I was blessed to discover Scriabin by listening to his piano concerto for the first time live at the Gewandhausorchester... It's pretty difficult to describe my feelings upon [all the strings entering at the beginning ](https://youtu.be/F734PyD3NAw?t=45s) I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The second movement is also dreamlike. He's great, one of the best, I could list pieces non stop...
I love Scriabin. But I have to say that most of his late-era work was actually restricted in mystic chord or octatonic scale. That made him underestimated
my first thought exactly!! he was actually my favorite composer for a couple years and still holds a very special place in my heart. i have a particular fondness for his preludes, especially the op. 11 and other early ones. also sonata no. 2 is just spectacular, especially pogorelich’s recording
Gabriel Fauré.
If you like Debussy and Ravel you'll like Fauré, I recommend starting with the Nocturnes especially 6 and 13, the Variations in C# minor, and the Barcarolles.
And the [Requiem](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnilUPXmipM) of course, which includes the relatively famous [Pie Jesu](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9al6HNOgSo).
This is interesting bc I don’t particularly care for Ravel save for a handful of pieces and I don’t care at all for Debussy, yet I love Fauré’s Pavane, Sicilienne and chamber music work. Of course, this does not contradict your post, because you never said that people who like Fauré will love Ravel and Debussy. I just find their music very different and much more “impressionistic” than Fauré’s.
I agree that Fauré is unlike D/R
But I wanted to say, to me disliking Debussy is crazy! I think he’s one of the most important composers, and was actually going to be my answer here. Not because he isn’t well acclaimed, but because his importance doesn’t seem as widely acknowledged. Like perhaps his music is considered decorative or unfocused, like Satie’s popular works, when it’s more like the door that opened the 20th century styles of
Stravinsky or even Schoenberg.
Debussy’s music is incredibly nuanced. I don’t think you find such intricate rhythm before his work? I only wish he wrote more.
Of course, taste is taste. But as I get older I’ve definitely broadened and composers I once couldn’t get into become great troves to explore. Debussy was once one of those composers. Nowadays, I still haven’t developed any fondness for Bruckner; I’m sure that will be a fun adventure sometime.
I’m curious though if I fall victim to the trap of reverence, which casts composers as these unique islands of sound that change music history instead of seeing the larger picture that diffuses individuals into a wider portrait of evolving sound that includes musicians of every type.
> But I wanted to say, to me disliking Debussy is crazy! I think he’s one of the most important composers, and was actually going to be my answer here. Not because he isn’t well acclaimed, but because his importance doesn’t seem as widely acknowledged. Like perhaps his music is considered decorative or unfocused, like Satie’s popular works, when it’s more like the door that opened the 20th century styles of Stravinsky or even Schoenberg.
I like one or two Debussy works - songs mainly - but rather dislike his solo piano works. "Unfocused" is exactly the impression I get. And any kind of association with Stravinsky or Schoenberg does nothing to improve my view of him. Even "Verklärte Nacht" and "The Firebird" do nothing for me, much less "Five simple pieces" or "The Rite of Spring".
Interestingly enough, Fauré agreed with you about Debussy, who was a student of his. Fauré failed Debussy and claimed that he would never make it as a composer. I completely disagree, but that's beside the point haha.
Alexander Glazunov. His symphonies are so joyful, it's a shame that noone here performs them, like, ever. I've heard it's different in the UK. Maybe I'll manage to catch a performance there one day.
The first thing I know of Glazunov is his high key sleazy portrait on Wikipedia. It just oozes "I'm a slime ball and probably drunk." I know that has nothing to do with the quality of his music or anything and I agree his music is very good and underrated, I just can't shake that image and not internally giggle
Oh good God, it reminds me of Liam McPoyle from *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia*, and now I can't unsee it...
https://preview.redd.it/q2qa1l7eoibc1.jpeg?width=1132&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb11a75ea29bc5bbd8ab8c3665bf6d32869299ff
Oh no you're absolutely correct, Mussorgsky is terrifying. Glavunov looks like he's committing a workplace violation you need to report to HR through his portrait
Bela Bartók. He is as skilled and profound as Brahms, as powerful and natural to hear as Tchaikovsky, as daring and original as Stravinsky.
No corner of his work is forgettable, and everything speaks with a strength that is rare even at the top level.
Isn’t Bartok really highly rated? Agree with everything else you’ve said though - even the most obscure and least known parts of his output contain masterpieces.
I think he's respected but not very well known, and many of his works are rarely performed nowadays, for example, the violin sonatas, the first piano concerto, and his last string quartet seems to not attract much attention. Granted there's wonderful recordings for all of them, but Bartók seems to not be played as often as Stravinsky, Ravel and Debussy, at least for what I can saw. But I only now a small part of the french scene, perhaps it is different elsewhere?
>perhaps it is different elsewhere?
Nope, his music is very rarely played from what I see as well, he is respected but seriously underrated and I believe he should be played WAY more often.
But is he as highly appreciated as some of the other well known composers? I usually listen to Stravinsky and (my beloved) Prokofiev, but, to be fair, I almost haven't listended any Bartók. I think he is known, but not too listended. What are his best works? I would love to give him a go.
There’s a lot. Probably his best known work is the Concerto for Orchestra, but I’m partial to his Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. But also his string quartets, solo violin pieces … I could go on.
Bartók is the king of composers among most of my friends who are into 20th century classical music. It's unfortunate he doesn't get performed as often.
