Lowell Liebermann
Lowell Liebermann (born February 22, 1961 in New York City) is an American composer, pianist and conductor.[1]
Life and career
At the age of sixteen, Liebermann performed at Carnegie Hall, playing his Piano Sonata, op. 1. He studied at the Juilliard School of Music with David Diamond and Vincent Persichetti, gaining bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees. The English composer-pianist Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji also expressed interest in Liebermann's early work, having critiqued the young composer's Piano Sonata in a private exchange between the two; Liebermann's Concerto for Piano, op. 12 would be dedicated to Sorabji.[2]
His most recorded works are the Sonata for Flute and Piano (1987), the Gargoyles for piano (1989) and the Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (1992). Other notable works include a sonata for flute and guitar (1988), four cello sonatas (most recently 2008) the second piano concerto (1992), the opera The Picture of Dorian Gray (1996),[3] a second symphony (2000), a trumpet concerto (2000), a violin concerto (2001), Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra (2001), and the opera Miss Lonelyhearts (2006) which was commissioned as part of the festivities surrounding the centennial of the Juilliard School. He was also commissioned by the Dranoff International Two Piano Foundation to compose "Three Lullabies" for two pianos.
Liebermann has also written the music for the ballet Frankenstein, a co-production between The Royal Ballet and San Francisco Ballet (2016).
His music combines elements of traditional tonality and structure with more adventurous harmonies. Liebermann's music is often highly polytonal and Liebermann explores different bitonal possibilities in many of his pieces. His Concerto for Piccolo and Orchestra, Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, and Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra have been recorded by James Galway. His Clarinet Concerto was recorded by American clarinetist Jon Manasse. The concerto made its New York premier on May 22, 2011 with Manasse and The Chappaqua Orchestra at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, NY, Liebermann's alma mater.
Liebermann resides in New York City. He presently serves on the composition faculty at Mannes College The New School for Music, and is the director of the Mannes American Composers Ensemble.[4][5]
References
- Cantrell.
- Roberge, p. 367.
- US Opera.
- Musical America (18 July 2012). "Lowell Liebermann Joins Mannes Faculty" Accessed 6 August 2012.
- The New School (undated). Lowell Liebermann faculty profile at Mannes College The New School for Music. Accessed 24 December 2012.
Sources
- Cantrell, Scott (10 July 2005). On the Outside Looking In: Gay Composers Gave America Its Music. Dallas Morning News, reprinted in Andante.
- Time Magazine (30 November 1998). Music: James Galway Plays Lowell Liebermann. Accessed 16 February 2010.
- Time Magazine (6 March 2000). Music: Back to the Future. Accessed 16 February 2010.
- US Opera (undated). Lowell Liebermann. Accessed 14 August 2013.
- Roberge, Marc-André (2013). Opus sorabjianum: The Life and Works of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. Québec: self-published.