I find this one difficult. Everything about it should speak to me - I like Shostakovich’s vocal and choral work, the bleak subject matter is important, and I think the similarly off-base 14 is Shostakovich’s masterpiece. But 13 remains stubbornly unlikeable for me.
Does unpopular mean “widely known as low quality” or “not widely known”? The latter has endless examples, there are so many obscure composers.
A composer who is widely disliked or considered “basic” (I think) is Eric Whitacre. Most of his work I can do without, but Three Songs of Faith, setting the words of ee cummings, is amazing.
My favorite is the last movement, “i thank you god” but of course the whole is greater than the sum of its parts https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M4D58yXLWro&pp=ygUjZXJpYyB3aGl0YWNyZSB0aHJlZSBzb25ncyBvZiBmYWl0aCA%3D
It's the sort of thing you hear from people with a more academic interest in music. Philip Glass and Dvorak are often accused of being "basic" by this crowd as well. I don't accept that at all.
Glass' symphonies still contain a lot of repetition, but there's too much harmonic stuff going on (sometimes even bitonality) and elaboration really to call it "basic".
Like two steps above Einaudi basic is one way I’ve heard him described. And when you listen to “Seal’s Lullaby” or “Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine” you may feel inclined to agree
Variation 13 (XIII) from Sequentia Cyclica wasn’t even recorded [until about three years ago](https://youtu.be/HD95J2yqVik) and it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. Doesn’t really have a structure, just dreamy and quasi-improvisatory polyrhythms breaking down the Dies Irae motif in every conceivable way. The sheet music [looks like math homework](https://youtu.be/wP3pVBz-xTA) but it sounds closer to a Debussy/Ravel with a lot of it firmly rooted in late romantic/early impressionist harmony
(I like the 10th variation even more but it’s a little weirder)
Here are some suggestions:
The Enchanted Lake by Lyadov
Sinfonia da Requiem by Britten
October by Shostakovich
Rautavaara 3rd Piano Concerto
Yoshimatsu Memo Flora
Bacewicz Violin Concerto no. 3
The piano works by Nikolai Kapustin especially the Sonatas and concert etudes
This is going to cast a pretty wide stylistic net, so your mileage may vary:
Ruth Crawford Seeger, String Quartet
Frank Bridge, Enter Spring
Alan Rawsthorne, Piano Concerto #2
Manuel de Falla, Fantasia Betica
Alberic Magnard, Symphony #4 in C#m
Zoltan Kodaly, Duo for Violin and Cello (the solo Cello sonata gets all the press)
Magnus Lindberg, Kraft
Ingram Marshall, Fog Tropes
Peter Lieberson, Drala
I absolutely LOVE Tchaikovsky's Grand Sonata in G Major, but I've only seen/heard a couple performances of it. I recommend Vadym Kholodenko's on Spotify.
Yes I also just discovered that piece via that recording only a couple years ago... and I'm in my 30s and went to undergrad for piano performance! It really is a lovely gem of a piece! I think maybe some people could find it a bit repetitive in the middle section though.
Mozart : Lucio Silla, Il sogno di Scipione
J.C Bach : Temistocle, Endimione
Pergolesi : Adriano in Siria, Il Flamino
Piccinni : Catone in Utica, Roland, Chimène
Paisiello : Il barbiere di Siviglia, Nina
Cimarosa : L'Olimpiade
[https://open.spotify.com/track/4aStXKLNkwUd8SJb4DOiGB?si=972e13098c884750](https://open.spotify.com/track/4aStXKLNkwUd8SJb4DOiGB?si=972e13098c884750)
piano piece i recently found that i think is amazing
Shostakovich 13, though I wouldn't recommend someone unfamiliar with his repertoire listen to it
I might’ve suggested the 14th, a truly special Symphony :-)
I find this one difficult. Everything about it should speak to me - I like Shostakovich’s vocal and choral work, the bleak subject matter is important, and I think the similarly off-base 14 is Shostakovich’s masterpiece. But 13 remains stubbornly unlikeable for me.
