Sunday Open Thread: Rachmaninoff Edition
by PubliusToday, in 1943, Sergei Rachmaninoff died. He was the last great composer of classical music. With him a genre died.
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138 Comments
Is this a new Breitbart web-site, Big Music? Talk about stump the crowd, Mr Flynn. Ha!
Rachmaninoff did however, make beautiful music, best enjoyed in a quiet environment,
which is almost impossible to find these days.
I love Rachmaninoff. Along with Liszt, my favorite pianist/composer. Thanks for reminding us.
I used to have Rach's 2nd on 12" 78 RPM records back when I was a youngster. I wore them out. This still remains one of those compositions I play when I have a lot of thinking to do. Although I can hardly play a note, one of my bucket-list entries (along with piloting a DC6B, driving a Dusenberg SJ, and writing the great American novel) is to be able to play this piece.
McCain must be sent home. If re-elected the RINO will continue to stab conservatives in the front. People of Arizona wake up. Don't re-elect McCain!
Ayn Rand's favorite composer, w. possible exception of Chopin (Butterfly Etude). Rachmaninoff is the greatest, most exalting musician ever. The melodies cry for freedom and exaltation. Have had several CD's taken, and always worth buying again. The salvation of the soul begins and ends here. Its not possible that I am wrong.
Sometimes it seems impossible that men are capable of such beautiful creations. Thanks for the opportunity to pause and appreciate the talent and genius of others.
That man could seriously "tickle the ivories". My favorite classical composer/artist!
Everybody who loves to fish- don't forget this may soon to be implemented:
"A recently published administration document outlines a structure that
could result in closures of sport fishing in salt and freshwater areas
across America. The White House created an Interagency Oceans
Policy Task Force in June and gave them only 90 days to develop a
comprehensive federal policy for all U.S. coastal, ocean and Great
Lakes waters. Under the guise of ‘protecting’ these areas, the current
second phase of the Task Force direction is to develop zoning which may
permanently close vast areas of fishing waters nationwide. This is to be
completed by December 9, 2009.
It was completed in Dec., folks, and may be signed into law this Spring. Anybody with more current news on this power grab please let us know. I have read that it was coming for sure, and also read that it's a false internet rumor. Knowing Obama, I'd believe the former.
Prokofiev 's Dance of the Knights from Romeo and Juliet is my favorite. I use it in my Obama videos. It fits him to a T- dark.
Did anyone pick up on this at the end of his Iowa speech? Obama: the Creed that Defines the Character of this Country is YES WE CAN (You Tube)
Hubris on steroids.
Truly great musicians have it in their soul to make music…and make it better than the last time..we need more of that!
What does that have to do Rachmaninoff?
the free market speaks, classical music is dead, so is poetry…on to better things, i dont want to pay one penny in art tax to prop up dead art forms
Rachmaninoff's compositions and performances were powerful and fulfilling. There will never be another like him. As someone stated earlier listen to this master alone with the volume up. For you pianists review some of his sheets and good luck… Nearly impossible to play.
My favorite too. I read once that musicians agree that Rachmaninoff was the best pianist ever. He certainly is among the best composers.
Those Liberals must think we are stupid or somethiing. Let's run Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann in 2012! That will really show them who the stupid ones are!!
Great job Mr. Flynn Sergei Rachmaninoff was indeed the last great composer.
He is the classic’s answer to 'metal' very heavy, powerful and sometimes dissonant.
I love to listen to his music….he was an amazing pianist and composer
Rachmaninoff was indeed a great composer, but not the last classical composer. He wasn't even the last great Romantic classical composer; Richard Strauss died in 1949.
It gets more and more difficult to enjoy the simple pleasures of life these days considering that you now have to keep constant vigil for attacks by our own government on our freedom. The 'Dark Ages' have returned.
"He was the last great composer of classical music."