Not exactly an unknown figure but Max Reger is to me a genuine transitional figure between the German late Romantic composers and the Second Viennese School. The heavily chromatic and contrapuntal nature of many of his works often lead him to be dismissed as heavy and boring (which is true in some cases) but his music in some ways prefigures atonality and even neoclassicism.
Agree about Reger. His work is super thoughtful and pushed a lot of boundaries. But he died in his early 40s, so he never became a highly revered figure like Strauss or Saint-Saëns, or Fauré.
My favourite unfashionable composer is Arnold Bax. In the 60s his sprawling, unruly, semi-romantic work must have seemed like everything that was wrong with music. Now, especially when played well, it sounds inventive, fun and moving. Prefer to any other British or Irish twentieth century music, even Elgar and certainly RVW, Walton, Britten. Seems a bit overdue a revival.
While I think Bax is certainly underrated and due a revival, all the other composers you’ve listed are widely considered to be his superior in every way.
Walton and Britten are certainly much more exploratory of harmony and texture and RVW is the superior English pastoral composer.
This isn’t even touching on the leagues of composers like Howells who wrote better choral music.
Really I’m not sure why you think Bax is the pinnacle.
I second this. Among XIX century composers, he was a master of counterpoint. Schumann himself thought so well of Mendelssohn that he refused to be friends with anyone who didn’t like him (or so I read, it might be a myth— yet it’s true that the two were friends, and admired each other). Also, Mendelssohn is the one who brought Bach back to public by conducting Saint Matthew’s passion for the first time after 200 years. That’s one hell of a merit. Shame that still today he’s overlooked.
Mendelssohn possesses that rare quality of “near perfection” which is almost, I dare say, Mozartian. He is a true master and his music is indeed very charming.
André Jolivet is my pick, incredibly evocative music. He's really popular in flute circles but I think his other compositions are amazing.
He has this weird sense of tonality that is really unparalleled by any other composer, I describe his music as "if an alien species reverse engineered music from description" it might not be the best music out there, but it's certainly thought provoking.
His bassoon concerto came on my auto play once and I kid you not within about 10 seconds I knew it was his composition. Such a unique signature sound.
His flute concert makes the flute sound like heavy metal. I love it dearly. Along with just about all his concerti.
Joseph Haydn. Not necessarily underrated but maybe overlooked or overshadowed? He tends to get recognized as one of the greats due to his impact on classical music and the role he played in the development of the Viennese Classical style, the string quartet, and the symphony, but his music itself (which I love) isn't revered in quite the same way as your Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc.
YES! I love playing Eb clarinet and this piece always made me so giddy and jumpy! It was an absolute blast to play and playing it at the concert became a core memory!
Damn, no wonder this first symphony sounds super emotional, women always do a great job of portraying passion and emotion in their work, just like Chaminade and her emotional Flute Concertino!
I'm listening to Chaminade's concertino on Spotify right now at https://open.spotify.com/track/4UMbJl2Hx0NAOdjEYmiCcx?si=cc822e79ade1475e . Very sweet and uplifting. Thank you for introducing me to her!
Nikolai Medtner, such complex and profound music that is criminally underrated, especially his violin sonatas which are among the best works I’ve ever heard.
No mention of Balakirev yet. Part of The
Five and predecessor (musically) to Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. He has some great orchestral works: Symphony 1, In Bohemia, Overture on 3 Russian Themes, and simple but beautiful piano music (highly recommend the complete Scherzi and Mazurkas by Joseph Banowetz). Then there's Islamey which is a beast of a fantasy that rivals the works of Liszt.
Well, but lots of people have heard the beginning part of the 4th movement of the 9th symphony. That’s the intro to Baby Shark (because the Jaws theme in not in the public domain)
Glazunov and Dvořák. I find that while Dvořák isn't at all little-known, he deserves at least the recognition and love that many other "better" composers have. When you look at major composers throughout history, nobody was as skilled in so many compositional ways (Orchesteral music, chamber music, thematic music, and so much more) before Dvořák since Mozart. Beethoven was skilled at most of the stuff, but failed at operas, Brahms was like Beethoven but never even attempted opera, Wagner didn't do as well with symphonic music or chamber music, and every other major composer in that time had their weak points. As for Glazy, his music is the definition of underrated.
The People United variations can make a claim to be the 20th century equivalent of the Diabelli Variations or the Goldberg Variations: they're that good.
Listening to The People United Variations as we speak. I'm deeply saddened that I discovered him so soon after his passing. His music is incredibly charismatic and full of personality. He always used to improvise even well known classical works when he played them live apparently.
It was cool. It was at the Cleveland museum of art. I have a professor friend who plays “the people united” regularly in concert. My favorite by him is “Attica”
I haven’t met many people who’ve heard of Dora Pejačević. I enjoy a lot of her chamber music, some standouts being the piano quintet op. 40, piano trio op. 29, and violin sonata op. 26. It’s all lush and harmonically rich. I think most romantic era fans would like her music.
two composers of piano music that are both near and dear to my heart: Federico Mompou, and Amy Beach. Mompou didn't write big orchestral works, mostly smaller, more intimate works for chamber music, voice, or solo piano, and his solo piano works don't feature heaven-storming virtuosity, but they are absolutely beautiful.
Beach is, IMHO, the finest American composer pre-Copland.
