Daniel Catán printed: October 2009 photo credit: front cover, Lourdes Almeida; back cover, Albany Records CD TROY 531/32

Transcription

1 DANIEL CATÁN COMPOSER

2 Daniel Catán printed: October 2009 photo credit: front cover, Lourdes Almeida; back cover, Albany Records CD TROY 531/32

3 Daniel Catán's lyrical, romantic style lends itself particularly well to the human voice, which features prominently in the majority of his works. Catán's proficiency can easily be heard in his opera Florencia en el Amazonas the first Spanish-language opera commissioned by a major American company. Catán describes his objective for the opera: I set out to write beautiful music for a story of the journey to transcendent love; it concerns all of us who have lived love with all its intricacies, subtleties, wretchedness, and glorious happiness. Catán s intentions are noble and bold. In the eyes of both the public and the critics who lauded the work s honesty, beauty, and sheer devastating dramatic effect he accomplished his goals. His influences belie his native land: he has been compared to Debussy, Richard Strauss, and Puccini with a wisp of Japanese influence. Catán attests gladly to his wide spectrum of influences. I have inherited a very rich operatic tradition, he says. In my work, I am proud to say, one can detect the enormous debt I owe to composers from Monteverdi to Alban Berg. But perhaps the greatest of my debts is having learnt that the originality of an opera need not involve the rejection of our tradition (which would be like blindly embracing the condition of an orphan), but rather the profound assimilation of it, so as to achieve the closest union between a text and its music. Though Catán was born in Mexico, he is a product of both British and American schooling, receiving degrees from University of Sussex (in philosophy), University of Southampton, and Princeton University where he studied with Milton Babbitt before returning to Mexico to take up the post of music administrator at Mexico City s Palace of Fine Arts. There, apart from establishing himself as an essayist writing about music, he came to love opera. Florencia en el Amazonas taps deeply into García Márquez s world of magical realism. It is, says Catán, the story of the return journey that we all undertake at a certain point in our lives: the moment when we look back at what we once dreamed of becoming, and then confront what we have now become. Since its premiere in 1996 Florencia has been performed by a number of major American opera companies; the European premiere took place in 2006 in Heidelberg, Germany. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the Houston Grand Opera commissioned Catán s third opera Salsipuedes, A Tale of Love, War and Anchovies a dark comedy which takes place on the fictitious island of Salsipuedes and premiered in Germany s Hagen Opera presented Salsipuedes in Spring 2009 in a new German singing translation. Catán s next opera will be Il Postino, based on the Oscar-winning film. Commissioned by the Los Angeles Opera, it premieres there in 2010 with Plácido Domingo and Richard Castronovo in the lead roles. Subsequent performances are scheduled for Vienna, Paris, and Cincinatti. Catán s non-operatic output is full of equally powerful works: Caribbean Airs for orchestra with a featured role for the percussion section (2007); En un Doblez del Tiempo (A Fold in Time) and an orchestral suite from Florencia; Mariposa Obsidiana, for soprano, chorus and orchestra; and the small but charming Encantamiento, for two flutes. His music is published by Associated Music Publishers. DANIEL CATÁN COMPOSER In 1994, the San Diego Opera premiered his symbolist opera, La Hija de Rappacini (Rappaccini s Daughter), a work written in collaboration with librettist Juan Tovar. The success of La Hija de Rappacini led to Catán s next opera, Florencia en el Amazonas a collaboration between Catán, Columbian author Gabriel García Márquez, and García Márquez's protégée, Marcela Fuentes-Berain. The opera is loosely based on García Marquez's novel Love in the Time of Cholera. 1

4 DANIEL CATÁN KEY TO SCORING Orchestra and ensemble instrumentation appear in score order: flute.oboe.clarinet.saxophone.bassoon/ horn.trumpet.trombone.tuba/ percussion/ harp.keyboard/ other plucked strings/ violin1.violin2.viola.cello.doublebass; continuo; electronic tape; voice(s) treated as an instrument The numbers between the slashes indicate the number of instruments in each group. Sometimes within each group, instruments are separated by dots for clarity. The letters str without indication of number indicates that a string group, without any specific demands as to the number of strings, is involved. Primary instruments within the woodwind and brass groups are indicated by numbers unless an abbreviation is clearer. Saxophones are not indicated by a number unless present. For example: 2232/4331/str indicates 2 flutes, 3 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 tuba, string section. For example: fl.cl/hn/str indicates 1 flute, 1 clarinet, 1 horn, string section Instruments in parentheses indicate doubling 1(pic)111 signifies that the flute player also plays the piccolo. Doublings separated by a comma may indicate one player 2(afl,pic)111 signifies that one of the flutes doubles both alto flute and piccolo. Doublings separated by a colon may indicate different players 2(afl:pic)111 signifies that one flute doubles alto flute and the other doubles piccolo. Instruments preceded by an equals sign in square brackets indicate alternatives 11[=ca]11 signifies that the oboe can be replaced by an English horn. Instruments in square brackets indicates that the instrument is optional 111[bcl]1 signifies that the bass clarinet part is optional 2 A plus in front of the instrument indicates an additional player 1+pic.111 signifies that there is a piccolo player as well as a flute player. A plus in brackets indicates that additional instruments can be used, if desired 213[+]2 signifies that three or more clarinets can be used. Example 1 Solo: 2 violins, oboe 2(pic:afl)2.2(Ebcl,bcl).2/4331/2perc/hp.2pf/ str( ) 2 solo violins 1 solo oboe 2 flutes (1 player doubling piccolo, the other doubling alto) 2 oboes 2 clarinets (one player doubling both E-flat clarinet and bass clarinet) 2 bassoons 4 horns 3 trumpets 3 trombones 1 tuba 2 percussionists harp 2 pianos a string group consisting of 14 first violins, 12 second violins, 10 violas, 8 cellos, and 6 bass Example 2 afl.1[=ca].1.1/1000/timp.perc/str 1 alto flute 1 oboe or English horn 1 clarinet 1 bassoon 1 horn 1 timpanist 1 percussionist strings