OK, that's a throw down, Mike, so I'm taking the challenge for just a few who died after him who were "classical" composers who were none to shabby: Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Copland, Hanson, Walton, Vaughan Williams, Milhaud, Hindemith. Heck, Richard Strauss died in 1949!
I'll even throw in Goldsmith, Jarre, Tiompkin, Waxman, Morricone since we're using the loose term "classical."
Thank you, Thank you. Classical music not only stirs the soul and inspire our humanity, but is just a delight. Never once while listening to this piece did I feel like a ho or biyatch. Which, paradoxically, is what the Feminist movement has told me that I am. ;0)
The last composer of classical music was Freddie Mercury of Queen. Although brief it was phenomenal. Talented people are out-there but they compose what sells as it always been. Nobody composes tribal music anymore not because it's not beautiful but because it doesn't sell. In about 50-100 years what we consider classical will be ancient to the new generations.
Love how the trolls will even sail through a non-political thread and thumbs-down everyone…
Thanks for reminding me of Sergei Rachmaninoff, a true "Rach Star"!
(sorry…)
I remember trying to decide who my favorite classical composer was. I purchased a bunch of cassette tapes and the only one I wore-out was Rachmaninoff.
Which Rachmaninoff concerto was the one Eric Carmen (The Raspberries) ripped-off when he wrote "All By Myself" in the 1970s?
I remember how disgusted I was when i heard it sung note-by-note on the radio.
Don't forget Gershwin. His "Rhapsody in Blue" is an American classic with every bit of the power, genius and emotion of the others, but more upbeat and optimistic.
Ah finally something we can disagree there Professor,……..
"Such composers as Rachmaninoff are sorely missed"
can not miss something that is eternal and thank God classical music will never cease to exist as long as,….
the last man has not taken his last breath.
Pedrosito asked a previous poster:…"What does that have to do,……." so I ask you,……….
with all due respect there Professor;…..What does Rap have to do with Music?
What songs are you referring to? While I would say Mercury was (arguably) the greatest rock vocalist of all time, I am not familiar with any classical compositions.
Liberal trolling.
Nice try, troll. Go back in your hole, brainless.
If a 'Ho' and an a "biyatch' is what you are,…….than I salute womanhood.
It is neither the notes nor the instrument that makes music classical.
It is a select group of humanity that ill determine this,………the names you listed,………
personally I think many of them are going to make it,……..but I'm just a little ol south sider, so,…….
don't give it much credence,………which reminds me,…CCR,….. the last great rock band.
I believe that was the Symphony No. 2.
You must be here under a few different names…saying the same stupid thing!!
is it possible that ayn rand was wrong in her belief in abortion. musical value is subjective, its not a question of right or wrong like abortion is.
the liberal "cuase i say so" argument, your thought process is not adroit. why does weak minded liberal thinking prevade some conservatives minds?
sounds like RINO-ff or is it Jack
thats funny last time i checked liberals were socialists and conservatives believed in capitalism, its really not worth pointing this out to someone as weak minded as you.
Not only a great composer, but THE GREATEST PIANIST EVER!!! I once had this discussion with Artur Balsam, and he even agreed with me … . Anyway, wonderful to hear just now!!! Joel
You need to look for that quiet environment and enjoy yourself.
Dead then is our SOULS
ok i listened to 40 seconds worth…boring..i'd rather listen to lil wayne, at least my local govt. isnt forcing me to pay taxes so the govt. can play rap music. Unlike how i pay taxes to fund my city's classical orchestra that no one goes to see.
HEAR,HEAR
hip hop rap,………it like fast food,……..good when you are hungry,……………..
but don,t make it your last meal because you will starve and,……
don't make it your only food because you won't have to worry about starving,……..but,………
"a free market" …….now there's an interesting topic in our present "relevant culture"
Wasn't Leonard Bernstein a composer?
Or was he the First
your subjective opinion is that you "feel" your tastes are superior to a majority of those who choose other music in a free market. Its usually liberals who think their tastes are superior to others just becuse they feeeellll it and say so. When a conservative adopts this thought process it makes me wonder what their true ideology is, or if even they know, well im sure its based on feeling and not logic and reason.
Well Prof, the degradation of the quality of music in our society is a broad subject, and one I could go on about for days. But for the sake of brevity, I'll point out just two reasons this has occurred. The first is that we have allowed ourselves to become a society consumed by the "youth culture." This has effected every area of the humanities in that the pursuit of human expression no longer entails a lifetime of training and development in creating music (art) of lasting greatness or beauty. But instead reflects only the shallow impulses of undisciplined youth.
Add to that the fact that most of our kids are no longer "classically" trained to appreciate the intricacies and complexities of composition human creativity, and all you're left with is the flash in the pan, musical meanderings of a talentless and base generation.
i was reading kenneth koch poetry this morning and after i thought one word to myself…stupid
Also from Concerto No. 2, "Full Moon and Empty Arms" and "I Will Bring You Music." Lots of other classical composers were ripped off by pop "artists."
Rachmaninoff was the greatest pianist of the 20th Century. His compositions have been a major part of my music appreciation since the early 1940s.
In my opinion, but who am I? He wrote the most poignant and beautiful piano music of all time. My hearing fades, like his music.
You can however, also get me movin with a good boogie woogie.
I've dabbled in writing music for TV and film but my love is writing chamber music and orchestral music. I believe that today's composers for concert music are not obliged to write for their audience, but rather to fulfill themselves or appeal to an ivory tower. Concert halls are subsidized and are not forced to be profitable. If they were, the audiences would have to actually enjoy the new music in order to keep the audiences in the concert halls. I'd rather see fewer orchestras around actually supported by listeners than have more that are supported by tax dollars. Just think, we might have more composers like Rachmaninoff, Prokifiev, Sibelius (who lived until 1957), etc., if they actually had to write music folks wanted to hear!
yes and Glass is also, I think when the statement that he was the last great classical composer is made it does a disservice to Rachmaninoff. He may have been the last Romantic composer. There were many who died after and so was Richard Rogers.
one thing i like about rap music is it promotes capitalism, one of the mores is "get money". Although recently, since we got a socialist president there has been some positive agitprop coming from the rap community regarding socialism, but me thinks based opn the example i have heard that those who have used the word socialism in theeir raps dont know what socialism is
You know, Liberty, I understand your point, except from another perspective. What you see as "the free market" moving "onto better things" in music and other art forms is anything but that. What's really happened in music is nothing more than a reflection of a death of culture; of human creativity; of the pursuit of greatness in human expression. For a colorful illustration of what I'm saying, try to understand this: in the age of the Enlightenment, the era of Baroque, Classical and Romantic music, the main impetus of the great musicians was to uplift human creativity to the point where humanity could "touch the face of God." While the main impetus of today's culturally bereft music is more along the line of "touching that girl's ass."
You say that hip hop is more culturally relevant, and with that I agree. But only because as a society we are so near to being culturally dead. We no longer have a sense of human greatness or dignity; of advancing the human soul. That's all been replaced by a humanity that is a thousand miles wide, but only about one inch deep.
So you are right. Music, as an art form, is dead. And all that "classical music" of a bygone era is nothing more than a nostalgic memory of a time when humanity reached for greater things. That too is dead. Now, all we have left is the thinnest slice of our former dignity, as reflected in today's arts, and even reflected in today's "leadership." In music we've moved from the pursuit of "beauty" to the pursuit of "booty." You may call that moving "on to better things," but all it really reflects is humanity lost.
John, thats a great line- In music we've moved from the pursuit of "beauty" to the pursuit of "booty." Its just that beauty is subjective as is creativity, as is value. Theres no way you can logically prove these things. One likes something cause of how it makes them feel. I dont see the face of god when i listen to classical music. Ya know who didnt like music at all, henry david therou, he said he didnt like its hypnotic aspect. In regards to that i think people are a bit to hypnotized these days.