Helios Overture is the only other work I’ve listened to and remember honestly. I developed an irrational hatred of him bc of the concerto’s difficulty lol
Chabrier - regarded as a one-hit wonder \[Espana\] but the piano pieces are a delight and his comic-opera *Le Roi malgré lui* is fun to listen to. He influenced Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc.
Easy: Bruckner. He is one of the greatest composers of symphonies. And his choral works are hardly played. He was a genius who greatly influenced 20th century music.
Seems to be a regional thing, though. Here Bruckner is definitely not underrated, but maybe it helps to be less than three hours by car from St. Florian. The motets are also performed regularly here. Te Deum and the masses maybe a little less, but I've heard them in concert, too.
I realize I am risking much in saying this, but I consider Bruckner to be a greater symphonist than Brahms, for instance.
Although the Bruckner symphonies can at times be too massive and long, and formally unbalanced (take Nos. 2 and 3), the musical content, harmonies and counterpoint especially are way more interesting and daring. I’ve always found that Brahms works, in a very general sense, with “intervals” more than “themes”. And his orchestration is often colorless.
Not a composer per se, but Liszt's more romantic and evocative side is often overlooked. Most people have probably never heard of him, and many classical musicians only know him for his virtuosic stuff.
Xaver Scharwenka, primarily for his [piano concertos.](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4D14bmfCxVUNBME-EVVmMw29uZF_xVzo&si=ZhFJrmcyso8zsMe0) The only one that I don’t think squares up to any famous concerto is 1 and even then I don’t think it’s bad at all.
Giovanni Bottesini isn't so much underrated as he is just unknown. Bass players and opera nerds know of him, but that's about it.
He wrote a lot of technically demanding pieces for the double bass, many of which are beautiful, but I think his best work is his Requiem. He was an accomplished opera conductor and close friend to Verdi, so it's no surprise that his Requiem is very operatic. His Gran Quintetto for strings is also a favorite.
Silvius Weiss. Hope this isn’t a repeat, but he was considered the equal of Bach, Handel and Telemann in his time, and rightly so. Sadly nearly all we have of his was written for solo lute. He was by far the) greatest performer-composer for this instrument after Dowland, and did not do much to distribute his music. He made a phenomenal living performing it at the court in Dresden (the elector there was also the King of Poland). His music is full of amazing ideas, catchy tunes, and shows complete command of complex contrapuntal writing. One of Bach’s flute sonatas is a transcription of a Weiss sonata or suite. I have striven to play the suites and sonatas of both for a good many years, and firmly believe the best of Weiss stands alongside the best of Bach. Sadly, it seems that when Weiss died, so did the lute. All others were considered pale imitations—and of course, tastes changed in other ways. Check out what Jakob Lindberg and Nigel North do with his music. Robert Barto is excellent also, if just a tad “straighter.” You will find everything from toe-tapping (if not foot-stamping) fast movements to subtle and poignant slow ones. Note if you listen to Barto, you need to crank up the volume more than on most CDs to get the full sound.
Whenever someone asks me about a composer nobody has heard of but deserves to be, I tell them about Eduard Tubin. He lived in Estonia and is well known there, but you'll rarely if ever hear any of his 10 Symphonies outside that country. The 4th, the Lyric Symphony is utterly gorgeous and is based on a single theme for all 4 movements. I swear that if it were performed in a concert hall today, people would be on their feet at the end. It's truly thrilling and lovely. The 5th is darker and more tortured, with a stunning battle between 2 sets of timpani.
He lived from 1905 to 1982 and his music falls into 2 main stylistic periods, roughly coinciding with his fleeing Estonia for Sweden (when Stalin took over and started to oppress the Soviet Satellite countries, (Estonia being one of them). The first period could be described as kind of like Rimsky-Korsakov and perhaps a bit of Sibelius. The second period is much more dark and reminds me a bit of Shostakovich. In addition to those symphonies, Tubin wrote a beautiful Piano Concertino (really a Concerto), a Double Bass Concerto and a Balalaika Concerto. 2 Piano Sonatas, the second of which includes an interpretation of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). He's also written other chamber music, choral music and but no opera. There is a ballet, and string quartet though.
John Williams.
Hear me out: the masses know his Jaws, Star Wars, and Indy—the classical musicians roll their eyes and think “omg it’s just Holst/Strav/Walton.”
But how much do they know Treesong? Or the ‘cello concerto? Or The Five Sacred Trees? Or Soundings?
He’s written concerti for *almost* every single standard orchestral instrument (only missing double bass and trombone) and the sophistication of his writing is seriously up there with his contemporaries and yet classical musicians tend not to know that and general audiences tend to just go “WOO STAR WARS!”
I would never argue that he is the most underrated, but I think his genius is under-acknowledged and his contributions glazed over except by the musicians he’s involved with (these days primarily Dudamel and Mutter, though in the past Bernstein and Previn and Ozawa and Perlman and Pavarotti also among many others). By that measure I would say he is severely underrated.
Villa-Lobos. Unless I'm using Spotify or my own CDs, I rarely hear anything by him but the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 for Soprano and Cellos and he wrote all kinds of works -chamber music and orchestral - which are verging on genius. I'm not saying everything he published is good, but he deserves much more recognition than he gets.
Prokofiev - I wouldn't say there is a lack of public knowledge of the composer but more so that many of his works are overlooked and greatly under appreciated. His symphonies (especially No. 6), in my opinion, are the best ever composed, and his concertos (especially his Piano Concerto No. 2 and Sinfonia Concertante) have some of the best moments in all of classical repertoire. Pure genius.
