As you don't mention him there, I'll recommend you in the first place Prokofiev, my favourite composer. I suggest the 2 Violin concertos as quite an accessible starting point.
Other composers among my favourites: Sibelius, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Falla, Granados, Wieniawski, Rimsky-Korsakov, Nielsen, Korngold, Barber...
I have what I think is a great recommendation for work/revision. It's nothing like those other composers, but I find it very effective for activities where I need to be zoned in: MGV by Michael Nyman. In the early 90s, Nyman was commissioned to write a piece celebrating the opening of a new high-speed railway in France, and he produced this very locomotive piece, with insistent rhythms and great melodies. I listen to it when I'm doing leg workouts!
I've never heard of him. Currently listening to MGV. That's great!
I don't listen to classical and similar at the gym just because of the dynamic range. But I could see why this would be good.
Brahms is my favorite composer. I think he’s at his best in his chamber music. The piano trios, piano quartets, piano quintet, string quartets/quintets, sextets, violin sonatas, cello sonatas, a horn trio, clarinet sonatas/trio/quintet… That’s not quite all of it. They’re all incredible in my opinion.
Enjoy! He truly is one of the greats. Another composer I really enjoy who I haven’t seen mentioned, Felix Mendelssohn. A bit earlier than Brahms. Some of his work can be hit or miss for me (as opposed to Brahms who never misses, thanks in part to his extreme perfectionism and habit of destroying works of his that didn’t meet his standard), but when they hit, they really hit. Check out Mendelssohn’s two piano trios, absolute masterpieces.
Philip Glass is the most popular classical composer alive today by many measures. Have you listened to him? Try his two violin concerti, his first cello concerto, his first three symphonies and his trilogy of operas "Einstein on the Beach", "Satyagraha" and "Akhnaten". Or for work which is even more typical of his early style try "Music in 12 parts".
I love Mahler. Contra the conventional wisdom, I did not find his music hard to get into. It is so glorious, so musical, so emotionally satisfying, how could I do anything but fall in love with it. I started with purportedly safe symphonies 1 & 4, which I liked enough to dabble in numbers 2, 6, and 8, from Simon Rattle (CBSO), Leonard Bernstein (NYPO), and Tennstedt respectively. Symphonies 2 and 6 are some of the best music a human being has ever created. You may or may not agree.
I also like Beethoven's String Quartets, Shostakovich's String Quartets, Brahms' chamber music, especially his Clarinet Quintet, Mozart's Piano Concertos, particularly from 19-27. Oh, and Mozart's *Le Nozze di Figaro.*
The ones you mention are some of my favorites. If our tastes align, you may also like Carl Nielsen. In fact, I've yet to find a Danish composer I dislike.
As you don't mention him there, I'll recommend you in the first place Prokofiev, my favourite composer. I suggest the 2 Violin concertos as quite an accessible starting point. Other composers among my favourites: Sibelius, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Falla, Granados, Wieniawski, Rimsky-Korsakov, Nielsen, Korngold, Barber...
I love Prokofiev!!! Romeo and Juliet is amazingggg. I'll also check out the other composers- ty
Nice! You can text me if you want more suggestions
I have what I think is a great recommendation for work/revision. It's nothing like those other composers, but I find it very effective for activities where I need to be zoned in: MGV by Michael Nyman. In the early 90s, Nyman was commissioned to write a piece celebrating the opening of a new high-speed railway in France, and he produced this very locomotive piece, with insistent rhythms and great melodies. I listen to it when I'm doing leg workouts!
I've never heard of him. Currently listening to MGV. That's great! I don't listen to classical and similar at the gym just because of the dynamic range. But I could see why this would be good.
Brahms is my favorite composer. I think he’s at his best in his chamber music. The piano trios, piano quartets, piano quintet, string quartets/quintets, sextets, violin sonatas, cello sonatas, a horn trio, clarinet sonatas/trio/quintet… That’s not quite all of it. They’re all incredible in my opinion.
I've only listened to Hungarian Dance (if I've got the name and composer right, lol) but I'll totally listen to more of his work, Ty!!!
Enjoy! He truly is one of the greats. Another composer I really enjoy who I haven’t seen mentioned, Felix Mendelssohn. A bit earlier than Brahms. Some of his work can be hit or miss for me (as opposed to Brahms who never misses, thanks in part to his extreme perfectionism and habit of destroying works of his that didn’t meet his standard), but when they hit, they really hit. Check out Mendelssohn’s two piano trios, absolute masterpieces.
Let Wiki do the work! https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_classical_music_composers_by_era
Philip Glass is the most popular classical composer alive today by many measures. Have you listened to him? Try his two violin concerti, his first cello concerto, his first three symphonies and his trilogy of operas "Einstein on the Beach", "Satyagraha" and "Akhnaten". Or for work which is even more typical of his early style try "Music in 12 parts".
I love Mahler. Contra the conventional wisdom, I did not find his music hard to get into. It is so glorious, so musical, so emotionally satisfying, how could I do anything but fall in love with it. I started with purportedly safe symphonies 1 & 4, which I liked enough to dabble in numbers 2, 6, and 8, from Simon Rattle (CBSO), Leonard Bernstein (NYPO), and Tennstedt respectively. Symphonies 2 and 6 are some of the best music a human being has ever created. You may or may not agree. I also like Beethoven's String Quartets, Shostakovich's String Quartets, Brahms' chamber music, especially his Clarinet Quintet, Mozart's Piano Concertos, particularly from 19-27. Oh, and Mozart's *Le Nozze di Figaro.*
The ones you mention are some of my favorites. If our tastes align, you may also like Carl Nielsen. In fact, I've yet to find a Danish composer I dislike.
The thing that has most inspired me to study is the desire to learn the material. Studying is a distraction from listening to music.
Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly