Early life

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).

Career

Early on as a student—first at the New England Conservatory, then at The Juilliard School—Danielpour established his reputation as a pianist (studying under Hollander, Jochum, and Chodus) and composer (under Persichetti and Mennin). His first Piano Concerto, completed in 1981 (but later withdrawn), was commissioned and received its first performances while Danielpour was still a Juilliard student. He initially employed serial methods in his works in the early 1980s, but works from the end of that decade, such as First Light (1988) and The Awakened Heart (1990), adopt a broader and more expressive style. He emerged in the 1990s as one of a handful of composers, alongside Adams, Rouse, Schwantner, Corigliano, and Kernis, who embraced triadic harmony alongside experimental innovations of the previous century — the familiar sound of the traditional orchestra as well as elements of pop, rock, and jazz. 1996's Concerto for Orchestra ("Zoarastrian Riddles"), for example, contains musical allusions to Broadway scores, movies, and television. In the late 1990s, Danielpour became one of only three composers (the others being Stravinsky and Copland) to be signed to an exclusive recording contract with Sony Classical. He has fulfilled commissions for numerous orchestras including the San Francisco Symphony and 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.

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. 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).

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)
  • 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.
    • 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), 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 March 14, 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 April 20, 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 April 4, 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 May 14, 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 October 21, 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 March 11, 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 November 14, 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 May 19, 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 October 16, 2009 in Pittsburgh, PA.
• Rocking the Cradle (2007)
  • commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony, who premièred the work under Juanjo Mena on March 22, 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.
• Kaddish (2008), rewritten for violin solo and orchestra
  • commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, with soloist Gil Shaham.
• Vox Terrae (2008), for orchestra (G.Shirmer/A.M.P.)
  • Commissioned by the Lancaster Symphony
• Lacrimae Beati (2009), for string orchestra
  • commissioned by the Sejong Soloists, who premièred the work at Alice Tully Hall, New York in December 2009.
• 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.
• Mirrors (2009), suite in five movements for piano and orchestra
  • commissioned by the Pacific Symphony for Jeffrey Biegel
• Piano Concerto No. 4 - A Hero's Journey (2010), for piano and orchestra
  • Commissioned by the Vienna Chamber Orchestra and International Performing Artists Company. Written for Xiayin Wang and Philippe Entremont.
• Across the Span of Time (2011), for orchestra
  • Commissioned by the Seattle Symphony
• Darkness in the Ancient Valley (2011), symphony in five movements for solo soprano and orchestra
  • Co-commissioned by the Nashville Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony
• Vox Humana (2012), premiered in May 2013 in Mannheim, Germany (conductor: Dan Ettinger, NTO Mannheim)
• The Song of the Wandering Darveesh (2012), for orchestra
  • Commissioned by the Great Mountains Music Festival, South Korea
• Serenade (2013), for large orchestra
  • Commissioned by the Saratoga Performing Arts Center for the Philadelphia Orchestra

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 March 18, 2007 in La Jolla, CA.
• Kaddish (2008), for violin solo & string septet
  • written for Concertante, who premièred the work in Harrisburg, PA on May 15, 2010.
• Remembering Neda (2009), for flute, cello & piano
  • written for the Dolce Suono Ensemble, who premièred the work on October 22, 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 May 15, 2009.
• Songs from an Old War (2009), for baritone & piano
  • written for American baritone Thomas Hampson

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

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, Nashville Symphony, Music from Copland House, Brooklyn Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, Singapore Symphony, Orchestre National de Lyon and the WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne.

Sources

• G. Schirmer, Biography: Richard Danielpour

[ Source: Wikipedia ]