Liberal trolls pretending to be right wing racists; now there's a new one.
Not.
didnt mean to hurt your feeeelllllings, do you need a tissue for your issue?
Also deserving of a mention: "An American In Paris", and his "Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in F."
You know, Liberty, I've been a musician my entire life. I've made my living performing everything from Bach to Rock, and everything in between. And what I can tell you is the things that you and I are saying are more in agreement than you might believe.
You say that "I dont see the face of god when i listen to classical music." And I say of course you don't. Unless you were living in that age, when that music was fresh and new, it shouldn't have that kind of effect on you. As a musician, the one thing that really inspires me is the creation of something new, every time I perform. I can appreciate the music of the past, I can play it, but as a creative function, music is only exciting to me if it's evolving into higher forms; into things that have never been done before.
That's the essence of true creativity. But creativity does not always mean the same thing. Like in politics, we are capable of creating a better, brighter, more sophisticated future for ourselves. Or we can create a society headed toward a new dark age. The same thing applies to every modern art form. It can evolve into a fuller, richer, more meaningful expression. Or it can evolve into a cheap, shallow and debased form of expression.
And when you apply this perspective to everything we're experiencing in our debased American society, you can see a near perfect reflection of the debasement of society in the debasement of our music.
Art imitates life. But all that means is that right about now, life sucks.
Um, Stravinsky died in 1971, and I'd put him far above Rachmaninoff any day of the week. Though I suppose if one's definition of greatness depends on flowery melodies and overwrought, syrupy orchestration, you may have a point. He had high standards, though; his work is almost as difficult to play as it is to listen to. Virtuosic technique AND virtuosic tolerance.
I guess we have to leave Americans like Charles Ives and Aaron Copland out of this discussion, right? Oh, and Messiaen, and Milhaud, and Cage, and . . . well, you get the idea.
This is an "OPEN THREAD". That means you can post about any topic you like. The posted blurb is intended as a place holder and a starting point. What did you think "open thread" meant?
I agree completely. His reputation as a "maverick" is well earned. A maverick is a head-strong horse who is wild, unpredictable and uncontrollable. Not something to be proud of IMHO.
And there's STILL a lot of this year left. We're going to see an all out assault on Liberty and the Free Market between now and November…and to a lesser (I hope) extent on into 2013. The worst has yet to come. But, it is always darkest before the dawn. Here's hoping for an early sunrise!
Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but ugly is cast in stone.
A lot of great things have died throughout the years, and this year, it was the greatest
healthcare system in the world!!
"Love how the trolls will even sail through a non-political thread and thumbs-down everyone… "
Can you imagine the toxic stew of hate and rage it requires to do that so consistently? It's almost as if someone were being paid to do it. Even so, it seems like a waste of money and time…not to mention emotional capital. This is why we call them trolls. They are ugly hate-filled little creatures best suited to dark environments like …under bridges.
John, I'm a musician too, but not a professional like yourself. I enjoy playing guitar and making up songs…G,C, D, lol. I know what youre talking about in regards to a debasement of society. The nazi's under socialism created a completly degrading society, to the point that the holocaust became a reality. Socialism is a debasement of humanity and leads to the degrading society of nazi germany.
"……one of the mores is ,………"get money",……………………
speaks volumes about you there 666.
"Unlike how i am FORCED to pay taxes to fund my city's classical orchestra that no one goes to see"…….
Write this down, put it away somewhere and read it in a few years,……..
