Ron Chaplin asked for suggestions of... >...CRI titles at Berkshire with "tonal" compositions I've also perused this rich but inexpensive collection of contemporary, mostly unknown composers, as my interest in CM is almost exclusively in 'contemporary' fare. I also look forward to others' recommendations. Before I say my bit about CRI's tonal composers, let's not forget that atonalism or even dodecaphony are not diseases, but simply other ways of making music. I find a lot of it difficult, some of it frankly too challenging, but am glad that some Listers have over the years underscored that non-tonal music is devoid of any infections. Were my ears fully closed to it, I'd be without music by Frank Martin, Roberto Gerhard, Sandor Veress, Grazyna Bacewicz, Gyorgy Kurtag, and others, including even William Walton -- and these are just some who've worked in dodecaphonic forms. The list for atonal composers is leagues longer: shirking them would be truly injurious to anyone's collection! Bearing this in mind, here's my few cents' worth: Wuorinen is not tonal, afaik, nor are Cage or Crumb; Krenek's at the border of dodecaphony, as far as my ear can make out -- challenging, but not impassable; Martino may not adhere to a tonal centre, I'm not sure, but the few clips I've heard suggest an intriguing craftsman worth considering; I doubt if Lou Harrison composes according to tone rows, but he's never quite knocked my socks off, nor has Zwilich; I've found John Harbison uneven; what I've heard of Leo Smit has been good (chamber music) to fabulous (concertos); Alexandre Tcherepnin's piano music is likely worth hearing; I have a Sonata for Violin and Harpsichord by Samuel Adler and suspect that his SQs would be excellent; the Irving Fine isn't one of the cheap CRIs, but it's money you'll be very glad you spent; ditto about the price of the Rieti, which is deliciously unusual though perhaps not as outstanding. More? I'm glad this is in my collection: Mennin, Peter: Symphonies 3 {NY Phil./ Mitropoulos. MONO} & 7 {Chicago Symph./ Martinon}; Piano Concerto. (John Ogdon w.Royal Phil./ Buketoff) $ 3.99 | AMERICA | ADD | BRO Code: 116346 | CRI CD 741 A grand yet neo-Classical PC, and at least one excellent symphony. Going on clips of his chamber music, my impression is that George Barati's a slightly icy neo-classical composer given to economical or spartan instrumental means. Have also learned (just now) that there's a Symphony plus on a Naxos, which I've already ordered. The clips of that orchestral music suggest he's able to serve up something meatier, too, which bodes very well for this: Barati {1913-1996}, Cello Concerto {Bernard Michelin w.London Phil./ composer}; Harpsichord Quartet {Baroque Chamber Players of Indiana}; Chamber Concerto. (Philadelphia Orch./ Ormandy) $ 3.99 | AMERICA | ADD | BRO Code: 116176 | CRI CD 794 Since I like all the composers on this next CD, despite already having the Trombone Symphony it's also on my wishlist: Bergsma, Chameleon Variations. Lees, Prologue, Capriccio & Epilogue. Diamond, The World of Paul Klee. Bloch, Symphony for Trombone & Orch. {w.H.Prince}; Suite Symphonique. (Portland Youth Phil./ Avshalomov. Total time: 73'11') $ 3.99 | AMERICA | ADD | BRO Code: 116394 | CRI CD 634 Noel Lee is another composer on CRI; what little I've heard is dodecaphonic and not to my liking. But -- to take a tangent -- I eagerly await any sign of CD re-releases of his interpretations of piano music by Stravinsky, Bartok and John Field, from Nonesuch LPs (there was also an Ives Concorde Sonata LP, but that's another story). He lets the music speak for itself; the Stravinsky in particular I found esp. effective for being unaffected or no-nonsense. I've never heard Field's Nocturnes as simply yet movingly played. I remain curious particularly about Halsey Stevens, Rochberg, Starer, and others. Maybe others will shed light. Bert Bailey