Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Onlinehttp://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&category=genre&genreId=177&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rssTop Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody OnlineNeo Classicalen720Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:14:26 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online http://mp3.rhapsody.com/charts?cat=artist&category=genre&genreId=177&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online Maurice Ravel http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61180&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:50:40 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.61180 art.61180 Maurice Ravel art.61180 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61180&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61180&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Sergei Rachmaninov http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.62082&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:50:08 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.62082 art.62082 Sergei Rachmaninov art.62082 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.62082&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.62082&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss The Seven Year Itch. While "Chopsticks" turned out to float Miss Monroe's beautiful boat, the rest of us can sink into the plush splendor of Rachmaninov's musical world. A disciple of Tchaikovsky, he was one of the 20th Century's few great composers who stayed true to classical ideals rather than expanding the form. His most famous works, like the exquisite "Vocalise" for example, sound far removed from the avant-garde world of Stravinsky. A brilliant pianist whose massive hands allowed for an expansive reach across the keys, many of Rachmaninov's pieces have become musical decathlons of technical prowess. This was illustrated to sweat-popping effect in the hit film Shine. - Nick Dedina]]> Aaron Copland http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.284&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss 20th/21st Century Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:49:14 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.284 art.284 Aaron Copland art.284 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.284&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.284&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Fanfare for the Common Man and the ballets Billy the Kid, Rodeo and Appalachian Spring are burned into the American psyche. But the appeal he has as a popular artist does not make for work of poor quality. Even the most ostensibly jingoistic or simplistic of his pieces is multilayered, incredibly dense and harmonically sophisticated, revealing a formidable mind at work. For instance, the composer's best-known ballet Appalachian Spring is a powerful and emotional document of the pioneer spirit that subtly moves from austere phrases to full, lush textures. The piece flirts with dissonance, quotes from traditional folk tunes and utilizes effective and propulsive changes in meter. Copland was shrewd enough to craft art that still touches people, and talented enough to ensure it lasted beyond his lifetime. - Will Lerner]]> Samuel Barber http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61013&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:39:25 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.61013 art.61013 Samuel Barber art.61013 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61013&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61013&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Overture to the School for Scandal (Op. 5, 1931), Second Essay for Orchestra (Op. 17, 1942), and the ubiquitous Adagio for strings (Op. 11, 1938) -- evidence a great devotion to Brahms' dramatic romanticism. Born in West Chester, Penn., on March 9, 1910, Barber entered the Curtis Institute at 14. There, he met his lifelong lover and collaborator, Gian Carlo Menotti, who supplied libretti for Barber's operas, including Vanessa, which won the Pulitzer. During the '30s and '40s, Barber was among the most successful and widely-performed American composers, and many of his works, including his Violin Concerto (Op. 14, 1939) and a setting of James Agee's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (Op. 24, 1948), are widely performed today. Though his 1966 opera, Anthony and Cleopatra, debuted at the opening of the Metropolitan Opera House, it was so poorly received that he was discouraged and unproductive during his final years. He died in New York on January 23, 1981. - Nate Cavalieri]]> Sergey Prokofiev http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61014&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:23:24 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.61014 art.61014 Sergey Prokofiev art.61014 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61014&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61014&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Romeo and Juliet, Peter and the Wolf and Alexander Nevsky are perfect examples of Prokofiev's ability to obey Stalin's dictates while (somewhat subversively) maintaining his artistic integrity. He injected warmth and freshness into his pieces using strong, unclouded melodies with progressive orchestration and harmony. - Jessy Terry]]> Mario Frangoulis http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.38765&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Opera Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:48:48 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.38765 art.38765 Mario Frangoulis art.38765 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.38765&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.38765&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Igor Stravinsky http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61190&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss 20th/21st Century Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:48:49 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.61190 art.61190 Igor Stravinsky art.61190 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61190&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61190&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss The Firebird, 1911's Patrushka, and 1913's The Rite of Spring. The thundering bass drum of The Rite, which literally incited a riot