Behzad Ranjbaran
Encyclopedia
Behzad Ranjbaran is a leading Persian
composer
.
Ranjbaran was born and raised in Iran. He entered the Tehran Conservatory at the age of 9. Ranjbaran continued his study of composition at Indiana University
. He obtained a DMA from the Juilliard School
.
Ranjbaran's music is strongly rooted in the Neo-Romantic
movement of the late 20th Century, as well as showing the influence of Iranian and other non-Western music. He has written compositions for, among others, Joshua Bell
, Renée Fleming
, and Yo-Yo Ma
, as well a piano
concerto
for Jean-Yves Thibaudet
.
Many of his works are inspired by Persian
culture and literature. Persian Trilogy
, a large orchestral cycle completed in 2000, was inspired by the Shahnameh
of the 11th Century Persian poet Ferdowsi
.
He has been on the faculty of the Juilliard School
since 1991.
Concertante
Chamber music
Piano
Vocal
Choral
Persian people
The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Ranjbaran was born and raised in Iran. He entered the Tehran Conservatory at the age of 9. Ranjbaran continued his study of composition at Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
. He obtained a DMA from the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
.
Ranjbaran's music is strongly rooted in the Neo-Romantic
Neo-romanticism
The term neo-romanticism is used to cover a variety of movements in music, painting and architecture. It has been used with reference to very late 19th century and early 20th century composers such as Gustav Mahler particularly by Carl Dahlhaus who uses it as synonymous with late Romanticism...
movement of the late 20th Century, as well as showing the influence of Iranian and other non-Western music. He has written compositions for, among others, Joshua Bell
Joshua Bell
Joshua David Bell is an American Grammy Award-winning violinist.-Childhood:Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, United States, the son of a psychologist and a therapist. Bell's father is the late Alan P...
, Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming
Renée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also...
, and Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist, virtuoso, and orchestral composer. He has received multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011...
, as well a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
concerto
Concerto
A concerto is a musical work usually composed in three parts or movements, in which one solo instrument is accompanied by an orchestra.The etymology is uncertain, but the word seems to have originated from the conjunction of the two Latin words...
for Jean-Yves Thibaudet
Jean-Yves Thibaudet
-Early life:Jean-Yves Thibaudet was born in Lyon, France, to non-professional musical parents. His father played the violin, and his mother, of German origin and a somewhat accomplished pianist herself, introduced the instrument to Jean-Yves....
.
Many of his works are inspired by Persian
Culture of Iran
To best understand Iran, Afghanistan, their related societies and their people, one must first attempt to acquire an understanding of their culture. It is in the study of this area where the Persian identity optimally expresses itself...
culture and literature. Persian Trilogy
Persian Trilogy
Persian Trilogy is a set of three orchestral works composed by Iranian classical musician, Behzad Ranjbaran.All three works were inspired by stories from Shahnameh, the Book of Kings, the great Persian epic poem written by legendary Iranian poet Ferdowsi....
, a large orchestral cycle completed in 2000, was inspired by the Shahnameh
Shahnameh
The Shahnameh or Shah-nama is a long epic poem written by the Persian poet Ferdowsi between c.977 and 1010 AD and is the national epic of Iran and related societies...
of the 11th Century Persian poet Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi
Ferdowsi was a highly revered Persian poet. He was the author of the Shahnameh, the national epic of Iran and related societies.The Shahnameh was originally composed by Ferdowsi for the princes of the Samanid dynasty, who were responsible for a revival of Persian cultural traditions after the...
.
He has been on the faculty of the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
since 1991.
Selected works
Orchestral- Elegy for string orchestra (1985)
- Persian Trilogy
-
- Seemorgh (1991)
- The Blood of Seyavash (1994)
- Seven Passages (2000)
- Symphony No. 1 (1992)
- Awakening for string orchestra (2005)
- Saratoga (2005)
- Mithra (2010)
Concertante
- Concerto for violin and orchestra (1994)
- Concerto for cello and orchestra (1998)
- Elegy for cello and orchestra (1998)
- Moto Perpetuo for violin and string orchestra (2001)
- Elegy for cello (or clarinet) and string orchestra (2004)
- Concerto for piano and orchestra (2008)
- Concerto for violin, viola and orchestra (2009)
Chamber music
- Six Caprices for 2 violins (1988)
- String Quartet No. 1 (1988)
- Dance of Life for violin and double bass (1990)
- Caprice No. 1 for violin solo (1995)
- Moto Perpetuo for violin and piano (1998)
- Ballade for double bass solo (1999)
- Elegy for cello and piano (2000)
- Moto Perpetuo for flute and piano (2004)
- Piano Quintet (2005)
- Shiraz for violin, cello and piano (2006)
- Isfahan for clarinet, harp, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass (2007)
- Fountains of Fin for flute, violin and cello (2008)
Piano
- Nocturne (A Night in a Persian Garden) (2002)
Vocal
- Songs of Eternity for soprano and orchestra (1998)
- Thomas Jefferson for narrator, solo cello and orchestra (1998)
- Three Songs for soprano and piano
Choral
- Open Secret for mixed chorus and chamber ensemble (1999)
- We Are One for mixed chorus (2008)