Your Favorite Composers, All-Time, Any Genre.

[alantig]

 

[Bogner]

Itzhak Perlman

 

[Aahzz]

Itzhak Perlman

I'm fortunate that I got to see and meet him back in the early 90s. Fantastic musician and very gracious guy.

 

[Chicken hawk]

I really dig Philip Glass

 

[bodia]

Lyricist....Neil Peart, hands down.

 

[DISTORT6]

Warren Haynes
Jerry Cantrell

 

[László]

I really dig Philip Glass

TOTALLY. Great, as in that genre Steve Reich and a few others.

Have you heard Glass' opera Akhanaten? It's incredible. But I even like his piano work. And of course the orchestral work is great, as was the original stuff with his own ensemble. Genius.

 

[jxe]

half of these people (perlman?) are not composers?

 

[László]

half of these people (perlman?) are not composers?

But he's so good he might as well be one.

 

[KThaxton]

As far as modern composers...

-Tuomas Holopainen - Nightwish. Such over the top integration of choir and orchestra music incorporated into metal and clever, sometimes cryptic lyric writing. High praises for incorporating science and biology into music. Then, there is his gaelic inspired side. Magnifique!

-Arjen Anthony Lucassen- Ayreon and many, many other projects. Grand stories of science fiction across multiple albums and other genres and incredible combinations of organ and other instruments into prog rock/metal.

 

[CandidPicker]

Will echo Tchaikovsky, provided it was Arturo Toscanini conducting. My Dad collected Toscanini's works, no matter who composed the music...not sure why, but it built an appreciation for my Dad's love of good music.

 

[aphantomvaper]

Berio, Stockhausen

 

[Troubador222]

While I cant give you the names of any of the actual composers who are writing their music, currently I am listening to a lot of "Post Rock" bands that are making mostly instrumental music using rock type instruments but are basing the compositions on layered guitars with tonal differences and mixing computer based sounds to add to the textures. They also use a lot of effects. They tend to make their songs in movements and base them away from the old A B A B C A B blues based song structure. Bands like Russian Circles, Mogwai, God is an Astronaut.

 

[toothace]

Tchaikovsky and John Williams for me.

 

[László]

Well, I know. This isn't rock and roll. In fact, it's a warhorse we've all heard a billion, zillion times, and many are bored with it.

But if you watch any film that has 'magic', kids or similar in it - Disney stuff, for example - you'll recognize that everyone stole (or should one say...'learned'?) from Tchaikovsky, including John Williams and many others.

This dance epitomizes the very spare, subtle and economic use of instrumentation, and yet the melodies and harmonies are still sinuous and complex. I mean, just celeste and pizzicato strings played very lightly to open, then woodwinds come in, but lightly. Et cetera. And it builds ih orchestration and tempo, but never overwhelms. Masterful. I understand what Tchaikovsky is doing here, but I could spend 2,000 years trying to create like this and still come up short.

Plus there's no better ballet company in the world. This woman can dance!

 

[Wakester]

As classical composers go, John Williams.

In the catagory of Broadway and showtunes it would be Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.

In terms of Rock and all its sub genres, i have to vote fot Dennis DeYoung.

That is all, have a nice day.

 

[László]

As classical composers go, John Williams.

In the catagory of Broadway and showtunes it would be Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber.

In terms of Rock and all its sub genres, i have to vote fot Dennis DeYoung.

That is all, have a nice day.

All great, and I shall have a nice day - heck, having a martini here at 5:30 to enjoy the close of it (spent some time wiring up amp switcher stuff in my studio, and boy am I sore from crawling around behind the rack and amps to lay out the cables!).

Also not to be overlooked in show tunes: Gilbert and Sullivan were the musical Monty Python of their day (late 19th Century, which is about my speed), and their send-ups of the British aristocracy were witty and pointed.

I can't ignore Rodgers and Hammerstein, who did some wonderful stuff: South Pacific, King and I, Sound of Music, and other classics.

Then there's Leonard Bernstein's incredible, modern-for-its-time score for West Side Story, an example of a classical guy crossing over to do Broadway; and Gershwin crossed over the other way to do orchestral. I like them all, and I should mention I was utterly blown away when I saw Hamilton.

Gosh darn it, I love all the performing arts. Really. I think about the lifetime of dedication (and/or genius & talent) it takes to do the arts right, and that's the reason I get choked up when I hear the greats. Same thing happens when I see a great painting or sculpture. Or see a great musical performance, whether rock, classical or Broadway.

One of my daughter's friends (whose mom is a family friend and a darn good one at that) got nominated for a Grammy for her performance in the Michael Tilson-Thomas orchestral revival of West Side Story. For me, that's very meaningful for a lot of reasons, the art of composing and the art of performance. Plus seeing a Broadway star that you knew as a little kid get a Grammy nomination? I mean, seriously! How cool.