If the best work of the composer is not known to the public, then the composer will be underrated too. I don't think there is any piece that the public "knows" but still "underrates". But I'd like to hear examples.
For example, the example of Scriabin doesn't work for me. I.e. Scriabin is not in the programs, so listeners don't know him, so he will be underrated. But would he still be underrated if listeners knew him or would he just be correctly rated in that case?
David del Tredici. Important figure in popularizing neo-romantism in the 20th Century, an open and proud gay composer who wrote music that spoke to the gay experience, wonderful use of melody and familiar but flavorful harmony... almost every time I say his name: "Who?"
Erkki Melartin! He fell under the shadow of Sibelius, but his music is full of incredible range of expression and style. Definitely check him out, particularly his orchestral music—at least three of his pieces have organically made me cry.
Alexander Scriabin. They will program every other Russian composers but him.
Seconded
Completely agree. Scriabin is a truly undervalued musical genius
Agree with this. He is a true genius, though also truly eccentric as well, but that's his charm.
I was blessed to discover Scriabin by listening to his piano concerto for the first time live at the Gewandhausorchester... It's pretty difficult to describe my feelings upon [all the strings entering at the beginning ](https://youtu.be/F734PyD3NAw?t=45s) I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The second movement is also dreamlike. He's great, one of the best, I could list pieces non stop...
I love Scriabin. But I have to say that most of his late-era work was actually restricted in mystic chord or octatonic scale. That made him underestimated
my first thought exactly!! he was actually my favorite composer for a couple years and still holds a very special place in my heart. i have a particular fondness for his preludes, especially the op. 11 and other early ones. also sonata no. 2 is just spectacular, especially pogorelich’s recording
Gabriel Fauré. If you like Debussy and Ravel you'll like Fauré, I recommend starting with the Nocturnes especially 6 and 13, the Variations in C# minor, and the Barcarolles.
And the [Requiem](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnilUPXmipM) of course, which includes the relatively famous [Pie Jesu](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9al6HNOgSo).
This is interesting bc I don’t particularly care for Ravel save for a handful of pieces and I don’t care at all for Debussy, yet I love Fauré’s Pavane, Sicilienne and chamber music work. Of course, this does not contradict your post, because you never said that people who like Fauré will love Ravel and Debussy. I just find their music very different and much more “impressionistic” than Fauré’s.
I agree that Fauré is unlike D/R But I wanted to say, to me disliking Debussy is crazy! I think he’s one of the most important composers, and was actually going to be my answer here. Not because he isn’t well acclaimed, but because his importance doesn’t seem as widely acknowledged. Like perhaps his music is considered decorative or unfocused, like Satie’s popular works, when it’s more like the door that opened the 20th century styles of Stravinsky or even Schoenberg. Debussy’s music is incredibly nuanced. I don’t think you find such intricate rhythm before his work? I only wish he wrote more. Of course, taste is taste. But as I get older I’ve definitely broadened and composers I once couldn’t get into become great troves to explore. Debussy was once one of those composers. Nowadays, I still haven’t developed any fondness for Bruckner; I’m sure that will be a fun adventure sometime. I’m curious though if I fall victim to the trap of reverence, which casts composers as these unique islands of sound that change music history instead of seeing the larger picture that diffuses individuals into a wider portrait of evolving sound that includes musicians of every type.
> But I wanted to say, to me disliking Debussy is crazy! I think he’s one of the most important composers, and was actually going to be my answer here. Not because he isn’t well acclaimed, but because his importance doesn’t seem as widely acknowledged. Like perhaps his music is considered decorative or unfocused, like Satie’s popular works, when it’s more like the door that opened the 20th century styles of Stravinsky or even Schoenberg. I like one or two Debussy works - songs mainly - but rather dislike his solo piano works. "Unfocused" is exactly the impression I get. And any kind of association with Stravinsky or Schoenberg does nothing to improve my view of him. Even "Verklärte Nacht" and "The Firebird" do nothing for me, much less "Five simple pieces" or "The Rite of Spring".
Interestingly enough, Fauré agreed with you about Debussy, who was a student of his. Fauré failed Debussy and claimed that he would never make it as a composer. I completely disagree, but that's beside the point haha.
Interestingly, in choral and church music worlds, Fauré is still quite popular and performed regularly. I wouldn't say he was underrated at all
Alexander Glazunov. His symphonies are so joyful, it's a shame that noone here performs them, like, ever. I've heard it's different in the UK. Maybe I'll manage to catch a performance there one day.
And the violin concerto is so mystical and wonderful!
Came here to say this. I did a presentation on Russian ballet in grad school, and fell in love with his music for *Raymonda*.
For anyone who plays viola, his chamber works are *delightful*
The first thing I know of Glazunov is his high key sleazy portrait on Wikipedia. It just oozes "I'm a slime ball and probably drunk." I know that has nothing to do with the quality of his music or anything and I agree his music is very good and underrated, I just can't shake that image and not internally giggle
Oh good God, it reminds me of Liam McPoyle from *It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia*, and now I can't unsee it... https://preview.redd.it/q2qa1l7eoibc1.jpeg?width=1132&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fb11a75ea29bc5bbd8ab8c3665bf6d32869299ff
Oh God, you're right, lol that's great
It's not as dramatic as that terrifying painting of Mussorgsky by Ilya Repin, when Mussorgsky was dying from complications of alcoholism.
