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A Contemporary Music Repertoire (a work in progress)

346K views 208 replies 41 participants last post by  Chat Noir 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi everyone,

For the past year or so, I've been on and off working on compiling a large, but hopefully comprehensive, list of contemporary classical music. In fact, I'm still working on it, but I thought I would share my current progress in case anyone is interested.

What is this list exactly? Well, in the most precise terms, it is simply an aggregation of works of the most-acclaimed contemporary composers that both critics and casual listeners seem to recommend. I did this through plenty of research across various forums, books, articles and reviews (including a drop of my own preferences). As I disclaim in the link, this list is obviously not scientific nor perfect by any means, but I hope it provides a good overview of contemporary classical music especially for novices.

To breakdown its sheer vastness, I created a couple tiers to distinguish the most-recommended works:

⋆⋆⋆ means an essential work, among the most esteemed of the contemporary era
⋆⋆ means a fairly important work, good to know especially if you're interested in that particular composer

Of the composers listed, am I missing any of their important works or your favorites? Do you disagree strongly with any of the star ratings (or lack thereof)? Or generally, if anyone has any questions or feedback, I'd be happy to hear!

Edit: I should have made it more clear that there are tons of absent composers that I just haven't had time to include yet. Each composer entry takes many hours to complete thoroughly so I appreciate all of your patience.
 
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#81 · (Edited)
Two of my favorite composers that wrote in idioms which could not be more different:

Rautavaara, Einojuhani (1928-2016; Finnish)

- A Requiem in Our Time, op. 3 (1953)
- Kaivos, op. 15 [opera] (1957-60, rev. 1962)
- Symphony No. 3, op. 20 (1961) **
- Symphony No. 4 "Arabescata" (1962)
- Cello Concerto No. 1, op. 41 (1968) **
- Etydit, op. 42 [piano] (1969) **
- Piano Concerto No. 1, op. 45 (1969) ***
- Pano Sonata No. 2, op. 64 "The Fire Sermon" (1970)
- Vigilia [solists & chorus] (1971-72, rev. 1996) **
- Cantus arcticus, op. 61 [concerto for taped birdsong & orch.] (1972) ***
- Flute Concerto, op. 63 "Dances with the Winds" (1975) **
- Organ Concerto "Annunciations" (1976-77)
- Violin Concerto (1976-77) **
- Angels and Visitations [orch.] (1978) **
- Double Bass Concerto "Angel of Dusk" (1980, rev. 1993)
- Thomas [opera] (1982-85) **
- Symphony No. 5 (1985-86) ***
- Vincent [opera] (1986-87) **
- Piano Concerto No. 2 (1989) **
- Auringon talo [chamber opera] (1990)
- Symphony No. 6 "Vincentiana" [based on Vincent] (1992) ***
- Tietäjien lahja [chamber opera] (1993-94)
- Symphony No. 7 "Angel of Light" (1994) ***
- Aleksis Kivi [opera] (1995-96)
- On the Last Frontier [fantasy for chorus & orch.] (1997)
- Piano Concerto No. 3 "Gift of Dreams" (1998)
- Autumn Gardens [orch.] (1999)
- Symphony No. 8 "The Journey" (1999) **
- Percussion Concerto "Incantations" (2008)
- Cello Concerto No. 2 "Towards the Horizon" (2008-09)

Rădulescu, Horațiu (1942-2008; Romanian-French)

- Credo, op. 10 [9 cellos] (1969, rev. 1976)
- Das Andere, op. 49 [cello/viola] (1984) **
- String Quartet No. 4, op. 33 "infinite to be cannot be infinite, infinite anti-be could be infinite" [9 string quartets / string quartet surrounded by an imaginary viola da gamba with 128 strings] (1976-87) ***
- Intimate Rituals, op. 63 [viola & sound icon] (1985-87) **
- Byzantine Prayer, op. 74 [40 flautists with 72 flutes] (1988) **
- String Quartet No. 5, op. 89 "before the universe was born" (1990-95) **
- Piano Concerto, op. 90 "The Quest" (1996) **

(I hope I'm not inundating you with these lists I'm making. Feel free to update the site at your own pace.)
 
