Wherein We Elect Our Favourite Classical Compositions of… the 1990s – Part II (1995-1999)

I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty. These are increasingly more impossible to put together as we move forward in time.

I had a hunch this would be Gubaidulina's viola concerto, and listening now, I think I was right. I've heard literally nothing on this list before today, mind.

Tulve and Sciarrino are good picks. Love Barrett's works but I'll go for the Lachenmann, love how he put all his ideas to work here.

Opening of the Mouth wins this one for me. I hope I'll get to experience it live some day:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/12/richard-barrett-huddersfiled-contemporary-music

Btw Barbara Hannigan's recording of Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil came out a few weeks ago and it's very much worth everyone's while, even though I remain partial to Catherine Dubosc's performance, which does a better job of capturing the impersonality and anonymity of death.

Did anyone make a spotify list for this one?

Afraid not, no. And I only have an Apple Music account.

good idea https://open.spotify.com/playlist/44fNG0nlHl8FmZK8L7ik2L?si=zJGPtdmoRHSrX9v-5RBQsg

Only just started digging into the Spotify playlist, unfortunately, but Le livre du labyrinthe is pretty remarkable so far. I'd never even heard of Bancquart before.

Incidentally, listening to classical music on free Spotify is always a trip. I've actually started liking the commercial breaks. I turn down the volume and they work as intermissions.

I'd use Naxos Music Library instead but, for some reason, it often seems to cut tracks off before they end with my current library account. Idk why.

Thanks to ogmor for putting the playlist together.

Alain Bancquart's sadly deceased wife, Marie-Claire Bancquart, was a noted French poet whose writings I very much enjoy, so when I came across Le livre du labyrinthe while exploring Mode's catalogue, I picked it up almost immediately. I also appreciate Bancquart's relative marginality within the French classical establishment, which tends to be quite centralistic (see: Bully-ez).

Btw Barbara Hannigan's recording of Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil came out a few weeks ago and it's very much worth everyone's while

Just finished listening to this. I wasn't familiar with the piece but it's very satisfying.

I'm sure I'm forgetting plenty. These are increasingly more impossible to put together as we move forward in time.

― pomenitul, Friday, May 22, 2020 8:04 AM (five days ago) bookmarkflaglink

just want to say that i'm looking forward to coming back to these polls, when my brain is in a better spot for this kind of listening. so thanks for doing them, even if nobody could possibly include everything or please all tastes.

voted:

Kaija Saariaho – Lonh

for poetry in occitan + shimmering electronics

My pleasure!

One more decade to go. I think we should wait at least five years before tackling the 2010s.

Lonh for me too

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

ahh have so much listening to do. Holliger’s Violin is the leader in the clubhouse

Same but that’s based on one listening about a year ago

Where's the love for The Canticle of the Sun? Surely it's one of Gubaidulina's greatest (and most accessible) works. I'd vote for it if this weren't Barrett's time to shine.

listening more today. pas a pas is the latest contender, certainly the one i most want to see performed if we ever get out of this situation.

…pas à pas – nulle part it is

I haven't voted for any Kurtág so far because the competition is just too fierce, but in terms of oeuvre, he is one of my favourite living composers by a significant margin. I've yet to hear a single piece of his that leaves me indifferent. And Kurt Widmer is just such an incredible baritone! I can't believe I've never heard him in anything else.

Voted for Carter 5. Made the strongest immediate connection of the ones I listened to.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

13 votes is more than I expected given how relatively recent and hence unknown most of these works are. And I fucking love Gubaidulina's Viola Concerto, so no complaints here!

Wow, this is an amazing list of pieces to work through. Thanks!

You're most welcome!

Alas, the end draws near:

Wherein We Elect Our Favourite Classical Compositions of… the 2000s – Part I (2000-2004)

couldn't decide who to vote for and then had an early night... quite a coherent, dry feeling to this set of pieces. despite my aversion to opera I find myself drawn to the raspy tension of the sciarrino, radulescu has been a great discovery and love this SQ (did he finish his 5th after his 6th??), the scodanibbio is very pleasing and reminds me at times of steffen basho-junghans, and the takemitsu is gorgeous, the only one I'd heard previously

First one I didn't vote in, as I didn't know enough to make a judgement call. I already love Gubaidulina's 'Viola Concerto' though, and look forward to checking out more of her stuff!

You won't be disappointed! She doesn't seem to be composing much lately, and it makes me sad. Granted, she's 88 now, but that didn't stop Elliott Carter from writing some remarkable pieces up until the very end.

did he finish his 5th after his 6th?

I was puzzled by this as well. He seems to have overhauled the 5th in 1995, but I don't know quite to what extent.

I really hope Mode Records will complete their Rădulescu cycles with Stephen Clarke and the JACK Quartet. I did find it worrying that the composer's widow, the cellist Catherine Marie Tunnell, had to Kickstart The Complete Cello Works, which came out last year with Mode as vol. 3 of the Rădulescu Edition.

xp Carter another one I really need to search out. These polls - more than any other poll or thread series - have given me so much joy.