Mimi Ezust wrote:

>Or if we do lists, I hope there will be some good explanation for
>each of the choices.

Mimi has a good point, so I'll provide my reasons:

1.  Bach - Master of counterpoint, subtlety, and effectively conveying the
most diverse set of emotions in the most compact manner.  No "overblown"
posturing from this man.

2.  Mozart - My idea of the "Melody Man" - great ones just keep coming and
they're connected so well.

3.  Beethoven - Usually rough but always ready.  His musical (not form)
innovations, his wealth of emotions conveyed, his anger, his vision, and an
ample supply of beautiful melodies place him very high in my musical world.

4.  Handel - The king of the aria.

5.  Schubert - similar to my description of Beethoven, but with more poetry
and less overt aggression.

6.  Mahler - Mahler keeps rising in my estimation, as I understand him
better.  There are a few other composers I didn't rate as well that I
generally would rather hear, but I know they don't have as much to say.
Mahler's not easy for me, but the dividends are plentiful.

7.  Shostakovich - I can't deny that the events surrounding the times he
lived in have much to do with my view of Shostakovich's music.  He's a
childhood friend, and that adds to it.  I love the bleakness and sarcasm of
his music.

8.  Schumann - The man of poetry.  I also think of him as a Chopin more
attuned to my preferences.

9.  Brahms - I love his solo piano works and his chamber music - a great
combination of power, poetry, elegance, and delicacy.

10.  Wagner - The "macho" man of classical music.

11.  Zemlinsky - I think of him as the perfect example of late romantic
music, and I am very fond of that time period.

12.  Debussy - A master of confusion, doubt, and multiple shadings.  I find
him very engrossing, although not easy to figure out.

13.  Haydn - Great solo piano music and string quartets.  His late piano
sonatas I find not of classical era dimensions, but of early romantic.

14. Ravel - More "sharp" than Debussy and more varied.

15. Telemann - A natural composer who wrote some outstanding vocal works.
Would be higher, but there isn't much depth involved.

16. Vainberg - To some degree, a Shostakovich "clone", and that's not
shabby.

17. Scelsi - Great for taking an intergalactic ride to who knows where.

18. Spohr - I love the music of this time period, and Spohr provides  some
superb melodies in varied settings.  I never tire of listening to his music.

19. Hummel - Some of the same coments on Spohr apply here.  It's Hummel's
piano concertos which I favor the most.

20. Weber - Again, that favored time period.  With Weber, it's the clarinet
chamber and vocal works that do it for me.

Don Satz
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