If you are embarrassed,…………. than that will mean you have achieved a certain level of maturity
i enjoy hip hop rap music immensely more than classical music, it is culturally relevant in that it survives in a free market. Music is subjective, just like value is. You seem to think you "know" what real music is, seems like a Liberal thought process to me.
so by efficiently providing a good or service to consumers one gets money, the people you please, the consumers choose to make you weathy by choosing your supplies or services. so by providing things your fellow man wants and being rewarded for it is something you disdain, i think this says alot about you also
whats your point? my city takes taxes from me by force and uses this money to fund a classical music symphony. I dont support my hard earned tax dollars going to some show that should be out in the free market competeing for consumers entertainment dollars. In the free market consumers freely make choices on what they want to spend their hard earned money on for entertainment. Study some economics and get back to me when you see the light of freedom.
You're spot on, Liberty. You know, there's never been a perfect society and there probably never will be. And that's fine. It means that no matter where we are, we can always find ways to improve. It's all a matter of direction. Are we living in a culture that's flourishing, or is it one that's in decline? I think that answer is fairly obvious. That's why my greatest wish is that we could experience a new renaissance; that we could create a new paradigm. This sociaIist direction we're currently traveling in will never produce a good result. We all know that. It's why we're in the fight.
That's why I advocate, not for some rehashing of some old "classical era," but for a society that's recaptured a positive vision of the future, and a music that reflects that new direction.
John, what i like about music is its not representational like most art, music dosent represent anything, to me it is pure feeling. nothing can ruin some music like adding politics into it.
"nothing can ruin some music like adding politics into it."
I agree completely.
As for music being pure feeling, I agree again, but with the understanding that music is a two way portal. Music in any form can definitely produce all kinds of feeling. But how we're feeling also influences the kind of music we gravitate towards, or the music we make.
So if somebody feels angry with the world, they probably won't gravitate towards Broadway show tunes.
But someone who's recently fallen in love might gravitate toward the music that enhances that feeling.
So in this way, our musical tastes ARE representative of how we feel, and how we feel is represented in the music we prefer.
In the larger societal context that we've been talking about, music is not a representation of any political reality, but from a cultural perspective, what's considered "popular" in music is an amazingly good reflection of the feelings of that culture, as well as the direction that culture is headed.
Sorry if it seems I'm belaboring the point. If you're getting bored with the subject, just let me know. Like I said early on in this topic, I can have this conversation for days.
How did John Williams get left out of this discussion? He is an American treasure!
Hip hop rap is for those Consumers without ears…
condolences Prof_T, on your evaporated post. It seems the more time & thought one puts
in, the more likely the post will fly away into the wild blue yonder. Is it a hint for us all to stick
to one liners? May be!
What's up with the SEIU ad on the homepage?
As if the purple menace isn't enough. It thanks John Boccieri for voting for the Obamacare bill.
"Is it a hint for us all to stick to one liners?"
Nah. If it was, this service would be called "Intense Sound Bites," and not Intense Debate.
Zenph Studios, "Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff:' http://www.zenph.com/rachmaninoff/
Well Prof, I'm sorry I missed your original post, but I don't think there are any real time blog police, it's just a built in filter that screens certain words automatically. And sometimes it's the most innocuous words that get caught by the filter. I think it's dumb, but it doesn't happen as often as I've seen it on other blogs.
As for the debate on the state of music (and other art forms) I hope you've been following my conversation with Liberty666. Basically what I've been saying there is that the direction of our society is directly reflected in the pop culture's music and in pop culture generally. The idea that the prog/lefties that want to tear down the culture exploit and push the most base forms of music is certainly a valid one. No different than the way they use welfare to snare a population into dependent lifestyles, or the destruction of public education as a means of controlling an ill-informed citizenry.
But like I've been saying in other comments, what we need to see in society is a paradigm shift away from one of despair, hopelessness and decline, and into one of advancement and progress and positivity. What that will require is a whole new leadership with a whole new vision, and a return of the statesmen who can communicate that to the public.
Then, and only then, will we begin to see a change in the pop culture; a shift away from the debasement of the arts, and a return to a whole new set of more valuable forms of human creativity.
