Peter Lieberson

Peter Lieberson (born 25 October, 1946 in New York City) is an American composer. His mother Brigitta was a ballerina and choreographer, also professionally known as Vera Zorina. His father, Goddard Lieberson, was president of Columbia Records.

Lieberson studied composition with Milton Babbitt, Charles Wuorinen, Donald Martino, and Martin Boykan. After completing his musical studies at Columbia University, he left New York in 1976 for Boulder, Colorado to continue his studies with Chogyam Trungpa, a Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist master. Lieberson next moved from Boulder to Boston to direct Shambhala Training, a meditation and cultural program, and attend Brandeis University, from which he received a Ph.D. From 1984 to 1988 he taught at Harvard University. He then became international director of Shambhala Training in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Since 1994, Lieberson has devoted his time entirely to composition. He wrote his song cycles "Rilke Songs" and "Neruda Songs" for his second wife, mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. The "Neruda Songs" were co-commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony; the world premiere was given on May 20, 2005, by the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting and Hunt Lieberson as soloist. [cite news | author=Mark Swed | title=Love and hate, juxtaposed; L.A. Philharmonic pairs Lieberman's exquisite 'Neruda Songs' with Shostakovich's nasty broadside at Stalin | work=Los Angeles Times | date=May 23, 2005] The Boston Symphony performed the work in November 2005 with James Levine conducting, followed by performances with the Cleveland Orchestra, Robert Spano conducting. Nonesuch subsequently released a commercial recording in 2006 of the Boston/Levine performance. [cite news | author=Matthew Westphal | title=Lorraine Hunt Lieberson's Performance of Her Husband's "Neruda Songs" to Be Issued on CD | url=http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/5657.html | work=Playbill Arts | date=29 November 2006 | accessdate=2007-12-04] In December 2007, Lieberson won the 2008 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for "Neruda Songs".cite news | author=Matthew Westphal | title=Peter Lieberson Wins 2008 Grawemeyer Award for "Neruda Songs" | url=http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/7438.html | work=Playbill Arts | date=03 December 2007| accessdate=2007-12-04]

Lieberson has three daughters from his first marriage. He and Lorraine Hunt met in 1997 during the Santa Fe Opera production of his work "Ashoka's Dream" and married in 1999 after he and his first wife were divorced. They remained married until her death in July 2006. [cite news | author=Anthony Tommasini | title=Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Luminous Mezzo, Dies at 52 | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/05/arts/music/05hunt.html | work=New York Times | date=5 July 2006 | accessdate=2007-12-04]

Shortly after Lorraine died, Peter Lieberson himself was diagnosed with cancer. He has been very ill with lymphoma. Lieberson currently lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

elected works

Orchestral works

*"Drala" (1986)
*"The Gesar Legend" (1988)
*"World’s Turning" (1991)
*"The Five Great Elements" (1995)
*"Processional" (1995)
*"Ah" (2002)

olo instrument and orchestra

*Concerto for Four Groups of Instruments (1972)
*Concerto for Violoncello with Accompanying Trios (1974)
*Concerto for Piano (1980)
*Viola Concerto (1992)
*Rhapsody for Viola and Orchestra (1994)
*Horn Concerto (1998)
*Red Garuda for piano (1999)
*The Six Realms for cello (2000)
*Piano Concerto No. 3 (2003)
*Neruda Songs for mezzo-soprano (2005)

Chamber works

*Accordance for 8 Instruments (1975)
*Tashi Quartet (1978)
*Three Songs with soprano (1981)
*Lalita, Chamber Variations (1984)
*Feast Day (1985)
*Ziji (1987)
*Raising the Gaze (1988)
*Elegy (1990)
*Wind Messengers (1990)
*King Gesar with narrator (1991)
*A Little Fanfare (1991)
*A Little Fanfare (II) (1993)
*Variations (1993)
*Rumble (1994)
*String Quartet (1994)
*Three Variations for Violoncello and Piano (1996)
*Free and Easy Wanderer (1998)
*Piano Quintet (2001)

Opera

*"Ashoka's Dream" (1997) [cite news | author=Anthony Tommasini | title=A Man Unafraid to Change, And Then to Sing About It | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9903E4D6103AF933A05754C0A961958260 | work=New York Times | date=30 July 1997 | accessdate=2007-12-04]

References

External links

* [http://www.schirmer.com/composers/lieberson_bio.html Biography at Schirmer]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0509422/ IMDB entry]
* [http://www.nonesuch.com/nerudasongs/ Neruda Songs, new album on Nonesuch]
* [http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2036&Itemid=0 Article in Shambhala Sun Magazine]