at its opening, marked a lasting sea change for Western music: its supreme dissonance broke down the last walls of modernism. World War I prevented the ballet from touring, so he wrote chamber works and took a startling interest in 18th-century Italian music, resulting in a revivalist movement known as neo-classicism (best heard in 1920's Pulcinella). Even though he held French and, later, American citizenship, his Russian roots were deep, as heard in orchestrations of Tchaikovsky, settings of Russian folk tunes, and his return to the Orthodox Church. In 1939, he moved to the US, producing late works in The Rake's Progress and 1945's Symphony in Three Movements. He conducted and made recordings until his death in 1971. - Nate Cavalieri]]> Gustav Holst http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3564&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss 20th/21st Century Sat, 7 Nov 2009 11:26:22 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.3564 art.3564 Gustav Holst art.3564 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3564&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3564&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Carl Orff http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61366&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:48:32 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.61366 art.61366 Carl Orff art.61366 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61366&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61366&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Carmina burana. Orff was born, lived, and died in Munich, receiving much of his early training at the Munich Academy under Kaminski. In 1924 he co-founded a school for gymnastics, music and dance, which led inevitably to his pedagogical devices for young children to make music, a method still widely practiced that utilizes simple percussion instruments. His adult works also sought musical primitivism, as represented by pulsing ostinatos that bear the influence of Stravinsky. All his major works, including Carmina burana and several Greek tragedies, were designed as pageants for the stage. - Nate Cavalieri]]> Benjamin Britten http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61115&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss 20th/21st Century Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:07:59 -0700 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.61115 art.61115 Benjamin Britten art.61115 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61115&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61115&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, much of his remarkable orchestral technique, broad musical palette and ability to revive the most traditional formal elements leave him with few peers in the 20th century.

Educated at the Royal Conservatory of Music, he signaled a second coming of English opera with his first major work for the stage, Peter Grimes. His other notable operas, still in wide performance today, include Billy Budd (1951), the The Turn of the Screw (1954), and Death in Venice (1973). His controversial War Requiem (1961) is also ubiquitously performed, as is his sophisticated work for chorus. His closing masterpiece was the abstract in the String Quartet no.3 (1975). After declining knighthood, Britten accepted a life peerage in 1976 and died later that year of heart failure. - Nate Cavalieri]]> Dmitri Shostakovich http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3904&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Thu, 26 Nov 2009 11:28:20 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.3904 art.3904 Dmitri Shostakovich art.3904 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3904&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.3904&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Seventh Symphony (often referred to as the Leningrad Symphony because of the common belief that it was written in dedication to soldiers who fell during the Battle of Leningrad) is a monumental work, lengthy and evocative of images both heroic and tyrannical. Its third and fourth movements, for example, contain sections that speak softly and unsentimentally of tragedy, only to be contrasted against harsh, recurring battle music. Shostakovich did not apply the techniques prevalent in Europe at the time -- revolutionary modernists Bartok, Stravinsky and Schoenberg were simply not played or studied at all during this era in the U.S.S.R. -- but there is nothing stale or dated in Shostakovich's work. It's unfortunate Shostakovich lived in fear of his government, for there is no telling where his limitless genius could have led. - Will Lerner]]> Paul Hindemith http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.41658&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:50:10 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.41658 art.41658 Paul Hindemith art.41658 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.41658&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.41658&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss German composer. He studied as a violinist and composer (with Mendelssohn and Sekles) at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt (1908-17) and made an early reputation through his chamber music and expressionist operas. But then he turned to neo-classicism in his Kammermusik no.1, the first of seven such works imitating the Baroque concerto while using an expanded tonal harmony and distinctively modern elements, notably jazz. Each uses a different mixed chamber orchestra, suited to music of linear counterpoint and, in the fast movements, strongly pulsed rhythm.

During this early period Hindemith lived as a performer: he was leader of the Frankfurt Opera orchestra (1915-23, with a break for army service), and he played the viola in the Amar-Hindemith Quartet (1921-9) as well as in the first performance of Walton's Viola Concerto (1929). Much of his chamber music was written in 1917-24, including four of his six quartets and numerous sonatas, and he was also involved in promoting chamber music through his administrative work for the Donaueschingen Festival (1923-30). However, he also found time to compose abundantly in other genres; including lieder (Das Marienleben, to Rilke poems), music for newly invented mechanical instruments, music for schoolchildren and amateurs, and opera (Cardillac, a fantasy melodrama in neo-classical forms). In addition, from 1927 he taught at the Berlin Musikhochschule.

