All-time Top 10 classical composers (?)

10 favourites in purely alphabetical order, they are IMHO simply too different to rank against one another. I don't actually class half of them as being 'classical' (I detest that term), but others here are mentioning them in this context.

Bach
Beethoven
Berg
Brukner
Mahler
Mozart
Reich
Stockhausen
Varese
Webern

Narrowly missing the list are Cage, Glass, Henze and Schoenberg; the temptation to place Cage ahead of Beethoven proving almost irresistible...

Tony.

 

Stockhausen? Definitely has to be another one...

 

His 60s output was truly groundbreaking. I love the Hymnen and Kontakte period of his work, they make a lot of current electronica sound totally dated! I think it is only now that the work is finding its context - it probably sits closer to Aphex Twin / Squarepusher etc then Bach or Beethoven.

I went to some of the Stockhausen performances a couple of years ago at the Barbican and even got to meet him briefly later (I got my program signed!). The quadraphonic 'live mix' of Hymnen was utterly astounding, real stunned amazement stuff.

Tony.

 

Tony, I guess the difference is that you like electronic, experimental music and I don't. Anything I've ever heard of Stockhausen's has been turned off within a couple of minutes (and it lasted that long only because I was curious to see whether it could possibly get any worse - and it always did).

 

...like this


(OK, so some prefer the sextet version - but you really can't beat Herbie in this stuff)

I assure you...no funny noises required. And if it helps, remember that "Gurrelieder" IS a cantata!


(Oh, and TonyL - most of us also dislike the term "classical", particularly as that's the period of "art" music - an equally repulsive term - that I get on with the least, but since that's the term the rest of the world uses we have to live with it. I suppose lovers of The Aphex Twin and his ilk hate it being called "pop" just as much)