Essential Liszt

• Faust Symphony
• Les Preludes (for orchestra)
• Piano Concerto No. 1
• Annees de pelerinage ("Years of Pilgrimage", for piano)
• Hungarian Rhapsodies
• Piano Sonata in B Minor
• Transcendental Etudes

Essential Mahler

• Symphonies Nos. 1, 2 "Resurrection", 4, 5, 8, and 9
• Das Lied von der Erde ("The Song of the Earth")
• Kindertotenlieder (song cycle)

Reboot

During November of last year, I began posting lists of essential works by some of the more prominent composers. The works I chose were those that appeared at least half the time in the references I consulted; they do not reflect a personal bias (except in the collection of references I chose to consult). In this way, I tried to filter out the "championing" of certain works by different publications while retaining those works which by consensus are important and notable.

I thought these lists would be useful to someone who is approaching certain composers for the first time. As for the accompanying images, I carefully selected ones I felt projected something of the musical essences of the composers they represent here.

In the weeks ahead, I'll continue on posting essential works for several more composers. After this, CMB will return to a style closer to that found in the posts from January through March of 2009.

Essential Debussy

• La Mer
• Nocturnes (for orchestra)
• Prelude to "The Afternoon of a Faun"
• String Quartet in G minor
• Children's Corner (for piano)
• Images, Sets 1 and 2 (for piano)
• Preludes, Books 1 and 2 (for piano)
• Suite Bergamasque (for piano, includes "Clair de Lune")
• Pelleas et Melisande (opera)
  

Life Energy

Witty verbal inventions that spring to mind can seduce writers into inaccurately portraying their meanings or even losing sight of them altogether. The good artist, I would think, resists this kind of temptation over and over to produce work of integrity.

Of our experiences, it is the demonstration of life energy that inspires us and impresses upon us its vehicle. A work of art borne of patience, discipline, and strong, well-understood meanings retains the energy its creator poured into it and helps to extend the meaningfulness of its creator's existence beyond his or her physical departure from this world.