#83 ·
Another great addition to the list would be Christophe Bertrand, a promising student of Boulez and Dusapin who passed away much too early. Listening to Vertigo, I can immediately spot not only the influences of his decorated teachers but also those of the spectral school and Ligeti (whose Kammerkonzert was the impetus for Bertrand's exploration of modern classical music). What a loss.

Bertrand, Christophe (1981-2010; French)

- Treis (2000) [violin, cello & piano]
- Yet (2002) [20 musicians]
- Mana (2004-05) [orch.] **
- Vertigo (2006-07) [2 pianos & orch.] **
- Scales (2008-09) [large ensemble]
 
#87 ·
I wonder how far away Ustvolskaya's three "Compositions" are from getting some asterisks?

Here is a recent, disinterested (~third party) recommendation, in case it helps!

You might try the Russian composer Galina Ustvolskaya, nicknamed "the woman with the hammer". She composed some very dynamic and confronting music. Unsettling maybe, but also moving.

If you listen to Composition I, II, III as recorded by Schonberg Ensemble and Reinbert de Leeuw on Spotify, you might find what you are looking for or take it from there.

A YT link to only one piece of this CD:
 
#89 · (Edited)
The Rautavaara and Reich (is that one new?) lists look great.

Yet another pointless little qualm, but the Davies list is missing opus numbers. These would be:

- Sinfonia, op. 20 (1962)
- Taverner, op. 45 [opera] (1962-8, rev. 1970)
- Eight Songs for a Mad King, op. 39 [male voice & instr. ensemble] (1969) ⋆⋆⋆
- St. Thomas Wake, op. 37 [foxtrot for orch. on a pavan by John Bull] (1969)
- Vesalii Icones, op. 42 [music-theatre work for dancer, solo cello & instrumental ensemble] (1969)
- Worldes Blis, op. 38 [orch.] (1969) ⋆⋆
- Hymn to St. Magnus, op. 53 [instr. ensemble with mezzo-soprano obbligato] (1972)
- Ave Maris Stella, op. 63 [instr. ensemble] (1975) ⋆⋆
- Symphony No. 1, op. 71 (1976) ⋆⋆
- A Mirror of Whitening Light, op. 75 [orch.] (1976-77)
- Westerlings, op. 73a [4 songs and a prayer, with seascapes for SATB chorus] (1977)
- The Lighthouse, op. 86 [chamber opera in 1 act with prologue] (1979) ⋆⋆
- Symphony No. 2, op. 91 (1980)
- Farewell to Stromness, op. 89/1 [piano interlude from The Yellow Cake Revue] (1980) ⋆⋆
- Image, Reflection, Shadow, op. 105 [instr. ensemble] (1982)
- Sinfonia Concertante, op. 106 [wind quintet & orch.] (1982)
- Symphony No. 3, op. 119 (1984)
- An Orkney Wedding, with Sunrise, op. 120a [orch.] (1985) ⋆⋆
- Trumpet Concerto, op. 132 (1988)
- Strathclyde Concerto No. 2, op. 131 [cello & orch.] (1988)
- Strathclyde Concerto No. 4, op. 143 [clarinet & orch.] (1990)
- Strathclyde Concerto No. 7, op. 156 [double bass & orch.] (1992)
- A Spell for Green Corn: The MacDonald Dances, op. 161 [violin & orch.] (1993)
- Strathclyde Concerto No. 8, op. 159 [bassoon & orch.] (1993)
- Strathclyde Concerto No. 9, op. 170 [6 woodwind instrs. & string orch.] (1994)
- Carolísima, op. 168 [serenade for chamber orch.] (1994)
- Symphony No. 5, op. 166 (1994)
- Symphony No. 6, op. 176 (1996)
- Job, op. 183 [oratorio for SATB Soli, SATB chorus & orch.] (1997)
- Mavis in Las Vegas, op. 184 [theme & variations for orch.] (1997)
- Piano Concerto, op. 188 (1997)
- Symphony No. 7, op. 211 (2000)
- Symphony No. 8, op. 215 "Antarctic" (2001)
- Naxos Quartets, opp. 229, 234, 236, 245, 253, 257, 265, 268, 275, 283 [10 pieces for string quartet] (2002-07)
- Symphony No. 10, op. 327 "Alla ricerca di Borromini" (2013)

Davies didn't assign these numbers himself, but commissioned a group of musicologists to do so late in life.
 
