Contemporary Classical Composers - new discoveries

OP

Nice way to open the discussion. +1 Re: Silvestrov. 

And big +1 for Helene Grimaud. 

She will be touring US and Europe (although with a more traditional repertoire) 

Here is the link should anyone out there be near any of the venues. Unfortunately, I am not. 

Events from January 18 – May 24 – Hélène Grimaud (helenegrimaud.com) 

Cheers

@mahgister has many fine examples. 
 

But he’s overlooked the finest composer for piano, and the finest virtuoso performer on the piano, of the latter half of the 20th Century. 
 

But for now, I provide a link to what is my favorite composition of his, which is not piano. 
 

Here is a stunning performance of the Winsboro Cotton Mill Blues, based on a one minute Pete Seeger folk song:

You are right...

I lost alas! my stunning version Of the "people united will never be defeated" by Rzewski himself... No other interpretation sticked with me...

I lost my cd ...

It is why i did not mention it by despair ...

I only had youtube version of him ...

@mahgister has many fine examples.

But he’s overlooked the finest composer for piano, and the finest virtuoso performer on the piano, of the latter half of the 20th Century.

But for now, I provide a link to what is my favorite composition of his, which is not piano.

@mahgister I listen overwhelmingly mostly to tonal music. I have now over 51,000 LPs/CDs/78s/R2R with 3,000+ piano CDs 10,000+ LPs alone.

I agree with most of your comments. I also have over 70,000 classical vocal and opera recordings/tracks. Season tickets with over 400 live opera performances.

I prefer modern/current composers with gorgeous melodies and harmonies, mixed jazz/classical genre or other mixed music from choral to orchestral (Aminadav Aloni, Maria Newman, etc). Maria Newman has music which also harkens back to Schoenberg’s brother in law Erich Zeisl (whose music I adore and I was the archival engineer for 11 CD compilations of his pre-1960 recordings for his Vienna Centennial in 2005 thanks to his grandson Randol Schoenberg).

Where I strongly disagree is the horrible (but presumtively great performance) of Philip Glass Akhnaten which I saw to my dismay, live at the LA Opera. From the opening bars where the idea is to create tension, it creates a negative energy like someone clawing their nails on a chalkboard. The ending with the death of the six daughters had no input from them and totally bizarre and uninteresting. No real sung libretto, just noise. The poor dancers rolling balls back and forth on the ground. REAL DRECK!

You want a GREAT new opera-Omar by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels. It didn’t have a solo that I could hum or sing but overall, the story, libretto and production were superlative.

Zeisl is not contemporary by age because he died in 1960, like Kurt Weill, another favorite of mine. But Maria Newman is still here. I performed her choral/orchestral works that have not been recorded unfortunately.

Here’s a sample of her throwback to Zeisl (whom I introduced to AFTER she wrote this work).

Le Livre D’Esther in G minor, Op. 38 No. 2: iI. Mordecai - YouTube

Le Livre D’Esther in G minor, Op. 38 No. 2: iII. The Decrees of Esther - YouTube Le Livre D’Esther in G minor, Op. 38 No. 2: iV. Purim (youtube.com)

Le Livre D’Esther in G minor, Op. 38 No. 2: i. The Purification (youtube.com) (nice opening movement-look to other 3 for real excitement. 

Does this remind you of Copland possibly?  She is also a superb violinist and violist.  I have done recordings for the Viklarbo Chamber at non Marlboro venues in Los Angeles.  

So many great current composers of ethnic/religious music that are classical music as well.  Few "classical" music aficionados have heard the breath and depth of modern composition.  I have about 1,000 "modernist" classical music recordings although I tend to prefer those with something I can latch onto.  As to so many forgotten (now revived composers), I started with Alkan in 1965 and then Moscheles (Etudes-Ponti) in 1970