Essential Modernist / Postmodernist Composers

Essential Modernist / Postmodernist Composers

Modernist Era, ~1890-1950

Leos Janacek (1854-1928)

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Janacek, with his folk music backgrounds, rides the line between Romanticism and Modernism. While often compared to fellow Czech composer Dvorak, his music is far more adventurous and pushes the boundaries for his era. Even if he is not always cited as a trendsetter, his most famous works are revolutionary as any of his modernist contemporaries.


Greatest Works:

  1. The Cunning Little Vixen*
  2. Sinfonietta
  3. Taras Bulba
  4. Glagolitic Mass
  5. The Wandering of a Little Soul
  6. From the House of the Dead*
  7. On an Overgrown Path
  8. String Quartet No. 1 “Kreutzer Sonata”
  9. Kata Kabanova*
  10. In the Mists

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx890Qx7gR0lOS9h6kIJLzL8


Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

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The father of Modernist music, Debussy pushed the envelope in everything from orchestration to form. His dreamy piano works are perhaps his most recognizable but his orchestral pieces are similarly incredible.


Greatest Works:

  1. Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune
  2. Preludes, Book 1
  3. Suite Bergamesque
  4. La Mer
  5. Pelleas et Melisande*
  6. Deux Arabesques
  7. Children’s Corner
  8. Danses Sacree et Danse Profane
  9. Images
  10. Nocturnes

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx96XEAM7WoNmdjR-IFd3oF8


Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)

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The great Danish composer was an interesting transitional figure between the Romantic and Modern styles. His symphonies are the most popular but his other works are equally interesting.


Greatest Works:

  1. Symphony No. 4 “The Inextinguishable”
  2. Symphony No. 5
  3. Clarinet Concerto
  4. Maskarade*
  5. Flute Concerto
  6. Wind Quintet
  7. Helios Overture
  8. Violin Concerto
  9. Aladdin
  10. Symphony No. 6 “Simple Symphony”

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXDe1hj4HBo&list=PLEXM-evUYOx979Ll-VzE2xK2E6IxSqe_x


Erik Satie (1866-1925)

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Satie’s influence in the art world surpasses his actual musical output, gaining his reputation in dadaist circles as a member of the elite avant-garde. He is most known today for his fresh but accessible piano works.


Greatest Works:

  1. Gymnopedies
  2. Gnossiennes
  3. Trois morceaux en forme du pear
  4. Sports et divertissements
  5. Parade
  6. Nocturnes
  7. Danses Gothiques
  8. Vexations
  9. Je te veux
  10. Jack in the Box

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx_5VKTTxGecrOF83fpxaCgt


Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915)

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One of the most uniquely adventurous composers of all time, Scribin’s music followed his mystical beliefs and synesthesia into complex tonalism and wild ambtions. Known for his challenging piano works large orchestral pieces.


Greatest Works:

  1. Piano Sonata No. 5
  2. The Poem of Ecstasy
  3. Piano Sonata No. 9 “Black Mass”
  4. Symphony No. 3 in C Minor “The Divine Poem”
  5. Prometheus: The Poem of Fire
  6. 24 Preludes
  7. Piano Concerto in F-sharp Minor
  8. Symphony No. 2 in C Minor
  9. Etude in D-Sharp minor Op.8, No. 12
  10. Prelude to Mysterium

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDTgj_69JKA&list=PLEXM-evUYOx-E5rBbJKiOlSREjVxqx3fl


Charles Ives (1874-1954)

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The first great American composer and one of the most boundary pushing artists of his time, Ives went against the grain, experimenting in ways unlike anyone else. His complex works use inventive rhythms, orchestrations, tonality and mix in classic tunes of Americana.


