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.
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.