Three Composers We Could Live Without

I totally agree about Wuorinen. I’ll never forget being at a rehearsal at Texas Tech University many years ago when he was preparing the orchestra to perform a work he would guest conduct that evening. In the middle of total cacophony and chaos, he suddenly stopped the group and let loose a sneering scream at a trombone player, “E natural, not E flat!!” You could feel it across the room—the unspoken response, “Like it . . . matters?” Before or since, I've never encountered such vicious negation of both people and beauty. Ugly, Stupid, Contemptuous. An arrogant impostor. A fool who dressed himself in a polyester king's costume in order to get away with berating dukes and knights. Train wreck of a composer. Train wreck of a person.

I hesitate to name any composers I could live without, because in the past I would have written off several composers I later came to appreciate (C.P.E. Bach, for example). An interesting follow-up theme would be "Three Composers I USED to Think We Could Live Without".

Sometimes what you dislike can tell a lot more about you than what you like. Liking everything is akin to not liking anything. Criticizing other works often demands more objective explanation compared to blind praising which often lacks this objectivity. It takes a lot of guts to do this I'm assuming so hats off to you.

I should also mention I have a Boulez CD. I only play it when guests have stayed over too long and need to go home.

I love your take-no-prisoners approach to thinning the herd, Dave! 🎶 Over the centuries, the great god of HYPE has championed "miserable" and "wretched" music of many stripes, indeed! 😁

Anyone remember Richard Nanes? Amateur pianist and composer who issued oodles of CDs on his own label and then sent them to all the radio stations he could. Output is divided between tonal wallpaper and chromatic sludge.

I find it quite difficult to dismiss a composer. First, because I have not heard everything by that individual. Second, and more important, my taste has changed over time, and so I do not want to give up on anyone. As the years have passed, I have liked some composers more and more and others less and less.

You’re hilarious Dave! Thank you so much for your reviews

I was dubious, but from the moment you mentioned Wuorinen I was eating out of your hand.

@7:14...Yes, I really needed to have my morning tea come out of the nostrils. Thanks Dave! X-D

Happy to read "Cancrizans" and understand what Dave was referring to. Greetings from Argentina!

When Boulez died, all I could think of was the fact that when Schoenberg died, Boulez (aged 26) wrote a blistering essay entitled "Schoenberg is dead" writing off all of his music, in a thinly veiled attempt to promote himself, which evidently worked quite well. I think Schoenberg has stood the test of time better than Boulez.

Rather than banishing this composer or that, for the sake of efficiency, I wonder if we might select a note, say Ab, and ban its further use?

Thank you. You know Desert Island Disks. Perhaps this episode could be rebranded as "Music you would take to hell with you."

When you said "Boulez", I actually physically *shuddered*. He's a marvelous conductor, especially of Debussy and Messiaen. His music is dry as sawdust. I had a composition teacher who thought Charles Wuorinen hung the Moon. My upper limit of a Wuorinen piece is about three minutes.

You have a very mischievous streak...to say the least! 😀

I'm curious about which classical Era composers you could do without? I just enjoy the variety of not hearing only the top tier but also the emulators who often have original things to say.

Dear Dave, what is your opinion about the Concerto for guitar and orchestra op 72 by Bacarisse? I think it is a splendid party record.

Wuorinen and Boulez sure, I will go with that. Fasch however has written two works that I come back to from time to time, namely the lute concerto in d minor (FWV L:d1) and a sonata for four strings (FWV N:d3), also in d minor. The lute concerto is fun to listen to and even more fun to play. It has a W. F. Bach vibe to it with some italian influences. Give those a listen too, before giving them the final axe…

I periodically go back to Boulez's music thinking that the problem must be all mine for not trying hard enough with it. Initially I always find myself thinking, 'This is such interesting stuff, I really ought to make more effort'. And then by around 10 minutes in, my attention is starting to wander in a big way... Much though I love Walton, I could do without the official bombast like Crown Imperial. The absolute pits has to be Karl Jenkins, though. I once sang in a choir that was going to do a cantata by him. I lasted half way through a rehearsal before deciding that it was unspeakable crap and walking out.