Param Vir
Param Vir is a British composer originally from India.
Born in Delhi into a family life permeated with Indian classical music, Param Vir's strong interest in music developed as a teenager when attending a Roman Catholic secondary school and had informal lessons from composer Hans-Joachim Koellreutter, then resident in India.[1][2] With no prospects as a composer in India, he read history and philosophy at Delhi University, but returned to music on graduation in 1974 as a teacher.[2] From 1983 Vir studied composition at Dartington with Peter Maxwell Davies and at Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Oliver Knussen.[1][2] In 1986 Vir was a composition fellow at Tanglewood. The following year he was a featured composer in the Festival of India in Geneva.[3]
Career highlights
- 1983 – attended Dartington International Summer School on a scholarship.
- 1984 – moved to London to study with Oliver Knussen.
- 1987 – awarded Benjamin Britten Composition Prize.
- 1993 – Pierre Audi production of Broken Strings wins Ernst von Siemens Music Prize for young composers (Munich).
- 2003 – first full production of ION tours Europe.
- 2005 – Horse Tooth White Rock performed at the BBC Proms.
- 2005 – Hayagriva commissioned and premiered by the Schoenberg Ensemble in Amsterdam
- 2006 – Between Earth and Sky, inspired by Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate, premiered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in London
- 2008 – He Begins His Great Trance for the BBC Singers; Black Feather Rising for Stichting Octopus
- 2010 – Constellations for the BCMG performed at the Barbican
- 2013 – BBC Proms Commission Cave of Luminous Mind
- 2014 – Raga Fields – co-commission from Klangforum Wien, Fulcrum Point Chicago, the BCMG
- 2017 – international tour of A Kinsman to Danger
- 2020 – awarded PRS Composer Award for portrait CD on NMC
Selected works
Stage works
| Premiere | Title | Description | Libretto and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1992, De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam | Snatched by the Gods | Opera in one act, 55' | William Radice, after the poem Debatar Gras by Rabindranath Tagore |
| 11 May 1992, De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam | Broken Strings | Opera in one act, 60'. (revised 1995) | David Rudkin, after an ancient Buddhist tale Guttil Jatak |
| 09 Jun 2000, Aldeburgh Festival/ Almeida Opera | ION | Opera in 4 scenes with Prologue, 120' | David Lan, after Euripides |
| 24 Oct 2008, De Toneelschuur, Haarlem | Black Feather Rising | Music Theatre for 2 Singers and 6 Instrumentalists, 90' | David Rudkin, after folklore collection Healers on the Mountain by Teresa Pijoan |
Other
- Before Krishna (1987; string orchestra)
- Horse Tooth White Rock (1994; orchestra)
- Ultimate Words: Infinite Song (1997; baritone, six percussion, piano)
- The Theatre of Magical Beings (2003; large ensemble)
- Hayagriva (2005; large ensemble)
- Between Earth and Sky (2006; orchestra)
- Cave of Luminous Mind (2013; orchestra) BBC commission for 2013 Proms
- ABLAZE! (2014, soprano, piano)
- Raga Fields (2014, sarod, mixed ensemble)
- Drum of the Deathless (2017, percussion quintet or percussion duo)
- A Kinsman to Danger (2017, baritone, piano)
Selected recordings
- White Light Chorale – Metronome METCD1053
- Video extracts on the Param Vir official website
References
- "Param Vir". Novello & Co, London. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- "RASALÎLA – Spiel der Gefühle" (in German). Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin. 2003. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
- "Vir, Param". Malcolm Miller. "Vir, Param." Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 11 Jan. 2016. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
