Bernard Chasan recently regretted the lack of discussion of contemporary
music on the LIST.

I bring to your attention the request from the editor of Tempo Magazine
(now at Cambridge UK) to prove that masterpieces are still being written
today.  Each subscriber is allowed to nominate one and only one work.
The rules are as follows:

1. Only one work may be nominated as a masterpiece per person.
2. The work must have been WRITTEN no earlier than 1977. When or whether
   it was performed is not relevant.
3. The work must be reasonably considered to be classical music.
4. The work must have changed the recommender's life in some way so that
   it could be enthusiastically recommended to others more from the personal
   rather than the theoretical or historical standpoint.
5. You may not nominate your own work.
6. You may only write two sentences as to why the work deserves
   recommendation.
7. You may write a third sentence mentioning any flaws the work may have.

Nominations are due by June 1st and will be printed in the October issue.

But why spend a lot of money on the subscription?  We have our covey of
enthusiasts right here!

What I sent to the editor is below.  Any other nominations?

Christopher Rouse: Gorgon

This piece is a watershed in the history of 20th-century music,
representing the confluence of American violence and rock and roll with
a mastery of orchestration, especially percussion.  Hearing it changed
my life, leading me into a successful part-time professional career in
musical journalism prompted initially by the compulsion to promote Rouse's
music.

Negativists may see this as a "gimmick" item, capitalizing on sheer
noise* (to the detriment of orchestral musicians who refuse to play
it for fear of hearing loss), but I feel that like Ravel's Bolero,
the eventual longevity of its fame will speak otherwise.

Jeff Dunn
[log in to unmask]
Alameda, CA