My Favorite Composers and Their Works

• Bach: I'm still in the process developing a deeper appreciation. I started with the usual, Brandenburg Concerti and Orchestral Suites, and lingered at that level for quite some time (more than 10 years!) before I really started to love his choral/vocal/keyboard works, also thanks to Helmut Rilling's group in Stuttgart (I haven't heard a recording by this group that I don't like yet, among the 30 or so CDs I got individually before I got my complete Bach set of 173 CDs!), our fellow Canadian, Glenn Gould, and Rostropovich too, for his recording as well as his encores in Chicago (1999) and Dallas (1997 and 2000). I should say that Bach is the favorite composer of the family, because both my wife Sharon and my daughter Christine claim him as both the absolute "top" composer and their favorite composer. Even the Lizzie seems to be most tolerant of Bach's music as compared to others', ever since she was a little baby. Every Bach pieces that Christine plays are so thoroughly enjoyable too, -- she's up to two-/three-part inventions now, and played Italian concerto beautifully (for a Baroque festival at her high school at the time).

• Beethoven: My (single/top) favorite composer for the first 10 years or so since I started my love affair with classical music. Still enjoys a lot of his works, especially his chamber works. But suffers from over exposure to many of his major "war-horses", although can't help loving and be utterly moved by them. I was so happy when my daughter Christine started to play her first Beethoven sonata, and recently moved on to Moonlight (3rd! movement). To tell the truth, we all prefer her playing to our recordings (obviously biased opinion!), so graceful and unrushed ...

• Bruckner: I enjoy his symphonies greatly, and can go on listening for hours and hours... Happy y2k discovery, quite a bit after I "discovered" Mahler for myself and before I "discovered" Nielsen.

• Dvorak: Although I think many of his works "too beautiful" or "too romantic", I enjoy them anyway. I'm also getting to know more of his lesser known orchestral and chamber works, and his operas. I absolutely love that "moon" song from Rusalka sang by Federica von Stade, and the Royal Opera (concert version, or rather semi-staged) performance of it in 7/2003 with Renee Fleming in the title role. A concert by our local Dallas Symphony Orchestra (3/97) convinced me that the 7th is indeed superior to its much better known sibling, the 9th (From the New World). I also find a lot of "oriental" flavor in his music, which is yet another reason that Dvorak is close to my heart.

• Nielsen: I got into his music really late (2 months before Y2K, another great Y2K discovery, not far behind Bruckner). But, what a fresh start after so many years listening to music, and four years after I bought the set of his complete symphonies played by Bernstein/NYPO and Royal Danish Philharmonic, and Ormandy/Philadelphia on sale at our local Sound Warehouse (now closed for quite some time). We were fortunate to catch a great, authentic performance of Nielsen No.3 (Expansiva) by the Danish Radio Symphony at Concertgebeuw, Amsterdam, in May, 2002. Just wish that I can catch more live performance of Nielsen in the future. -- A severe case of under-exposure.

• Shostakovich: He is by far my favorite composer. See my dedicated Shostakovich pages.

Other Composers and Favorite Works

• Mozart: I like almost all of his the works, but am hard pressed to find anything that I have special feelings for, probably with the exception of some of his great operas, see my page about my favorite operas and opera composers. Well, as time goes by, I enjoy Mozart more and more, and I can see, someday, he'll overtake some of my favorite composers above.

• Haydn: I really love his "Seasons", "Creations", and his late Masses (see my favorite vocal composers and compositions). As for the rest of his music, symphonies, quartets, etc., I always liked them, but not so much of a personal feeling, rather an objective recognition of his greatness.

• Mahler: Hard for me to get into his music, but what an ultimately rewarding experience, well worth the trouble. The first time I listened to his music live (probably Symphony No.5, played by Harvard-Radcliffe Orchestra), I vowed not to listen to him again. I was surely glad that I had been wrong, when I was persuaded by my friend, Dr. Paul Yee, to listen to his Symphony No.3, which really opened my eyes. Then I moved on to favor No.6 and Das Lied von der Erde, and then all 9 (or is it 10 or 11?). Unfortunately, similar to Beethoven, Mahler suffers from over-exposure as well, because all the conductors and orchestras in the west seem to favor him over other composers. Personally, I probably suffered the same as time goes by or as I get older, getting harder to continue to appreciate the personal struggle (unlike Shostakovich's universalized struggle and suffering).

• Brahms: I always loved Brahms, but never as passionately as those composers I mentioned above. Still his symphonies (especially No.1), piano concerti, violin concerto, and other orchestral/chamber/solo pieces hold a special place in my heart. My feeling for Brahms is somewhat similar to that for Dvorak, but maybe a little bit less personal.

• Berlioz, Chopin, Schubert, and Tchaikovsky (the "romantic bunch") were my co-favorites, with Beethoven, for quite a while, with Chopin's piano music, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Schubert's "Unfinished" symphony, and Tchaikovsky's orchestral works as my favorites. I still enjoy listening to their music occasionally, especially Schubert's chamber works and lieder and Tchaikovsky's operas. I guess that they marked my own musical "romantic" period, with Schumann, Mendelssohn, Weber, etc., not far behind.

• Individual Works: I also like a lot of individual works of other composers, such as Ravel's string quartet. See also my favorite vocal composers and compositions and favorite operas and opera composers for some of individual vocal works/operas that I love.