Classical Composers From The 20th Century

Rothko

I've been listening to a lot of classical music recently but I don't know that much about classical music from the last century.

I've listened to stuff like Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, Gustav Holst and George Gershwin. Are there any other composers or works that you would recommend me to listen to?

tomasrojo

The Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos is an interesting mix of avant-garde (for his time) and traditional, European and South American, and classical, folkloric and early Jazz. He wrote a lot too, and for some unusal combinations of instruments. Many of his Bachiana Basileiras and Choros are very attractive.

I did a decent enough recording of his Choro No. 1 for guiitar. I'll post a link. It has a bit of a feel of ragtime, and it's an imitation of street music played in Brazil in the early twentieth century.

tomasrojo

There it is: http://www.dermotryan.ie/music/microphone_recordings/choro_no_1.mp3

pconn062

Ease in with Debussy and some of the early Impressionist composers. Then go to Stravinsky (in my opinion the greatest composer), Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Takemitsu, Alban Berg, Benjamin Britten, Barber. After that you are ready for Schoenberg, Webern, Bartok, Messiaen, Janacek, Charles Ives, Eliot Carter. Then you are ready for the real heavy-hitters: Cage, Boulez, Stockhausen, Nono, Babbitt, Feldman, Xenakis etc. That should be enough to get you started!

old hippy

Plus; Arvo Part, John Taverner, John Adams, Terry Riley