[Simon Moon]

I will definitely be paying attention to this thread.

The vast majority of my classical listening is music from the Second Viennese school and newer. Mostly from the mid 20th century to the present.

My problem is, I do not have the musical language to precisely describe why some piece of music has touched, moved, stimulated or resonated positively with me.

Once I see some recommendations posted, I may get a better feel for what the OP is looking for, and I will chime in.

 

[Simon Moon]

Beat Furrer is surely a composer who needs more recognition! I love almost all of his work, and I say almost only because I haven't heard all of it! Apart from this album (of which I own a CD), I also recommend his Aria and String Quartet No. 3.

I agree.

Furrer is a recent discovery of mine, and I'm really liking what I hear.

I also recently discovered the Kairos label, which seems to have all sorts of interesting music and composers.

I bought Furrer's, Concerto per pianoforte e orchestra (2007) from Kairos just a couple of weeks ago.

 

[Simon Moon]

Yes, Kairos is a great label! So far I've collected a couple of dozens of their CDs. The only thing is they tend to be more expensive than others, but I see this as a way to support the classical music industry since most of the label's composers are alive (and therefore need to eat!)

I did not find them to be that expensive at all.

I ordered 3 CD's, they were $13 each, and shipping was free. Maybe I lucked into some special sale.

 

[Simon Moon]

I've been listening to George Perle's "Serenade No. 3 for Piano and Chamber Orchestra (1983)" quite a bit lately.

He had his own idiosyncratic take on serialism. To me, this piece comes off as being quite playful.

 

[Simon Moon]

Here's a piece that, without a doubt sounds completely contemporary, yet is also completely approachable, IMO.

Augusta Read Thomas - Hemke Concerto "Prisms of Light" (2014)