The Great Composers - Official List

Friends, acquaintances, fans of Mozart, the ALP's present the definitive and universally accepted list of the greatest composers in order of greatness, based on the votes of our esteemed panel of music critics, Harry, Jackson, Matthew and I.

Blogger refuses me the use of the tab key or a table, so regrettably the appearance of columns is lost, so apologies for the entry being spread out so much.

Tullio

1. Shostakovich
2. Mussorgsky
3. Beethoven
4. Prokofiev
5. Schubert
6. Sibelius
7. Mahler
8. Stravinsky
9. Saint-Saens
10. Britten

Jackson

1. Ligeti
2. Shostakovich
3. Bax
4. Mahler
5. Stravinsky
6. Mussorgsky
7. Ravel
8. R. Strauss
9. Glazunov
10. Saint-Saens

Harry

1. Bax
2. Mahler
3. R. Strauss
4. Stravinsky
5. Shostakovich
6. Ligeti
7. Beethoven
8. Saint-Saens
9. Szmonovsky (Don't ask)
10. Ravel

Matthew

1. Beethoven
2. Mahler
3. Shostakovich
4. Prokofiev
5. Bramhs
6. Stravinsky
7. R.Strauss
8. Mussorgsky
9. Bax
10. Wagner
    

Composers recieve 10 points for 1st place in a list, down to 1 point for a tenth place. Now, to unveil the rankings! Note: a similar concept with greatest symphonies will soon be embarked upon.

The Official, Authorised, Definitive, Made-By-Better-Critics-Than-You List of the Greatest Composers!

In Equal 17th Place...Wagner and Britten with 1 point!

In Equal 15th Place...Glazunov and Szmonovsky with 2 points!

In Equal 13th Place...Sibelius and Ravel with 5 points!

In Equal 10th Place...Schubert, Saint-Saens and Brahms with 6 points!

In 9th Place...Prokofiev with 14 points!

In Equal 7th Place...R. Strauss and Ligeti with 15 points!

In 6th Place...Mussorgsky with 17 points!

We have entered the final five places, the tension is astounding. I'm under the desk, hiding from Stuart who has come to kill me with a butcher's knife for removing his votes and Dvorak from my list. Well that's what you get!

In 5th Place...Bax with 20 points!

In 4th Place...Igor and his wolfman doll with 21 points!

THE PODIUM POSITIONS

In 3rd Place...Beethoven with 22 points!

In 2nd Place...Gustav Mahler with 29 points!

...AND IN FIRST PLACE

Dmitri Shostakovich with 32 points!!!

Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1

This concerto, dedicated to the great cellist, Mstislav Rostropovich, as was Shostakovich's second Cello Concerto, is most noted by fans of the great Shostakovich, for the main motif, DSCH in German, which corresponds to Shostakovich's German initials. The motif, D, E Flat, C, B, as is used in many of Shostakovich's compositions, is first introduced by the cello, and the theme is reiterated as the movement progresses with an aggressive allegro. The horns bring another dimension to the movement as a strong interplay between the cello and the orchestra appears, the jarring sounds creating an image of strength within turmoil and without sacrificing the musicality of the Concerto.
This then moves into a more gentle, subtle Moderato which creates a disturbing unease through the flexible variations of the cello, contemplatively moving through the movement with ease as the themes grow, as again the orchestra compliments the cello, a wonderfully searching cry from the cello as the Concerto begins to once more become lively, moving into the Cadenza.
The Cadenza, is the shortest, and arguably the weakest movement, yet still involves an intriguing theme from the cello, as the DSCH motif hints at reappearing. In all, this movement serves mainly as an introduction to the finale, which enters without pause, the Allegro con moto, travelling into a more lively sequence as it begins to once more sing the DSCH motif. The cello moves gracefully through a movement of challenges as the orchestra interacts wonderfully with the soloist, before the motif ends the concerto in a most wonderful fashion, though not without leaving us with an unnerving feeling that not all is right in the world.
One of my favourite Shostakovich pieces, I must say that the first two movements are by far superior to the rest of the Concerto, yet it is well worth listening to the entire piece. For those unfamiliar with Shostakovich, here is a program that runs approximately 2 hours that gives a relatively thorough introduction to his more serious works.

Cello Concerto No. 1

Symphony No. 3

Piano Concerto No. 2

String Quartet No. 7

Symphony No. 1

Shostakovich's 3rd Symphony

Hi. My first blog entry. My mum didn't want me blogging but I managed to pursuade her otherwise. And I don't care whether Shostakovich was 20th Century, I'm blogging about him so don't try and stop me. Oh, and will you jokers kindly tell me when you're going to change the blog address, I had to access it through Matthew's profile.
Anyway, on to what I consider to be one of Shostakovich's greatest masterpieces, and easily one of the most underrated compositions in the classical world, the third symphony, subtitled 'The First of May.' This is of course in reference to the International Labour Day, as it is commonly known in Australia, a celebration of the working class, most notably evident during Shostakovich's lifetime, as a composer in a supposedly socialist country. It is set out in four movements, the final movement being the vocal Moderato entitled 'V pervoye Pervoye Maya,' which sings about the very first May Day.
I have not the time to give a complete review, however I will quickly highlight my favourite movement, the first 'Allegretto - Allegro,' delving into the feelings and suggestions that the music makes. This movement begins in contemplation, before expoloding in a triumphant burst from the strings. This then gives away to a subtle study of the forces at play, a brilliant interplay between the strings and the brass section, the ebb and flow giving away to what can almost be seen as a tragic motif from the string section. The symphony does not dwell on a subject of pessimism for long however, rushing persistenly back into the slightly hectic environment that is developing, before once more exploding in an uneasy cry of achievement from the horns, that is underplayed by the worried tirade of the strings. The drums then sound a march like section that is highlighted by the horns before the woodwind plays an almost whimsical melody. A sense of true achievement is now reached before fading away into serenity, before the haunting cry of the strings open the second movement.
As I said, that is all i can add for now, but again I highlight, this symhpony is superior to Mahler's 6th. The biggest tragedy about that symphony is that such a well structured symphony was let down by such a haphazard finale.