#90 ·
The opus numbers have been added in. Thanks for that, Portamento.

And yes the Steve Reich entry is new. (I planned to announce it here if/when the thread needed to be bumped, but glad I don't have to!) He is one of the original masters of American minimalism and one of my favorite composers. It is still one of my lifelong goals to hear Music for 18 Musicians live, but for now I'll have to settle for the many excellent recorded versions. His early phasing works are also more than just interesting conceptual experiments, as I'd argue they are just as compelling musically. His "middle-period" works to have a fascinating, unique blend of Eastern gamelan and Renaissance polyphony. I am not very enthusiastic about his work since the 2000s, but that could just be because of my sky-high expectations and the inevitable narrative of "becoming softer" that forms around his work. But who knows, perhaps I would be championing them if they were the work of some up-and-coming youngster.
 
#91 · (Edited)
A few miscellaneous promotions:

- Andriessen: De Volharding (now listed)
- Andriessen: La Commedia (now listed)
- Andriessen: Trilogie van de Laatste Dag (now listed)
- Cage: Roaratorio (now 3-star)
- Henze: Requiem (now 3-star)
- Kagel: Aus Deutschland (now listed)
- Lachenmann: Allegro sostenuto (now 2-star)
- Lachenmann: Concertini (now 2-star)
- Lachenmann: Consolations I & II (now listed)
- Lachenmann: Dal niente (now listed)
- Lachenmann: Mouvement (now 3-star)
- Lachenmann: NUN (now listed)
- Lachenmann: Pression (now 2-star)
- Schnittke: Cello Sonata No. 1 (now 3-star)
 
#92 ·
And just a few other changes:

- Babbitt: Occasional Variations (now listed)
- Rautavaara: Isle of Bliss (now 2-star)
- Reich: The Three Movements (removed, upon seeing it repeatedly cited as one of his weakest works despite some enthusiasm from casual listeners)

And the Wolfgang Rihm entry is now complete! One of the most prolific composers of our time, so it's not a big surprise that his entry is among the largest ones. I did a lot of catching up on some of his most important works and I have to say that he has risen quite a bit in my estimation. Two of his operas Die Eroberung von Mexico and Jakob Lenz are pretty impressive and I really enjoyed his dark and powerful contribution to the Passion 2000 project, Deus Passus. His recent IN-SCHRIFT 2, which won the Grawemeyer Award in 2014, seems to distill some of his best compositional qualities in a fairly short package. I still need to hear more of his chamber work (especially the quartets), but his hauntingly beautiful Et Lux has been among my favorites of the past decade.
 
#93 · (Edited)
I realize that it's 'a work in progress' (& applaud your efforts), but couldn't help notice that the following composers aren't (yet?) included on your list:

Magnus Lindberg:
John Tavener:
Paavo Heininen:
Oliver Knussen:


Poul Ruders





Ib Nørholm:
Arne Nordheim:


Harri Vuori:


Bent Sørensen:
Friedrich Cerha:
Wolfgang Rihm: (Edit: I see Rihm has now been included).
John Harbison:
George Rochberg:
Robin Holloway:
Peteris Vasks:


Christopher Rouse:
Ned Rorem:
Peter Lieberson:
Esa-Pekka Salonen:
Joseph Schwantner:
Tobias Picker
Andrzej Panufnik
Kalevi Aho
Erkki-Sven Tüür
Anders Hillborg:
Gavin Bryars:
Ivan Moody:
James McMillan
Gabriel Jackson
Tarek O'Regan:
Simon Holt:
Colin Matthews:
David Matthews:
Nicholas Maw:
Aullis Sallinen
Alan Stout
Einar Englund:

I suppose that when we're talking about composers of recent decades, especially those still working today, it's more difficult to be certain about who exactly is a major or minor composer, since all that has yet to be worked out (although I expect it will be over time, as we see the direction that music progresses in the coming decades).

