Help Me Find Great Modern Classical Music

[Ja.x]

...
Let me explain what I am looking for a bit more clearly than I did on the OP.

I prefer symphonic music, piano and violin concertos are fine.
Music in the Classical genre.
I generally like complexity.
I like Adagios
I like Romantic music but very flexible here.

Disregard all the above if you if you have a feeling I may just like your suggestion. I have heard most of the great works so I am looking for newer works from composers born after World War 2. Also undiscovered or underappreciated works from obscure composers of any era that you think are special.
...

Simeone like this? Nuno Maló is a portuguese composer living in the USA, making music for films, and seems to have at least a japanese fan . More on his website "nunomalo dot com".

[Kalamata Kid]

For contemporary stuff, I'm quite fond of Chilly Gonzales' Solo Piano albums.



I also enjoy Famous Places album by Goldmund (mostly solo piano):



both are what I'd call "pretty" music, which is to say pretty much all the songs are pop-song length and not particularly challenging listening but sometimes you just want to listen to some pretty melodies. Satie-esque.

Nice music but it does not give relief to my cravings.

[Kalamata Kid]

Although you said you did not like loud drums, I have to suggest Ionisation by Edgar Varese.

Simon,

Your Edgar Varese suggestion did not turn me on.
I do not like drums and drum beat. But hard to believe I sometimes listen to trance! What a contradiction!

Please try again with another suggestion.

Thanks for the Doktrin der Ruhe and Windschatten.

Regardless of the fact, that this is "your" thread about your preferences, I had to make that suggestion because I consider Varese to be one of the most interesting composers from the 20th century.

I believe I have only heard the name Varese only once before. Very weak on modern composers. I do not like all the music even from my favorite composers. Is there another work that I should try? Please try again.

[Kalamata Kid]

I also didn't see Schubert on your list but the 9th and 10th Symphonies are great early Romantic works. Ditto his Trout and Maiden quartets.

Yes I like Schubert. Originally avoided him but cannot recall why. I do not recall which of his works I like so I put your suggestion on my growing longer list. I am looking forward to hearing all the works on the list and am sure will find some gems.

Beethoven's seventh is my favorite followed by the third, sixth and then eight ( does nay one else like #8?). I will take you up on your suggestion and get "Lenny Bernstein's Beethoven C Minor String Quartet (#14) played by the ENTIRE Wiener Philharmoniker." Perhaps I have overlooked this over the years.

[Kalamata Kid]

...
Let me explain what I am looking for a bit more clearly than I did on the OP.

I prefer symphonic music, piano and violin concertos are fine.
Music in the Classical genre.
I generally like complexity.
I like Adagios
I like Romantic music but very flexible here.

Disregard all the above if you if you have a feeling I may just like your suggestion. I have heard most of the great works so I am looking for newer works from composers born after World War 2. Also undiscovered or underappreciated works from obscure composers of any era that you think are special.
...

Simeone like this? Nuno Maló is a portuguese composer living in the USA, making music for films, and seems to have at least a japanese fan . More on his website "nunomalo dot com".

Thanks but this music sounds too close to new age music to me. Years ago I would have loved this but now I need more complex music.

[Nightpolymath]

I also didn't see Schubert on your list but the 9th and 10th Symphonies are great early Romantic works. Ditto his Trout and Maiden quartets.

Yes I like Schubert. Originally avoided him but cannot recall why. I do not recall which of his works I like so I put your suggestion on my growing longer list. I am looking forward to hearing all the works on the list and am sure will find some gems.

Beethoven's seventh is my favorite followed by the third, sixth and then eight ( does nay one else like #8?). I will take you up on your suggestion and get "Lenny Bernstein's Beethoven C Minor String Quartet (#14) played by the ENTIRE Wiener Philharmoniker." Perhaps I have overlooked this over the years.

I've gravitated towards some of the smaller ensembles for Beethoven. It gives the music more urgency. The Norrington, Hanoncourt, and Gardiner cycles are some of my favorite ones. So much so that I've confined all the Karajan recordings to the dust heap.

There are also the Brahms symphonies - all great works by any measure.

Also Edward Elgar, mostly known for that ubiquitous Cello Concerto and also Pomp and Circumstance, but his Cantatas are some of my favorite works.

[Gamma-UT]

John Tavener is another option – not dissimilar to Pärt - although he didn't write many non-vocal pieces. Even The Protecting Veil lends the cello a kind of vocal quality.

[Gamma-UT]

There's also a bunch of non-avant garde American (or naturalised American) 20th Century composers who as a group span the two World Wars, such as Ernest Bloch, Samuel Barber and Nicolas Flagello. Barber's obviously the most famous because of Adagio for Strings. They are mostly not my thing but might suit someone looking for composers at the romanticism end of the spectrum.

[Niklashe]

Check out the music of Aaron Jay Kernis (1959-). He is a true modern romantic.

Musica Celestis:
Air for Violin and Orchestra:
Symphony in Waves:

Then there are a lot of "modernist romantic" composers in the Nordic countries and in Estonia.
Lepo sumera (1950-2000): Piano Concerto:
Symphony No 6:
Erkki Sven TUUR (1959):
Kaija Saariaho: Laterna Magica:

[Kalamata Kid]

Check out the music of Aaron Jay Kernis (1959-). He is a true modern romantic.

