Bartok, Shostakovich, and Stravinsky are my favorites.

Evan Evans

i always used to shy away from "The Miraculous Mandarin" because the title made it sound like a gilbert and sullivan operetta. i just heard it for the first time and i can say, without hesitation, that it is in no way mistakable for a gilbert and sullivan operetta..... [8-)]

......now sousa, on the other hand, was heart broken for not being seen as the american gilbert and sullivan.

pop quiz...who was the highest paid and most valued member of sousa's band?

i have no idea where i'm going with this....
james [:O]ops:

@evanevans said:

Bartok, Shostakovich, and Stravinsky are my favorites.
Evan Evans

Understandably so: three unique aesthetics, with each one able to express their musical thought exactly as they imagined. All us composers know how difficult that is. It strikes me that these three share a certain intellectual prowess. Highly intelligent men. I don't site this to exalt intellectualism. It's just an obvious common denominator. Bach and Beethoven also serious brainpower along side sheer genius. Interesting.

Dave Connor

@evanevans said:

Bartok, Shostakovich, and Stravinsky are my favorites.

Evan Evans

You know that Bartok hated Shostakovich. He parodied his 5th Symphony in one of his works....think it was Concerto For Orchestra.

Prokofiev also poked fun at Stravinsky's Firebird in his Fiery Angel opera (and Third Symphony which had thematic material derived from his opera).

I guess there's always been a little professional competition between composers.

That's true, and Stravinsky was one of the worst. Though in general, the worst things ever said about composers that I have heard are by other composers. Never believe what a composer says.

I just lied.

(Apologies to Orson Welles)

And Stravinsky did a "better" version of one of Ravel's works too! i forget which one, but it was great. Oh I think it was Bolero. So much more tasteful in the Stravinsky knock off!

Evan Evans

It's funny because "Miraculous Mandarin" is Bartok doing Stravinsky. Although I prefer Bartok to Stravinsky's works any day of the week. Save for The Firebird which is quite beautifully scored.

Of course, Mahler's music to me rules all. His adagios in particular are unbelievable. The final mvmnt of the 9th Symphony is so fluid, cohesive and wrought with emotion. Hard to believe someone could sustain that intensity for that length of time.

Das Leid Von Der Erde is my all time fave Mahler piece though, as an entire entity.

For Bartok
"music for strings percussion and celesta" a piece with a lot of dynamic range an dissonance, on the mellower side Piano concerto # 3, composed right before his death while being sick (Cancer) in bed.

Prokofiev is most interesting, not as wild as Bartok but outstanding orchestrations and overall quality - try his first symphony. Or Piano concertos.

He was a killer pianist too.

best, Jorgen.

@jorgen said:

Prokofiev is most interesting, not as wild as Bartok but outstanding orchestrations and overall quality - try his first symphony. Or Piano concertos.

He was a killer pianist too.

best, Jorgen.

I'd agree with the interesting bit, however one has to be careful about the orchestrations in later works as he tended to farm them out to his students (so I am told). I find them less rewarding than earlier works, but that may just be my prejudice talking.

DG