Even so, I was a bit surprised to see Witold Lutoslawski included on your list, and not certain other important mid to late 20th century composers, such as Allan Pettersson, Vincent Persichetti, William Schuman, Olivier Messiaen, Vagn Holmboe, Einar Englund, Robert Simpson, Sir Michael Tippett, and Joonas Kokkonen. But perhaps Persichetti, Messiaen, and Schuman didn't compose enough major works in the 1970s & 80s to meet your requirements--I'll have to check (although I see that you've already done so in regards to Messiaen). However, surely Pettersson, Holmboe, Englund, Simpson, Tippett, and Kokkonen composed enough significant works in the 1970s & 80s to be counted as 'contemporary' composers? (And perhaps Malcolm Arnold & Edmund Rubbra, too?)

Then again, I tend to think that any important composer working within my lifetime, whose music I saw or heard premiered in the late 1970s, 80s & 90s should be considered a 'contemporary' composer, whether they're living or not--especially those that were hugely influential as teachers, such as Holmboe, Persichetti, Rochberg, & Schuman.

Finally, there's also the question of what to make of Leif Segerstam's several hundred symphonies? (most of which I've not heard myself)... & Alan Hovhaness' 67 symphonies, too...
 
#96 ·
Hi Josquin,

Thanks for that list. A number of those composers are certainly in the immediate pipeline already, namely:

Magnus Lindberg
John Tavener
Friedrich Cerha
George Rochberg
Peteris Vasks
Kalevi Aho
Erkki-Sven Tüür
Gavin Bryars
James MacMillan
I hope to get to each of these composers as soon as I finish all of the "biggest names" shown here (minus Partch and Sessions).
The following group of composers, I would consider to be mid-priority as they are all fairly well-known and well-regarded but not essential (in my opinion of course):

Oliver Knussen
Poul Ruders
Bent Sørensen
John Harbison
Christopher Rouse
Ned Rorem
Peter Lieberson
Esa-Pekka Salonen
Joseph Schwantner
Andrzej Panufnik
Anders Hillborg
Nicholas Maw
Aullis Sallinen
Einar Englund
Their inclusion may hinge upon my future motivation for this project after hopefully finishing the prior lists.
This last group are composers that are not on my radar at all for whatever reason. These may just be personal blindspots, but I would need to be really persuaded to include them (through independent research, posts here, or otherwise).

Paavo Heininen
Ib Nørholm
Arne Nordheim
Harri Vuori
Robin Holloway
Tobias Picker
Ivan Moody
Gabriel Jackson
Tarek O'Regan
Simon Holt
Colin Matthews
David Matthews
Alan Stout
As for those borderline cases, I think I agree with Portamento's assessments. I don't have a super strict policy for this list quite yet, but I'm reluctant to include too many "mid-century" composers that may have only a few post-70s works. Boulez and Lutoslawski among others may have been each arguable, but I would argue they each produced several late masterpieces in addition to their 50s output. Messiaen (one of my all-time favorite composers) was a difficult cut, but I still think his oeuvre's "center of gravity" clearly lies in the 1940s despite his late output. That's just a bit too early for me to consider him a contemporary composer.
 
#94 · (Edited)
That is a great list of composers which I'm sure will be addressed in due time. Trout's definition of contemporary (see #12) is "any composer that has a substantial or important body of work post circa-1975." Of the potentially borderline cases you list, I would argue for Englund, Rochberg, Simpson, Tippett, and (maybe) Kokkonen. Most of Holmboe's post-1975 output is obscure (although the late string quartets are some of his best) and Arnold, Pettersson, and Rubbra's inclusions all rest on their late symphonies. I don't think any of Segerstam's symphonies are popular enough to make the list; Hovhaness' certainly are, and #50 (1982), #60 (1985), and #66 (1992) would warrant his inclusion in my books.
 
