I don’t know if you know this, but I am a huge fan of classical music. Not only am I a fan, but I am a player— I play the double bass in orchestral, solo, and chamber settings. Music has been a big part of my life for several years now, and I want to impart some of that onto you. Here are my top five favorite composers:

J.S. Bach

J.S. Bach

Not to be confused with J.C. Bach, his son. When I was a youngun, I remember HATING some of the most popular composers such as Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven because I thought that their music was ‘too basic.’ As I’ve become older, however, I have acquired a taste for each of them, with Bach definitively becoming my favorite composer. His music just has such a pure quality to it, I can’t really explain it. It’s like drinking water— it might not be flashy or everyone’s favorite of its kind, but everyone needs it in one form or another. Keep in mind that my opinion is not unpopular; many famous composers have named Bach as their favorite composer. Additionally, although his music may seem simplistic at a first glance, players will spend lifetimes learning new things everytime they play his music and feel like they’ve never perfected it. Pablo Casal, one of the most renowned cello players of all time, would play one of the six suites for cello every single day to warm up. There isn’t a Bach piece that I don’t like. Suggested listening: Goldberg Variations (Glenn Gould recording from 1980s), Mass in B Minor, and Violin Sonata in G Minor (Hilary Hahn recording).

Dimitri Shostakovich

Dimitri Shostakovich

Shostakovich is a really good composer, but some may be surprised why I put him at number two. Remember that this is a personal list, and I personally highly enjoy Shostakovich’s music. Born in Russia in 1906, he could be considered a part of the modern era. If any of you know history somewhat, you would know that Russia from the 1920s to the early 1990s was under Soviet rule. This fact influenced Shostakovich’s music a lot, and you can hear this in almost all of his pieces— most sound dark, with dissonances and repeated themes, throwing in some USSR mockery in there as well. My favorite instance of this is in his ninth symphony; typically, in classical music, a composer’s 9th symphony is one of their greatest because there is a long track record of composers dying after writing their ninth symphony (see: Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler, Dvořák, Bruckner, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Glazunov). Anyways, it was written in E flat major which is seen as a boastful key and features the trombones playing a forte fifth multiple times in the first movement, like they are going to have this huge entrance, but then they just stop playing (https://youtu.be/qynu8yNiTrY?t=45). It’s really funny if you understand music. He does this to mock the Soviets, because they want him to make the best ninth symphony in history, but he just makes jokes at them throughout. It’s brilliant. Suggested listening: fifth symphony, eighth string quartet (this one was actually supposed to be his suicide note, but that’s another story), cello concerto in E flat major (Rostropovich recording, because it was literally written for Rostropovich), seventh symhony (played by the Leningrad symphony, and read a little bit about this one— the story behind it is crazy).

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

You might know this guy. Tchaikovsky wrote Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, and 1812 overture. Those are some super famous pieces. Fun fact: Tchaikovsky was gay, and being gay in 1800s Russia was illegal, so you can hear the conflicting themes in his music because he couldn’t express who he truly was. His music is very moving and emotional, and you can hear the hurt he was feeling. My favorite example of this is the final movement of his sixth symphony. Suggested listening: Fifth and sixth symphony, string quartet, violin concerto, 1812 overture.

Maurice Ravel

Maurice Ravel

This is a French guy, and I think he was a part of the impressionist era. Anyways, I really like his music. It seems super light? It’s hard to describe, you would just have to listen to it. It feels like you’re floating on a cloud. Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky would write large pieces for orchestra, but Ravel was a bit more intimate, I guess. Sometimes I can hear more musical nuance with him. He wrote absolutely godly chamber music. It is really difficult to play. Suggested listening: String quartet (please listen to this one), Bolero, violin sonata, La Valse, piano trio (listen to this one too), Le Tombeau de Couperin (orchestral version).

Béla Bartók
A Hungarian composer, he is one of my favorites that incorporates a more contemporary sound into his music. He was a true pioneer for that sound. People who don’t listen to classical music often might not like him, though, because his style is unique and a bit inaccessible. Suggested listening: string quartet, romanian folk dances, concerto for orchestra, violin concerto no. 2 (James Ehnes’ recording is really good).

Edgar Meyer (bonus)

EDGAR FREAKING MEYER

Edgar Meyer is the best bass player in the history of bass playing and a great American composer. His orchestral music is difficult to find, so scour youtube and random classical music news websites and you might find some recordings. His bluegrass recordings are everywhere though, just look on spotify. Suggested listening: anything, I love this guy.

In regards to which players to listen to, my favorite string quartet is the Emerson String Quartet (who are actually retiring this year, sad), my favorite piano trio is the Beaux Arts Trio, my favorite violin player is Hilary Hahn, my favorite cello player is probably Rostropovich or János Starker (it’s hard to choose), and my favorite bass player is none other than Edgar Meyer. My favorite orchestras include the Chicago Symphony in the Georg Solti era in particular, the NY Philharmonic with Bernstein, and the Berlin Philharmonic with Karajan. Hopefully I didn’t offend anybody by not including Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, or whoever else, it’s just that I think they already get enough love. I like them, of course. Oops, sorry for the long blog post..