Some of my 'discoveries' of 2003 -- in complete disorder and irrespective
of release dates:

Alun HODDINOTT (1929-): My familiarity with this Welsh composer's Cello
Concerto on an Erato disk with others by Milhaud and Honegger led me to
snap up a 2nd hand CD with his 6th symphony and other orchestral/choral
works (Chandos 8762).  What a find!  A lively sense of adventure, to my
ear.  Where's the rest of it??

Marcel LANDOWSKI (1915-1999): I've mentioned this composer before,
after immersing myself in 3 symphonies and the strongly-orchestrated
choral 'Dawn Mass,' both on Erato.  He opposed French avant-gardist
tendencies, apparently contributed significantly to building French
musical institutions, composed until late in life, and authored a(n
untranslated) musical biography of Honegger, among other subjects.
It's music that has neither Jolivet's wildness nor the refined texture
of Frank Martin's, while it suggests both and Honegger's music too.
There's a bit more on CD, which I'm now seeking out, but lots remains
either out-of-print or not yet recorded.  Patience, I guess...

William MATHIAS (1934-92): Another Welsh composer; I've long known his
chamber music (on Koch 3-7326-2), and found that it curiously recalled
for me the nervous rhythms and edge of some of Martinu's chamber works.
A Tasmanian friend's gift of a small trove of 3 nla CDs now puts me onto
more: his first two symphonies, both lively, ambitious works; and 'Helios,'
an Oboe Concerto and 'Requiescat,' together with a 3rd symphony (Nimbus
NI 5260 and 5343).  Along with concerti for harp, clarinet and piano
(#2), Mathias's impressive rhythmic sense (in his 3rd symphony, eg)
sometimes also echoes Holmboe's too, although the music's generally more
instrumentally colourful yet less structurally severe.  Having heard
somewhere that Mathias was Princess Di's favourite composer, and his
virtual absence on recordings or in CM circles (including stores and
this List, say) somehow led me to think he had to be minor, derivative,
or otherwise uninteresting.  Anything but!

This yet again raises the question as to just what moves label managers
to record this and that, to the neglect of other material -- and why
does so much worthy music end up vanishing into the nether world of the
nla and oop?  Surely some shrewd marketing, in collusion with a few key
soloists, orchestras and conductors, would render such winning material
commercially 'interesting'..?

Yevhen STANKOVYTCH (1942-): Symphonies 2 ('Heroic'), 1 ('Larga') & 4
('Lirica') (Ukraine NSO/Kuchar: MP 8.223792) The Larga, oddly the shortest
of these symphonies, is perhaps akin to works for strings by Rosenberg
or Sallinen: riddled with tension, and developments whereby a theme turns
into the next one by slow, almost pained degrees.  The almost perversely
dissonant Heroic, is also easily the most percussive and contrasts sharply
with the Lirica, which suffers to me from a few longueurs -- or is this
just low-octane playing?  Note: he's also released as Evgeny Stankovich(!)
on Consonance.  (Fourth in my little series of: why the hell isn't this
composer's music getting better attention?)

A student of Lyatoshinsky and Skoryk, to my (scant) knowledge and going
on just this CD, Stankovytch is the most interesting living Ukrainian
composer.  Can anyone recommend others?

Andre JOLIVET (1905-74): One of the most exciting and challenging
composers from the wilder wing of the late 20th century.  Aside from
the 2 well-recorded trumpet concerti, in 2003 I became familiar with his
PC, 3rd symphony and a cello concerto.  The several-fold increase in my
admiration they brought about was further enhanced by a live performance
of some solo piano music.  Interestingly, away from the instrument itself,
that very material on CD (even by the same interpreter: Pascal Gallet,
on Maguelone) remains hard going.  Like much solo Messiaen, it requires
utmost concentration, perhaps even live performances.  Much as I like
what I've heard so far, I'd call it a stretch to think Jolivet will ever
be commercially interesting.

