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Paul Creston

1906 - 1985

American

Summary

Paul Creston was born 10 October 1906 in New York of Italian parentage. Entirely self-taught with the exception of piano and organ lessons in his youth, Creston pursued studies in theory, composition, literature, and philosophy while working to support himself and his poor immigrant family. Fiercely independent by nature, the composer developed his style free of any particular school of thought or teacher's influence and made rhythm a cornerstone of his work, often emphasizing shifting subdivisions of regular meters. He created works in many genres including five symphonies, concertos for violin, piano, saxophone, and marimba, several dance works, songs, and choral, chamber, and instrumental pieces.

Creston considered his greatest "teachers" to be Bach, Scarlatti, Chopin, Debussy, and Ravel. He wrote in an accessible, conservative style that incorporated song and dance idioms and often featured unusual instruments like the trombone, marimba, or saxophone. Lush harmonies and expansive orchestrations characterize an often brash and spontaneous body of work, organized around a remarkable mastery of thematic development evident in works such as the Symphony No. 2 and Chant of 1942.

Creston was the recipient of many awards and honors including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the New York Music Critics' Circle Award for his Symphony No. 1. He is the author of Principles of Rhythm and Rational Metric Notation as well as numerous articles analyzing four centuries of rhythmic practice.

— 1999

Performances

10th June 2023

PERFORMERS
Waukegan Symphony Orchestra
CONDUCTOR
Alexander Platt
LOCATION
Waukegan High School Trapp Auditorium, Waukegan , IL, United States of America

23rd June 2023

PERFORMERS
Students of Hochschule für Musik Würzburg
LOCATION
Residenz, Würzburg, Germany

25th June 2023

PERFORMERS
Orchester des Sächsisches Landesgymnasium für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden
CONDUCTOR
Daniel Mäder-Arrabali
LOCATION
Kulturpalast, Dresden, Germany

26th June 2023

PERFORMERS
Orchester des Sächsisches Landesgymnasium für Musik "Carl Maria von Weber" Dresden
CONDUCTOR
Daniel Mäder-Arrabali
LOCATION
Kulturpalast, Dresden, Germany

1st July 2023

SOLOISTS
Alastair Burrows
PERFORMERS
Bolton Symphony Orchestra
CONDUCTOR
Ben Crick
LOCATION
Victoria Hall, Bolton, United Kingdom
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Photos

Discography