Sung composers that you just "don't get"

[eschiss1]

I know that my risk-averse attitude stems from a few experiences with music by post-modern, eclectic composers of dubious coherence, little interest or apparent promise... (and -- un-dubious? - interest in styles of popular music in which I have no interest - though Steve Reich, I guess, might fit in that category, maybe, sort of (except for the dubious coherence, little interest etc. parts), and I find I like him just fine, now anyway... so goes... ah well...) - though of course- that's me ...!

[JollyRoger]

I hardly think that one can blame a lack of interest in "classical" music on the 2nd Viennese School. One could perhaps argue that modern concert audiences's risk-averse attitude to contemporary composers, and to unfamiliar names, originates from experiences with difficult atonal music. But that should not affect the market for Brahms.

There are many, many modern composers who I admire. But I, for one, would have little interest in the classics if it were dominated by disciples of the 2nd Viennese School. I will not say it has not had an impact on musical history nor will I say it is without some merit. But I can reflect on how it makes me feel and I find much of it depressing and reflective of a degenerating culture. But again, that's my opinion...others obviously disagree.

[Crescendo]

My personal stance on disharmony ( and reaching to atonality) is that it needs to be in service of the emotion that want to be expressed by the music.
Often - as with the 2nd Viennese school - this seems to be not always the case anymore and it feels like it happens more in service of achieving goals that have more to do with construction, mathematics or other ideas that come from more from pure headspace than the heart.
To me music is still something for the heart and soul first, regardless of its complexities for which we are also invited to let our mind be stimulated, which I welcome as well. But in my opinion in the end it is the soul that wants to be spoken to. And the key to that is emotion, and for that the musical language must be able to be understood to a certain degree at least. At the same time I understand that each of us have different thresholds, different levels at which we do and do not understand the musical language of a given piece. Therefore I would not want to generalize my opinion.
That being said I do think that much has been done in the 20th century to empty out the concert halls...

[eschiss1]

Crescendo- The Second Viennese School? Sometimes they were accused of the opposite, I think, though this was only true of a few of e.g. Schoenberg's works either (his opera Erwartung, e.g., might be considered expressionist.) But really I'd just have to consider myself not convinced and the case not made one way or the other. Just speaking for myself of course.

And much has been done in the 20th century to empty out the concert halls, I agree- bad music education going to no music education as money decreases, bad (or I should say meretricious) popular music, availability of acetates/33/78s/LPs/tapes/CDs and other alternatives reducing the popularity of concerts, for a start.

[eternalorphea]

For me (and my father even more) it's an awesome masterpiece; best features of contemporary serious music 'cooked up' into the apex composition. For most, however, it's plain trash, screwing with the instruments, fruit of a perverted bourgeois mind, reflection of receding sanity..

Behold and beknow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le84cfV6hOA

I do apologize though if using a composer outside the forum's remit as example in this particular thread has become illegal in meantime.

[Mark Thomas]

Definitely not a UC composition!

[mikehopf]

Reger, Busoni, Hindemith, Britten  ... all leave me cold or asleep.

Perhaps I need to listen to more of their works but , frankly, my dear, I can't be bothered.. there's too much other stuff out there which merits my attention far more!

[Alan Howe]

Try Busoni's early Violin Concerto. And Reger's Four Böcklin Tone Poems. You may be surprised...

[adriano]

This chapter about personal taste should never have been started! I read horrible things! And this even without real explanations! And, mostly, only based on knowledge of 1 or a couple of more works by these compoers...
Bruckner - Mahler- Busoni - Stravinsky - what would we have become without them?

[mikehopf]

Thanks for the recommendations, Alan.

I know both of these works and will certainly concede that the Busoni Violin Concerto has its merits, But, the early works of many composers are often more accesible than their later efforts. Take Schoenberg's later works  .... PLEASE!

The Reger Tone Poems cannot (IMHO) hold a candle to Huber's magnificent Symphony No.2 subtitled " Bocklin" in which he pays tribute to eight of the master's paintings.

Actually, Reger's Violin Concerto ain't 'arf bad either!

[eschiss1]

Ok, I'll take them (but not your wife, Mr. Youngman)- more for me to enjoy.  (I'm sure that the reference in the Dubois thread to iconoclasts etc. was meant to include Schoenberg- and probably Reger- too, but neither of them saw themselves that way at all, though they had plenty of contemporaries, many plenty more popular (Stravinsky, anyone? Perhaps Debussy...) who did...)

[thalbergmad]

I came here to avoid him and do not want to mention his name.

Thal

[Alan Howe]

And with that this thread has probably run its course...

[eternalorphea]

cursed course

[Alan Howe]

The point is this: the thread was begun before the change in UC's remit and therefore contains discussions of composers we no longer cover. So, if it is to continue, composers of romantic music should be the subject of debate here...