Kevin, you are in big trouble now, bub:

>kindly list me 10 compositions since Britten's War Requiem (1962) that
>are as significant, well constructed and original as said same.

Admittedly, you set a fairly high bar, and I cannot intelligently speak
about how "well constructed" a work is.  But, as Duke Ellington said,
if it sounds good, it is good, and while I think I am overall rather
sympathetic to your view of the musicality of randomly opened zippers and
various wall scrapings (particularly when it is paid for by tax money,
grumble, grumble), I think there must be 10 pieces post "War Requiem"
with a claim to originality, that are significant and that "sound good".

The number "9" comes in my mind.  Let's see, start with Beethoven- oh,
but you are going to quibble that LvB preceeds Britten.  OK, I'll see you
and raise you: Simpson Symphony #9 (1987).  One of the great symphonies of
the 20th century, which is curiously neglected by the listening public and
orchestras alike, at least in the USA.  Simpson's ninth symphony is well,
if it's not atonal, it pushes the limits of tonality- and it's certainly
quite dissonent.  Dissonant and atonal- and it somehow manages to even work
well.  This one movement work has extremely effective climaxes but some
moving quiet moments, including an the final minutes of the piece.  Simpson
was probably first and foremost a symphonist, and some of his other
symphonies probably also deserve more consideration than they have gotten,
but the 9th strikes me as a work on the cutting edge of music that is as
good as it gets.

And speaking of Simpson and #9, his mighty ninth string quartet is a work
that particularly appeals to me.  At close to 60 minutes, this quartet is
longer than many romantic symphonies (I realize that length was not one
of your criteria, but you chose a lengthy work as your benchmark).  As
a collection of 32 palindromes, it get's a nod on originality right
there (what other composer in his right mind would have attempted such a
project?).  You may cavil how "original" is a set of variations on a theme
by Haydn, but it passes the Duke test, at least when I'm in the right frame
of mind.

Shostakovich's string quartet #15 must have come after Britten's War
Requiem, and I suspect that, when the Book of Life is written, is a work
that will justify the latter half of the 20th century.  And Schnittke's
fifth symphony and string quartet #2- from the 70's, I would guess.

Well I've mentioned several off the top of my head, and I've only dealt
with the S's.  Perhaps you unconciously but implicitly restricted your
universe to vocal works, in which case I won't give you an argument.

Larry