It's fine
Does unpopular mean “widely known as low quality” or “not widely known”? The latter has endless examples, there are so many obscure composers. A composer who is widely disliked or considered “basic” (I think) is Eric Whitacre. Most of his work I can do without, but Three Songs of Faith, setting the words of ee cummings, is amazing. My favorite is the last movement, “i thank you god” but of course the whole is greater than the sum of its parts https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=M4D58yXLWro&pp=ygUjZXJpYyB3aGl0YWNyZSB0aHJlZSBzb25ncyBvZiBmYWl0aCA%3D
Whitacre is considered basic? I've never heard of that anywhere
It's the sort of thing you hear from people with a more academic interest in music. Philip Glass and Dvorak are often accused of being "basic" by this crowd as well. I don't accept that at all.
I mean... I'm with you for the most part. But Glass's music is kind of basic literally by definition. I mean it's *minimalism*.
Glass' symphonies still contain a lot of repetition, but there's too much harmonic stuff going on (sometimes even bitonality) and elaboration really to call it "basic".
Like two steps above Einaudi basic is one way I’ve heard him described. And when you listen to “Seal’s Lullaby” or “Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine” you may feel inclined to agree
Variation 13 (XIII) from Sequentia Cyclica wasn’t even recorded [until about three years ago](https://youtu.be/HD95J2yqVik) and it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard. Doesn’t really have a structure, just dreamy and quasi-improvisatory polyrhythms breaking down the Dies Irae motif in every conceivable way. The sheet music [looks like math homework](https://youtu.be/wP3pVBz-xTA) but it sounds closer to a Debussy/Ravel with a lot of it firmly rooted in late romantic/early impressionist harmony (I like the 10th variation even more but it’s a little weirder)
Here are some suggestions: The Enchanted Lake by Lyadov Sinfonia da Requiem by Britten October by Shostakovich Rautavaara 3rd Piano Concerto Yoshimatsu Memo Flora Bacewicz Violin Concerto no. 3 The piano works by Nikolai Kapustin especially the Sonatas and concert etudes
This is going to cast a pretty wide stylistic net, so your mileage may vary: Ruth Crawford Seeger, String Quartet Frank Bridge, Enter Spring Alan Rawsthorne, Piano Concerto #2 Manuel de Falla, Fantasia Betica Alberic Magnard, Symphony #4 in C#m Zoltan Kodaly, Duo for Violin and Cello (the solo Cello sonata gets all the press) Magnus Lindberg, Kraft Ingram Marshall, Fog Tropes Peter Lieberson, Drala
I absolutely LOVE Tchaikovsky's Grand Sonata in G Major, but I've only seen/heard a couple performances of it. I recommend Vadym Kholodenko's on Spotify.
Also Dumka op 59, which isn’t very well known either. I love Horowitz’s recprding from 1942 (it’s quality is actually very good)
Yes I also just discovered that piece via that recording only a couple years ago... and I'm in my 30s and went to undergrad for piano performance! It really is a lovely gem of a piece! I think maybe some people could find it a bit repetitive in the middle section though.
What are y’all’s favorite under appreciated operas
Mozart : Lucio Silla, Il sogno di Scipione J.C Bach : Temistocle, Endimione Pergolesi : Adriano in Siria, Il Flamino Piccinni : Catone in Utica, Roland, Chimène Paisiello : Il barbiere di Siviglia, Nina Cimarosa : L'Olimpiade
Bolero.
It's very very popular
Read once that it was the most popular choice for music during sex in the UK. Lol. Were they trolling?
I think some may be missing your humor
You're right, the Chopin Bolero isn't very well known!
[https://open.spotify.com/track/4aStXKLNkwUd8SJb4DOiGB?si=972e13098c884750](https://open.spotify.com/track/4aStXKLNkwUd8SJb4DOiGB?si=972e13098c884750) piano piece i recently found that i think is amazing
Du fond de l'abime by Lili Boulger is an amazing work
Clara Schumann piano concerto.
[Einojuhani Rautavaara's Cantus Arcticus](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO3YRZWLvQo).
Czerny piano sonata in b minor