Sequenza21 Best of the Decade

1. Here’s my list, a shortened version for now, but it’s a start:

   Kevin Volans: String Quartet Nos.6 (2000) and 9 (2004), trumpet, vibes, ‘cello, piano (2008), Atlantic Crossing (piano concerto no.2)(2005)
   David Toub, mf (thank for the props above, Dude!)
   Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen: Concerto Grosso (rev. 2003 (or so))
   John Adams: Son of Chamber Symphony
   Steve Reich: Dance Patterns (2004), Double Sextet (2007), Variations for Vibes, Pianos and Strings (2004)

   I’ll think of others later…

2. it’s hard to make a best of the last ten years… I’m sure many things will come to my attention that I haven’t yet heard, but here are my current favorites (in no particular order):

   Luc Brewaeys – Fiore con Bocca (opera)
   Phillipe Leroux – Voi(rex) (chamber ensemble)
   Helmut Lachenmann – Concertini (large ensemble)
   Concerto for Baritone Sax and Orchestra – G.F. Haas
   Gyorgi Ligeti – Hamburg Concerto
   Anders Hillborg – Brass Quintet
   John Luther Adams – for Lou Harrison (mixed ensemble

3. Katrina Ballads FTW!

4. Orchestral:
   Robert Erickson:Auroras New World
   Ge Gan-ru :Chinese Rhapsody BIS
   John Adams: Dharma and My Father Nonesuch
   John Adams: Dr. Atomic and Guide Nonesuch
   John Adams:Transmigration
   Steven Mackey: Tuck and Roll RCA
   Kamran Ince:Symphonies 3&4,Domes Naxos
   Zhou Long:Rhymes BIS
   Mark Applebaum: Martian Anthropology Innova
   Evan Ziporyn: Frog’s Eye Canteloupe
   David Rakowski: Winged Contraption BMOP
   Elliot Schwarts: Voyager Albany
   David Ward-Steinman: 3 Concerti Fleur De Son
   Christopher Rouse:Rapture etc.,Ondine
   Philip Glass:Symphony no.8 OrangeMountain
   Michael Daugherty:UFO Naxos
   Margeret Brouwer: Aurolescent Cycles Naxos
   John Cage:The Seasons ECM
   Reza Vali:Flute concerto,etc Naxos
   John Adams:Century Rolls Nonesuch
   John Adams Naive and Sentimental Music Nonesuch
   Steven Mackey:Deal and Banana Dump Truck Albany
   Mackey and Bolcom Sax quartet concertos Innova
   Michael Daugherty: Metropolis and Deux Naxos
   Joseph Schwantner:Orchestral works Hyperion

   Chamber and mixed chamber and orchestral:
   Mark Applebaum: Sock Monkey Innova
   Ge Gan-ru: Lost Style New Albion
   Ingram Marshall:September Canons Nonesuch
   Steven Mackey:Heavy Light New World
   Chinary Ung 7 Mirrors New World
   George Crumb: Volume Six Bridge
   C. Curtis-Smith GAS Albany
   Mario Davidovsky:Three Cycles Bridge
   Robert Carl Innova
   Kamran Ince:In White Innova
   Robert Moran Innova
   Tan Dun: Water Passion Sony
   Ingram Marshall: Kingdom Come Nonesuch
   Philip Glass:Orion Orange Mountain
   Steven Hartke:Clarinet concerto,etc Naxos
   Robert Erickson:Pacific Pacific Sirens New World
   Terry Riley:Cusp of Magic Nonesuch

   Cd’s ididn’t hear that would be on this list:
   Derek Bermel Voices BMOP
   Michael Daugherty:Fire and Blood Naxos
   Philip Glass :Toltec Symphony Orange Mountain
   Fred Lerdahl Orchestral works Bridge

   Composer sets:
   Henry Brant Collection:Innova
   George Crumb Collection:Bridge
   Leonardo Balada Naxos
   Bright Sheng Naxos and Bis

   This is not even complete
   It’s been quite an amazing decade for American contemporary music.

5. Ligeti – Hamburg Concerto
   Beat Furrer – FAMA
   Georg Friedrich Haas – In Vain
   Carter – Dialogues
   Wolfgang Rihm: Jagden und Formen

   i am forgetting a lot of wonderful pieces. I know I am.

6. My list kind of got out of hand. Sorry. There really was a lot of great music these past ten years. I urge you to check out anything you haven’t heard; a number of these pieces are sadly unavailable commercially but can be found on composers’ websites or by contacting publishers. Anyway, with no pretension to objectivity, here’s my 20 favorite “classical” compositions (whatever that means) of the decade, in alphabetical order by composer. Read it now; I will probably change my mind tomorrow.

   John Adams: Guide to Strange Places (2001) for orchestra
   John Luther Adams: Dark Waves (2007) for orchestra and electronics
   Richard Ayres: No. 37B (2006) for orchestra
   Oscar Bettison: O Death (2005-07) for six players
   Sir Harrison Birtwistle: The Shadow of Night (2001) for orchestra
   Elliott Carter: Boston Concerto (2002) for orchestra
   Sebastian Currier: Static (2003) for pierrot ensemble
   Tansy Davies: Tilting (2005) for orchestra
   Donnacha Dennehy: Bulb (2006) for piano trio
   Cenk Ergun: A Pig In Hell (2001) for chamber orchestra and CD
   Michael Gordon: Dystopia (2007) for orchestra
   Georg Friedrich Haas: In Vain (2000) for large ensemble and electronics
   Bryn Harrison: Four Cycles (2002-05) for chamber orchestra
   David Lang: Men (2001) for ensemble
   Marc Mellits: Brick (2005) for orchestra
   Andrew Norman: Unstuck (2008) for orchestra
   Michael Nyman: Love Counts (2005) opera
   Steve Reich: Variations for Vibes, Pianos and Strings (2005) for, well, you know
   Esa-Pekka Salonen: Foreign Bodies (2001) for orchestra
   Kevin Volans: Trio Concerto (2005)

7. Frankly, “important” I’m finding a bit of a stretch for just about anything. I suspect most of the lists above are just personal favorites of the listmakers. Hard to make a case for the importance of much, especially while we’re still in said decade. I’d say we need to be at least a decade removed before making any calls as to anything’s (if anything’s) importance.