Greatest Works:

  1. Symphony No. 2
  2. Symphony No. 4
  3. Symphony No. 3 “The Camp Meeting”
  4. Three Places in New England
  5. The Unanswered Question
  6. Holidays Symphony
  7. Piano Sonata No. 2 “Concord”
  8. Central Park in the Dark
  9. Songs My Mother Taught Me
  10. String Quartet No. 2

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSfarCi3SPQ&list=PLEXM-evUYOx8u0zk65wNKywXQIniNk4kU&index=8

Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951)

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With Stravinsky, one of the most important voices in 20th century classical music, pushing the mentality of composing away from traditional tonalism. His body of work ventures from late-romantic melodramas to avant-garde pieces that shocked the world.


Greatest Works:

  1. Verklarte Nacht
  2. Moses und Aron*
  3. Pierrot Lunaire
  4. Pelleas und Melisande
  5. Variations for Orchestra
  6. Piano Concerto
  7. Gurre-Lieder
  8. A Survivor from Warsaw
  9. Violin Concerto
  10. Wind Quintet

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx9QCfV6kKvwNTGLjL0s33ld


Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

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Belonging to the so called “impressionist” movement, Ravel wild textures quickly made him one of the most daring composers of his time. In addition to his inventive writing, Ravel was the most revolutionary orchestrator of all time.


Greatest Works:

  1. Daphnis et Chloe
  2. Pavane pour infante defunte
  3. String Quartet in F Major
  4. Miroirs
  5. Rapsodie Espagnole
  6. Gaspard de la Nuit
  7. Piano Concerto in G Major
  8. Le Tombeau de Couperin
  9. La Valse
  10. Tzigane

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHrstmOPKBQ&list=PLEXM-evUYOx8WQbEniWpSV1iwx1IoLAoj


Bela Bartok (1881-1945)

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One of the few big composers of his era that weren’t obsessed with musical philosophy. Bartok’s main focus were the folksongs of his Hungarian background, filled with modular tunes ranging from accessible to wildly atonal, all sounding truly original.


Greatest Works:

  1. Concerto for Orchestra
  2. The Miraculous Mandarin
  3. Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta
  4. Violin Concerto No. 2
  5. Bluebeard’s Castle
  6. Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major
  7. Contrasts for Violin, Clarinet and Piano
  8. Viola Concerto
  9. Romanian Folkdances
  10. String Quartet No. 4

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx-jjToAsBzvph6xgVIOSniM


Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971)

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Along with Schoenberg, Stravinsky is the most influential composer of the 20th century, both for the legacy of his compositions and his new musical techniques. Most known for his early radical ballets, his later neo-classical works are equally substantial.


Greatest Works:

  1. The Firebird
  2. The Rite of Spring
  3. Petrushka
  4. Symphony of Psalms
  5. Symphony in Three Movements
  6. Violin Concerto in D
  7. Pulcinella
  8. The Rakes Progress*
  9. Les Noces
  10. Apollo

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx-hCOAT3Ocp3qKVqpPnmMKb


Anton Webern (1883-1945)

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Webern was one of the most prominent of the Schoenberg disciples. He was committed to twelve-tone theory and innovating form for most of his career.


Greatest Works:

  1. Five Movements for String Quartet
  2. Six Pieces for Orchestra
  3. Concerto for Nine Instruments
  4. Variations for Piano
  5. String Quartet
  6. Five Pieces for Orchestra
  7. Symphony
  8. Passacaglia for Orchestra
  9. Im Sommerwind
  10. Langsamer Satz

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELAKF8ZxDmg&list=PLEXM-evUYOx_YWb2pj5jbUDJY3zpPXZub


Alban Berg (1885-1935)

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Berg is one of the most influential composers of antonality. Although he was a student of Schoenberg’s he developed a unique sound and style of his own. His body of work may be relatively small but is nonetheless substantial.


Greatest Works:

  1. Lulu*
  2. Violin Concerto
  3. Wozzeck*
  4. Lyric Suite
  5. Seven Early Songs
  6. Chamber Concerto
  7. Three Pieces for Orchestra
  8. Altenberg Lieder
  9. String Quartet
  10. Piano Sonata

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx8iAXZmJ8xoPT6bxI5kjgmf


Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953)

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One of the most celebrated composers of the 20th century, Prokofiev excelled at a wide variety of musical forms: symphony, concerto, ballet, opera, film, etc.