G
#95 ·
dear trout, yr post jan 06,
i do apologize but i had not read your post until today march 28 th; my file has grown immensely since jan; i consider the performers to be vitally important, because they often play different versions of the same piece and on top of that i find the quality of the performers to be of paramount importance; i only give one asterisk and it means that i like the piece and the performance; as i read a lot i am sometimes influenced by the opinion of my peers; my list is in fact my collection; i own all the records of my list, because i only listen with headphones; although i focus on contemporary i am equally interested by other periods; my kick is to listen to new pieces every day; i have complete files on 200 contemporary composers, which i consider to be the best ones, so if you need help with any of them i can produce your list in one hour (i just need to check the dates of the pieces); i have noticed that you focus on orchestral, instrumental, vocal and tend to neglect chamber and piano pieces and i suppose you do that on purpose in order not to end up with too many entries; i looked at your lists today and some are extremely good (ligeti for example); others are weaker (ades, denisov, norgard); denisov has written concertos for all important instruments, yet i think your list only mentions one; norgard's piano music is only represented by one piece whereas his production is abundant and of extraordinary quality; rome was not built in one day but there are ways to speed up your process; you will find my updated list of contemporary composers on my thread : best contemporary composers; i will post it tonight; some of our members sometimes get carried away by their enthusiasm and do not really try to evaluate the importance of the composers; personally i try to do that, but am also interested by young promising composers who do not yet have a large body of work recorded; all the best marc
 
#97 · (Edited)
Hi Marc,

i have complete files on 200 contemporary composers, which i consider to be the best ones, so if you need help with any of them i can produce your list in one hour (i just need to check the dates of the pieces)
If you have any recommendations on particular pieces, I'd certainly be interested in seeing them and factoring them in.

; i have noticed that you focus on orchestral, instrumental, vocal and tend to neglect chamber and piano pieces and i suppose you do that on purpose in order not to end up with too many entries; i looked at your lists today and some are extremely good (ligeti for example); others are weaker (ades, denisov, norgard); denisov has written concertos for all important instruments, yet i think your list only mentions one; norgard's piano music is only represented by one piece whereas his production is abundant and of extraordinary quality
I appreciate the feedback. I would agree that orchestral works are definitely favored in general but I'm not entirely sure how to correct for this. I try to make this as "objective" a process as possible and not impose any separate criteria/thresholds for different genres.

I included 5 Denisov concertos and 2 Norgard piano pieces, but I take your point. I did just add a piano work for Adès (Traced Overhead), but his entry could be longer. If you see any specific glaring omissions, again I'd be glad to hear.
 
#98 ·
I understand you have a list of composers that you want to work your way through, but please consider Nancarrow next. Here's what I've scrounged together from forums, blogs, and books (primarily Kyle Gann's The Music of Conlon Nancarrow):

- String Quartet No. 1 (1945)
- Study No. 2a [player piano] (late 1940s)
- Study No. 3 "Boogie-Woogie Suite" [player piano] (1948) ⋆⋆⋆
- Study No. 6 [player piano] (between 1948 and 1960) ⋆⋆
- Study No. 7 [player piano] (between 1948 and 1960)
- Study No. 24 [canon for player piano] (between 1948 and 1960)
- Study No. 25 [player piano] (between 1948 and 1960)
- Study No. 21 [canon for player piano] (1961) ⋆⋆⋆
- Study No. 20 "Cloud" [player piano] (probably ca. 1965) ⋆⋆
- Study No. 33 [canon for player piano] (ca. 1968)
- Study No. 36 [canon for player piano] (ca. 1970) ⋆⋆⋆
- Study No. 37 [canon for player piano] (1969) ⋆⋆
- Study No. 40 "Transcendental" [2 canons for player piano; combined for 2 synchronized player pianos] (ca. 1975) ⋆⋆
- Study No. 41 [2 canons for player piano; combined for 2 synchronized player pianos] (completed between 1969 and 1977)
- Study No. 48 [2 pieces for player piano; combined for 2 player pianos] (1975-77) ⋆⋆⋆
- Study No. 45 "Betty Freeman Suite (Boogie-Woogie Suite No. 2)" [player piano] (1982-83) ⋆⋆
- Study No. 47 [canon for player piano] (prior to 1984)
- String Quartet No. 3 (1987) ⋆⋆

I strongly recommend the studies stay separate as they were published individually and were not intended to be played as a cycle.
 
#100 · (Edited)
Let's enter the groovy, hypnotic world of Terry Riley. For as famous as he is in the classical world for In C and A Rainbow in Curved Air, his other work goes largely unmentioned despite it being right up there in terms of quality. Of all the composers I've looked at, I think Terry Riley has the most crossover appeal with fans of other music genres, namely jazz, world/folk, ambient, and even rock. This may be due to the fact that a good portion of his music lies at some unique intersection of all those. I trust that all the pieces listed can be considered "classical" in some sense of the word as I removed a couple that I thought strayed a bit too far: his collaborative album Church of Anthrax with John Cale and his jazzy, Indian-inspired Atlantis Nath.

