Contemporary composers. Please help.

Plenty of both living and dead composers. Among the living, try the following:

Krystztof Penderecki (try a choral work like "Credo")
Osvaldo Golijov (very accessible, and wide in range of types of music composed)
Eric Whitacre (young American composer of unique sounding songs).
Thomas Ades (I like just about everything he writes, even his opera)
Einojuhani Rautavaara (incredibly prolific composer)

Schoenberg wrote some pretty daunting serial works, but, he also composed a lot in a very melodic, late romantic style. Try Verklarte Nacht ("Transfigured Night") or his oratorio "Gurrelieder."

Bartok, Stravinsky, and Shostakovich are also good composers to listen to music with modern sensibility, but, music that still retains melody (while emphasizing new harmonic relationships). Benjamin Britten is one of the giants of the 20th century that should also be explored, along with Walton and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Have fun in your explorations.

One could also add John Adams-
'The Death Of Klinghoffer' opera.

How about Jennifer Higdon? She's got her own unique thing happening! and .. it's not just out there stuff. I find her composing so very interesting yet it's very structured. Enjoy the search

best,
Tom

I'll 2nd Bartok, Stravinsky, and Shostakovich, & add Elliott Carter & Messian. Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams, & Copeland tend to be very "accessible", serious, but you don't have to wear a Hair Shirt to listen to them.

You HAVE to have Bartok's "Music for Strings Percussion & Celesta", & "Concerto for Orchestra". The Shostakovich String Qts., & the 24 Preludes & Fugues, are gorgeous. Pick almost any Stravinsky work, I suppose the Rite of Spring is a good place to start, it caused a riot when premiered in 1917 I think.

I left out Debussy & Ravel, but you should know them too.....very "pretty", French. And Listening to Charles Ives will put hair on your chest....

To elaborate on Bartok, to me, his string quartets are among the greatest works in that genre. Other 20th century string quartets to get are those of Shostakovich, the huge number of Villa Lobos quartets (some of the most overlooked works), and the quartets of Alwyn.

For choral works, there is a hybrid SACD/CD on the Chandos label, titled "Eternal Rest," that has terrific works by Mantyjarvi, Tichelli, Frank Martin, and Rene Clausen (all 20th century composers).