Greatest Works:

  1. Symphony No. 5 in B-flat Major
  2. Violin Concerto No. 1 in D Major
  3. Romeo and Juliet
  4. Violin Concerto No. 2 in G Minor
  5. Symphony No. 1 in D Major
  6. Cinderella
  7. Peter and the Wolf
  8. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major
  9. War and Peace*
  10. Symphony No. 7 in C-sharp Minor

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWWxGl1X4v0&list=PLEXM-evUYOx8HvYbXLQjEKe0HAdovFqxp


Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)

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Korngold is the most important contributor to film music of all time, setting the standard for Hollywood soundtracks and being one of few who successfully straddled the line between movies and the concert hall.


Greatest Works:

  1. The Sea Hawk^
  2. The Adventures of Robin Hood^
  3. Violin Concerto in D Major
  4. Symphony in F-sharp Major
  5. Captain Blood^
  6. Kings Row^
  7. Anthony Adverse^
  8. Das Wunder der Heliane*
  9. Die tote Stadt*
  10. Piano Quintet in E Major

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx_24Xlaw5i9qLehEv7H6Oql


George Gershwin (1898-1937)

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While many have tried to mesh classical with jazz, nobody was as close to as successful as Gershwin. Paired with his lyricist brother Ira, Gershwin dominated the early musical scene, as well as groundbreaking concert pieces.


Greatest Works:

  1. Porgy and Bess*
  2. Rhapsody in Blue
  3. An American in Paris
  4. Variations on “I Got Rhythm”
  5. Piano Concerto in F
  6. Three Preludes for Piano
  7. Girl Crazy*
  8. Cuban Overture
  9. Strike Up the Band*
  10. Promenade (Walking the Dog)

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx8TMXOdN1xmE_U_neceFToy


Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)

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The most successful member of the Les Six, a French group set to distance themselves from Romanticism. His works ranged from quirky ballets to deep sacred masses.


Greatest Works:

  1. Concerto for Organ, Strings and Timpani
  2. Gloria
  3. Les Biches
  4. Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra’
  5. Sextet for Piano and Winds
  6. Sonata for Flute and Piano
  7. Aubade
  8. Stabat Mater
  9. Sinfonietta
  10. Mass in G Major

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTRR0XCElpI&list=PLEXM-evUYOx9CisP076BQTYufd1ldfxdY


Aaron Copland (1900-1990)

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The distinct voice of American music throughout the 20th century. Copland’s music captured the essence of the free range and open promise of the country. Best known for his ballets.


Greatest Works:

  1. Appalachian Spring
  2. Symphony No. 3
  3. Rodeo
  4. Billy the Kid
  5. The Tender Land
  6. Our Town^
  7. Clarinet Concerto
  8. Lincoln Portrait
  9. El Salon Mexico
  10. Of Mice and Men^

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx9QzkFRJfcXsTb18JQILZYp


Kurt Weill (1900-1950)

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The socially conscious Weimar composer made a name for himself with operas, teaming up with playwright Bertold Brecht. His jazzy style made him one of the most unique voices of his era.


Greatest Works:

  1. The Threepenny Opera*
  2. Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny*
  3. The Seven Deadly Sins
  4. Symphony No. 2
  5. Concerto for Violin and Wind Orchestra
  6. Lady in the Dark*
  7. One Touch of Venus*
  8. Lost in the Stars*
  9. Happy End*
  10. Symphony No. 1

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvCSuWN4eZc&list=PLEXM-evUYOx-ASy0vIKlBstFdLflVcdYw


William Walton (1902-1983)

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One of the greatest English composers of al time, who was unfortunately overshadowed by Elgar and Britten for most of his life. Many of his works today are considered staples of the repertoire.