I was (and still am) a big fan of In C and its many great performances, but I only really recently came around to hearing Riley's other music. His Persian Surgery Dervishes are just as brilliant as Glass's early electric keyboard works, if not moreso. And I found his tape work You're No Good to be kind of like Steve Reich's early tape experiments but on acid. It starts with trippy phasings of a pop song in snippets until it deconstructs into madness. I cannot wait to see what else I've been missing out on my whole life.
 
G
#103 ·
hello trout, congrats for the riley list;love it; plse find hereafter my suggestions for additions ; best marc
Ades, Thomas
-Polaris for orchestra and screens (2010)
-Concerto for piano and orchestra (2018)
-Concerto conciso for piano and chamber ensemble (1997)
-Lieux retrouvés for cello and piano (2009)
-The Four Quarters for SQ (2010)
-Darknesse visible for solo piano (1992)
-The exterminating Angel, Opera (2016)

Denisov, Edison
-Peinture for orchestra (1970)
-Piano Concerto (1974)
-Oboe Concerto (1986)
-Viola Concerto (1986)
-Clarinet Concerto (1989)
-Chamber Music for viola, harpsichord and strings (1982)
-Clarinet Quintet (1987)
-Quintet for piano and saxophone quartet (1991)

Furrer, Beat
-Chiaroscuro for large orchestra (1983/1986)
-Gaspra for ensemble (1988)
-Orpheus Bücher for strings, voices and orchestra (2001)
-Dort ist das Meer for 12 voices and orchestra (1986)

Haas, Georg Friedrich
-Descendiendo for large orchestra (1993)
-Poème for large orchestra (2005)
-Piano Concerto (2007)
-Dark Dreams for orchestra (2013)
-Aus-Weg for 8 instruments (2010)
-Monodie for 18 instruments (1998/1999)
-Solstices for 10 instruments (2019)
-String Quartet no 9 (2016)

Murail, Tristan
-Couleur de Mer for 15 instruments (1969)
-La Barque mystique for 5 instruments (1993)
-La Mandragore for piano (1993)
-Les Nuages de Magellan for ondes Martenot (1973)
Nörgard, Per
-Fragments I-IV for piano (1959-1961)
-Nine Studies op 25 B for piano (1959)
-Four Sketches op 25 A for piano (1959)
-Nine Friends for piano (1984)

Rihm, Wolfgang
-Schattenstück for orchestra (1985)
-Abkehr for orchestra (1985)
-Horn Concerto (2013-2014)
-Seraphin-Sphäre for ensemble (1993-1996/2006)
 
#104 · (Edited)
Thanks Marc for all of your suggestions! I looked at them all and my current tallies and here's what I'm able to add to the list right now:

Adès: Darknesse Visible
Adès: The Exterminating Angel
Adès: The Four Quarters
Adès: Polaris
Denisov: Clarinet Concerto
Denisov: Oboe Concerto
Denisov: Peinture
Furrer: Orpheus' Bücher
Furrer: Gaspra
Murail: Les Nuages de Magellan

If there are any that you listed that you really think are big omissions, I would need to see some other sources (preferably professional reviews or articles) recommending them.

And in other news, I also decided to promote the Rautavaara piano concerto. And Riley's You're No Good too (which probably should have been higher initially).
 
G
#105 ·
hello trout,
thks for your kind reply. i think the norgard piano pieces i mentioned are seminal and at the core of his infinity series. piano is his instrument and his development of other pieces often starts there. it is peinture for the denisov piece.
even if you decide not to include the norgard pieces i invite you to listen to them.all the best marc
 
#107 · (Edited)
With Portamento's generous help (yet again!), Conlon Nancarrow's player piano rolls have been added to the list. I am tempted to call his works "Ligetian", but actually Ligeti's (piano) works should be called "Nancarrowan." Regardless, while his studies are each pretty short, they are extremely dense and complex and reward many subsequent listens. I've only read a small fraction of Kyle Gann's analyses, but I have no doubt that the book would enhance my appreciation and admiration.
 
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