POLL: The Guardian's 25 Best Classical Music Works of the 21th Century

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What's the best piece of classical music written after 2000? Based on the Guardian's list, which means it's very anglocentric and with a preference for vocal music. Still, what's the best of these works?
I gave it a month, so there's time to listen to the stuff we don't know.

Full list here: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/sep/12/best-classical-music-works-of-the-21st-century

Poll Results

Option	Votes
Cassandra Miller - Duet for cello and orchestra (2015)	3
Unsuk Chin - Cello Concerto (2009)	2
David Lang - Little Match Girl Passion (2007)	1
John Luther Adams - Become Ocean (2013)	1
Caroline Shaw - Partita (2013)	1
Linda Catlin Smith - Piano Quintet (2014)	1
György Kurtág - Fin de Partie (2018)	1
Harrison Birtwistle - The Minotaur (2008)	1
Max Richter - The Blue Notebooks (2004)	0
James MacMillan - Stabat Mater (2016)	0
Brett Dean - Hamlet (2017)	0
John Adams - City Noir (2009)	0
Steve Reich - WTC 9/11 (2011)	0
Rebecca Saunders - Skin (2016)	0
Hans Abrahamsen - Let Me Tell You (2013)	0
Pascal Dusapin - Passion (2008)	0
George Benjamin - Written on Skin (2012)	0
Thomas Adès - The Tempest (2003)	0
Kaija Saariaho - L’Amour de Loin (2000)	0
Louis Andriessen - La Commedia (2009)	0
Jonathan Harvey - String Quartet No 4 (2003)	0
Heiner Goebbels - Hashirigaki (2000)	0
Gerald Barry - The Importance of Being Earnest (2012)	0
Olga Neuwirth - Lost Highway (2003)	0
Jennifer Walshe - XXX Live Nude Girls (2003)	0

― Frederik B, Saturday, 14 September 2019 20:12 (five years ago)

At the moment, it's between three for me: Let Me Tell You, Become Ocean or Partita.

― Frederik B, Saturday, 14 September 2019 20:13 (five years ago)

I'll have to think it through. For now, it's between Abrahamsen, Birtwistle, Kurtág, Chin and Saunders.

― pomenitul, Saturday, 14 September 2019 20:26 (five years ago)

I have downloaded LC Smith, Neuwirth and the duo for cello and orch for a more informed vote. Also need to relisten to kurtag

― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 14 September 2019 20:59 (five years ago)

Damn, Cassandra Miller's duo for cello and orchestra is so amazing, the longest track on it is mind blowingly good. So that gets my vote.

― Piano Mouth, Saturday, 14 September 2019 21:33 (five years ago)

otm that's deffo one of the best Another Timbre release of recent years

― calzino, Sunday, 15 September 2019 10:02 (five years ago)

Off the few I've heard I'd go for Walshe.

― xyzzzz__, Sunday, 15 September 2019 11:09 (five years ago)

Become Ocean is beautiful, oceans and deserts - John Luther Adams is yer composer.

― calzino, Sunday, 15 September 2019 15:14 (five years ago)

I’ve relistened to or listened for the first time to 7 of these now. It’s between LC Smith’s piano quartet, the Duet for Cello and Orchestra and Let Me Tell You right now.

So far I’ve liked everything which I hadn’t heard before a lot. Props to this list.

It needs some GF Haas though. I just listened to his Trombone Octet and his Concerto Grosso for Alphorns & Orchestra and fuck he rules

Also though I love saariaho I have never listened to amour de loin, only the extracts (‘reflets’)... I owe her a listen.

I don’t think I will have time to listen through the Kurtag a second time before voting, which is too bad. I need further immersion in that one.

― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Thursday, 19 September 2019 23:02 (five years ago)

Unsuk Chin but I really need to step up my classical game, I only know 6 of these albums.

― ✖✖✖ (Moka), Friday, 20 September 2019 02:05 (five years ago)

three weeks pass...

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

― System, Saturday, 12 October 2019 00:01 (five years ago)

I was going to try to listen to most of these but then I think the 00s poll happened maybe? I don't know enough of them to vote tbh but I like the Shaw a lot.

― All along there is the sound of feedback (Sund4r), Saturday, 12 October 2019 00:13 (five years ago)

I also tried to make my way through, but didn't manage to listen to that many. Heard the Steve Reich. It's a lot like Different Trains, only less good.

― Frederik B, Saturday, 12 October 2019 08:06 (five years ago)

Kurtág won out in the end.

― pomenitul, Saturday, 12 October 2019 09:37 (five years ago)

It was real tight as noted above but I ended up voting for Cassandra Miller, which I ended up listening to four or five times

― valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Saturday, 12 October 2019 13:04 (five years ago)

A big chunk of the first 10 minutes of Become Ocean really reminds me of Richard Robbins' scores for Howards End and The Remains Of The Day. I'm wary of comparing clasical to soundtracks as i've been upbraided by musos who say it's 'bad classical' (Morricone etc) but *shrug* there it is.

― piscesx, Saturday, 12 October 2019 15:28 (five years ago)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

― System, Sunday, 13 October 2019 00:01 (five years ago)

everyone who hasn't heard the winner should try it. but fuck the Guardian forever!

― calzino, Sunday, 13 October 2019 01:08 (five years ago)

I don’t get the hype tbh.

― pomenitul, Sunday, 13 October 2019 07:57 (five years ago)

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