   After all, lots of “important” works of the 1930s and 1940s and 1950s and 1960s and 1970s turned out to be… not terribly important, in retrospect. I’d be more interested in looking at what everyone thinks are – now that we have some perspective – the most important works of the 90s.

   That said, since the call was for “new musical works” without mentioning genre, I’ll side with Kid A & Amnesiac as being more “important” than anything listed above.

   As to what I liked… well that’s here….

8. John Adams: On the Transmigration of Souls (2002)
   John Corigliano: Symphony #3, “Circus Maximus” (2006)
   Michael Gordon: Decasia (2001)
   Osvaldo Golijov: Ayre (2004)
   Johnny Greenwood: Popcorn Superhet Receiver (2008)
   David Lang: The Little Match Girl Passion (2007)
   Kaija Saariaho: L’Amour de Loin (2000)

9. I’m humbled-thanks, Paul.

   Here’s my list:

   Charlemagne Palestine: From Etudes to Cataclysms
   John Prokop: New England, Late Summer (2003)
   Mary Jane Leach: Xantippe’s Rebuke
   Michael Gordon: Trance IV
   Paul Bailey: retrace our steps
   Kraig Grady: Beyond the Windows Perhaps Among the Podcorn
   Dave Seidel: A Door Into Spring
   Samuel Vriezen: 20 Worlds
   Jukka-Pekka Kervinen: but as nothing (Canon #5)
   Steve Reich: Double Sextet

10. Paul,

    Thanks for including URLS to listening links. One of the things that’s terrific about this site is that these type of discussions always gives one new pieces to seek out!

    I think Part and Liederman were terrific additions!

11. some highlights for me:

    Julian Anderson: Book of Hours
    Georges Aperghis: Avis de Tempete
    Pierluigi Billone: Mani de Leonardis
    Unsuk Chin: Alice in Wonderland
    Michael Gordon: Decasia
    Georg Friedrich Haas: in vain
    Philippe Hurel: Loops I-IV
    Fred Lerdahl: Time After Time
    Beat Furrer: Fama
    Jonathan Harvey: Bird Concerto with Pianosong
    Bernhard Lang: I Hate Mozart
    Mauro Lanza: Aschenblume
    Philippe Leroux: Voi(rex)
    György Ligeti: Hamburg Concerto
    Benedict Mason: felt|ebb|thus|brink|here|array|telling
    Tristan Murail: Le lac; Terre d’ombre
    Wolfgang Rihm: Jagden und Formen
    Fausto Romitelli: An Index of Metals; Professor Bad Trip Lesson 3
    Marco Stroppa: Miniature Estrose, book I

    (I hope I don’t catch flack for going with Bernhard instead of David here)

12. Hey there’s a Haas in there, good! And I’m including 2000, since we haven’t actually completed 2010 yet. Same as Matthew — nobody can say what’s the “greatest”; but these all stick in my ear and mind, and make me keep coming back to listen again and again:

    Evan Ziporyn: Pondok (2000); Ngaben (2003)

    Michael Gordon: Decasia (2001)

    Georg Friedrich Haas: Natures Mortes (2003)

    Andrew Violette: Rave (2001-03)

    Jürg Frey: String Quartet #2 (1998-2000)

    Jorge Liderman: That is already… (1999, but I don’t think premiered until the 00s)

    María Cecilia Villanueva: Intonso (2001)

    Paul Dolden: Entropic Twilights (1997- 2002)

13. Arvo Part – In Principio

14. I’m not sure whether these qualify as the most important musical works for 2000-2009, but these are some of my favorites, in no particular order:

    Thomas Adès – Concentric Paths (Violin Concerto)
    Einojuhani Rautavaara – Manhattan Trilogy
    Kaija Saariaho – Orion
    Per Nørgård – Symphony No. 7
    Beat Furrer – Konzert für Klavier und Orchester
    Georg Friedrich Haas – In Vain
    Lera Auerbach – Requiem for Icarus

    Given another 10 years to reflect on this decade, I might generate a completely different list. It may have been a shitty decade by some measures, but it was amazing musically.

15. in no specific order:

    Jon Brenner: Chaconne I-VI http://bit.ly/6l3rMl
    Steve Layton: Songbook: “Charlotte, Too Soon” (2006) http://bit.ly/61bTXp
    Lloyd Rodgers “The Black Book” (2001) http://bit.ly/7ijo4V
    David Toub: this piece intentionally left blank (2006) http://bit.ly/52L9ut

16. Are we counting the new decade from 2010? That brings us back to the whole 2000 vs 2001 question

    John Adams On the Transmigration of Souls and Dr. Atomic
    Elliott Carter Boston Concerto and Dialogues
    I agree with Jerry about David Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion … would also nominate Lachenmann’s Little Matchgirl
    David Rakowski’s Piano Concerto
    Phil Kline’s John the Revelator
    Oliver Knussen Songs for Sue

    I’m sure I’m forgetting some … there’s been a lot of fine music this decade!

17. We’re talking decade? Then surely Lang’s The Passing Measures must be included.

    And ‘Arpeggi’ by Jonny Greenwood & Thom Yorke, as performed at the Ether Festival 2005: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8_4ky3mS7s.

Comments are closed.