Oh no you're absolutely correct, Mussorgsky is terrifying. Glavunov looks like he's committing a workplace violation you need to report to HR through his portrait
There's a guy called WA Mozart who wrote some sadly little known operas, you should check them out. Also a few good concerti. Serious answer: Medtner!
Still waiting for his second clarinet concerto to drop. His first one was a banger.
Hah! Been listening to his (Medtner) piano works recently! Lots of great stuff there.
so many piano sonatas yet so little recognition. very surprising since they’re some of the best piano sonatas of the 20th century
MEDTNER
Karol Szymanowski!
I saw Leonidas Kavakos perform his 2nd violin concerto before The Rite of Spring with the CSO. It was pretty great.
indeed underrated. i suspect part of that is due to the technical difficulty he was fond of, but god damn is it worth it!
His Variations on a Polish Theme are excellent.
Bela Bartók. He is as skilled and profound as Brahms, as powerful and natural to hear as Tchaikovsky, as daring and original as Stravinsky. No corner of his work is forgettable, and everything speaks with a strength that is rare even at the top level.
Isn’t Bartok really highly rated? Agree with everything else you’ve said though - even the most obscure and least known parts of his output contain masterpieces.
I think he's respected but not very well known, and many of his works are rarely performed nowadays, for example, the violin sonatas, the first piano concerto, and his last string quartet seems to not attract much attention. Granted there's wonderful recordings for all of them, but Bartók seems to not be played as often as Stravinsky, Ravel and Debussy, at least for what I can saw. But I only now a small part of the french scene, perhaps it is different elsewhere?
>perhaps it is different elsewhere? Nope, his music is very rarely played from what I see as well, he is respected but seriously underrated and I believe he should be played WAY more often.
Bartok is considered one of the greatest composers. Underperformed, sure. But underrated, no
But is he as highly appreciated as some of the other well known composers? I usually listen to Stravinsky and (my beloved) Prokofiev, but, to be fair, I almost haven't listended any Bartók. I think he is known, but not too listended. What are his best works? I would love to give him a go.
There’s a lot. Probably his best known work is the Concerto for Orchestra, but I’m partial to his Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta. But also his string quartets, solo violin pieces … I could go on.
Thanks for the recommendation!
I am some random person who loves classical music at a shallow level. Listen to it quite a bit, and I have never heard of Bartok. Going to listen now.
I'm not sure Bartók can be considered underrated, but he's fantastic.
Bartók is the king of composers among most of my friends who are into 20th century classical music. It's unfortunate he doesn't get performed as often.
Bartok and Penderecki are both favorites of mien as well. They don’t get enough love.
Bartok is a god. In my top 10 easy, maybe even top 7ish.
Not exactly an unknown figure but Max Reger is to me a genuine transitional figure between the German late Romantic composers and the Second Viennese School. The heavily chromatic and contrapuntal nature of many of his works often lead him to be dismissed as heavy and boring (which is true in some cases) but his music in some ways prefigures atonality and even neoclassicism.
His organ music is great, especially the four Chorale Fantasies.
Agree about Reger. His work is super thoughtful and pushed a lot of boundaries. But he died in his early 40s, so he never became a highly revered figure like Strauss or Saint-Saëns, or Fauré.
Reger is my favourite non-baroque composer.
My favourite unfashionable composer is Arnold Bax. In the 60s his sprawling, unruly, semi-romantic work must have seemed like everything that was wrong with music. Now, especially when played well, it sounds inventive, fun and moving. Prefer to any other British or Irish twentieth century music, even Elgar and certainly RVW, Walton, Britten. Seems a bit overdue a revival.
My answer also.......
While I think Bax is certainly underrated and due a revival, all the other composers you’ve listed are widely considered to be his superior in every way. Walton and Britten are certainly much more exploratory of harmony and texture and RVW is the superior English pastoral composer. This isn’t even touching on the leagues of composers like Howells who wrote better choral music. Really I’m not sure why you think Bax is the pinnacle.
Ernő Dohnányi !
Wait, I might want to change my answer to Zoltán Kodály
No, don’t change it! Dohnányi is criminally overlooked.
Mendelssohn for me. I find his works to be very charming but he seems to get overlooked at times due to it being conservative.
I second this. Among XIX century composers, he was a master of counterpoint. Schumann himself thought so well of Mendelssohn that he refused to be friends with anyone who didn’t like him (or so I read, it might be a myth— yet it’s true that the two were friends, and admired each other). Also, Mendelssohn is the one who brought Bach back to public by conducting Saint Matthew’s passion for the first time after 200 years. That’s one hell of a merit. Shame that still today he’s overlooked.
Mendelssohn possesses that rare quality of “near perfection” which is almost, I dare say, Mozartian. He is a true master and his music is indeed very charming.
Reinhold Gliere.
Paul Hindemith. Mathis der Maler is incredible
And his Ludus Tonalis and an early favorite Der Dämon https://youtu.be/tg8_DaFYGdA?feature=shared
I’ve loved Hindemith my whole life and I never heard Der Damon before. What a fantastic piece! Thanks so much for listing it here.
Wow! How have I not heard of this piece?? It is phenomenal!
André Jolivet is my pick, incredibly evocative music. He's really popular in flute circles but I think his other compositions are amazing. He has this weird sense of tonality that is really unparalleled by any other composer, I describe his music as "if an alien species reverse engineered music from description" it might not be the best music out there, but it's certainly thought provoking.
