8 composers you can live without

[french frank]

Everyone's favourite omphaloskeptic and self-styled 'philosophe du jour', Alain Lobotomy, has beaten us to this lark. In this month's Gramophone he states witheringly:

'Occasionally I feel I must stretch my horizons and have a go at Mozart, but find him too jolly, or Beethoven, but find him too emotional, or Schubert, but find him too limp.'

Whether the new Gramophone is worth a subscription depends on what that they do to him.

Has he yet tried even Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's late string quartets, Schubert's great C Major. Or is he just going on a sort of Rorschach inkblot test based on what the names instinctively mean to him?

[Thropplenoggin]

Whether the new Gramophone is worth a subscription depends on what that they do to him.

Has he yet tried even Mozart's Requiem, Beethoven's late string quartets, Schubert's great C Major. Or is he just going on a sort of Rorschach inkblot test based on what the names instinctively mean to him?

[Sir Velo]

Flabbergasted that no one has mentioned Queldryk so far.

Everyone's favourite omphaloskeptic and self-styled 'philosophe du jour', Alain Lobotomy, has beaten us to this lark. In this month's Gramophone he states witheringly:

'Occasionally I feel I must stretch my horizons and have a go at Mozart, but find him too jolly, or Beethoven, but find him too emotional, or Schubert, but find him too limp.'



Where to start with critique as profound as this?

Ah, is that the Armando Ianucci/David Mellor/Simon Russell Beale "I-know-sodall-aboutclassicalmusic but that doesn't stop me having an opinion" slot?

Now I remember why I haven't been buying Gramophone lately.

[jean]

Flabbergasted that no one has mentioned Queldryk so far.

Thank you for reminding me!

His Gloria is the first piece on my Hilliard Ensemble's Virgin disc of music from the Old Hall MS.

I've just played it, and I would like to say what a splendid piece it is - I'd like to but I can't really, because it's one of those perfunctory Mass movements that gobbles up the whole text in 2'20".

[Suffolkcoastal]

I've got more than 8 and that was much easier.

Mahler
Poulenc
Bellini
Vivaldi
G Lloyd (sorry British music lovers)
Birtwistle
Turnage
Nyman
Einaudi
K Jenkins
Piazzola
Whiteacre
Rutter
J Strauss II
A Lloyd Webber (but he doesn't really count as a composer just a pathetic joke)

[Nick Armstrong]

Where to start with critique as profound as this?

I recommend a large bucket and plenty of industrial strength absorbent paper roll to deal with collateral splash damage.

A favourite with emetic fans, old Alan

[Thropplenoggin]

I recommend a large bucket and plenty of industrial strength absorbent paper roll to deal with collateral splash damage.

A favourite with emetic fans, old Alan

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I found this much easier than my 8 favourites!

Crumbs, no! There are dozens of composers I wouldn't wish to be without, but the list of those to whose Music I'm indifferent, combined with those that I actively dislike, dwarfs it. And then there are the composers I've never heard of - obviously I can (and have) lived without them for decades, but does that mean I wouldn't love it if I ever encountered it?

I recently acquired a score of Qarrtsiluni by Knudage Riisager, of whom I had never previously heard (Roehre?): it's available on a youTube clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_IDs1eM5Z8

... as the first orchestral work by a talented student, it isn't bad. As it is the work of a mature professional, however, it is!

[Nick Armstrong]

There are dozens of composers I wouldn't wish to be without, but the list of those to whose Music I'm indifferent, combined with those that I actively dislike, dwarfs it.

... Doesn't that mean you agree with Petrushka?

[ahinton]

I've got more than 8 and that was much easier.

Mahler

Shame upon thee!

J Strauss II

Yet more shame upon thee!!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... Doesn't that mean you agree with Petrushka?

No; I can't limit either list to eight, but there's such a vaster choice in the "can live without" category that it's even more difficult to select eight from that list than it is from the shorter one of "can't live without".



I should point out that this made sense when I wrote it.

[teamsaint]

No; I can't limit either list to eight, but there's such a vaster choice in the "can live without" category that it's even more difficult to select eight from that list than it is from the shorter one of "can't live without".



I should point out that this made sense when I wrote it.

have you ever worked for the Lib Dems at all, Ferney?

incidentally, I have thought it might interesting to discuss which well known composer has the most disproportionately high reputation compared to their body of work.

Does that make sense? possibly not.

[jean]

You know what you can live without, except in cases that fit the category of unknown unknowns.

But you can't possibly know what you can't live without until and unless you are dead.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

But you can't possibly know what you can't live without until and unless you are dead.

I doubt that I could possibly "know" anything then!

[EDIT: looking at this, why do I suddenly get a craving for a bar of chocolate?]

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

have you ever worked for the Lib Dems at all, Ferney?

As we're friends, Mr Saint, I shall pretend that such a suggestion has not been made.