Rachmaninoff is to Arthur Schoenberg what Freedom is to Obamacare (and everything else Obama).
Reason allied with Passion are the enemies of the irrational wedded to the incomprehensible.
Another composer who deserves a mention is Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936), whose best-known works are Fountains of Rome, Pines of Rome, and Roman Festivals. Born six years after Rachmaninoff; died before age 60.
Not as "great" as Rachmaninoff? I wouldn't dispute that … but neither was he a complete lightweight. You can peruse the list of his compositions at Wikipedia, & elsewhere ,,,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottorino_Respighi
I'm going to take this discussion in a slightly different direction if you don't mind. Because I'm not really trying to get us to decide what is "good music" or "not good music." That's just about as nebulous a topic as it gets.
What I've been trying to establish is the direct correlation between the condition and direction of society, and the intrinsic worth of its artistic output.
But there are other ways of seeing how a declining society affects the value of things in our lives. Let's take food for instance. During the times of cultural advancements, the culinary arts would always flourish, giving us new ways of preparing truly amazing foods in recipes that have remained popular for hundreds of years. In our currently declining culture we adjust our tastes to accept, and even enjoy, a cheap Big Mac.
Or try this; during times of cultural advancement, exploration and discovery captures the imagination. We explore land and sea and air and space. We make new discoveries that forever change the extent of man's knowledge. In our currently declining culture, the extent of exploration and discovery that captures our imagination drops to checking out dat new club to see who's in da house.
And so it is in music. During those times of cultural advancement, musicians and composers dedicated their lives, usually from childhood, studying every form of music available to them. They'd study composition and orchestration and theory and performance; dedicating their entire lives learning the craft of creating great masterworks that would still be performed hundreds of years after they were gone. In our currently declining culture, we learn to settle for, and even enjoy, a cheap drum track, some catchy lyrics, a little bling, and a lot of attitude, because for a moment, it makes us feel good.
In this cultural war we're in, if we should turn this thing around, you can be sure of this; we will once again eat better food; we will explore and imagine and dream and discover things that will forever improve the world and the human condition; and we will once again create and perfect whole new vistas in music and the arts that not only makes us feel good in this moment, but continues to make its impact felt for hundreds of years after we're all dead.
Some have commented that SR was not the last and this is true. But he is one of the last of a generation including Vaughn Williams, Sibelius, Respighi, Strauss etc. Do not forget also that the romantic tradition carried on well into the late twentienth century with classical guitar (Rodrigo, Ponce, Moreno-Torroba etc.-very beautiful concert music).
The one thing everyone is missing, is that SR felt the negative effects of a wealth redistribution system in his own time. He was forced to leave Russia after his family lost their land in the Bolshevik revolution. It was taken from them by force. Thank God he was able to come here to America and reach his final legacy in a free country.
Long live the music of Rachmaninoff.
6 you may not find this interesting but Iwill tell you anyway…
I got turned on to classical music back in the late sixties.
I was relaxing after a hit of '4way' or as it is commonly known as LSD with a lady friend of mine.
She was playing a piece called pastoral by Beethoven as I laid there she explained the visuals, a meadow, a few deer, it was quite vivid. I suppose the acid may have helped though.
LOL
John I'm not bored at all, its way better than listening to classical music : ), what i mean by representative is that it dosent corespond with reality as landscape painting, or symbolic poetry, the only sense its related to is hearing. I see what your saying that certain music is categorized as romantic so it is a representation of romance, but what is romance? its an abstract not a thing. When i hear music i like it produces a feeling, well different feelings or sensations which in themselves are somewhat indefineable. But its usually a feeling one likes otherwise why would you listen to something that makes you feel bad, i like music which gives me pleasure makes me feel good. I like gangster rap quite a bit, i like the tone of certain rappers voices and the creative way they turn phrase and words, and their rebeliousness, their streetlife, their quest to make money(their love of capitalism, their hatred of their enemies, their quest to be free, and the creative beats. heres some lyrics from a popular rap song..this shit is all i knew/you and me always/i did it all for you/still you were lonely….quite romantic in my opinion
Rachmaninoff lovers, you really need to check this out. Zenph Studios in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina is a technology company that creates re-performances of musical masters on the Sony label. Their technology converts famous audio recordings back into live performances via a computer-controlled piano. The results are "live," astonishing performances by great artists, seen and heard in a concert hall and on CD.
