Richard Danielpour
Richard Danielpour (born 28 January 1956 in New York) is an American composer.
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[edit] Biography
Danielpour is born of Persian/Jewish descent. He studied at Oberlin College and the New England Conservatory of Music, and later at the Juilliard School of Music, where he received a DMA in composition in 1986. His primary composition professors at Juilliard were Vincent Persichetti and Peter Mennin. Danielpour currently teaches at the Manhattan School of Music (since 1993) and the Curtis Institute of Music (since 1997).
[edit] Career
Early on as a student—first at the New England Conservatory, then at The Juilliard School -- Danielpour established his reputation as a skilled pianist (studying under Hollander, Jochum, and Chodus) and gifted composer (under Persichetti and Mennin). In fact, his first Piano Concerto, completed in 1981 (but later withdrawn), was commissioned and received its first performances while Danielpour was yet a Juilliard student. Like many composers of his generation, Danielpour initially subscribed to certain serial methods; his works in the early 1980s employed them extensively. Works from the end of that decade, however, such as First Light (1988) and The Awakened Heart (1990), adopted a broader and more unapologetically expressive style. He emerged in the 1990s as one of a handful of composers, alongside figures including Adams, Rouse, Schwantner, Corigliano, and Kernis, who embraced both the sonic engagement of triadic harmony and the experimental innovations of the previous century—the familiar sound of the traditional orchestra as well as cultural ubiquity of pop, rock, and jazz. 1996's Concerto for Orchestra ("Zoarastrian Riddles"), for example, hides beneath its ostensibly serious surface musical allusions to Broadway, movies, and television. And like the music of his colleagues in this diverse cohort, Danielpour's works, including several symphonies and concertos and numerous chamber and vocal pieces, resonated with his audience and garnered wide acclaim; in fact, Danielpour became one of only three composers (the others being Stravinsky and Copland) to enjoy an exclusive recording contract with Sony Classical. By the end of the century, Danielpour's resume read like a checklist of classical music's highest honors: he had fulfilled commissions for numerous prestigious orchestras from the San Francisco Symphony to the New York Philharmonic, received several awards (including MacDowell, Rockefeller, and Guggenheim fellowships), completed numerous residencies, and served on the faculties of the Curtis Institute and the Manhattan School of Music. In 2005 he completed his first opera, Margaret Garner, in collaboration with Toni Morrison.
[edit] Music
In common with many other American composers of the post-war generation, Danielpour began his career in a serialist milieu, but rejected it in the late 1980s in favor of a more ecumenical and "accessible" idiom. He cites the Beatles—along with John Adams, Christopher Rouse, and Joseph Schwantner—as influences on his more recent musical style. He also makes frequent references to Hemingway and Whitman, saying the emotion in prose and verse can be translated to music.[citation needed] Danielpour's notable works include First Light (1988) for chamber orchestra, three symphonies (1985, 1986, and 1990), four piano concerti (1981, 1993, 2002 and 2009), the ballet Anima mundi (1995), and the opera Margaret Garner (2005).
[edit] Select list of works
[edit] Operas
- Margaret Garner (2005)
- Libretto by Toni Morrison
[edit] Ballets
- Anima Mundi (1995)
- For the Pacific Northwest Ballet
- Urban Dances (1996)
- For the New York City Ballet and choreographer Miriam Mataviani
[edit] Orchestral
- Oratio Pauli (1982), for S.A.T.B. choir & string orchestra
- Symphony No. 1 - Dona Nobis Pacem (1984)
- Symphony No. 2 - Visions (1986), for soprano, tenor & orchestra
- First Light (1988)
- Cello Concerto No. 1 (1990), for cello & orchestra
- Piano Concerto No. 1 - Metamorphosis (1990), for piano & orchestra
- The Awakened Heart (1990)
- Symphony No. 3 - Journey Without Distance (1990), for soprano, S.A.T.B. choir & orchestra
- Song of Remembrance (1991)
- Toward the Splendid City (1992)
- commissioned by the New York Philharmonic
- Piano Concerto No. 2 (1993), for piano & orchestra
- Anima Mundi (1995)
- commissioned by the Pacific Northwest Ballet; choreographed by Kent Stowell.
- Canticle of Peace (1995), for baritone, S.A.T.B. choir & chamber orchestra
- Concerto for Orchestra - Zoroastrian Riddles (1996)
- Urban Dances (Dance Suite in Five Movements (1996)
- Celestial Night (1997)
- Elegies (1997), song-cycle for mezzo-soprano, baritone & orchestra
- Vox Populi (1998)
- A Fool's Paradise (1999), concerto for violin & orchestra
- commissioned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Yaddo's collaboration with the Philadelphia Orchestra; written for violinist Chantal Juillet and the Philadelphia Orchestra, who premièred the work under Charles Dutoit at the Saratoga Center, NY in August 2000.