His concern with so many branches of music sprang from a sense of ethical responsibility that inevitably became more acute with the rise of the Nazis. With the beginning of the 1930s he moved from chamber ensembles to the more public domain of the symphony orchestra, and at the same time his music became harmonically smoother and less intensively contrapuntal. Then in the opera Mathis der Maler (preceded by a symphony of orchestral excerpts) he dramatized the dilemma of the artist in society, eventually opposing Brechtian engagement and insisting on a greater responsibility to art. Nevertheless, his music fell under official disapproval, and in 1938 he left for Switzerland, where Mathis had its first performance. He moved on to the USA and taught at Yale (1940-53), but spent his last decade back in Switzerland.

His later music is in the style that he had established in the early 1930s and that he had theoretically expounded in his Craft of Musical Composition (1937-9), where he ranks scale degrees and harmonic intervals in order from most consonant (tonic, octave) to most dissonant (augmented 4th, tritone), providing a justification for the primacy of the triad. His large output of the later 1930s and 1940s includes concertos (for violin, cello, piano, clarinet and horn) and other orchestral works, as well as sonatas for most of the standard instruments. His search for an all-encompassing, all-explaining harmony also found expression in his Kepler opera Die Harmonie der Welt.]]> Alfredo Casella http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.62028&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:25:18 -0700 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.62028 art.62028 Alfredo Casella art.62028 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.62028&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.62028&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Ferrucio Busoni http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.16081&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Romantic Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:07:20 -0700 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.16081 art.16081 Ferrucio Busoni art.16081 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.16081&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.16081&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Doktor Faust. Busoni proposed new ways of thinking about music -- including ideas about structural, microtonal and electronic music later taken up by composers such as Edgar Varese. In addition, Busoni's fascination with and understanding of J.S. Bach led to piano arrangements still in use today. His pieces were not only musically inventive: they featured beautiful orchestration, filled with lush new instrumental combinations. - Jessy Terry]]> Metallic String Players http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.26770729&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Sat, 8 Aug 2009 09:51:16 -0700 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.26770729 art.26770729 Metallic String Players art.26770729 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.26770729&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.26770729&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Ernest Bloch http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61105&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Sat, 10 Oct 2009 10:13:32 -0700 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.61105 art.61105 Ernest Bloch art.61105 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61105&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.61105&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss The Ineffable Orchestra http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.11319916&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:03:14 -0700 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.11319916 art.11319916 The Ineffable Orchestra art.11319916 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.11319916&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.11319916&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Schuman http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.28874833&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:31:12 -0700 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.28874833 art.28874833 Schuman art.28874833 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.28874833&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.28874833&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Sir Arnold Bax http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.62008&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss 20th/21st Century Thu, 12 Feb 2009 13:01:46 -0800 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.62008 art.62008 Sir Arnold Bax art.62008 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.62008&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.62008&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Choplin http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.28874834&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:31:12 -0700 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.28874834 art.28874834 Choplin art.28874834 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.28874834&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.28874834&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Helen Siemens http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17044826&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Sat, 4 Apr 2009 20:13:07 -0700 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.17044826 art.17044826 Helen Siemens art.17044826 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17044826&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17044826&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Karan Armstrong http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15291856&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Fri, 30 May 2008 10:39:13 -0700 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.15291856 art.15291856 Karan Armstrong art.15291856 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15291856&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.15291856&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Susan Scott http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17044827&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss Neo Classical Mon, 18 Aug 2008 08:47:13 -0700 Top Neo Classical Artists on Rhapsody Online art.17044827 art.17044827 Susan Scott art.17044827 http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17044827&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.17044827&variant=data&rws=%2Fclassical%2F20th-21st-century%2Fneo-classical%2Fartist-chart.rss