Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Kai]

Hey, QC Music Forum. I've seen many a recommendation thread come and go, and while they're pretty aggravating, I am going to say fuck it and make this. I've been listening to a lot of Steve Reich and John Cage recently, two rather modern composers, and while I really enjoy it all, this is one music area that I haven't really found much luck with.

This is where it'd be nice if you came in! I really like Steve Reich's Music For 18 Musicians, and I'm kind of looking for something in that sort of vein.

Thank you muchly.

[Cernunnos]

Does Morton Feldman count? Gyorgy Ligeti? I'm not sure what is meant by "modern" composers, but I guess I'd put those in that category. also, Penderecki. I was under the impression that you were already hells of familiar with that stuff already. I dunno.

[Tom]

There is a composer here in Sydney who worked as a signal man, he hear that he is quite prodigious and prolific as well as very talented.

EDIT: his name is Graham Howard and here's a news blurb from the Sydney Morning Herald

MOZART may have been a musical magician, but would you have trusted him to be in charge of a railway system? And while Beethoven wrote some of the most sublime music ever composed despite being deaf, would he have been able to take a decent macro-photograph of a bee on a flower? That's where Sydney composer Graham Howard has the edge on his illustrious forebears.

His website: http://www.grahamhoward.com.au/

I hope that helps!

[celticgeek]

Philip Glass.

http://www.philipglass.com/

[ALoveSupreme]

I'd also go with Morton Feldman.  Durations.

[SensoryOssuary]

I could reccomend fucktons of miscellaneous modern classical, but since you specified Reich, I'll just mention some minimalism:

Terry Riley - he is probably the most obvious recommendation here. A very famous minimalist and a contemporary of Reich.

William Basinski - a very diverse composer who works a lot with tape loops. The Disintegration Loops are my favorite works of his, but are extremely daunting. Try Melancholia (piano loops) or The River (tape loops and shortwave manipulation).

Charlemagne Palestine - early minimalist/pianist. I really like "Karenina," scored for harmonium and solo falsetto, although you may hate it. His solo piano performances (the most famous being Strumming Music) are all magnificent, though require loads of patience.

Louis Andriessen is a compelling (post-)minimalist composer who uses a very diverse array of instrumentation... "De Staat" and "Worker's Union" are good.

[jeph]

Well crap I was gonna recomment Riley and Basinsky BUT YOU BEAT ME TO IT

[RallyMonkey]

I don't know if film composers count, but Clint Mansell.

Pi, Requiem For a Dream, The Fountain

Lux Aeterna is one of my favorite compositions ever.

[Kai]

Does Morton Feldman count? Gyorgy Ligeti? I'm not sure what is meant by "modern" composers, but I guess I'd put those in that category. also, Penderecki. I was under the impression that you were already hells of familiar with that stuff already. I dunno.

I am more well versed with sloppy noise bands than with actual music. as for modern compositions, I was mostly thinking of that whole group of composers (Steve Reich and Varese and whatwhat; the weirdos, I guess).

I appreciate all the suggestions!

[jimbunny]

If you haven't heard any Arvo Pärt yet, you should get on that.

[Valrus]

Pierre Boulez.

[rynne]

If you haven't heard any Arvo Pärt yet, you should get on that.

I came in here to say this.  Absolutely gorgeous minimalist works.

[Misereatur]

Oh man, I have two really great books about this stuff but they're both in Hebrew.

I guess you should look into La Monte Young's works. Maybe Robert Morris and Jude Donald? I'm not quite familiar with their works, though. Karlheinz Stockhausen is pretty much what you want, I think. Also, I really enjoyed Valentin Silvestrov's Serenade for String Orchestra.

[sombrasoubrette]

If you're looking for neo-classical, definitely do some Eric Whitacre. Amazing super-dissonant acapella and things for winds, some of the most gorgeous stuff currently out there. I can hook you up with some recordings.

[Beastmouth]

Alvin Lucier's work amazes and astounds me.  I Am Sitting in a Room is especially powerful.  Also, yes La Monte Young/Dream Syndicate.  You can find some of this stuff under Tony Conrad/John Cale's names also, as they played with him. 

[Valrus]

Anton Webern.

[Scarychips]

Yann Tiersen, a French Composer who works with a lot of piano, accordion and violin, I'll upload one of his albums on the Sendspace Thread when I'll have time

[brew]

Glass can be hit-or-miss, but Einstein on the Beach is amazing.  I really like Charlemagne Palestine's Strumming Music.  Reich's Piano Phase.  James Tenney's Forms 1-4 is great, but that's the only thing I've heard of his.  Iannis Xenakis made some really good electronic music.

I would stay away from classifying all modern composers as "weirdos", since some of them are practically polar opposites of others, whose only thing in common is that they stay away from traditional melodic systems.

[IronOxide]

Really, you like Einstein On the Beach? I love Glass, but I found it to be about fifteen minutes of hit in between about five hours of miss.