- The Night Rainbow (1999)
- A Child's Reliquary (2000), double concerto for violin, cello & orchestra
- Nocturne (2000), for string orchestra
- An American Requiem (2001), for mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone soli, S.A.T.B. choir & orchestra
- Cello Concerto No. 2 - Through the Ancient Valley (2001), for cello solo, kamancheh soloists & orchestra
- commissioned by the New York Philharmonic for cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who premièred the work under Kurt Masur at Avery Fisher Hall, NYC on 14 March 2001.
- In the Arms of the Beloved (2001), double concerto for violin, cello & orchestra
- commissioned to celebrate the 25th wedding anniversary of Jaime Laredo (violinist) and Sharon Robinson (cellist), who premièred the work with the IRIS Chamber Orchestra under Michael Stern in Germantown, TN on 20 April 2002.
- Piano Concerto No. 3 - Zodiac Variations (2002), for piano left-hand & orchestra
- commissioned by Herbert R. Axelrod for pianist Gary Graffman, who gave the work's première with the National Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. on 4 April 2002.
- Apparitions (2003), for chamber orchestra
- commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony, who premièred the work under Zdenek Macal at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Newark, NJ on 14 May 2003.
- Swan Song (2003), for string orchestra
- an arrangement of the third movement of Danielpour's String Quartet No. 4 - Apparitions
- Songs of Solitude (2004), song-cycle for baritone & orchestra
- written for baritone Thomas Hampson, commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra, who premièred the work under David Robertson in Philadelphia, PA on 21 October 2004.
- Adagietto (2005), for string orchestra
- commissioned by the Wheeling Jesuit University for the Wheeling Symphony, who premièred the work (as part of the Wheeling Jesuit University's 50th anniversary celebrations) under André Raphael Smith in Wheeling, WV, on 11 March 2005.
- Voice of the City (2005), for concert band
- Washington Speaks (2005), for narrator & orchestra
- commissioned by the Knights of Columbus for the Orchestra of St. Luke's, who premièred the work under Sir Gilbert Levine with Ted Koppel as narrator at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C. on 14 November 2007.
- Pastime (2006), song-cycle for baritone & orchestra
- co-commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, and the Brooklyn Philharmonic in celebration of the 2006 Major League Baseball All-Star Game on 10 July 2006.
- Triptych (2006), for soprano & orchestra
- three arias from Danielpour's 2005 opera Margaret Garner; commissioned by the Wheeling Symphony, who premièred the work with soprano soloist Tracie Luck and André Raphael Smith conducting in Wheeling, WV on 19 May 2006.
- Voices of Remembrance (2006), concerto for string quartet & orchestra
- commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington, D.C.
- A Woman's Life (2007), for soprano & orchestra
- commissioned by the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Philadelphia Orchestra; premièred by soprano Angela Brown with the Pittsburgh Symphony under Leonard Slatkin on 16 October 2009 in Pittsburgh, PA.
- Rocking the Cradle (2007)
- commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony, who premièred the work under Juanjo Mena on 22 March 2007 in Baltimore, MD.
- Three Prayers (2007), for soprano & orchestra
- excerpted from Danielpour's opera Margaret Garner
- Souvenirs (2008), for chamber orchestra
- commissioned by the Kravis Center for the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, who premièred the work under Philippe Entremont in Vienna, 2008.
- Vox Terrae (2008)
- Lacrimae Beati (2009), for string orchestra
- commissioned by the Sejong Soloists, who premièred the work at Alice Tully Hall, New York in December 2009.
- Piano Concerto No. 4 - A Hero's Journey (2009), for piano & orchestra
- commissioned by the Pacific Symphony for Jeffrey Biegel
- Icarus (2009), for large brass ensemble, seven percussion & two pianos
- commissioned by a consortium of eighteen US universities, premièred by the Indiana University of Pennsylvania "Keystone Brass Ensemble" at the WASBE International Conference in July 2010. A further performance was given by the Pittsburgh Symphony in 2010. The score is dedicated to Jack Stamp.