Greatest Works:

  1. Viola Concerto
  2. Belshazzar’s Feast
  3. Violin Concerto
  4. Symphony No. 1
  5. Facade
  6. Cello Concerto
  7. Portsmouth Point
  8. Henry V^
  9. Crown Imperial
  10. Symphony No. 2

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P23GdaDcPkU&list=PLEXM-evUYOx_yJII6zdfAl8UE_h6e6ITx


Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)

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Khachaturian was one of the greatest Soviet Composers, along with Prokofiev and Shostakovich. While not as universally acclaimed as those two, his ballet music is extremely popular and his concert works are creative and memorable.


Greatest Works:

  1. Gayane
  2. Masquerade Suite
  3. Spartacus
  4. Piano Concerto in D-flat Major
  5. Violin Concerto in D Minor
  6. Symphony No. 3 “Symphony-Poem”
  7. Symphony No. 2 “The Bell”
  8. Toccata in E-flat Minor
  9. Cello Concerto in E Minor
  10. Piano Sonatina

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx9g01NUofBG5NbkWKQJuL0T


Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975)

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Shostakovich was a 20th century master, famously crushed by Stalinist oppression. While his work is naturally filled with heavy themes, it is also very inventive.


Greatest Works:

  1. Symphony No. 5 in D Minor
  2. String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor
  3. Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major
  4. Symphony No. 7 in C Major “Leningrad”
  5. Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District*
  6. Symphony No. 10 in E Minor
  7. Symphony No. 15 in A Major
  8. Violin Concerto No. 2 in C-sharp Minor
  9. Symphony No. 6 in B Minor
  10. Suite for Variety Orchestra

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3urU3pSsky0&list=PLEXM-evUYOx8XnpKDtPVAy0aTphNzGXnZ


Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)

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One of the most unique composers of his era, Messiaen’s music sounded like no others with clustered, blending chords and unique orchestration, often involving the organ. Also an accomplished ornithologist, he frequently mixed in nature sounds to his music, as well as color (synaesthesia).


Greatest Works:

  1. Quartet pour la fin du temps
  2. Turangalila-Symphonie
  3. Des Canyons aux etoiles…
  4. La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jesus Christ
  5. Eclairs sur l’au-dela…
  6. Vignt Regards sur l’enfant-Jesus
  7. La Nativite du Seigneur
  8. Fete des belles eaux
  9. Livre du Saint-Sacrement
  10. Le Banquet Celeste

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx_Owo3rx-Mhfrx-ZyfTjIAN


Samuel Barber (1910-1981)

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One of the most prolific and acclaimed American composers of the 20th century, Barber tried his hand at a wide range of compositions. His work ‘Adagio for Strings’ might be the sole work that the general public knows but his concertos, symphonies and many more works are equally great masterpieces.


Greatest Works:

  1. Violin Concerto
  2. Vanessa*
  3. Adagio for Strings
  4. Knoxville: Summer of 1915
  5. Medea’s Dance of Vengeance
  6. First Essay for Orchestra
  7. Symphony in One Movement
  8. Music for a Scene from Shelley
  9. Symphony No. 2
  10. Second Essay for Orchestra

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx9KwwRo_8lenH4MdK9ZGPfh


Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

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Britten was the premiere British composer of the 20th century despite having a wholly unique sound and jarring theatrical content. His body of work is one of the most prolific of the era, writing lots of operas, church music and orchestral works.


Greatest Works:

  1. Peter Grimes*
  2. A Midsummer’s Night Dream*
  3. Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings
  4. Spring Symphony
  5. Variations on a Theme by Frank Bridge
  6. Les Illuminations
  7. War Requiem
  8. Sinfonia da Requiem
  9. Death in Venice*
  10. Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx9vAEnC5Dx4NOFsh0vbwtBy


Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)

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Better known as the electrifying conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein was one perhaps the most important figure in classical music of his time. His famous musicals stretch boundaries into jazz and popular tunes while his concert work is as groundbreaking as his atonally focused peers.


