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Does anyone know of any contemporary 'classical' piano music that's not excruciating on the ears? I'm desperate...
Elaine

My goodness - 'Hergest Ridge' - I do have that on LP. I would never have remembered the name.

Actually I'm in touch with a man in Texas who plays Glass on the piano. If you ever look watch stuff on YouTube then have a look at Frankenbosey's posts. He's only an amateur but he plays very well and he's got a Bösendorfer piano - my favourite make. I only wish I could afford a piano like that.

I'm okay thanks. How are you?

Elaine

I've just this minute (like at 7.45pm after i'd finished the bulk of my practice) started working on 'the king of france' by judith weir. Its very nice.

Also, carl vine, 5 bagatelles has some beautiful moments

evening harmonies by john mccabe.

I'm not a contemporary buff by a long shot but i like these.

Hi Elaine

I'm new to the classical music scene, so not sure if this is what you're after or not, but I LOVE the music of Ludovici Einaudi.

My favourite track is I Giorni, very easy listening and also remarkably simple to play too!

yourforte wrote:Does anyone know of any contemporary 'classical' piano music that's not excruciating on the ears? I'm desperate...
Elaine

Do you mean to play (if so, for concert or personal use) or for teaching purposes?

It would also be useful to have some examples of what you consider "excruciating"!

Elaine, hope you don't mind but I've a quick question for the experts about a piece of music.
It's by a composer whose name begins with L, fairly modern ie 20th century! For the life of me I can't remember the name but think it's got lots of vowels in it - something like Linauer. The piece is a really beautiful one - very pretty and gentle. The musical director at my old church used to play it during the eucharist, to give you an idea of the mood of it.

Any ideas???

Lx

Descombes - mm, well, I don't like much contemporary classical music and I find most of it excruciating. So I don't like much of Schoenberg, Webern, Bartok, Messiaen, Boulez, Stockhausen, Maxwell Davies, etc, etc. As you can see, I'm not even talking about contemporary music, but more about 20th - 21st century in general.

I mean for my own 'pleasure' - not for teaching purposes, by the way.

E

Louttrim -

I'm still cogitating upon this one. You don't mean Rutter do you? I know that doesn't start with 'L' and I know it's only got two vowels...

E

Bristol86, thank you for this suggestion, I'll look it up.

Thanks Joseph - I'll look out for these too. E

Dave! Grade 1 next year - well done. Which board are you doing? ABRSM? Have you started your pieces yet?

Yes, I never had Tubular Bells but, as I say, I've got the LP of Hergest Ridge. I must dig it out - I haven't listened to it for years.

How are you?

E

Louttrim, you don't mean Fauré do you? All movements from his Requiem are beautiful and so is his Pavane and so is his Canticle.

Well I know it's an 'F', not an 'L' but it has three vowels..

hi E

no, it's not Faure, I have the pavane, it's one of my favourites. The composer of the piece I'm thinking of definitely starts with L.. almost sounds film score-ish, if you know what I mean. Very frustrating!! Ah well, will keep trying, but thanks for having a go - and my name is Linzy, btw!

Lx

Elliot Carter's Catenaires for solo piano to me is really good but it is excruciating. Excruciatingly weird that is, not a beautiful piece just very odd and technically difficult. Pierre Laurent Aimard played it on the Proms this year .

We have Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield on vinyl. Its starts off nice but I think it loses it more in to the tune.

yourforte wrote:Descombes - mm, well, I don't like much contemporary classical music and I find most of it excruciating. So I don't like much of Schoenberg, Webern, Bartok, Messiaen, Boulez, Stockhausen, Maxwell Davies, etc, etc. As you can see, I'm not even talking about contemporary music, but more about 20th - 21st century in general.

I mean for my own 'pleasure' - not for teaching purposes, by the way.

E

OK. Here's a random list of music from that era that I enjoy playing:

Stravinsky: Sonate;
Ginastera: Danzas Argentinas
Bartok: Mikrokosmos: Book 6
Berkeley: Six Preludes
Khachaturian: Toccata
Albeniz: Suite Española

As you said, nothing particularly recent, but mostly in a style which is certainly of the 20th rather than the 19th century. Other composers worth looking at could be Copland, Barber or Ligeti (the fascinating Musica Ricercata, part of which was used in the Kubrick film, Eyes Wide Shut.)

I'll be interested to hear if any of this is the sort of thing you are looking for.