[edit] Chamber
- "String Quartet No. 1 - Requiem" (1983), for two violins, viola & cello
- Piano Quintet (1988), for string quartet & piano
- Urban Dances (Book 1) (1988), for brass quintet
- Sonnets to Orpheus, Book 1 (1992), for soprano solo, flute, clarinet, horn, piano, percussion & string quintet
- Songs of the Night (1993), for tenor & piano trio
- String Quartet No. 2 - Shadow Dances (1993), for two violins, viola & cello
- Urban Dances, Book 2 (1993), for brass quintet
- Sonnets to Orpheus, Book 2 (1994), for baritone solo, flute, clarinet, horn, piano, percussion & string quintet
- String Quartet No. 3 - Psalms of Sorrow (1994), for baritone solo, two violins, viola & cello
- Fantasy Variations (1997), for cello & piano
- Sweet Talk (1997), for mezzo-soprano, cello, double bass & piano
- Feast of Fools - Concertino (1998), for bassoon & string quartet
- A Child's Reliquary (2000), for piano trio
- As Night Falls on Barjeantane (2000), for violin & piano
- String Quartet No. 4 - Apparitions (2000), two violins, viola & cello
- Portraits (2001), for mezzo-soprano, clarinet, violin, cello & piano
- String Quartet No. 5 - In Search of "La Vita Nuova" (2004), for two violins, viola & cello
- Troubadour's Feast (2005), for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello & piano
- The Book of Hours (2006), for piano quartet
- Benediction (2007), for two horns, two trumpets, three trombones & chimes
- River of Light (2007), for violin & piano
- commissioned by the Isaac and Linda Stern Foundation for violinist Sarah Chang, who premièred the work on 18 March 2007 in La Jolla, CA.
- Kaddish (2008), for violin solo & string septet
- written for Concertante, who premièred the work in Harrisburg, PA on 15 May 2010.
- Remembering Neda (2009), for flute, cello & piano
- written for the Dolce Suono Trio, who premièred the work on 22 October 2010 at the Trinity Center for Urban Life in Philadelphia, PA.
- String Quartet No. 6 - Addio (2009), for two violins, viola & cello
- commissioned by LifeMusic for the Ying Quartet, who premièred the work at the Hopkins Center, Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH in October 2009.
- The Faces of Guernica (2009), for piano trio
- commissioned by the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation for the Trio Cavatina, who premièred the work at Carnegie Hall, New York in May 2010.
[edit] Choral
- Oratio Pauli (1982), for S.A.T.B. choir & string orchestra
- Symphony No. 3 - Journey Without Distance (1990), for soprano solo, S.A.T.B. choir & orchestra
- Canticle of Peace (1995), for baritone solo, S.A.T.B. choir & chamber orchestra
- An American Requiem (2001), for mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone soli, S.A.T.B. choir & orchestra
[edit] Vocal
- Symphony No. 2 - Visions (1986), for soprano, tenor soli & orchestra
- Sonnets to Orpheus, Book 1 (1992), for soprano solo & ensemble
- Songs of the Night (1993), for tenor solo & piano trio
- Sonnets to Orpheus, Book 2 (1994), for baritone solo & ensemble
- String Quartet No. 3 - Psalms of Sorrow (1994), for baritone solo & string quartet
- I Am Not Prey (1996), for soprano & piano duet
- Elegies (1997), for mezzo-soprano, baritone soli & orchestra
- Sweet Talk (1997), for mezzo-soprano solo & small ensemble
- Spirits in the Well (1998), for treble solo & piano
- Portraits (2001), for soprano solo & small ensemble
- Songs of Solitude (2004), for baritone solo & orchestra
- Four Arias, from "Margaret Garner" (2005), for baritone & piano
- He Is By, from "Margaret Garner" (2005), for soprano & piano
- Three Arias, from "Margaret Garner" (2005), for mezzo-soprano & piano
- Pastime (2006), for baritone solo & orchestra
- Triptych (2006), for mezzo-soprano & orchestra
- A Woman's Life (2007), for soprano & orchestra
- Three Prayers (2007), for soprano solo & orchestra
- Come Up from the Fields Father (2008) for baritone, viola and piano; words by Walt Whitman
- commissioned by the Curtis Institute, Philadelphia; premièred by Adrian Kramer (baritone), Roberto Díaz (viola) and Mikael Eliasen (piano) at the Curtis Institute on 15 May 2009.
- Songs from an Old War (2009), for baritone & piano
- written for American baritone Thomas Hampson
[edit] Solo instrumental
- Psalms (1985), for piano
- Sonata (1986), for piano
- The Enchanted Garden (Preludes, Book 1) (1992), for piano
- Mardi Gras (1992), for piano
- Elegy (2003), for piano
- Three Preludes (2003), for piano
- Piano Fantasy: "Wenn Ich Einmal Soll Schneiden" (2008), for piano
- The Enchanted Garden (Preludes, Book 2) (2009), for piano
[edit] Current/recent projects
Danielpour's current and forthcoming projects includes works for Yo-Yo Ma, the Iris Chamber Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony, Guarneri Quartet, Atlanta Symphony, Music from Copland House, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Singapore Symhony, Orchestre National de Lyon and the WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne.[1]
