Role

:

Composer Conductor

Birth

:

October 25, 1946 in New York City, NY

Death

:

April 23, 2011 in Tel Aviv, Israel

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Concerto

 

 

Keyboard

 

 

Orchestral

 

 

Vocal

 

Peter Lieberson was an American composer of classical music who was born on October 16, 1946, in New York City. He was the son of the famous composer and musicologist Goddard Lieberson and the actress Vera Zorina. Lieberson grew up in a musical family and was exposed to classical music from a young age. He began playing the piano at the age of four and later studied composition with Milton Babbitt and Charles Wuorinen at Columbia University. Lieberson's early works were influenced by the serialist techniques of his teachers, but he soon developed his own style, which was characterized by a lyrical and expressive approach to melody and harmony. His music was also influenced by his interest in Buddhism and Eastern philosophy, which he studied extensively throughout his life. One of Lieberson's early works, the Piano Concerto No. 1, was premiered in 1979 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, with Peter Serkin as the soloist. The concerto was well-received and established Lieberson as a promising young composer. He went on to write several other works for orchestra, including the Symphony No. 1, which was premiered by the San Francisco Symphony in 1983. In the 1990s, Lieberson began to focus more on vocal music, writing several song cycles and operas. One of his most famous works in this genre is the song cycle Neruda Songs, which was written in memory of his wife, the mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, who died of breast cancer in 2006. The cycle sets five love poems by the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and was premiered by Hunt Lieberson and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 2005. The cycle was later recorded by Hunt Lieberson and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the recording won a Grammy Award in 2008. Lieberson's other vocal works include the opera Ashoka's Dream, which was premiered by the Santa Fe Opera in 1997, and the song cycle Rilke Songs, which was premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2001. He also wrote several works for chamber ensembles, including the String Quartet No. 1, which was premiered by the Arditti Quartet in 1991. Throughout his career, Lieberson was known for his meticulous attention to detail and his dedication to his craft. He often spent years working on a single piece, revising and refining it until he was satisfied with the result. He was also known for his generosity and his willingness to collaborate with other musicians, including his wife Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, who was a frequent collaborator and muse. Lieberson's music has been performed by many of the world's leading orchestras and ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the London Symphony Orchestra. He received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 1985 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1991. Lieberson continued to compose music until his death on April 23, 2011, at the age of 64. His legacy as a composer is characterized by his commitment to beauty, emotion, and spirituality in music, and his influence can be heard in the work of many contemporary composers.

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