This should have been originally a question for a poll but then I have realized that there have been as many great composers as not possible to make any list with no name missing. Thus, I put down my beloved ones:

1. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven

Bach tells us via his music calmly: do not be afraid, everything is ok, every thing and being has its right place and function in our great world, we all have a deep sense not forgotten, so let us joy.

Mozart brings us the melodies of Heavens singing: do not be scared, although sometimes things are not as we would like to have them, let us joy.

Beethoven warns: things are getting bad often but do not be frightened, if strong and heroic enough we can cope with any tragedy and joy as well.

They all raise our spirits to God.

2. Russians: Cajkovskij, Prokofiev, Mussorgskij, Stravinskij, Sostakovic, Rachmaninov ...

As the whole art come from Russia, they brought the music of extraordinary depth, width, heighth and fullness of human emotions; not hidden behind the curtain of any style.

3. Others including Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Chopin, Schubert, Dvorak, Smetana, Verdi, Gershwin, Gorecki, Ellington and many many others ..... whose works I was lucky to hear and enjoy.

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=591 - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=591

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1839 - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1839

Gorecki ranks very high among my favourite classical composers

Bach

Vaughan Williams

Britten

Chopin

Enescu

Paderewski

Debussy

Where's Prokofiev??

The hard-man of 20th Century composers,always pushing the boundaries with his music,and always cocking a snoop to negative criticism.This is a man who,during the First World War wrote magical compositions for piano without having a piano available to him most of the time!

This is what I wrote in October and I still cant believe how many people are ignorant of his genius (although Vlado mentions him in passing).Love his music-all of it.

Reed Lover wrote: Where's Prokofiev?? The hard-man of 20th Century composers,always pushing the boundaries with his music,and always cocking a snoop to negative criticism.This is a man who,during the First World War wrote magical compositions for piano without having a piano available to him most of the time! This is what I wrote in October and I still cant believe how many people are ignorant of his genius (although Vlado mentions him in passing).Love his music-all of it.

Dear Reed Lover,

Sergej is one of my really the most beloved ones. Especially, after I have heard his violin concertos and sonatas and some operas. Still, I do not know much of him, piano works not at all. for all progheads: According to his Peter and wolf there was an album made with great artists, I have never heard it.

Schubert, Dvorak.

Lately , I have been a bit allergic to grand symphonies and prefewr String quartet or quintets. Chamber music. probably comes from my liking bands like Univers Zero , Maneige and others.

Kachaturian

Lutoslawski

Villa Lobos

Harry Parth

Luc Ferrari

VLADO wrote: Reed Lover wrote: Where's Prokofiev?? The hard-man of 20th Century composers,always pushing the boundaries with his music,and always cocking a snoop to negative criticism.This is a man who,during the First World War wrote magical compositions for piano without having a piano available to him most of the time! This is what I wrote in October and I still cant believe how many people are ignorant of his genius (although Vlado mentions him in passing).Love his music-all of it. Dear Reed Lover, Sergej is one of my really the most beloved ones. Especially, after I have heard his violin concertos and sonatas and some operas. Still, I do not know much of him, piano works not at all. for all progheads: According to his Peter and wolf there was an album made with great artists, I have never heard it.

There are many,many recordings out there.
One has Patrick Stewart of Star Trek fame narrating:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000005EDG/qid=1114019925/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_11_2/026-8444413-4540443 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000005EDG/qid=1114 019925/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_11_2/026-8444413-4540443

but I guess you mean famous musicians.

The trouble with most radio stations - especially during the day - is they only play "Pop" classics. They don't dare play the interesting stuff.

I get so fed up of hearing Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" or Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" or Beethoven's 5th played by homogenous-sounding orchestras that bleed the emotion out of the music.

These are fine pieces of music, but overplay and Herbert von Karajan and his wannabees just trash it. To my mind, an orchestra should not sound like a syrupy wash of sound in which the instruments are barely definable from each other, and there is no need for absolute precision in timekeeping - the music should be felt, not wound up like clockwork.

Roger Norrington is the best conductor alive - his interpretations of Beethoven are stunning!

Pierre Boulez is another conductor we should all be grateful to for keeping avante-garde music alive and bringing his own 20th Century viewpoints to the classics.

My current favourite composer is Messaien, followed by Rakhmaninov, who I have been studying - which always gives a bias!

It's always pleasurable to read about a composer whilst listening to his/her work - it gives you a feeling of really understanding what he/she was about (even if you don't really understand it ).

Studying a classical composer's work really opens your ears to good prog rock too - plus helps you filter out the dross!

telemann rocks too!

i like Baroque oboe concerto and church organ concertos!

Keith Emerson

Aaron Copland

Certif1ed wrote: The trouble with most radio stations - especially during the day - is they only play "Pop" classics. They don't dare play the interesting stuff.

I think I'd replace "most" with "all except Radio 3" .