Most Overrated/Underrated Classical Composer...

[CanonInD]

most overrated:

1. Mozart

most underrated:

1. Rossini (?)

what will your choices be?

[Nizlopi]

Overrated:

...Probably Mozart too, but I feel kind of dirty saying that. I do really love lots of his music, but I'm not sure he's as good as everyone says (personally, he doesn't hold a candle to Beethoven).

Underrated:

For me, I'm not sure I have one specific one, but it always strikes me how some of the unknown early Romantic composers I've heard have been forgotten. Hummel, I think, is fairly well known, but people like Carl Czerny or Ferdinand Ries (both protegees of Beethoven), or also Friedrich von Flotow seem to be cruely ignored, when, I think at least, some of their piano concertos etc are getting close to a par with Beethoven...or at least Schubert.

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYbaG8AF ... re=related

Pretty emotional stuff....

[Diagoras]

Most overrated: Wagner, without a doubt. Lots of people have written pretentious tripe, but Wagner gets way more credit than anyone else for doing so. Mozart tends to be somewhat overrated as well, but not nearly on the same level as Wagner.

Most underrated: That's a tougher question. I'd say Tchaikovsky, for although he is revered by the public, he doesn't get nearly enough credit from the conservatory elite because he isn't 'cool' or something. I guess they think that his universal appeal - and some of his completely unique and timeless melodies - are just coincidences.

Another one who doesn't get enough credit for being different is Dvorak, IMO.