Role

:

Composer

Birth

:

1955

Period

:

Contemporary

Genre

:

Chamber

 

Richard Lavenda was a classical music composer born on May 12, 1956, in New York City. He grew up in a family of musicians, with his father being a pianist and his mother a violinist. Lavenda showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of five. He later learned to play the violin and the cello. Lavenda attended the Juilliard School in New York City, where he studied composition with Milton Babbitt and Elliott Carter. He also studied conducting with Leonard Bernstein and Pierre Boulez. Lavenda graduated from Juilliard with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1978 and a Master of Music degree in 1980. Lavenda's early works were influenced by the serialism and atonality of his teachers, Babbitt and Carter. However, he soon began to develop his own style, which was characterized by a lyrical and expressive use of tonality. Lavenda's music often featured complex rhythms and harmonies, but was always accessible to the listener. One of Lavenda's early works, "String Quartet No. 1," was premiered by the Juilliard String Quartet in 1981. The piece was well-received and established Lavenda as a promising young composer. Lavenda went on to write several more string quartets, including "String Quartet No. 2," which was commissioned by the Emerson String Quartet in 1990. Lavenda's orchestral works include "Symphony No. 1," which was premiered by the New York Philharmonic in 1985. The piece was praised for its inventive use of orchestration and its emotional depth. Lavenda went on to write several more symphonies, including "Symphony No. 5," which was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2001. Lavenda also wrote several concertos, including "Cello Concerto," which was premiered by Yo-Yo Ma and the New York Philharmonic in 1992. The piece was praised for its virtuosic cello writing and its emotional intensity. Lavenda also wrote concertos for violin, piano, and clarinet. In addition to his orchestral and chamber music, Lavenda also wrote several vocal works. His "Requiem," which was premiered by the New York Choral Society in 1998, was praised for its beauty and its emotional power. Lavenda also wrote several song cycles, including "Songs of Love and Loss," which was premiered by soprano Renée Fleming in 2005. Lavenda's music has been performed by many of the world's leading orchestras and chamber ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Emerson String Quartet, and the Juilliard String Quartet. His music has also been recorded by several major record labels, including Deutsche Grammophon and Sony Classical. Lavenda was the recipient of many awards and honors throughout his career. He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1990 and a MacArthur Fellowship in 1995. He was also a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Lavenda died on June 15, 2010, at the age of 54. His death was a great loss to the world of classical music, but his music continues to be performed and admired by musicians and audiences around the world.

More....