Greatest Works:

  1. West Side Story*
  2. Candide*
  3. Chichester Psalms
  4. Mass
  5. Serenade after Plato’s Symposium
  6. Trouble in Tahiti*
  7. On the Waterfront^
  8. Symphony No. 2 “The Age of Anxiety”
  9. Sonata for Clarinet and Piano
  10. Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah”

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx-vHAfZbaOkMjUA0qWcPT2X


Postmodern Era, ~1950-Present

Gyorgy Ligeti (1923-2006)

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The premiere avant-garde composer of his time, Ligeti experimented heavily with micropolyphony and electronic instruments. Surprisingly, Ligeti found popular success through the use of his work in film, even if the academic significance of the music is lost on many.


Greatest Works:

  1. Atmospheres
  2. Le Grand Macabre*
  3. Double Concerto for Flute and Oboe
  4. Violin Concerto
  5. Requiem
  6. Lontano
  7. Lux Aeterna
  8. String Quartet No. 2
  9. Piano Concerto
  10. Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx8GU_Kfuc_4ijj_oq7zjDrO


John Williams (1932-)

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Mostly known for his movie themes, and for good reason, Williams has cemented himself as the greatest film composer of all time. He also composes concert works to lesser fame.


Greatest Works:

  1. Star Wars^
  2. Schindler’s List^
  3. Jurassic Park^
  4. Jaws^
  5. Raiders of the Lost Ark^
  6. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
  7. The Five Sacred Trees
  8. Superman^
  9. E.T.^
  10. Close Encounters of the Third Kind^

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3AiYIxBwD0&list=PLEXM-evUYOx-aiej7QWXYCTwaxVUuN05V


Arvo Part (1935-)

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The mystical-minimalism employed by the Estonian composer has led him to be the most performed living composer throughout the 2010s. His music can sometimes sound simple but is always deeply moving.


Greatest Works:

  1. Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten
  2. Fratres
  3. Spiegel im Spiegel
  4. Tabula Rasa
  5. Te Deum
  6. Passio
  7. Stabat Mater
  8. Da pacem Domine
  9. The Deer’s Cry
  10. Summa for Strings

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sp2oxWdRMuk&list=PLEXM-evUYOx8yaXrQTXH3AaKu8gG99vB2


Phillip Glass (1937-)

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Phillip Glass may not be the father of minimalism but he is by far the genre’s most played and recognizable practitioner. From esoteric electronic music to philosophical operas to entrancing film scores, Glass’s music has universal appeal and limitless possibilities.


Greatest Works:

  1. Einstein on the Beach
  2. Violin Concerto No. 1
  3. Symphony No. 8
  4. Glassworks
  5. Akhnaten*
  6. The Hours^
  7. Violin Concerto No. 2
  8. Symphony No. 4
  9. Music in Twelve Parts
  10. Metamorphosis

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZf34B8SImo&list=PLEXM-evUYOx_FSQ-glwkos5uy5gNQMrKQ


John Adams (1947-)

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Adams is one of the most unique minimalist composers of his erawho reached both popular and academic prestige. His opera Nixon in China was his major breakthrough but he has many other great works for both stage and orchestra that show the more lyrical possibilities of the minimalist style.


Greatest Works:

  1. Nixon in China*
  2. Shaker Loops
  3. El Nino*
  4. Harmonielehre
  5. The Chairman Dances
  6. Doctor Atomic*
  7. On the Transmigration of Souls
  8. Violin Concerto
  9. Chamber Sympony
  10. Phrygian Gates

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEXM-evUYOx-MVK5DrriVmV735_3Peknc


Thomas Ades (1971-)

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Ades is a contemporary British composer whose works are quickly through the world stages making him one of the most performed living composers. His concerti and operas are among his most popular works.


Greatest Works:

  1. The Tempest*
  2. Violin Concerto “Concentric Paths”
  3. Tevot
  4. Asyla
  5. Living Toys
  6. The Exterminating Angel*
  7. Polaris
  8. Traced Overhead
  9. Totentanz
  10. Powder Her Face*

Youtube Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yyud1KJBBWg&list=PLEXM-evUYOx8VvYfI-iTaJNor9GmJGDNJ


*=Opera/Musical

^=Film Score

Guide to Essential Composers: Baroque-Classical, Romantic

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