5 Opera and Music Theatre Florencia en el Amazonas (1996) 1h 40 Text: Spanish; Marcela Fuentes-Berain Solo: 2 Sopranos, Mezzo-soprano, Tenor, 2 Baritones, Bass chorus 2(2pic).2.2+bcl.2(cbn)/3221/timp.4perc/hp.pf/str ( ) Vocal Score for sale First performance: October Houston Grand Opera; Vjekoslav Sutej, conductor; Francesca Zambello, director; Houston, TX La Hija de Rappaccini (Rappaccini s Daughter) ( ) 1h 45 Text: Spanish; Juan Tovar, based on the play by Octavio Paz and the short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne Solo: Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, 2 Tenors; 3 offstage female voices 3(pic)+2rec.3(ca).3(bcl).3/4331/timp.3perc/ pf.cel.hp/str First performance: April Teatro del Palacio de Bellas Artes; Mexico City Il Postino (2008) 2h 5 Text: Spanish; Daniel Catán, based on the novel by Antonio Skármeta, and the film by Michael Radford Solo: Soprano, 2 Mezzo-soprano, 2 Tenors, Bass-baritone, bass Onstage: ssx.tpt.sous.perc.bandeon 3(pic).3(obda).2+bcl.2/4331/timp.2perc/pf.hp/str Reduced chamber version for 2pf.hp.2perc in preparation 2009 First performance: September 25, 2010 Los Angeles Opera; Grant Gershon, conductor; Los Angeles, CA Salsipuedes, A Tale of Love, War and Anchovies (2004) Text: Spanish; Eliseo Alberto and Francisco Hinojosa; English translation by Shane Gasbarra and Daniel Catán Solo: 3 Sopranos, Mezzo-soprano, 4 Tenors, Baritone, Bass-baritone, Bass, Speaker SAT chorus (24 voices total) First performance: October Houston Grand Opera; Guido Maria Guida, conductor; James Robinson, production; Houston, TX Orchestra En un Doblez del Tiempo (A Fold in Time) (1982) 12 ed. by Eduardo Diazmuñoz 3(pic).3(ca).3(bcl).3(cbn)/4.3.2+btbn.1/ timp.1[=2]perc/cel.hp/str Florencia en el Amazonas (Orchestral Suite) (2003) 28 2(pic).2.2+bcl.2/3221/timp.2perc.mba/hp.pf/str First performance: October Madison Symphony Orchestra; John DeMain, conductor; Madison, WI Three Interludes from Florencia (2003) 16 2(pic).2.2+bcl.2/3221/timp.2perc.mba/hp.pf/str Soloist(s) and Orchestra Caribbean Airs (2007) 20 Solo: 3 percussion 3(pic)2.4(bcl).2/4431/timp.perc/pf.hp/str First performance: April American Composers Festival: Los Sonidos de México; Pacific Symphony; Carl St. Clair, conductor; Costa Mesa, CA Works for 2-6 Players Encantamiento (flute and harp) (1989) 7 fl, hp Score and Part(s) for sale Encantamiento (flutes) (1989) 7 2fl Set of Parts for sale Solo Works (excluding keyboard) Encantamiento (alto recorders) (1989) 7 2arec, one player Score for sale Chorus a cappella / Chorus plus 1 instrument O Pardon Me, Thou Bleeding Piece of Earth (2006) 6 Text: English; William Shakespeare TTBB chorus; timp First performance: June Gay Men s Chorus of Los Angeles; Bruce Mayhall, conductor; University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA DANIEL CATÁN WORKS 3

6 Chorus and Orchestra/Ensemble Mariposa de Obsidiana (Obsidian Butterfly) (1984) 26 Solo: Soprano or Mezzo-soprano Chorus; 3333/4331/perc/hp/str Solo Voice(s) and up to 6 players Comprendo (2006) 3 Text: Acuna Voice, pf First performance: October Rolando Villazón, tenor; Bryndon Hassman, piano; Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, CA Discography Encantamiento Christina Smith, flute Elisabeth Johnson, harp ACA Digital Florencia en el Amazonas Houston Grand Opera Orchestra and Chorus Patrick Summers, conductor Albany TROY 531/32 La Hija de Rappaccini (Rappaccini s Daughter) Manhattan School of Music Opera Orchestra Eduardo Diazmuñoz, conductor Newport Classics Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra Eduardo Diazmuñoz, conductor Naxos (excerpts only) Mariposa de Obsidiana (Obsidian Butterfly) Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra Convivium Musicum Chorus Eduardo Diazmuñoz, conductor Naxos DANIEL CATÁN WORKS 4

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8 For more information on the music of Daniel Catán, please visit or contact: USA G. Schirmer, Inc. phone UK Chester Music Limited phone Denmark Edition Wilhelm Hansen AS phone France Chester Music France phone Germany Chester Schirmer Berlin chester.schirmer.berlin@musicsales.co.uk phone G. Schirmer, Inc. Part of the Music Sales Group Publishing today s leading composers and the classic names of the 20th century. SchirmerOnDemand Library of Digital Scores...with a click of your mouse. digital.schirmer.com Spain Unión Musical Ediciones SL unionmusicalediciones@musicsales.co.uk phone Australia G Schirmer Pty Limited musicsales@wr.com.au phone Japan K K Music Sales rights@shinko-music.jp phone