The Book of Hours c. 25'
Piano quartet
COMPOSER QUOTE:
The Book of Hours represents the 24 hour-cycle, beginning with morning or first light. The fact that the 24 hour-cycle is itself a metaphor for the life-cycle has always interested me.
My friend, the late Stephen Albert, once said to me, "Turning 50 reminds one that there are a limited number of hours left in our lives." And so, having reached my half-century milestone in January 2006, I am not only constantly reminded of our mortality, but also of the blessedness of being alive regardless of how good or bad a day we are having. This idea, of course, requires constant reminding; and, The Book of Hours is, for me, one such reminder. It was also written to be a remembrance of one other idea — that all things live and die, and live again.
— Richard Danielpour
The Danielpour/K-L-R Connection:
In 2000, the K-L-R Trio commissioned Danielpour to compose a memorial piece in observance of a sudden tragic death. The resulting chamber work — A Child’s Reliquary — stirs and moves both performers and audiences. Last month, violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson joined Carl St. Clair and the Pacific Symphony for the premiere of the orchestral version. This month, St. Clair conducts the European premiere at the Staatskapelle Weimer with Isabelle Faust (violin) and Jens Peter Maintz (cello). In 2002, Danielpour created a 25th-wedding anniversary gift for Laredo and Robinson — In the Arms of the Beloved (Double Concerto for Violin and Cello and Orchestra), premiered by the Iris Chamber Orchestra led by Michael Stern.