Plus she's friends with my granddaughter now.

For Rock...So many greats. Oh man, too many to list.

Or should that be, 'too many to Liszt'?

You might be wondering, what kind of dude gets choked up over all of the arts, regardless of genre? A big sissy?

Beats me, but probably!!

 

[Wakester]

All great, and I shall have a nice day - heck, having a martini here at 5:30 to enjoy the close of it (spent some time wiring up amp switcher stuff in my studio, and boy am I sore from crawling around behind the rack and amps to lay out the cables!).

Also not to be overlooked in show tunes: Gilbert and Sullivan were the musical Monty Python of their day (late 19th Century, which is about my speed), and their send-ups of the British aristocracy were witty and pointed.

I can't ignore Rodgers and Hammerstein, who did some wonderful stuff: South Pacific, King and I, Sound of Music, and other classics.

Then there's Leonard Bernstein's incredible, modern-for-its-time score for West Side Story, an example of a classical guy crossing over to do Broadway; and Gershwin crossed over the other way to do orchestral. I like them all, and I should mention I was utterly blown away when I saw Hamilton.

Gosh darn it, I love all the performing arts. Really. I think about the lifetime of dedication (and/or genius & talent) it takes to do the arts right, and that's the reason I get choked up when I hear the greats. Same thing happens when I see a great painting or sculpture. Or see a great musical performance, whether rock, classical or Broadway.

One of my daughter's friends (whose mom is a family friend and a darn good one at that) got nominated for a Grammy for her performance in the Michael Tilson-Thomas orchestral revival of West Side Story. For me, that's very meaningful for a lot of reasons, the art of composing and the art of performance. Plus seeing a Broadway star that you knew as a little kid get a Grammy nomination? I mean, seriously! How cool.

Plus she's friends with my granddaughter now.

For Rock...So many greats. Oh man, too many to list.

Or should that be, 'too many to Liszt'?

You might be wondering, what kind of dude gets choked up over all of the arts, regardless of genre? A big sissy?

Beats me, but probably!!

I didnt realize who he was at the time, but I met Tim Rice, Webbers lyricist in 1981 or 82 when he was touring with the first US production of Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I had his autograph too, but lost it to the laundry monster.

R&H are another favorite of mine, as I grew up listening to all their shows on vinyl on the big console record player my parents had.

I learned most of the tenor parts and some of the piano work for West Side Story in Junior High, so Bernstien was in there too.

 

[László]

I didnt realize who he was at the time, but I met Tim Rice, Webbers lyricist in 1981 or 82 when he was touring with the first US production of Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. I had his autograph too, but lost it to the laundry monster.

R&H are another favorite of mine, as I grew up listening to all their shows on vinyl on the big console record player my parents had.

I learned most of the tenor parts and some of the piano work for West Side Story in Junior High, so Bernstien was in there too.

That's great info.

I listened to the R&H stuff on my parent's record player/giant console thingy, too. They didn't sound all that hi-fi, but damned if they weren't cool in their time!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Ravel -

and Satie

All great, and I shall have a nice day - heck, having a martini here at 5:30 to enjoy the close of it (spent some time wiring up amp switcher stuff in my studio, and boy am I sore from crawling around behind the rack and amps to lay out the cables!).

Also not to be overlooked in show tunes: Gilbert and Sullivan were the musical Monty Python of their day (late 19th Century, which is about my speed), and their send-ups of the British aristocracy were witty and pointed.

I can't ignore Rodgers and Hammerstein, who did some wonderful stuff: South Pacific, King and I, Sound of Music, and other classics.

Then there's Leonard Bernstein's incredible, modern-for-its-time score for West Side Story, an example of a classical guy crossing over to do Broadway; and Gershwin crossed over the other way to do orchestral. I like them all, and I should mention I was utterly blown away when I saw Hamilton.

Gosh darn it, I love all the performing arts. Really. I think about the lifetime of dedication (and/or genius & talent) it takes to do the arts right, and that's the reason I get choked up when I hear the greats. Same thing happens when I see a great painting or sculpture. Or see a great musical performance, whether rock, classical or Broadway.

One of my daughter's friends (whose mom is a family friend and a darn good one at that) got nominated for a Grammy for her performance in the Michael Tilson-Thomas orchestral revival of West Side Story. For me, that's very meaningful for a lot of reasons, the art of composing and the art of performance. Plus seeing a Broadway star that you knew as a little kid get a Grammy nomination? I mean, seriously! How cool.

Plus she's friends with my granddaughter now.

For Rock...So many greats. Oh man, too many to list.

Or should that be, 'too many to Liszt'?

You might be wondering, what kind of dude gets choked up over all of the arts, regardless of genre? A big sissy?

Beats me, but probably!!

Are you saying that you’re getting “Brahms & Liszt”?