David Freeman

Overrated: 1) Brahms. Nothing more than Beethoven 2.0. A conservatist who lived in the past with no intention of developing music past the point of late-classical. 2) Dvorak. Almost the same reason as Brahms. Same thing over and over again. No meaning to the music. Lifeless, no depth. 3) Mahler. Don’t get me wrong- I LOVE some of his works. The 9th symphony is one of my absolute favorites. But I cannot stand when people try to say his 2nd symphony is a masterpiece. It’s an absolute mess. The same can be said about so much more of his music. Some exceptions are select movements, like Sym 5, mvt 4. Or Sym 4, mvt 3. Underrated: 1) Berlioz. All anyone ever talks about is Symphony Fantastique (which is a tad bit overrated, but still good). La Damnation de Faust and Les Troyens are two monumental works that are often overlooked. Not to mention, Berlioz’s music is extremely forward thinking for his time. He essentially reinvented the orchestra. 2) Saint-Saëns. Some of the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard comes out of his operas. Rarely are they ever played, especially in a symphonic setting. 3) James Newton-Howard. People can’t stop raving about John Williams and Hans Zimmer. While their greatness can’t be denied, James Newton-Howard is never mentioned in the same conversation as these two, which is an absolute shame. His soundtrack to King Kong is pure brilliance. For me, nothing comes close. Dinosaur and Snow White & the Huntsman are also amazing.