In the realm of instrumental music (see elsewhere for my recommendations of songs), my all-time favorite composers are Bach, Chopin, Dvorak, Granados, and Ellington; among performers, I especially like Mieczyslaw Horszowksi, Alicia De Larrocha, Artur Rubenstein, and Marcus Roberts (all pianists), the guitarist Julian Bream, and the cellist Steven Isserlis.
The pianist-composer Isaac Albéniz (1860–1909) is not very well known today, but he wrote some sumptuous piano pieces that make effective use of the idioms of Spanish folk music. As with the music of Enrique Granados, look for performances by Alicia De Larrocha (e.g., her recording of Iberia, with a great painting by Sorolla on the cover!).
Although I like the Mass in B Minor of J.S. Bach (1685–1750) and several of his concerti, what most attracts me in his output are the keyboard works, as well as the lute suites. I would single out The Art of the Fugue (recorded by the Julliard String Quartet), the French Suites (Glenn Gould), and the English Suites (Andras Schiff or (#5 only) by Mieczyslaw Horszowski), although the Well-Tempered Clavier (I like Gould's version as well as Keith Jarrett's recording for ECM) and the Goldberg Variations (Gould 1955 or 1980) are always wonderful, too. In the last few years I've also come to treasure the Cello Suites, of which I own several recordings and which I'd like to study and perhaps record on electric bass at some point.
The music of Paraguayan guitarist-composer Augustín Barrios Mangoré (1885–1944) is a revelation. Barrios wrote some absolutely gorgeous pieces for solo guitar, foremost among them Julia Florida and Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios (also known as La Ultima Cancion), although his Paraguayan Dances, Las Abejas, and La Catedral are also wonderful. All of these pieces and more can be found on a fine recording by guitarist David Russell.
I emphatically disagree with Ayn Rand's assertion that Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) had a "malevolent sense of life". What, pray tell, is malevolent about the noble Third Symphony or the exalted Ninth Symphony? His Egmont Overture is also quite heroic, celebrating as it does an impassioned Dutch freedom-fighter. Among his works for solo piano I especially like the Eroica Variations, Bagatelles, and Ecossaises (Polygram 12227). And I love Liszt's amazing transcription for piano of the Fifth Symphony (in the equally amazing recording by Glenn Gould).
Brahms' two Sonatas for Piano and Cello are excellent -- I'm especially fond of the third movement of the first sonata. The recording by Rubenstein and Piatagorsky is good, and if cellist Steven Isserlis is up to his usual high standard then his recording (Hyperion 66159) is probably excellent, although I have not heard it. Two other fine chamber pieces by Brahms are the Sonatas for Viola and Piano -- check out the wonderful, recent recording by Kim Kashkashian and Robert Levin (ECM 21630). Another absolutely gorgeous piece I recently discovered is Brahms's first String Sextet, op. 18 -- the recording by the Kocian Quartet is gorgeous but out of print, so go with that by the ASMIF Chamber Ensemble. Brahms' Double Concerto for Violin and Cello is a wonderful piece, although I do not have a recommended recording. Brahms's Intermezzi for solo piano are quite fine as well; at this time I do not have one recommended recording, although I would expect that the performances by Rudolf Firkusny (EMI 66065) and Artur Rubenstein are worth hearing.
Chopin created some of the most sublime music ever written. I would recommend the following works and recordings most highly:
Also worth listening to are Mieczyslaw Horszowski's recordings of Chopin (as of anything else, for that matter) -- hearing Horszowski perform several Chopin pieces live at Carnegie Hall was one of my aesthetic "peak experiences".
Some of my favorite pieces by Claude Debussy (1862–1918) are the Children's Corner (as recorded by Mieczyslaw Horszowski) and the two Arabesques.
As is usual for me, I am drawn to small-scale works by the great Czech composer Antonín Dvorák (1840–1904), although I must admit to loving his Ninth Symphony (I have a version by Kurt Masur and the New York Philharmonic, Teldec 73244). His works for solo piano are highly underrated, especially the Poetické Nálady and several of the Waltzes (available in a fine performance by William Howard, Chandos 9044). Dvorak's Piano Quintet Op. 81 also ranks high with me (a fine recording is by Rudolf Firkusny and the Julliard Quartet, Sony 45672). My favorite work by Dvorak is the Cypresses, which consist of songs that he later arranged for string quartet (I own a recording by the Panocha Quartet); these pieces are gorgeous and haunting and deeply moving.