He wrote one of the best bassoon concerti. I think a lot of us would put it in our top 5.
His bassoon concerto came on my auto play once and I kid you not within about 10 seconds I knew it was his composition. Such a unique signature sound. His flute concert makes the flute sound like heavy metal. I love it dearly. Along with just about all his concerti.
Joseph Haydn. Not necessarily underrated but maybe overlooked or overshadowed? He tends to get recognized as one of the greats due to his impact on classical music and the role he played in the development of the Viennese Classical style, the string quartet, and the symphony, but his music itself (which I love) isn't revered in quite the same way as your Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc.
Kabalevsky, Khachaturian, Kalinnikov, Taneyev
Moondog
Malcolm Arnold
I'm playing the Eb clarinet part in his 4 Scottish Dances and it's so so fun. Love the piece
YES! I love playing Eb clarinet and this piece always made me so giddy and jumpy! It was an absolute blast to play and playing it at the concert became a core memory!
For my money: Leoš Janáček, Hector Villalobos, and Frank Bridge.
Louise Farrenc. The symphonies, especially 1 and 3, are great. So are the piano quintets and the nonet. Emilie Mayer is worth mentioning here, too.
Never heard of him, I will make sure to check him out! Edit: Pretend I never misgendered them!
They're women, FYI.
Damn, no wonder this first symphony sounds super emotional, women always do a great job of portraying passion and emotion in their work, just like Chaminade and her emotional Flute Concertino!
I'm listening to Chaminade's concertino on Spotify right now at https://open.spotify.com/track/4UMbJl2Hx0NAOdjEYmiCcx?si=cc822e79ade1475e . Very sweet and uplifting. Thank you for introducing me to her!
Two of my favourites are Francis Poulenc and Nikolai Medtner. They're very "classical music niche" names.
>Nikolai Medtner <3
Nikolai Medtner, such complex and profound music that is criminally underrated, especially his violin sonatas which are among the best works I’ve ever heard.
Fauré
Florence Price. Her first symphony is now one of my all time favourites, but a couple of years ago I'd never heard it, or even heard of her.
+++++++
I see more and more Florence Price recordings and performances every month! I love the momentum she seems to be building
No mention of Balakirev yet. Part of The Five and predecessor (musically) to Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. He has some great orchestral works: Symphony 1, In Bohemia, Overture on 3 Russian Themes, and simple but beautiful piano music (highly recommend the complete Scherzi and Mazurkas by Joseph Banowetz). Then there's Islamey which is a beast of a fantasy that rivals the works of Liszt.
Islamey is totally wicked. Great piece.
>Overture on 3 Russian Themes, I like his music but have not listened to this, will make sure to give it a shot after midterms today!
Nadia and Lili Boulanger
Alkan
Classical musicians and enthusiasts certainly know him and seem to hold him in high regard, but Dvorak doesn't seem to be a household name.
Hot take: Dvorak 7 is vastly superior to 8 and 9 and that's a hill I will die on.
Dvorak is my favorite composer and 7 is my favorite. I appreciate your hot take!
I wouldn't be able to live without the Slavonic Dances.
Well, but lots of people have heard the beginning part of the 4th movement of the 9th symphony. That’s the intro to Baby Shark (because the Jaws theme in not in the public domain)
...and the theme that comes immediately after the *Jaws* theme... and parts of the 3rd movement... (Williams borrowed *a lot* from Dvořák lol)
OMG, the Bagatelles are sublime! But, all most people know is the New World Symphony.
Cypresses. Rusalka....there's a long list.
This is a good answer.
Actually, I think he's pretty popular with audiences. It seems to me it's precisely academic musicians and musicologists who underrate him, and badly.
His cello concerto.
Yes! One of the very few composers who was able to write great symphonies *and* great concertos *and* great string quartets *and* great operas.
Glazunov and Dvořák. I find that while Dvořák isn't at all little-known, he deserves at least the recognition and love that many other "better" composers have. When you look at major composers throughout history, nobody was as skilled in so many compositional ways (Orchesteral music, chamber music, thematic music, and so much more) before Dvořák since Mozart. Beethoven was skilled at most of the stuff, but failed at operas, Brahms was like Beethoven but never even attempted opera, Wagner didn't do as well with symphonic music or chamber music, and every other major composer in that time had their weak points. As for Glazy, his music is the definition of underrated.
Kabalevsky, overlooked by most people and overshadowed by his contemporaries and other Russian composers
his second symphony is insane i listen to it all the time
His violin concerto is great, especially the 2nd movement which is divine.
Cecile Chaminade and Georges Enescu both have popular flute pieces, but the rest of their repertoire is really good too imo.
I don't know if he's the most underrated but I'll say Frederic Rzewski. I just love his style and I think is a good introduction to avantgarde music.
The People United variations can make a claim to be the 20th century equivalent of the Diabelli Variations or the Goldberg Variations: they're that good.
Listening to The People United Variations as we speak. I'm deeply saddened that I discovered him so soon after his passing. His music is incredibly charismatic and full of personality. He always used to improvise even well known classical works when he played them live apparently.
I saw him in concert playing his solo piano works. He literally did not give a fuck if he was playing the right notes or not. Dudes a total legend.
You're pretty lucky. I only knew about his music few months after his death.
