Quality Classical Music post 1950

By -
Although I occasionally rail against the dissonant music of post WWII, there are a number of pieces which do work, very well. Ethan Iverson on his blog Do the Math put out a challenge for a list of good post 1950 music. Terry Teachout responded on his blog About Last Night. Before I list the music on my list I thought I'd comment on their lists.

First Terry's list: The only piece I don't know is Moravec's The Time Gallery. Everything else on this list might have made it on to mine - and when you see my list, many of the composers are the same, so we must share a similar taste in music.

Next Ethan's list: Here I had more difficulty. I don't know Gould's StringMusic and, I have only heard one of Adès' pieces (and didn't like it) so I am not sure I could comment. As for the rest of the pieces, sorry Terry, but I don't like them. However, Terry starts his article with "The classical music written since 1950 that I listen to is frequently fiercely dissonant and somewhat tuneless." And thus the difference between his taste and mine. I like "tunes."

Ok, so here's my list:

Dmitri Shostakovich - Symphony No. 10 in E minor (1953) Op. 93
Aaron Copland - The Tender Land (1954)
Benjamin Britten - Cello Sonata (1961) Op. 65
Leonard Bernstein - everything, but West Side Story is probably my favourite
Henryk Górecki - Symphony No. 3 (1976) Op. 36
David Del Tredici - Final Alice (1976)
John Williams - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
Libby Larson - Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus (1990)
John Corigliano - Symphony No. 2 (1991)

While many of these composers could have several works listed, these are highlights for me. I almost included pieces by Brian Ferneyhough, Christopher Fox or some of the other "New Complexity" school of composers as I really enjoy the music - but yet to find a complete piece that really thrills me. There are also a number of film composers who might have made it on to this list (Howard Shore and Klaus Badelt to name but two) but I consider they follow in the footsteps of Williams - although they might not agree. There are also a number of other composer friends whose music I enjoy... and probably ought to have put them on the list (to include my own) - maybe in the next iteration I give a list of pieces that ought to be performed more by composers who are not so well known.

If you're reading this list, TAG, what's your favourite post 1950 music? Drop me an email when you've posted your list.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Role of Music in Opera

By -
There are numerous books on the topic, and every composer, librettist, director, singer and audience member has their opinion as to what role the music should play in an opera. In a play without music, the words ought to support the meaning behind a character's actions. However, in the case of action movies, often times the action is what tells the story and there aren't words, just images to forward the plot. We might hear music to accompany action, build tension, but the action tells the story. Musicals tend to speak until the emotion of the moment just "has" to break out in song - unless it's something like "Mama Mia" where the dialog is the rails we travel on between songs; the songs themselves, written before the concept of the musical, are the focus of the production, while the story is secondary. Operas are a different beast. The music provides emotion to the words spoken, but it also plays the role of ambience when there is only action. In &quo
Read more

Acclaimed Fauré Quartett returns to Deutsche Grammophon with their first recording of Brahms

By -
Image
The Fauré Quartett continues to add authoritative recordings to the chamber music catalog with their new recording of two Brahms quartets, available from Deutsche Grammophon on January 12, 2010. These large, some say symphonic, works test the limits of technical and musical capabilities, and the Fauré Quartett once again proves why they are one of the most acclaimed ensembles performing today. Within a short period of time the Fauré Quartett has conquered the great concert halls of London , Paris , Berlin , Amsterdam , Brussels , Geneva , Hamburg , Frankfurt, Milan , Buenos Aires , Rio de Janeiro and elsewhere. “They attract superlatives wherever they go,” wrote The Strad following a concert at London ’s Wigmore Hall, while the Süddeutsche Zeitung praised them for a performance that “brought tremendous pleasure by highlighting interpretative details that had scarcely ever been heard before”. The Fauré Quartett strives to achieve a unique sound for Brahms (as indeed for every work)
Read more

Episode 210b: Joyeuse le départ

By -
Image
Podcast:  Play in new window  |  Download Subscribe:  Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Google Play  |  Stitcher  |  TuneIn  |  RSS Provost Cunningham has Transmigrated, but to where! What is Dr Sage going to do with his body? And how can she bring home her friends, Abigail and Erasmus, without also bring home Cunningham? What are they going to say when they find the “skeleton” she’s hiding in her closet? Cast: Eddie Louise Clark  as Dr Sage Chip Clark  as Professor Savant Justin Bremer  as the Narrator Emily Riley Piatt  as Abigail Entwhistle, Calypso & Dean Stewart Written by  Eddie Louise Theme music by  Unwoman Sound Design by  Chip Michael
Read more