Richard Danielpour

Art — 15 December 2010

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

Biography

Danielpour is born of Iranian 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).

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 most recently, the opera Margaret Garner (2005).

Select list of works

Operas

Margaret Garner(2005)
- Libretto by Toni Morrison

Ballets

Anima Mundi(1995)
- For the Pacific Northwest Ballet
Urban Dances(1996)
- For the New York City Ballet and choreographer Miriam Mataviani

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)
Piano Concerto No. 2 (1993), for piano & orchestra
Anima Mundi(1995)
- commissioned by the Pacific Northwest Ballet; choreographed by Kent Stowell.
  - premièred in Seattle, WA on 6th February 1996, Stewart Kershaw conducting.
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), concertofor 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, kamanchehsoloists & 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 14th March 2001.
In the Arms of the Beloved (2001), double concertofor 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 20th 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 4th 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 14th 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-cyclefor baritone & orchestra
- written for baritone Thomas Hampson, commissioned by the Philadelphia Orchestra, who premièred the work under David Robertson in Philadelphia, PA on 21st 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 11th 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 14th November 2007.
Pastime (2006), song-cyclefor 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 10th 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 19th May 2006.
Voices of Remembrance (2006), concertofor 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 16th October 2009 in Pittsburgh, PA.
Rocking the Cradle(2007)
- commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony, who premièred the work under Juanjo Mena on 22nd 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 – Mirrors(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.

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 18th March 2007 in La Jolla, CA.
Kaddish(2008), for violin solo & string septet
- written for Concertante, who premièred the work in Harrisburg, PA on 15th May 2010.
Remembering Neda(2009), for flute, cello & piano
- written for the Dolce Suono Trio, who premièred the work on 22nd 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.

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

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 15th May 2009.
Songs from an Old War(2009), for baritone & piano
- written for American baritone Thomas Hampson