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Who do today\u2019s leading composers rate as the finest? We asked 174 of them that very question and here, in their own words, we present the fascinating results.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p><\/div> <\/section> \u2018Making decisions concerning the \u201cgreatest\u201d this or that is always problematic,\u2019 replies composer Brian Ferneyhough, when BBC Music Magazine asks him to name his greatest five composers in history. And, to be fair, he has a point. Can one really compare figures who were writing music 800 years apart? Or weigh the intricate craftmanship of a two-minute piano piece up against the grand vision that goes into a four-hour opera?<\/p>\n Nonetheless, when faced with the same question, Ferneyhough gamely named his top five \u2013 as did 173 other leading composers from across the globe.<\/p>\n To clarify things, we set out the criteria for greatness as follows:<\/p>\n He we present the Top 50, in descending order, with each composer personally appraised by one of those who voted for them.<\/p>\n Russian virtuoso pianist, gifted melodist and one of the greats of late-Romanticism<\/p>\n John Rutter says:<\/p>\n Rachmaninov<\/a><\/strong> belongs to the aristocracy of composers. He never wrote a piece of music unless he had something to say and he never repeated himself; he never outstayed his welcome. No two of his piano pieces are alike, each one creates its own world. He lays his soul before us in music like the Second Symphony, yet it is noble as much as passionate.<\/p>\n His melodic invention is to die for, his harmonic flavour subtle and instantly recognisable, his orchestration rich yet never cloying. He has the gift of making his music seem as if he is speaking just to you.<\/p>\n Recommended recording:<\/strong><\/p>\n Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 4 Read our review of this recording here<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\nThe 50 best composers of all time<\/h2>\n
50<\/strong> Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)<\/a><\/h3>\n