Musica Celestis:
Air for Violin and Orchestra:
Symphony in Waves:

Then there are a lot of "modernist romantic" composers in the Nordic countries and in Estonia.
Lepo sumera (1950-2000): Piano Concerto:
Symphony No 6:
Erkki Sven TUUR (1959):
Kaija Saariaho: Laterna Magica:

You scored a direct hit! Love the works of Lepo sumera, Erkki Sven and Kaija Saariaho but only an OK for Celestis. I will try to get the CD’s of all four. Thanks.

I should have included that I like dark as in Mahler. So I like mysterious, complexity and dark in classical music however not exclusively.

Looks like and all of you caught on that yes I like new music as long as it sound like old music. Well, I just now figured this out myself. But I am trying to get out of this rut though enjoyable it is I need to at least attempt to look beyond the horizon.

Sometime my replies are terse and sound a bit rude. I do not mean to be so, so please forgive me if my response your suggestion seemed less than friendly. I appreciate that you took the time in an attempt to help me.

Among my friends I am the most informed on classical music but feel like a classical intellectual midget here among all of you. Glad to be part of KVR and get so much help.

[Sampleconstruct]

Asyla - a great work by Thomas Adès, some of it is like orchestral techno with polyrhythms and kick drum mayhem (Gran Cassa). I did some audio footage for a documentary (Trip to Asia) during the rehearsals and performances with the Berlin Philharmonic orchestra (Sir Simon promoted Adès for a while), there are many parts in this piece I simply love.

[Kalamata Kid]

I also didn't see Schubert on your list but the 9th and 10th Symphonies are great early Romantic works. Ditto his Trout and Maiden quartets.

Yes I like Schubert. Originally avoided him but cannot recall why. I do not recall which of his works I like so I put your suggestion on my growing longer list. I am looking forward to hearing all the works on the list and am sure will find some gems.

Beethoven's seventh is my favorite followed by the third, sixth and then eight ( does nay one else like #8?). I will take you up on your suggestion and get "Lenny Bernstein's Beethoven C Minor String Quartet (#14) played by the ENTIRE Wiener Philharmoniker." Perhaps I have overlooked this over the years.

I've gravitated towards some of the smaller ensembles for Beethoven. It gives the music more urgency. The Norrington, Hanoncourt, and Gardiner cycles are some of my favorite ones. So much so that I've confined all the Karajan recordings to the dust heap.

There are also the Brahms symphonies - all great works by any measure.

Also Edward Elgar, mostly known for that ubiquitous Cello Concerto and also Pomp and Circumstance, but his Cantatas are some of my favorite works.

Not sure why I have ignored Brahms. Yes I will add him to my list. Perhaps you have a suggestion that you think I may like?

Yes I have a few works by Elgar. I like the Cello Concerto and also Pomp and Circumstance lot and will check out the Cantatas.

Hmmm. I may have heard your Beethoven suggestions but will hunt them down to be sure.

[Kalamata Kid]

John Tavener is another option – not dissimilar to Pärt - although he didn't write many non-vocal pieces. Even The Protecting Veil lends the cello a kind of vocal quality.

John Tavener it seems is mostly choral music. My mind does not process classical music with voice in a way that I find it enjoyable. I was not always like this so why I changed I do not know why.

Yes I like The Protecting Veil.

[welldone]

This!

[Nightpolymath]

I also didn't see Schubert on your list but the 9th and 10th Symphonies are great early Romantic works. Ditto his Trout and Maiden quartets.

Yes I like Schubert. Originally avoided him but cannot recall why. I do not recall which of his works I like so I put your suggestion on my growing longer list. I am looking forward to hearing all the works on the list and am sure will find some gems.

Beethoven's seventh is my favorite followed by the third, sixth and then eight ( does nay one else like #8?). I will take you up on your suggestion and get "Lenny Bernstein's Beethoven C Minor String Quartet (#14) played by the ENTIRE Wiener Philharmoniker." Perhaps I have overlooked this over the years.

I've gravitated towards some of the smaller ensembles for Beethoven. It gives the music more urgency. The Norrington, Hanoncourt, and Gardiner cycles are some of my favorite ones. So much so that I've confined all the Karajan recordings to the dust heap.

There are also the Brahms symphonies - all great works by any measure.

Also Edward Elgar, mostly known for that ubiquitous Cello Concerto and also Pomp and Circumstance, but his Cantatas are some of my favorite works.

Not sure why I have ignored Brahms. Yes I will add him to my list. Perhaps you have a suggestion that you think I may like?

Yes I have a few works by Elgar. I like the Cello Concerto and also Pomp and Circumstance lot and will check out the Cantatas.

Hmmm. I may have heard your Beethoven suggestions but will hunt them down to be sure.

You may like Brahms Piano Concerto #2 and Piano Sonata #3. His symphonies #2 and #4 are the ones I like the most although to be honest any Brahms concerto or symphonic work is extremely fulfilling. He was a classicist at heart, living at the end of the Romantic period.

I tend to be more selective about Mahler, since there are as many bad interpretations as good ones. The Bernstein Mahler cycles tend to be generally very good, as is the Bertini one. For Mahler 5 there is only one which I really like - the Kubelik recording with the Bavarian RSO. For #2 the Klemperer version is a firm favorite of mine. I am not really a big fan of the rest of Maher's works. They can only be taken in small doses, just like Wagner.