Bernard Chasan:

>It would be an interesting exercise for interested members of this
>list to put down their favorite classical music of the last twenty years.
>I think that describing them as "masterpieces" is perhaps not needed at
>this point.  "Excellent" or "interesting" will do fine.

How about two dozen works by two dozen composers from the past two
decades?  Here are some that have given me pleasure, excitement, even
delight.  Alphabetical order.  No suggestion of relative merit, or
greatest appeal, even to other works by the same composers.  No apologies
for omissions.  No suggestion of distaste, either, for works not mentioned.
(I have yet to hear anything by Golijov, for instance.)

John Adams.  NIXON IN CHINA
Stephen Albert. CONCERTO FOR CELLO AND ORCHESTRA
Daniel Asia. SYMPHONY NO. 3
Richard Einhorn. VOICES OF LIGHT
Philip Glass. ITAIPU
Sofia Gubaidulina. STIMMEN..VERSTUMMEN; SYMPHONY IN 12 MOVEMENTS
Lou Harrison. NEW MOON
Jennnifer Higdon. BLUE CATHEDRAL
James Horner. A BEAUTIFUL MIND (film score)
Libby Larsen. SYMPHONY: WATER MUSIC
Edgar Meyer. VIOLIN CONCERTO
David Ott.  THE WATER GARDEN
Arvo Part.  FUR ALINA/SPIEGEL IM SPIEGEL
Aaron Rabushka. CONCERTO VOCALE
Einojuhani Rautavaara. CANTUS ARCTICUS
Christopher Rouse. FLUTE CONCERTO
Poul Ruders.  CONCERTO IN PIECES
Aulis Sallinen. SYMPHONY NO. 4
Allen Sapp. A CONCERTO FOR CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
John Tavener. SONG FOR ATHENE
Christopher Theofanidis. RAINBOW BODY
Joan Tower. FANFARES FOR THE UNCOMMON WOMAN
Melinda Wagner. CONCERTO FOR FLUTE, STRINGS AND PERCUSSION
Ellen Taafe Zwilich. CONCERTO GROSSO

Jim Tobin