Jacques HETU (1938-): A new release, finally ...as the Subject line
requires.  This CD re-confirms him as my favourite Canadian composer:
non-12-tone, melodic, often lyrical and largely traditional, to my ear.
Neither as uncomplicated as Malcolm Forsyth's music can often be, nor
as abstract as R Murray Shafer's usually is, this music still offers
enough challenges within its conventional shapes; for me, Hetu always
rewards close attention.  This recording, CBC SMCD 5228, is also a fair
introduction to his music: featuring fine concerti for piano (#2), flute,
clarinet and bassoon -- all very idiomatic, to my ear, for each solo
instrument.

Joly BRAGA SANTOS (1924-88): Portuguese composer with four retro but
graceful, orchestrally imaginative symphonies on Marco Polo that should
appeal to fans of Sibelius, Vaughan Williams, and their progeny.

George TSONTAKIS (1951-): His "Four Symphonic Quartets" (Monte Carlo
Phil./ DePreist: Koch/Schwann 3-7384-2) were recommended on this List
as enticingly challenging ...or words to that effect.  I'm still digesting
this CD, which strikes me as masculine, gritty fare, focused evenly on
harsh brass intruding on calmer strings; uncompromising but highly
engaging.  Holmboe again comes to mind, but this time in making commanding,
assured music that disdains the pretty.

F Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809): Yes: still discovering some better-established
greats.  A certain stodginess in Davis's approach (Philips duo, Vol 2)
held me back from delving in the London symphonies, but they have now
come across clean and gracefully with Jochum's 5-CD set (budget DGrammophon).
Splendid works.  They led me to his Paris symphonies (Dutoit, on Eloquence),
and some Sturm und Drang symphonies (Maksymiuk, in an excellent EMI
double forte).  For one who's yet to cross the chasm to most of Mozart,
Haydn never disappoints.

Witold LUTOSLAWSKI (1913-94): Another late discovery for me was WL's
concerto for orchestra this summer: in one of those thrilling live
performances that'll be long remembered.  I find its astonishing wealth
of ideas rather unevenly laid out along this work's odd shape, yet just
can't get enough of this spiky, fiery, inventive work -- already a strong
contender for my favourite late-20th century repertoire for full orchestra.

Lepo SUMERA (1950-2000): Perhaps the most outstanding CM composer, to
me, who has yet worked under the influence and pulse of rock music; his
Cello Concerto, PC and several symphonies (all on Bis) have made a strong
and lasting impression.

Gavin BRYARS (1943-): In the mixed blessing grab-bag: Bryars' "Jesus'
Blood Never Failed Me Yet" put me off for a long while: its near-endless
loop of febrile singing by "the Tramp" gouged a hole right into my brain
-- to say nothing of its easy ambiguousness.  Even Tom Waits's harmonies
couldn't save it for me.  A far richer compositional seam has now opened
up for me with his cello concerto ("Farewell to Philosophy"), and
concertante works for viola & ensemble ("The North Shore") and for
ensemble with piano ("Les Fiancailles").  Although I couldn't put my
finger on any specific passage, I sense a vague echo in his cello concerto
of Walton's masterpiece -- and a lot more to like in it besides.  Bryars
uses viols and an early choral music style to achieve some haunting
effects -- as in "Cadman's Requiem." All this now being said, Bryars
also shows that some music might best have been left in context: despite
the interesting musical 'backbone' of "The Sinking of the Titanic,"
variations on the hymn performed as the ship sank, so many iterations
and modulations take this well past the verge of the unimaginative, as
a CD release.  No doubt it sounds fine as the documentary soundtrack it
originally was.

Regarding Akio YASHIRO (1929-76), I'm with Steve regarding the Naxos
disc: a most impressive composer, both for that grand PC and that sometimes
Messiaenic symphony.  Pity he composed so little.  Here's hoping Heymann
releases more of it.

Most of the VC and of the rest of the Hiroshi Ohguri (d.  1982) release
in the Naxos Japanese series is almost as good.  I'd heard Yasushi
Akutagawa (1925-89) spoken well of, and his piece on 8.55071, ranging
from pastoral canter to more frivolous romp, doesn't disconfirm it; the
modernist piece by Takashi Yoshimatsu ('53-) also has an intriguing
appeal.  The sound clips suggest that Matsudaria's PC will be interestingly
quirky ...yet the others from that CD suggest anything but!  Otherwise,
what's worth catching in this seldom-noticed Japanese series?

Bert Bailey