Hi - I'm not a huge fan of the current generation of modern composers, though in their defence, they do seem to use melody again (unlike the risible brothers from the 70s and 80s.
My absolute favourite symphlony composed after 1910 has to be Paul Hindemith's Symphony in E Flat. Each of the four movements is a jewell of finely crafted granite.
I'm not an atheist and I don't think I can call myself a pantheist. We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many different languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. The child dimly suspects a mysterious order in the arrangement of the books but doesn't know what it is. That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human being toward God.
—Albert Einstein.
My favourite 20th century symphony would have to be Rautavaara's 6th. It was written late enough in his career to be a relatively beautiful piece of music, but still early enough to contain some more modern-sounding harmonies and melodies which all but disappear from his music written since 2000.
Also high on my list would be Erkki-Sven Tuur's 4th.
Gorecki 3.
Gorecki 3, has been discussed here as the most boring piece of music ever composed. There seemed to be a concensus on that too, good to hear it has the odd protector!
Monte - don't know either, though I have at least heard of Rautavaara, I see if I can't hunt out a recording.
Not technically a Symphony as such (since it's title is "Concerto"!) but certainly on a symphonic scale is Bartok's famous Concerto for Orchestra.
For me it succeeds on so many levels, not the least of which is its primary purpose, ie, to showcase an orchestra which it does in spades. Even a cursory analysis reveals that some of the harmonies are surprisingly conservative, it's just the rapid manner in which Bartok passes through them that makes it sound "modern." His clever evocation of Hungarian-style melodies is also a winner. Also marvellous is his use of form and his overall compositional technique (also surprisingly economic - but it's what he does with his small ideas and how he does it that make it work on the grand scale it has become).
Aside from the technical/analytical things, it's really quite an exciting listen. I feel like I've been on a long journey through exotic places after listening to it from start to finish.
Similarly - but with a VASTLY different landscape - is Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony, although I will concede that the listener probably needs to be in a Messiaen mood for that one!
Music is made to transform the states of the soul, for an hour or an instant (J. Alain)
Matt - Turangalila is awe inspiring, for sure. I've got a Melbourne Symphony and a Sydney Symphony recording of it. Love them both for slightly different reasons. Same Ondes Martenot player in both recordings, oddly, some Frog woman from memory.
Hi David.
Maybe try Rautavaara's 7th symphony first. A lot more 'traditional' sounding.
I think Rautavaara's music would appeal to people who like Arvo Part, Magnus Lindberg and possibly Shostakovich.
Can't stand Shostakovich, he's probably one Russian I really can't listen to...
Shostakovich is only similar to Rautavaara's early works, so you're probably better off with his late works. The early works can also be similar to early ballets such as 'the Firebird' by Stravinsky.
Last edited by Montefalco; Jul-28-2010 at 15:08.
Can I throw in Witold Lutosławski's Concerto for Orchestra, then? Marvellous piece of music, filled with Polish folklore. One of his works I can actually listen to with pleasure.Originally Posted by Soubasse
Also, Prokofiev's Classical Symphony. And Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony.
Funnily enough the title of the thread is symphony, not concerto, not suite...
Having seen my posts elsewhere you will not be surprised to hear I have no favourite classical music from the last 100 years, be it symphony, suite, concerto, sonata or other composition.
Some more favourite symphonies (of mine) of modern times -
Messiaen Turagalila-Symphonie
Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms
Scriabin: Prometheus (Also quite widely recorded as his 5th symphony, although not formally so)
Bax 7
A few more (max one per composer):
1911 GLIERE - Symphony 3 in B minor "Ilya Muromets"
1913 BANTOCK - Hebridean symphony
1915 SIBELIUS - Symphony 5 in E flat major
1922 NIELSEN - Symphony 5
1922 BLISS - A colour symphony
1930 HANSON - Symphony 2 "Romantic"
1933 SCHMIDT - Symphony 4 in C major
1934 HINDEMITH - Mathis der Maler
1935 BAX - Symphony 6
1937 MOERAN - Symphony in G Minor
1941 SHOSTAKOVICH - Symphony 7 in C major "Leningrad"
1941 LEIFS - Saga symphony
1943 VAUGHAN WILLIAMS - Symphony No. 5 in D
1944 PROKOFIEV - Symphony 5 in B Flat major
1948 MESSIAEN - Turangalila symphony
1951 LILBURN - Symphony 2
1976 GORECKI - Symphony 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
1980 SILVESTROV - Symphony 5
1982 HOVHANESS - Symphony 50 "Mount St. Helens"
1990 SALLINEN - Symphony 6 "From a New Zealand Diary"
1994 RAUTAVAARA - Symphony 7 "Angel of Light"
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