Richard Danielpour

Richard Danielpour (born 28 January 1956 in New York) is an American composer.

Biography

Richard Danielpour has become one of the most sought-after composers of his generation – a composer whose distinctive American voice is part of a rich neo-Romantic heritage with influences from pivotal composers like Britten, Copland, Bernstein, and Barber. His works are "solidly rooted in the soil of tradition, yet [sing] with an optimistic voice for today... [they] speak to the heart as well as the mind."

Danielpour has commented that "music [must] have an immediate visceral impact and elicit a visceral response." This visceral element can indeed be heard throughout Danielpour's œvre: expansive, sweeping, romantic gestures; energetic rhythmic accentuations; contrasting stylistic characters; arresting, introspective, melodic beauty; rich, enticing orchestrations; and brilliantly juxtaposed, yet cohesive harmonic angles. His impact on the contemporary music scene stands firm, with an illustrious array of international champions and a reputation as a devoted mentor and educator.

Danielpour has been commissioned by some of the world’s leading musical institutions: The New York Philharmonic (Toward the Splendid City and Through the Ancient Valley); The Philadelphia Orchestra (Violin Concerto); the San Francisco Symphony (Symphony No. 2, Song of Remembrance, and the Cello Concerto); Pittsburgh Symphony (Concerto for Orchestra, celebrating the orchestra's centennial); Baltimore Symphony (The Awakened Heart); National Symphony (Voices of Remembrance); Pacific Symphony (An American Requiem, and the newly orchestrated version of A Child’s Reliquary); the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (Piano Quintet and Sonnets to Orpheus, Book I, for Dawn Upshaw); Absolute Vodka (Piano Concerto No. 2); the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival (Sonnets to Orpheus, Book 2); and most recently the Isaac and Linda Stern Foundation (River of Light, for violinist Sarah Chang).

Forays into the world of theatre have yielded two ballet commissions: Urban Dances for the New York City Ballet’s “Diamond Project,” and Anima Mundi for the Pacific Northwest Ballet. And in the world of opera, Danielpour’s first opera Margaret Garner (written in collaboration with Nobel Laureate librettist Toni Morrison) achieved critical acclaim upon its premiere in May 2005 at the Michigan Opera Theatre. Directed by Kenny Leon and conducted by Stefan Lano, Margaret Garner featured celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves in the title role, and continued through the following season with subsequent performances mounted by co-commissioners Cincinnati Opera and Opera Company of Philadelphia.

Among Danielpour's awards are a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, the Charles Ives Fellowship and a Lifetime Achievement Award – both from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, five Macdowell Colony Fellowships, a Jerome Foundation Award, and a Rockefellar Foundation Grant.

As an educator, Danielpour serves on the faculties of both the Curtis Institute of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, while also participating in master classes and residencies around the country.

Danielpour studied at the New England Conservatory and at the Juilliard School. His teachers have been: Vincent Persichetti, Peter Mennin, and John Heiss (composition), Benjamin Zander (conducting), and Lorin Hollander, Veronica Jochum, and Gabriel Chodos (piano).

His music is exclusively published by Associated Music Publishers.

— October 2007

Danielpour's recent highlights include: 2007 New York premiere of Margaret Garner, presented in a brand new production by New York City Opera New York premiere of his quintet The Book of Hours by the Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio premieres of Rocking the Cradle and Pastime composer residencies at the Nashville Symphony, Van Cliburn Foundation, and Berklee College of Music in Boston 2006 50th birthday celebrations and concerts 2005 Margaret Garner [1], co-commissioned by the Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Company of Philadelphia, and Cinicinnati Opera; Danielpour's first opera – written in collaboration with librettist/poet Toni Morrison – premieres to high acclaim

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. Danielpour's notable works include First Light (1988) for chamber orchestra, three symphonies (1985, 1986, and 1990), three piano concerti (1981, 1993, and 2002), the ballet Anima mundi (1995), and most recently, the opera Margaret Garner (2005).

External links

• Richard Danielpour's official website