Who are your favorite orchestral composers?

[MixolydianPony]

I'm interested to know your favorite composers. Baroque to modern, doesn't matter, so long as they write stuff for orchestras or concert bands or what-have-you.

I don't compose orchestral, and I don't listen to much of it, but out of the small grasp of orchestral stuff that I know of, some of my favorite composers are:

John Mackey. I love how bizarre and unique his pieces are, and this one in particular, because I have an attraction to exotic melodies and African rhythms.



Richard Saucedo. I've played two of his pieces in school band before, including the one linked below. I really like how he uses odd time signatures and different styles. And also, that woodwind part...



Brian Balmages. Played two of his songs in wind ensemble also.



So, who are your favorite composers and why? Provide links if possible.

[Ed Viper]

I don't normally listen to orchestral/classical music, but it's my favorite thing to listen to when I need to concentrate on something like homework. When it comes to orchestral, I have quite a few composers that are favorites of mine. To name a few:

Classical:

Johann Pachelbel:


Ludwig van Beethoven (I would have posted moonlight sonata but that's just a piano piece):


Modern:

Giles Lamb (We've all heard this song, I'm sure, but he really is a great composer):


Jeremy Soule:


And last but not least, Greg Edmonson (most people only remember the upbeat, happy work he did for Uncharted, but forget the more somber, emotionally-driven pieces he's done for the game):


Kinda funny, all of my favorite modern composers do video game score

[Facade]

applejacktheengineer ftw
oh and this one guy gosh i cant remember his name >.<

[Dr_Dissonance]

CHAYA CZERNOWIN

I idolise her!




PER NORGARD

He currently owns the award for my favourite symphony!



SALVATORE SCIARRINO

He's a master of strange!


(Just let this run in the background, it is very frightening!)


And many many many many others! So many that it'd be difficult to fit them all in this thread!

[vladnuke]

Salvotore

Oh wow, that's really suspenseful. It left me feeling uneasy listening to that.

[Ed Viper]

And many many many many others! So many that it'd be difficult to fit them all in this thread!

Yeah, that's true for me as well. I have many favorite composers, most of them are classical names you've probably heard before.

Also, that song by Salvatore Sciarrino - incredibly suspenseful. I love it!

[Navron]

I love orchestral music, but why must classical composers all be named by their names? They usually have some complicated, hard to pronounce name, and thus I barely remember it.

[CommandSpry]

Vivaldi & Kanye West.

[Ed Viper]

Vivaldi & Kanye West.

Huh. Are you implying that Kanye West actually composes the orchestral stuff in his songs? If so, then I have a newfound respect for him.

[bartekko]

Kanye West.

YO SPRY, IMMA JUST LET YOU FINISH, BUT CHOPIN WAS ONE OF THE BEST PIANO COMPOSERS OF ALL TIME

[CommandSpry]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBbAee1UYNY#t=2m14s

What now son?

[DMDOKURO]

John Rutter,


Reszo Seress,


Randall Thompson,

(I was a part of this choir, and this was the first time I was introduced to one of his songs.)

and Frank Ticheli.

[Vedrim]

Classical: Tchaikovsky, Holst, Mozart

Film Score/"Modern Classical": Alan Silvestri, Jerry Goldsmith, Karl Jenkins, Ronan Hardiman, basically all of the ex-Media Ventures guys (John Powell, Harry Gregson-Williams, Klaus Badelt, Ramin Djawadi, and of course Hans), Armen Hambar, Thomas Bergersen, Nick Phoenix, and probably a whole bunch of others I can't remember right now, heh.

[Versilaryan]

Charles Ives


Krzysztof Penderecki


And that's not counting the countless orchestral masters out there (Stravinski, Tchaikovsky, etc.) Frank Ticheli, David Maslanka, and Eric Whitacre are pretty good, too.

[penguindf12]

My top 5:

Pinkie Pie
Twilight Sparkle
Fluttershy
Charles Ives
Shostakovich

[Flinckie]

Samuel Barber is one of my modern favourites.



By the way, that conductor in the video is not him. Old Sammy's been dead for over 30 years.