European classical composers you may not have heard of.

[PeterG]

Classical has always been my great passion, and at the moment I'm listening to Suite Gothique by Léon Boellman (1862-1897) and I started to wonder how many people nowadays actually know about this French composer who died aged only 35.

Then I got thinking about some of the other non-English speaking European classical composers I have on my vinyl shelves that you may not have heard of:

Louis Vierne (1870-1937) also French, wrote a lovely piece called Trois Pieces de Fantasie.

Gabriel Pierne (1863-1937) - wrote the lovely ballet Cydalise et le Chevre-pied.

Joonas Kokkonen (1921-1996) Finnish pianist & composer - his Requiem from 1979-81 is fantastic & reminds me in parts of Vaughan Williams, it has that very modernist yet pastoral 20th C feel to it. Highly recommended.

Erzsébet Szonyi (b. 1924) she is a Hungarian composer, and on vinyl I have her wonderful Concerto for Organ and Orchestra from 1958.

Vitezslav Novak (1870-1949) Czech composer who wrote the brilliant South Bohemina Suite and the Slovak Suite.

[helicase]

Well indeed, apart from Vierne, I haven't heard of any of these composers. I'll have to check some of them out; requiems and organ music are always high on my list. Thanks for posting! I'll add:

Aleksandr Mosolov (Russia): his best known work, Zavod (Iron Foundry), is a short modernist piece that tries to mimic a factory (think pumping pistons etc). It was part of a ballet called Stal (Steel) which is sadly lost. My favourite would be his piano concerto, which reminds me of Stravinsky. He also put things like newspaper ads to music. And of course, like many Soviet composers under Stalin, he was forced to do traditional material: I've got a few peasant and soldiers' songs on cd that are not at all bad. In fact one of them, Front Roads I: Spring Water is a hauntingly beautiful piece for a group of female voices with one soloist.

Alemdar Karamanov (Ukraine): I only know his requiem, but I see RYM lists a cd with symphonies 22 & 23, so it looks like there's still a lot of Karamanov to discover.

[jake]

You could do a lot worse than check out the Estonian genius Lepo Sumera. All his symphonies are amazing and his choral pieces are just beautiful. Go on jump in...

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc....1.y5y4I6LpRiA

[Reid]

I have an affinity for 20th century Finnish composers, so I'll give Kokkonen a listen. Thanks!

[Fracktured]

Great! more composers to look into and spend money on. Thanks! You people will make me broke eventually. Sumera sounds nice.

[walt]

Federico Mompou-Spanish composer(French mother,Catalan father)-1893-1987.Wrote mostly for solo piano.His music is somewhere between Ravel and Satie,but not as playful,more sombre and spare than either.His best known work for solo piano is Musica Callada,which was the first piece i heared from Mompou,several years ago.

There are several cd iterations of Musica Callada available

[Reginod]

I've been listening lately to Hans Werner Henze.

[Reid]

I have all of Henze's symphonies. The requiem is interesting, but I'm not sure there's a recording available?

[Reginod]

I have all of Henze's symphonies. The requiem is interesting, but I'm not sure there's a recording available?

Look at Amazon and it should be there.

[Fracktured]

Vagn Holmboe - Just bought his string quartets last year and they are marvalous

[PeterG]

Vagn Holmboe - Just bought his string quartets last year and they are marvalous

Now him I've heard of, I've got his Symph. No. 10 on vinyl. I love that modern Scandinavian stuff. I think he's Danish isn't he?

And Hans Werner Henze is a name I've heard mentioned on classic raido stations but i'm not sure I've ever heard any of his music.

Keep 'em comin' guys, lots of new names here for everyone to explore.

And here's another composer I recently discovered the Swede Ture Rangström (1884-1947), the piece I like is called Vauxhall, which is a miniature orchestral suite. Vauxhall III: Clarinet solo, is my favourite part of the suite.

[PeterG]

BTW, how well know is Max Reger in the US? I've got a fantastic album on vinyl of 3 of his organ works.

[Zeuhlmate]

Try Per Nørgård, Danish composer with a large very interesting production. BTW: He studied with Vagn Holboe http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Per_N%C3%B8rg%C3%A5rd



Or How Per Nørgård tricked Ligeti into discovering Rued Langgaard



And then Rued Langgaard:Musica delle sfere

[Zeuhlmate]

William Mathias: Lux Aeterna

Samples:
http://www.allmusic.com/album/releas...a-mr0002713183

[Zeuhlmate]

Wayne Siegel is originally american, but has lived in Denmark since sometime in the 70'ties so perhaps he counts as a european?
He is more of a minimalist, but his music might touch those of you who likes interlocking KC, Trey Gunn and Magma.

Self-interlocking Piano, Clarinet & Cello:



- a sample in a far better quality can be heard here www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recording-clarinet-trios.aspx

Percussion:

[Reid]

The two composers I've been listening to a lot in the past year are Aulis Sallinen, and Alfred Schnittke. Sallinen's symphonies & concertos box on CPO has gotten a lot of play. Also the Schnittke symphonies set on BIS.

I have a few Norgard discs, but haven't gotten into his music too heavily.

[Zeuhlmate]

Hilding Rosenberg (Swedish)

[JKL2000]

Ivan Kutchekokov (1867 - 1903)

[PeterG]

Yes, very funny.

[Reid]

Magnus Lindberg



Bought this album last year. Great music!

[Zeuhlmate]

King Roger (Król Roger, op. 46) is a Polish opera in 3 acts, with music by Karol Szymanowski



en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Roger King Roger

[Reid]

Listened to this today. Some beautiful, lyrical, and inspired French late Romantic music. I'm definitely glad I bought it!

Ernest Chausson 1855-1899

[Dana5140]

Mompou was released on ECM.

[presdoug]

Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) An early Romantic genius. Famous in Germany where he was from, but not so known elsewhere. I would suggest his piano concertos, solo piano works and opera overtures.

[Reid]

Bruno Maderna 1920-1973