Help Me Find Great Modern Classical Music

[Kalamata Kid]

Second Update To Clarify Things

Hello,

I apologize if I was not clear enough in the Origami Post. I learned a bit by the time we got to the seventh page.

I want to find some new music to listen to. Please help me.
I am primarily looking for:
1. Classical genre by modern day composers born after World War Two. It can be a bit earlier.
2. Any obscure Classical piece by an obscure composer qualifies regardless of birthday. A work that you think is great but somehow fell through the crack of the gatekeepers.
3. Symphonies or Concertos. Just love the big full sound! But I am flexible here.
4. I have a slight preference for adagios, but extremely flexible here.
5. Romantic music or the like but am extremely flexible here, even minimalism!
6. I like complexity, point counterpoint, intricate, interweaving, mysterious, dark, abstract.

7. Do not like a drum beat. Do not like loud drums that startle you. OK if occasionally or in the climax.
8. Do not like loud crashing or crystalline sounds often found in minimalist music or for that matter any music.
9. Do not like voice in Classical music. rp314 please take note. Pi?
10. Do not like dissonance.

If it helps any, my favorite composers are:
Sibelius, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi, Enescu, Dorius, Bruckner, Mendelsohn, Nielsen, Mahler, Dvorak, Prokofiev, Gluck, Tchaikovsky, Elgar, Rachmaninoff, Copland, Berloiz, Bartok, Grieg, Franck, Respighi, Shastakovich, Barber, Ravel, Albinoni, Henze, Hindemith, Faure, Strauss, Debussy, Pachelbel, ….
I primarily listen to Classical music in the car and just before sleeping.

My recent discoveries that I like but still very unfamiliar with most of their works:
Avro Part
Bruno Mars
Lars-Erik Larsson
Uuno Klami
Franz Waxman

[Mr Arkadin]

I'll have another bash at this. Not sure why. I like the challenge especially as I completely disagree with your limits. There's an amazing world of choral music you're missing out on. And microtonality. Also I'm hearing some new names too.

But onwards...

Already mentioned was Kernis' Symphony in Waves. Start there, amazing piece.

Gavin Bryars - The Sinking of the Titanic:


You already know Arvo Part, make sure to check this out along with his symphonies (his best stuff is choral though):


Howard Skempton - Lento:


Barry Guy - After The Rain:


Kamran Ince -
Symphony No.2 'The Fall of Constantinople' (Second Movement: Haghia Sophia):


Symphony No.4 'Sardis' (Fourth Movement: Thousand Hills):

[aMUSEd]

My recent discoveries that I like but still very unfamiliar with most of their works:
Avro Part
Bruno Mars
Lars-Erik Larsson
Uuno Klami
Franz Waxman

Bruno Mars?

[Kalamata Kid]

I'll have another bash at this. Not sure why. I like the challenge especially as I completely disagree with your limits. There's an amazing world of choral music you're missing out on. And microtonality. Also I'm hearing some new names too.

But onwards...

Already mentioned was Kernis' Symphony in Waves. Start there, amazing piece.

Gavin Bryars - The Sinking of the Titanic:


You already know Arvo Part, make sure to check this out along with his symphonies (his best stuff is choral though):


Howard Skempton - Lento:


Barry Guy - After The Rain:


Kamran Ince -
Symphony No.2 'The Fall of Constantinople' (Second Movement: Haghia Sophia):


Symphony No.4 'Sardis' (Fourth Movement: Thousand Hills):

Gavin Bryars - The Sinking of the Titanic: Almost liked it

Arvo Part, I have this beautiful work of his. Nice but the bell is distracting to me.

Howard Skempton - Lento: Very Nice! I will see what else he has done.

Barry Guy - After The Rain: Extra very nice. Must find more of his work.

Kamran Ince -
Symphony No.2 'The Fall of Constantinople' (Second Movement: Haghia Sophia): and Symphony No.4 'Sardis' (Fourth Movement: Thousand Hills): Both are excellent!

