On December 2, the Sejong Soloists premiered Danielpour's new work, Lacrimae Beati. Inspired from not only Danielpour's praise of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the last 8-bars Mozart composed (the first 8-bars of the Lacrimosa movement from his Requiem), but a harrowing experience with violent turbulence Danielpour had in the Fall of 2002 in a small commuter plane returning to Berlin from a visit to Mozart's "pauper's" grave in Vienna.
Pianist, Jeffrey Biegel © Pacific SymphonyOn February 25, Jeffrey Biegel premieres Danielpour's fourth Piano Concerto, Mirrors, with the Pacific Symphony. Danielpour writes:
I have always written for the piano, but after having written three piano concertos, my devotion to the more traditional format and modus operandi of the “Piano Concerto” had become less attractive to me with the passing years. My third concerto, “Zodiac Variations,” (2000) for the left hand is in 13 movements; I had already been reaching for another way to make sense of the relationship between the piano and orchestra in my work.
Enter “Mirrors,” five movements, 22 minutes suite for piano and orchestra which uses personality archetypes as points of departure for the prevailing character of each piece. The work is called Mirrors because these archetypes are, to a greater or lesser extent within us, and within our composite personalities. There is of course similar material that finds it’s way in each of the five movements, further enhancing the notion of the “I that is We.”
The piece is also called Mirrors because of the internal (and external) conversation between the piano and orchestra which is present throughout. The piano represents more private, internal aspects of the character in question while the orchestra gives voice to a more public side. And sometimes, the private and the public come together as one.
Mirrors was composed throughout the summer of 2009 for Jeffery Biegel, an old friend and classmate, from my days at the Julliard School.
— December 2009
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