NFT: Let's talk about classical music

We had a nice classical music thread started by BigBlueBuff a few years ago. We do have some classical listeners here, so I thought I'd offer my spin.

My wheelhouse is neither the composers with the powdered wigs, nor early Romantic composers, nor the composers who wrote "relaxing" music that populates classical radio stations. It is the period around 1900-1950, composed by people who lived through Europe's revolutions and wars. It's stirring and sometimes disturbing stuff. Here's a survey of what interests me. All of it should be on YouTube if you want to check it out.

1. Dmitri Shostakovich - composed in the Soviet Union from the 20's to the 70's, regularly played by orchestras. The 2nd movement of the Symphony #10 is a good example, the string quartet #8 is very characteristic of him, the cello concerto is a staple of the cello repertoire.

2. Sergei Prokofiev - one of the most successful 20th century composers, from Peter and the Wolf to pioneering work in film music. The "Montagues and Capulets" from Romeo and Juliet or the last movement of the Piano Concerto #3 are good starting points on the way to more challenging stuff. The Scythian Suite is a good example of the most "extreme" Prokofiev - but probably not as shocking today as it was then.

3. Bela Bartok - Hungarian composer who utilized undiluted Eastern European folk music with a dissonant idiom that can take time to absorb. The best starting point is probably the Romanian folk dances (for piano or violin/piano) and the 4th and 5th movement of the Concerto for Orchestra. The ballet suite Miraculous Mandarin shows the audacious young Bartok at work (quite an ending).

4. Witold Lutoslawski - Polish composer who during ho88uStalinist times wrote folk-derived work but later incorporated techniques giving some "ad-libbed" passages (not improvised but free of a strict rhythm). The starting point here is the 1st part of the Concerto for Orchestra, the Symphony 4 is a good place to go next.

5. Gustav Mahler - He's heard in concert halls everywhere, but he focused on writing long symphonies so folks probably wouldn't pick up much of his music floating around the popular culture. A good starting point is the 1st and 2nd movements of the 5th symphony, the first movement of the 2nd symphony is also typical.

6. Bohuslav Martinu - I'm a big fan of this Czech composer, not often played by U.S. orchestras.
He has a very individual style, and wrote a ton of stuff. A good entry point is the 3rd movement of the 1st symphony and his most challenging work is probably the Double Concerto for 2 string orchestras piano, and tympani (written in 1938, the year of the Munich agreement)

7. Alban Berg - The 12-tone or serial style was hugely influential among classical composers, I like a bunch of pieces organized this way, but it appears most people will never get it. The one piece that probably works the best for the "uninitiated" is probably Alban Berg's violin concerto.

8. Arnold Schoenberg - the tough nut to crack. I think most people can get enjoyment out of his string sextet verklaerte nacht op. 4, then one could try the chamber symphony op 9, i'd probably go to the variations for orchestra or piano concerto for 12-tone works, but hey...
there's very few classical musicians I know who are into this stuff.

9. Alexander Scriabin - he was a crackpot who thought he would transform the human race through
a multimedia extravaganza called the Mysterium that was going to take place in a hemispherical temple in India. He didn't get to do it because he died from a sore on his lip. Anyway, I'd look at a video for "Prometheus the Poem of Fire" in which projection of colors is part of the score.
For something easier to comprehend, go with the "Poem of Ecstasy", or try to find Vladimir Horowitz playing his piano music.

10. Leos Janacek - Czech (Moravian) composer going heavily into folk music influence, start with the Sinfonietta (progressive rock fans will recognize the use of the opening by Emerson Lake and Palmer), the piano music is probably the next place to go, but if you don't like the Sinfonietta don't bother.

11. Igor Stravinsky - many-sided composer hard to sum up in a sentence. The ballet suites (Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring) are the places to go first, in that order...symphony of psalms is probably the next stop.

12. Benjamin Britten - English composer who has some big stuff like the opera Peter Grimes and the War Reqiuem. The starting point would be the "Four Sea Interludes" from Peter Grimes and then the Sinfonia da Requiem (which is not the War Requiem). I've always thought of the War Requiem as something that needed to be heard live.

13. Maurice Ravel - French composer. Yes he did the Bolero, you can make love to it. I'd have a look at the Piano Concerto for the Left Hand or the violin piece Tzigane.

14. Charles Ives - I wanted to have an American in here, but not Gershwin because he's beloved and doesn't need advocating. Ives was a pretty strange guy who did a lot of "sampling" of hymn/popular tunes and embraced chaos. The Unanswered Question and 2nd symphony are reasonable starting points, but one could dive right into the 4th symphony to see what was in Ives head.

Anyway, maybe that can get some discussion and questions going. No need to restrict ourselves to the era I'm talking about here. Or just tell me what you like.