So the bottom three are really to my liking. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

You and rp314 are determined to make me like music with voice. If I have three well prepared meals in front of me I will try a bit of each then consume my favorite. Life is to short so might as well spend it listening to music I like. Perhaps I am missing some great vocal/choral music but then again I may be missing some great country, trance, jazz also.

For me when I listen to classical it become a “spiritual experience” Any vocal/choral takes away my “focus”. I suspect it has to do with my right/left brain architecture. Perhaps one side is underdeveloped or impaired in some fashion.

I do appreciate your concern that I should listen to it. So let me give it another try. If you find the time please include a couple of the coral pieces you were think for me to hear.

Thanks for the great suggestions!

[Nightpolymath]

...

For me when I listen to classical it become a “spiritual experience” Any vocal/choral takes away my “focus”. I suspect it has to do with my right/left brain architecture. Perhaps one side is underdeveloped or impaired in some fashion.

Thanks for the great suggestions!

Speaking of voice, I can't think of a more spiritual experience than Mozart's Requiem. Or Beethoven's Missa Solemnis for that matter.

[Mr Arkadin]

Gavin Bryars - The Sinking of the Titanic: Almost liked it

There are other, slower tempo recordings that I prefer (over an hour long), maybe you'd prefer them.

Arvo Part, I have this beautiful work of his. Nice but the bell is distracting to me.

Wow, tough gig. I know you said no percussion but gently struck tubular bells? For me the bells make this piece, especially the very last chord where you hear the ringing decay after the strings have finished.

Howard Skempton - Lento: Very Nice! I will see what else he has done.

Barry Guy - After The Rain: Extra very nice. Must find more of his work.

Kamran Ince -
Symphony No.2 'The Fall of Constantinople' (Second Movement: Haghia Sophia): and Symphony No.4 'Sardis' (Fourth Movement: Thousand Hills): Both are excellent!

So the bottom three are really to my liking. Thanks for taking the time to respond.

Finally I did it! Of course the problem with picking the movements that I've posted is that you probably won't like the other movements of these pieces, as they're generally full symphonies with the usual faster movements too.

You and rp314 are determined to make me like music with voice. If I have three well prepared meals in front of me I will try a bit of each then consume my favorite. Life is to short so might as well spend it listening to music I like. Perhaps I am missing some great vocal/choral music but then again I may be missing some great country, trance, jazz also.

For me when I listen to classical it become a “spiritual experience” Any vocal/choral takes away my “focus”. I suspect it has to do with my right/left brain architecture. Perhaps one side is underdeveloped or impaired in some fashion.

I do appreciate your concern that I should listen to it. So let me give it another try. If you find the time please include a couple of the coral pieces you were think for me to hear.

For me choral music is the true spiritual music, and I'm not even spiritual in any sense. Bach cantatas, Thomas Tallis and I love Glass' choral writing and other modern composers too like Ligeti. Certainly much of Part's output is heavily choral. I'll try and hunt around for something that still meets the other criteria (adagios, no perc) but has voices. There's great country and jazz too (not sure about tarnce though). Listen to it all, why not? I listen to everything I can get my ears on.

[rp314]

Speaking of voice, I can't think of a more spiritual experience than Mozart's Requiem. Or Beethoven's Missa Solemnis for that matter.

Well, we don't need to gang up on the guy when we live in a culture flooded with singing competitions and pop star vocalists who in some of us can lead to an almost absolute hatred for what can come out of some human beings' mouths.

That said, my general rule (which would certainly apply to your choices even though they might not be considered Modern Music in the sense employed here) is that one should seek out music in which what's happening in the 'background' is generally not relegated to the singing part(s). Besides those, a good example of the real incorporation of the voice as mostly another instrument is in Wagner's operas, but there are indeed many others...in modern music and that from earlier periods.

[Nightpolymath]

Perhaps the OP should start with the Queen of the Night.