In 2009, Zenph released "Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff." I attended the live performance in Raleigh and it was breathtaking. Visit their website (link below) to hear a sample, purchase the CD, and also learn about Zenph's painstaking technology that brings great musicians back to life in a new, incredible way
Dude, I just checked out your posts,in spite of your 'taste' in music…You are ok by me…word up G, or whatever…
LOL
Hey Wild, I have some original American blood in me too. What tribe are you affiliated with? Its interesting that you needed stimulation to enjoy classical music. I had the same experience of intensely enjoying classical music at the end of a late night drinking party in the early 90s, i was very inebriabted and the host played their favorite classical piece and it sounded really great but i was blotto drunk too. lol…peace
Good Morning 6, I am Chippewa, Soo Tribe of northern Michigan.
On that classical music thing, the bird has long since flown away but I remain a convert.
Been a guitar player since that time, I love any music that moves me. I like to say any music from Miles to Mozart, to Megadeth…Not so big on Opera or Rap…
I mostly play rock and blues.
I have, somewhere, a recording that was made by Joesph Tuschinski (spelling?) who was one of the muckmucks in the founding of Superscope, the original importers of Sony. He bought, and had restored, a device called a forsetzer ("sitter-in-front" in German) that played a special form of piano roll. The rolls were made by musicians playing in a conventional piano fitted with electrics (not electronics) too complex to take up a blog entry with.
Rachmaninov played on a piano equipped with these electrics, and from these, the forsetzer rolls were made. Tuschinski had his forzetser set up in front of his own Bösendorfer imperial grand, and recorded the rolls.
The playing is amazing!
Sorry I'm late to the party.
Others have mentioned Sibelius–how could anyone forget? There's also Shostakovich (d. 1975). Listen to the 4th Symphony with the volume turned up. There's Benjamin Britten (d. 1976). Listen to the War Requiem, or the music from Peter Grimes or Death in Venice, or his superb string quartets, or various of his smaller choral works.
Shostakovich and Britten unquestionably belong on the "great" list.
Now for the B-list: maybe not great-great but worth a listen:
Roy Harris (d. 1979), 3rd symphony.
William Walton (d. 1983)
William Schuman (d. 1992)
Malcolm Arnold (d. 2006), especially Symphonies 1 and 5, and some interesting concertos.
Ned Rorem (still going).
So, there were a few composers who kept the flame going through the last century.
radegunda
These are good composers you mention I suppose. But most of them are not from the romantic school.
Art music was over-taken in the twentieth century by functional music and entertainment music. The orchestra was made irrelevant in cultural terms through the over-emphasis on intellectual music.
Rachmaninoff was the real deal; that is why we miss him (and those like him) so much.
The original statement did not specify "romantic school" (which would not include Bach, Haydn, et al.); it said "classical music." The composers I mentioned all composed in various classical genres. They composed works that went against the over-intellectualizing trend—and some were scorned by the "experts" because of it. Discovering some of those B-listers can be a revelation to anyone who was under the impression that there was virtually no serious music that's a pleasure (or at least interesting and not painful) to listen to after Rachmaninoff. Shostakovich is deadly serious, and often quite thrilling and beautiful.
I forgot to mention Prokofiev (d. 1953), who wrote some gorgeous violin concertos, among other worthy contributions.
Roman Festivals was responsible for one of my earliest recollections of being seriously moved by classical music–although I always used the Italian name.
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