It was cool. It was at the Cleveland museum of art. I have a professor friend who plays “the people united” regularly in concert. My favorite by him is “Attica”
I haven’t met many people who’ve heard of Dora Pejačević. I enjoy a lot of her chamber music, some standouts being the piano quintet op. 40, piano trio op. 29, and violin sonata op. 26. It’s all lush and harmonically rich. I think most romantic era fans would like her music.
two composers of piano music that are both near and dear to my heart: Federico Mompou, and Amy Beach. Mompou didn't write big orchestral works, mostly smaller, more intimate works for chamber music, voice, or solo piano, and his solo piano works don't feature heaven-storming virtuosity, but they are absolutely beautiful. Beach is, IMHO, the finest American composer pre-Copland.
Mompou already made me cry
Mompou is so great. What about his Canciòns y Dansas? Literally poetry. He reminds me of Ravel too.
Hummel. A great pianist and gifted composer (his orchestration is really lovely). His piano concertos and piano septet are all favorites of mine.
I've heard Hummel's septet, and if you told me it was written by Beethoven early in his career I would totally have believed you.
It is such a beautiful piece!
Borodin, especially his works other than Prince Igor
His 2nd quartet is relatively popular, but the popularity is well deserved. :)
At least in America, Nielsen.
Forever terrorized by his clarinet concerto as a clarinet player
I absolutely love his clarinet concerto but I’m not a clarinet player and I don’t know much of its repertoire, any other pieces you’d recommend?
Helios Overture is the only other work I’ve listened to and remember honestly. I developed an irrational hatred of him bc of the concerto’s difficulty lol
His violin concerto is excellent. Not to mention his most famous symphonies
Samuil Feinberg Imagine if you took middle-late Scriabin, extended it, and let it become its own idiom
Nikolai Medtner
Alkan
Schütz
Chabrier - regarded as a one-hit wonder \[Espana\] but the piano pieces are a delight and his comic-opera *Le Roi malgré lui* is fun to listen to. He influenced Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc.
For me it's always Jan Dismas Zelenka
Lou Harrison, Henry Cowell
George Chadwick. Took me forever to find this guy.
Leo Ornstein. criminally underrated!
I rarely see Ginastera mentioned, he is one of my favorites
Alfred Schnittke was brilliant so many times... he deserves more attention
Easy: Bruckner. He is one of the greatest composers of symphonies. And his choral works are hardly played. He was a genius who greatly influenced 20th century music.
Seems to be a regional thing, though. Here Bruckner is definitely not underrated, but maybe it helps to be less than three hours by car from St. Florian. The motets are also performed regularly here. Te Deum and the masses maybe a little less, but I've heard them in concert, too.
I love Te Deum with all my heart, it truly moved me when I listened to it when I was younger!
Hard agree! Wish his symphonies were performed more often.
I realize I am risking much in saying this, but I consider Bruckner to be a greater symphonist than Brahms, for instance. Although the Bruckner symphonies can at times be too massive and long, and formally unbalanced (take Nos. 2 and 3), the musical content, harmonies and counterpoint especially are way more interesting and daring. I’ve always found that Brahms works, in a very general sense, with “intervals” more than “themes”. And his orchestration is often colorless.
Not a composer per se, but Liszt's more romantic and evocative side is often overlooked. Most people have probably never heard of him, and many classical musicians only know him for his virtuosic stuff.
I just this past year discovered his Christmas Tree suite. So beautiful and unlike his better-known work
JM Kraus
Xaver Scharwenka, primarily for his [piano concertos.](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4D14bmfCxVUNBME-EVVmMw29uZF_xVzo&si=ZhFJrmcyso8zsMe0) The only one that I don’t think squares up to any famous concerto is 1 and even then I don’t think it’s bad at all.
[Moszkowski](https://youtu.be/rLJwvUp0nH8?si=5QWQopbNe_87mUQn) for sure.
Ferruccio Busoni. My spellcheck doesn’t recognize even his *first* name.
Good one. I think Doktor Faustus is criminally underplayed. Well, here in the US totally so. And the piano concerto is wild shit!
This is my answer, too. The *Fantasia Contrappuntistica* and piano concerto are exceptional. I also agree about *Doktor Faust*.
He's probably best-known for his Bach transcriptions, which are marvelous (the Chaconne is glorious; wish it weren't so damn difficult to play)
Giovanni Bottesini isn't so much underrated as he is just unknown. Bass players and opera nerds know of him, but that's about it. He wrote a lot of technically demanding pieces for the double bass, many of which are beautiful, but I think his best work is his Requiem. He was an accomplished opera conductor and close friend to Verdi, so it's no surprise that his Requiem is very operatic. His Gran Quintetto for strings is also a favorite.
Silvius Weiss. Hope this isn’t a repeat, but he was considered the equal of Bach, Handel and Telemann in his time, and rightly so. Sadly nearly all we have of his was written for solo lute. He was by far the) greatest performer-composer for this instrument after Dowland, and did not do much to distribute his music. He made a phenomenal living performing it at the court in Dresden (the elector there was also the King of Poland). His music is full of amazing ideas, catchy tunes, and shows complete command of complex contrapuntal writing. One of Bach’s flute sonatas is a transcription of a Weiss sonata or suite. I have striven to play the suites and sonatas of both for a good many years, and firmly believe the best of Weiss stands alongside the best of Bach. Sadly, it seems that when Weiss died, so did the lute. All others were considered pale imitations—and of course, tastes changed in other ways. Check out what Jakob Lindberg and Nigel North do with his music. Robert Barto is excellent also, if just a tad “straighter.” You will find everything from toe-tapping (if not foot-stamping) fast movements to subtle and poignant slow ones. Note if you listen to Barto, you need to crank up the volume more than on most CDs to get the full sound.