[Kalamata Kid]

My recent discoveries that I like but still very unfamiliar with most of their works:
Avro Part
Bruno Mars
Lars-Erik Larsson
Uuno Klami
Franz Waxman

Bruno Mars?

By his last name you may think he is from Neptune but no, he is actually, believe it or not from earth! Check his music out.

Just realized
"Orchestral cover produced with the Garritan Personal Orchestra sound banks and Sonar X1. The video is of a performance by the NDR Sinfonieorchester directed by Christoph Dohnányi playing Bruckner's 4th Symphony." It fooled me!

I will have to rethink if Bruno Mars belongs on my list.

[Kalamata Kid]

...

For me when I listen to classical it become a “spiritual experience” Any vocal/choral takes away my “focus”. I suspect it has to do with my right/left brain architecture. Perhaps one side is underdeveloped or impaired in some fashion.

Thanks for the great suggestions!

Speaking of voice, I can't think of a more spiritual experience than Mozart's Requiem. Or Beethoven's Missa Solemnis for that matter.

I have a many Classical music CD's and even a few with voice. Do I listen to the ones with voice? Rarely and if I do I hit the skip button. I wonder why some here feel an obligation to try to convince me to listen to music with voice. I have had countless opportunities over the years to do so but have not chosen to listen to classical music with voice. In the future this may change as my likes continue to evolve.

[Kalamata Kid]

Speaking of voice, I can't think of a more spiritual experience than Mozart's Requiem. Or Beethoven's Missa Solemnis for that matter.

Well, we don't need to gang up on the guy when we live in a culture flooded with singing competitions and pop star vocalists who in some of us can lead to an almost absolute hatred for what can come out of some human beings' mouths.

That said, my general rule (which would certainly apply to your choices even though they might not be considered Modern Music in the sense employed here) is that one should seek out music in which what's happening in the 'background' is generally not relegated to the singing part(s). Besides those, a good example of the real incorporation of the voice as mostly another instrument is in Wagner's operas, but there are indeed many others...in modern music and that from earlier periods.

At one time I did like the voice as an instrument like Debussy's nocturnes and a few other works which I now cannot recall the names. Yes and at one time I liked the climax of the final movement and hated the adagio movement. Now the reverse is true. Such is life, full of mysteries.

I am always searching not so much for music that I may like which includes a lot but for music that I have a passion for it. So why compromise? If I had to compromise I would but there is so much instrumental classical music available that I need not do so.

[Kalamata Kid]

Perhaps the OP should start with the Queen of the Night.

Very funny.

[aMUSEd]

My recent discoveries that I like but still very unfamiliar with most of their works:
Avro Part
Bruno Mars
Lars-Erik Larsson
Uuno Klami
Franz Waxman

Bruno Mars?

By his last name you may think he is from Neptune but no, he is actually, believe it or not from earth! Check his music out.

Just realized
"Orchestral cover produced with the Garritan Personal Orchestra sound banks and Sonar X1. The video is of a performance by the NDR Sinfonieorchester directed by Christoph Dohnányi playing Bruckner's 4th Symphony." It fooled me!

I will have to rethink if Bruno Mars belongs on my list.

Yeah, pretty sure he's just a pop singer.

[Kalamata Kid]

Gavin Bryars - The Sinking of the Titanic: Almost liked it

There are other, slower tempo recordings that I prefer (over an hour long), maybe you'd prefer them.

Found this and sounds good to me.
I am sure there will more of his works that I will like.
So I will include Gavin Bryars in my "good" list.
Gavin Bryars - Four Elements

[rp314]

Sometimes composers mostly known for vocal works, Wagner, for example, can still give one the chance to pick out the instrumental bits, so to speak.



Which is precisely what the already mentioned Hans Werner Henze did with the first part of that Prelude in his 1973 work Tristan.



Did "serious composers" use sampling before the advent of the modern DAW?
Indeed they did...