous composition with improvisation, using a broad palette taken from multiple musical traditions.

One more candidate would be composer/guitarist/pianist Ralph Towner, whose brilliant body of work spans almost 40 years. To take just one example I would point to his work on the masterpiece album Oregon In Moscow, on which the Oregon ensemble performs their works (most of which are composed by Towner) with an orchestra. He is definitely one of the greatest living composers.

All best,
Fred

Lots of interesting comments -- and lots of composers [I am sorry to say] I never heard of !!

Charlie Parker. Bird Lives.

quote:

Originally posted by Oldnslow:
Charlie Parker. Bird Lives.

If we're going in that direction then I'd have to say that Mingus trumps Bird.
daniel

quote:

Originally posted by dsteady:

quote:

Originally posted by Oldnslow:
Charlie Parker. Bird Lives.

If we're going in that direction then I'd have to say that Mingus trumps Bird.
daniel

I'd have to agree with Daniel. Bird was a fine writer, but composition was not where his genius lay. With Mingus it was just about reverse.

All best,
Fred

Another vote for Thomas Ades.

In my view ,the greatest British composer since Britten and one of the few who has something new to say as well as learning from the past.

mmm, must check out this Ades dude - any suggestions, bearing in mind I don't like opera?

Yeah, but Mingus is dead and Bird Lives.

droodzilla, See my first post for two Ades suggestions (though one hasn't been released yet).

regards, Tam

What about these

- Mozart Complete Works [170 CD Box Set] - £55.98
- Bach Complete Works [155 CD Box Set] - £71.47
- Beethoven Complete Works [87 CD Box Set] - £56.98

It's far more difficult to choose classical music - I mean if it were the complete HMHB then you know exactly what you're getting, but with the classical sets you know the composer, but it is not clear what performances you get.

I have the Mozart Symphonies on vinyl by Christopher Hogwood with the Academy of Ancient Music. To me these recordings sound just as I expect and want them to sound. I'm not sure I'd find another performance as enjoyable. I am not knowledgeable about classical music, but I just know I love the work of the Academy and the underlying material is unquestionable in its undoubted quality (as it still would be in the above sets).

However, Tam recommend an English version of The Magic Flute and this was every bit as enjoyable - I describe it as a play with music - I know it's an Opera, but it just seems to work at so many different levels. If the Box set had a German version then I wouldn't understand it and my enjoyment would not be as great (my problem I know).

So you will get a lot with the box set, munch, and the music is great. I'll leave it to those more knowledgeable than I to give their critique on the performance. Hope you enjoy it is good and you really enjoy it.

ATB Rotf

More on topic, I find it hard to answer this question as it seems to be interpreting a composer as different from a popular tune/song writer. When Mozart wrote his great work, surely he had no idea if it would be popular in the 21st century - was it not the popular music of the day. This I suggest is in contrast to Karlheinz Stockhausen who is not popular today and I suggest never will be. So perhaps we should look in a different direction to answer this question. I'm going to suggest Raymond Douglas Davies as the greatest living composer and if anyone doubts my sanity then I'll say Keith Emerson.

quote:

and if anyone doubts my sanity then I'll say Keith Emerson.

*this* makes me doubt your sanity! (no offence)

quote:

Originally posted by droodzilla:

quote:

and if anyone doubts my sanity then I'll say Keith Emerson.

*this* makes me doubt your sanity! (no offence)

Especially for you then Keith Emerson Piano Concerto #1

I have had a look at all the answers so far and I get the following [sorry if I left anyone out -- I was doing cut and paste] ...

McCartney.

Dutilleux,
Gubaidulina,
Balada,
Boulez,
Carter,
Hartke,
Dusapin.

Boulez,
Hartke,
Gubaidulina,
Ades,
Salonen,
Adams,
Reich,
Corigliano,
Woolrich,
Carter.

Arvo Part.

Howard Skempton.

Robert Ashley,
Anthony Braxton.

Ades.

Peter Maxwell Davies,
Boulez,
Salonen,
Kurtag.

Steve Reich,
Arvo Part,
Pat Metheny,
Lyle Mays.
Ralph Towner.

Charlie Parker.

Mingus.

Thomas Ades.

Raymond Douglas Davies,
Keith Emerson.

Henryk Gorecki.

I have only heard of about half of these names. With English composers I am surprised not to see Birtwhistle, Finnessey or Fernyhough.

Obviously it may be centuries before it is obvious who is major and who is not but it's still fun to spectulate.

James H.

By the way .. here are some comm ents on the Beethoven box set ....

complete beethoven -- any good

ends==

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:
More on topic, I find it hard to answer this question as it seems to be interpreting a composer as different from a popular tune/song writer. When Mozart wrote his great work, surely he had no idea if it would be popular in the 21st century - was it not the popular music of the day. This I suggest is in contrast to Karlheinz Stockhausen who is not popular today and I suggest never will be. So perhaps we should look in a different direction to answer this question. I'm going to suggest Raymond Douglas Davies as the greatest living composer and if anyone doubts my sanity then I'll say Keith Emerson.

Excellent points. But I'll say Stockhausen just because it's a cloudy day, I'm in a bad mood and I don't know who fuckall else to say.


US