If You Could Only Listen to One Composer for a Year, Who Would It Be?

Carlo Domeniconi. He is such a cosmopolitan composer with endless variety in his music. I played an all Domeniconi recital this fall.

Joaquin Rodrigo

Baden Powell

Chopin, I listen to recordings of his compositions almost daily now. If you've heard Chopin, there's no reason to ask why. 

I love the cover image here, Martin.

Without question, it would be the music of Gustav Mahler. Nothing more profound or moving than a live performance of one of his symphonies, especially the second and third.

J. S. Bach: Melodies, Counter Melodies & Counterpoint - and the fact that he took a single-note instrument with an occasional double stop (Violin & Cello) and composed memorable/singable melodies with implied chordal harmony.

For Solo guitar Barrios

Beethoven for piano and orchestral 

Bach, no explanation needed. 

Oh this is a tough one.  

Bach would probably top the list for his ethereal use of counterpoint and sublime harmony.. Counterpoint has always been a deep fascination for me. 

Beethoven would probably be a close second - again for his use of counterpoint and harmony.

Stravinsky would be near the top as well. He has composed several of my favorite works but the options are far fewer than the 2 B's.

Though, for only 1 composer I  would have to say Bach, no, wait - Beethoven. Bach.....Beethoven....Bach.......

Hendrix - ok stop it. Only classical music. 

Definitely Bach! He is so utterly amazing and so brilliant at all he does and he did it all. 

Bach, undoubtedly. He provides the most profound aesthetic experiences I have been through

The trinity of Bach Beethoven and Mozart for me who bring a very different polyphonies and harmonies to my music listening from my roots in the more homophonic Indian carnatic classical trinity of coincidentally the same 18th century period.

Bach's the obvious answer, but the only correct answer is Barrios.

There's something about Barrios' music that deeply moves me. Who wouldn't when you listen to pieces like La Catedral, his Vals', Julia Florida, preludes.

Heitor Villa Lobos is another obvious favorite of mine. Where would we all be without him?

For non-guitar composers, I love Chopin.

Bach played by Bream or Segovia

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco! And not only his guitarmusic....

I am a big fan of his work because it is always very melodic, elegant and very well composed on the level of how he creates his musical ideas and how he then uses them to develop a piece.

For instance: Capricho de Goya #1: that whole piece is based on just the opening theme, which has two ideas in it, the "Fransico Goya" melody (a stately opening idea) and the "Lucientes" coloratura (a fast 16th note idea). Based on just that he writes a lovely prelude and fugue.

I would say Vivaldi. Not only his lute concertos but all of his stuff. It’s so often very lively. (But that’s only one composer; others are just as good)

For a year-long "single composer retreat", it would have to be somebody with a large repertoire to which I haven't listened at all. Buxtehude comes to mind. 

For me it would have to be Beethoven, although I could manage with Schubert as a close second.