Well, since I am in the classical music business and...percolation, I guess I should honour a personal response to this, no?
Fine then. But first I'll put in a moral word, which is that, unless you're really a person of light listening and preferences into classical music, you shouldn't really accentuate the "best of" thing, like you do in charting rock, pop etc. Cause it's not really the essence, plus, to a absolutely unclaimable anymore standard, each and every composer brought in his tremendous and utmost passion, plus his contribution is staggeringly artistic and definitely referential.
So, basically, there is no top, there's, moreover, impossible to make a top out of classical composers without defining the artistic current (Renaissance, Baroque, Classic, Romantic, Impressionist, Modern etc.), there is, personally, no reason for me to like some and dislike others. I'm not the type of guy, nor the type of pianist, on this issue.
But, just for fun, here's some of my current impression, or, rather, those I like to play, listen and get inspired (in life) from very, very much.
I did, when I was young, and still do, upon these days, like enormously
Frederich Chopin, he's such a blissful romantic and such an emotionist. His works, whether small or complex, whether highlighting or broadly dark and special, are fantastic. And the sound is forever close to my heart.
But also from the Romantic period, I'm getting a lot of pleasure from playing or listening to the works of
Franz Liszt. Lately I played a lot of work by him, so a bit of his "dexterity" caught into me, but I also think he gave an expression of ample like no other. Great composer.
To finish off the Romantic period, I'll name
Brahms too, because he's music is equally pianistic/symphonistic fit, but also has an extreme value by which only a special interpretation can be significant. I'm working on two works by him too, apparenly I'm an artist capable (physically) of interpreting Brahms.
Right now, it's essential to mention one artist that, just like Chopin, really seems to douse me in euphoria and divine joy that most others, plus he's again an artist in which I gained a moral special fiber to interpret him.
Claude Debussy, gentlemen, is for me an rare gem of a composer, with impressionistic works that simply balance a great passion for the nuances, a sparkle of symbols and a fruitful collection of "manual working". Highly eccentric, this composer is unique to my heart.
I just finished working on the first chapter of his "Preludes" and I feel so good, so blessed and so marked by playing the entire cycle. ah!
Moving on "plainer" nevertheless extraordinary preferences.
Johann Sebastian Bach is a word of God and a word of law towards everything classical music represents and has evolved. But, outside these bold words, you can always assure yourself his entire work and methodic nuance is extraordinary. Living till the end of all existing time.
Joseph Haydn is my favorite Classic composer, perhaps I hear too much Beethoven or get to play myself, also, perhaps, Mozart is entitled to a personal joy, but not my personal joy. Anyway, I've little experience in Haydn, which is curios, but I like listening to his piano sonatas or such. I think that each of the three mentioned classics are fantastic, and in playing the piano, you have to know a special "trick of interpretation" to specifically all three, otherwise you're playing in vain and ugly.
Sorry for all who resent that I haven't mentioned Schumann, Schubert or Mendellsohn, but I have little pianistic experience in them, plus I've already mentioned the Romantic superlative I'm into.
Out of more modern early moves (or late romantic evolutions), I was really a fan of
Mussorsgki's Pictures At An Exhibition, but lately I seem to douse my like on him. Instead I grow lately on
Mahler. Deep into the modern touch, I like to mention
Scriabin, really good stuff. Rachmaninov and Prokofiev are top notch, but I'm still a little strange to their music.
Lately, I will only say that, although not necesarilly having a special preference for the artist, I like deeply
Ravel's
Bolero and I even hate any wrong interpretation to it. (meaning I get pretentious and cocky to it being played excellent, whenever
)
that's, wow, all.
/PAlogo_v2.gif "Progarchives.com Homepage")
Your Classical TOP TEN
Topic Options
maybe three..), let's see if something has changed meanwhile... 