In my opinion, Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (1899–1974) was the most original composer of the twentieth century, especially in his development of a unique compositional language and his abstraction of American "folk" or "popular" idioms to a higher aesthetic level (in a way, he was the last of the great nationalist composers). Although Ellington was well-known as a band leader, some of his more intimate works better highlight his compositional prowess. First among these I would place Ellington's own recording Piano Reflections, as well as Thelonius Monk Plays Duke Ellington and Marcus Roberts Plays Ellington. Some fine small group ("chamber music"?) performances of Ellington's works can be heard on Side by Side (with Johnny Hodges), Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins, Duke Ellington & John Coltrane, Money Jungle (with Charles Mingus and Max Roach), and Duke's Big Four (with Joe Pass). And let's not forget the power of the full orchestra on recordings like And His Mother Called Him Bill and the legendary Ellington at Newport.
Gerald Finzi (1901–1956) is a rather obscure English composer, probably best known for his Clarinet Concerto. Three wonderful pieces by Finzi are the Ecologue for piano and strings (Nimbus 5366) and the Prelude and the Romance for string orchestra (Nimbus 5101).
The music of Enrique Granados is lyrical and passionate and simply a joy to listen to (I've even published an article about him). I highly recommend all of his music, especially as interpreted by the great Spanish pianist Alicia De Larrocha. Here are some recommended recordings:
Mozart's Requiem is a wonderful piece of music, even if parts of it were completed after his death by Franz Xaver Süssmayr. No recommended recording as yet.
Driving to work one morning in 1997 or so, I caught on the radio one of the loveliest works for small orchestra I had ever heard. Imagine my shock when the announcer said it was written in 1978!! The piece is entitled Introspect, the composer is Padraig O'Connor, and the recording is Romantic Ireland (alas, seemingly out of print).
I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943). Sure, I like to hear the Second Piano Concerto once in a while as well as the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, but what I listen to most are his 24 Preludes for piano (Nimbus 5094), my favorite being the Prelude in E flat (Opus 23, No. 6). I've also recently discovered his choral music, which I like quite a bit.
Marcus Roberts is the finest living jazz pianist, with prodigious talent and musical skills that rival those of the best classical players. First among his recordings is Alone with Three Giants, an homage to the three greatest jazz composers (Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, and Thelonious Monk). Especially impressive are his performances of Ellington's ecstatic "Shout 'Em Aunt Tillie", Monk's "In Walked Bud", and Morton's "The Crave". If I Could Be With You is another fine recording, consisting of original compositions as well as renditions of classics from the jazz, ragtime, and Broadway traditions. And as mentioned above, Marcus Roberts Plays Ellington highlights what can happen when a great composer has the good fortune of finding a great interpreter (or it it the other way around?).
I've been exploring the music of Camille Saint-Saens lately, and I must say that much of it is beautiful. Saint-Saens seems to have been another of those wonderful turn-of-the-century composers whose work was drowned in the modernist tide. His Cello Concerto is quite good, especially as recorded by Steven Isserlis (RCA Victor 61678). François Le Roux's recent recording of songs by Saint-Saens is a quite a treat (Amazon.com), especially since the words for about half the songs are by Victor Hugo. I also really like his Violin Sonatas.
Erik Satie (1866–1925) was almost viruently anti-Romantic, but much of his music has an almost Apollonian beauty. His Gymnopédies are quite fine (if overexposed), as are the Gnossiennes and the Nocturnes (you might try Yuji Takahashi's recording, Denon 7485). I especially like the three Nocturnes because they remind me quite a bit of the music of my friend Eric Nolte.
Schubert's song-cycle Die Schöne Müllerin is his finest, or at least his most accessible. It seems that my favorite recording (by Olaf Baer) is out of print, so I'll need to find a more recent recording to recommend.
Bedrich Smetana (1824–1884) is probably the best-known Czech composer after Dvorák. His orchestral suite Má Vlast is excellent; the section entitled Vltava is especially lyrical. I recommend the recording made by the great Czech conductor Rafael Kubelik upon his return to Prague after the fall of the Iron Curtain (Supraphon 1208 but unfortunately out of print; try Mercury Classics 34379 instead).
Billy Strayhorn was for most of his career a pianist and arranger in the Duke Ellington band. However, he was also a fine jazz composer and even wrote Ellington's signature song, "Take the A Train". After Strayhorn died, the Ellington orchestra recorded And His Mother Called Him Bill, which is devoted solely to Strayhorn compositions. The music on this recording is not for everyone -- it contains what one might call "advanced harmonies" -- but the music can be almost painfully beautiful, as on Ellington's solo piano performance of "Lotus Blossom".
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) is the greatest of the English late romantic composers. His soaring Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis is perhaps the most lyrical of all orchestral works written in the twentieth century. The recording by Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is excellent (Argo 14595).
Another fine guitarist-composer is Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887–1959). Some of his works are extremely chromatic, verging on the atonal. But at its best, his music is melodic, deeply passionate, and highly evocative. Especially good are his Preludes for guitar and the Chôros No. 1. These works are available together on a recording by Frédéric Zigante (Stradivarius 33378).