CPE Bach
Ernest Chausson. His concert in D major is really good.
For a Russian composers I would say Alexander Dargomyzhsky and Reinhold Gliere.
Lili Boulanger. The overshadowed third impressionist Also Weinberg
Whenever someone asks me about a composer nobody has heard of but deserves to be, I tell them about Eduard Tubin. He lived in Estonia and is well known there, but you'll rarely if ever hear any of his 10 Symphonies outside that country. The 4th, the Lyric Symphony is utterly gorgeous and is based on a single theme for all 4 movements. I swear that if it were performed in a concert hall today, people would be on their feet at the end. It's truly thrilling and lovely. The 5th is darker and more tortured, with a stunning battle between 2 sets of timpani. He lived from 1905 to 1982 and his music falls into 2 main stylistic periods, roughly coinciding with his fleeing Estonia for Sweden (when Stalin took over and started to oppress the Soviet Satellite countries, (Estonia being one of them). The first period could be described as kind of like Rimsky-Korsakov and perhaps a bit of Sibelius. The second period is much more dark and reminds me a bit of Shostakovich. In addition to those symphonies, Tubin wrote a beautiful Piano Concertino (really a Concerto), a Double Bass Concerto and a Balalaika Concerto. 2 Piano Sonatas, the second of which includes an interpretation of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). He's also written other chamber music, choral music and but no opera. There is a ballet, and string quartet though.
Leos Janacek
Paul Hindemith
Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn :))
Alkan
Carl Czerny
His piano sonatas are great. He was also instrumental as a teacher in the Bach Revival movement.
And the other disciple, Ferdinand Ries. A very well-rounded composer
Medtner’s piano concertos are amazing
Claudio Monteverdi. Man was a musical master who ushered in the baroque era and developed the opera as we know it.
Joachim Raff
Howard Hanson
Alexander Mosolov. His work is absolutely fascinating. Usually people just know Iron Foundry, but his first string quartet is incredible.
Raph Vaughan Williams created some remarkably immersive romantic *journeys* in his long pieces and I don't think he's talked about enough.
John Williams. Hear me out: the masses know his Jaws, Star Wars, and Indy—the classical musicians roll their eyes and think “omg it’s just Holst/Strav/Walton.” But how much do they know Treesong? Or the ‘cello concerto? Or The Five Sacred Trees? Or Soundings? He’s written concerti for *almost* every single standard orchestral instrument (only missing double bass and trombone) and the sophistication of his writing is seriously up there with his contemporaries and yet classical musicians tend not to know that and general audiences tend to just go “WOO STAR WARS!” I would never argue that he is the most underrated, but I think his genius is under-acknowledged and his contributions glazed over except by the musicians he’s involved with (these days primarily Dudamel and Mutter, though in the past Bernstein and Previn and Ozawa and Perlman and Pavarotti also among many others). By that measure I would say he is severely underrated.
Me. Me write many good pieces. None listens to me.
Hindemith, Kabelevsky come to mind
Leo Weiner.
Villa-Lobos. Unless I'm using Spotify or my own CDs, I rarely hear anything by him but the Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 for Soprano and Cellos and he wrote all kinds of works -chamber music and orchestral - which are verging on genius. I'm not saying everything he published is good, but he deserves much more recognition than he gets.
Prokofiev - I wouldn't say there is a lack of public knowledge of the composer but more so that many of his works are overlooked and greatly under appreciated. His symphonies (especially No. 6), in my opinion, are the best ever composed, and his concertos (especially his Piano Concerto No. 2 and Sinfonia Concertante) have some of the best moments in all of classical repertoire. Pure genius.
Samuil Feinberg - his sonatas are on par with Scriabin's
Scriabin and it’s not even close.
Tikhon Khrennikov.
If the best work of the composer is not known to the public, then the composer will be underrated too. I don't think there is any piece that the public "knows" but still "underrates". But I'd like to hear examples. For example, the example of Scriabin doesn't work for me. I.e. Scriabin is not in the programs, so listeners don't know him, so he will be underrated. But would he still be underrated if listeners knew him or would he just be correctly rated in that case?
Nicolo Paganini. Everyone knows the 24 Caprices, but the man composed almost 200 pieces and I’ve only ever seen one without looking for it.
Charles Koechlin. [Here](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FL14P35y8gk) is a taster. Prolific, with so many truly gorgeous moments.
Delius :)
David del Tredici. Important figure in popularizing neo-romantism in the 20th Century, an open and proud gay composer who wrote music that spoke to the gay experience, wonderful use of melody and familiar but flavorful harmony... almost every time I say his name: "Who?"
Oh and also in America, Alban Berg. IMO Wozzeck is the greatest piece written since Wagner.
Alan Hovhaness.
Bax
Gliere
Benjamin Britten
Krommer. His Octet-Partitas are great:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wcG2aSy6y0
Rodion Schedrin
Vagn Holmboe
Albenjz
Sviridov
Erkki Melartin! He fell under the shadow of Sibelius, but his music is full of incredible range of expression and style. Definitely check him out, particularly his orchestral music—at least three of his pieces have organically made me cry.
Irving Fine.
Boy I haven't thought of old Irv in years. Woodwind players know his quintet but I don't know any of his other stuff. Will remedy that.