[Neo Romanza]

My 'Top 10' -

1. Debussy
2. Mahler
3. Strauss
4. Sibelius
5. Bartók
6. Ravel
7. Stravinsky
8. Tchaikovsky
9. Shostakovich
10. Berlioz

 

[Neo Romanza]

Oh what the heck:

• Mahler
• Beethoven
• Martinu
• Verdi
• Puccini
• Shosty
• Mozart
• Glass
• Rautavaara
• Haydn

Glad to see Martinů on your list. He didn't quite make my 'Top 10' but he's certainly in my 'Top 20'.

 

[Neo Romanza]

I don't usually get involved in these lists but hey, why not.

Beethoven
Bach
Bax
Martinu
Farrenc
Holst
Mendelssohn
Tchaikovsky
Dvorak
Brahms, Schumann or Tchaikovsky.

Right on! Another pick for Martinů.

 

[Neo Romanza]

Oh yeah. I have a lot of his works. Can't imagine why everyone doesn't rate him at the top. I have never understood the "quirky" label I have seen applied to him.

I have A LOT of his recordings, too. What always surprised me was how he's not a part of the mainstream repertoire and how he's not really performed too often outside of Czechia. A shame as I think anyone who hasn't experienced his music would come away a fan. The first work I heard was his 1st symphony (Thomson on Chandos) and I was hooked from beginning. He wrote prolifically in all genres, but it seems the orchestral, choral, chamber works and operas get the most attention.

 

[Neo Romanza]

J. S. Bach
Schumann
Fauré
Albéniz
F. Schmidt
Poulenc
Tippett
Dallapiccola
Lutoslawski
S. Stucky

Big thumbs up for Fauré, Albéniz, Schmidt, Poulenc, Dallapiccola and Lutosławski. All magnificent composers.

 

[Neo Romanza]

Fauré and Poulenc. Yes!!
No Milhaud yet, though. Or did I miss it?

I love Milhaud, but I seriously doubt he'd be on someone's 'Top 10' list. I mean I could be wrong of course.

 

[Neo Romanza]

Debussy
Gershwin
Kapustin
Mingus
Mozart
Poulenc
Prokofiev
Ravel
Sondheim
Stravinsky

Nice looking list. Debussy is your number one, eh? You and I will be lifelong friends. I have two framed portraits of Debussy hanging on the walls in the my room along with Strauss, Ravel and some others.

 

[Neo Romanza]

My top 10 ranked: Bach, Mahler, Brahms, Schubert, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Dvorak, Wagner, Bruckner, Ravel.

Now, for the OP's question, I'd probably dump Wagner and Bruckner to get more variety in style. I'd replace them with Takemitsu and Gubaidulina.

Good to see Takemitsu and Gubaidulina rank so high with you. They're both fabulous composers.

 

[Neo Romanza]

You're too kind. The list was just alphabetical. If it were ranked, I'm not sure where Debussy would end up, but not at the very top. For me, the indispensable Debussy is the piano music and the chamber music. The major orchestral works leave me quite cold, and I have yet to catch the Pelléas bug.

Ah, but what about his mélodies? Personally, I love all aspects of his oeuvre ---- from the solo piano works (but also those works for two pianos like En blanc et noir for example), orchestral works, mélodies (along with other vocal works like La Damoiselle élue or the incidental music for Le Martyre de saint Sébastien), Pelléas et Mélisande and the chamber music.