Notes and Editorial Reviews
Musicians ranging from Leonard Bernstein to the Emerson String Quartet have championed award-winning composer Richard Danielpour. Lacrimae Beati owes its origin to Mozart’s Requiem and was conceived after a perilous flight in 2002. Darkness in the Ancient Valley, a symphony in five movements inspired by recent events in Iran, utilizes a wide range of Persian folk-melodies and Sufi rhythms. A Woman’s Life, a cycle of poems by Maya Angelou, charts a moving trajectory from childhood to old age.
Musicians ranging from Leonard Bernstein to the Emerson String Quartet have championed award-winning composer Richard Danielpour. Lacrimae Beati owes its origin to Mozart’s Requiem and was conceived after a perilous flight in 2002. Darkness in the Ancient Valley, a symphony in five movements inspired by recent events in Iran, utilizes a wide range of Persian folk-melodies and Sufi rhythms. A Woman’s Life, a cycle of poems by Maya Angelou, charts a moving trajectory from childhood to old age. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Darkness in the Ancient Valley by Richard Danielpour
Performer:
Hila Plitmann (Soprano)
Conductor:
Giancarlo Guerrero
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Nashville Symphony Orchestra
Written: 2011
2.
Lacrimae Beati by Richard Danielpour
Conductor:
Giancarlo Guerrero
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Nashville Symphony Orchestra
Written: 2009
3.
A Woman's Life by Richard Danielpour
Performer:
Angela Brown (Soprano)
Conductor:
Giancarlo Guerrero
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Nashville Symphony Orchestra
Written: 2007
Sound Samples
Darkness in the Ancient Valley: I. Lamentation
Darkness in the Ancient Valley: II. Desecration
Darkness in the Ancient Valley: III. Benediction
Darkness in the Ancient Valley: IV. Profanation
Darkness in the Ancient Valley: V. Finale: Consecration
A Woman's Life: I. Little Girl Speakings
A Woman's Life: II. Life Doesn't Frighten Me
A Woman's Life: III. They Went Home
A Woman's Life: IV. Come and Be My Baby
A Woman's Life: V. Let's Majeste
A Woman's Life: VI. My Life Has Turned to Blue
A Woman's Life: VII. Many and More
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 2 Customer Reviews )
A Return to Roots December 10, 2013
By Ralph Graves (Hood, VA) See All My Reviews
""Darkness in the Ancient Valley" makrs Richard Danielpour's return to his Persian heritage. The basis for this five-movement symphony is a 16th century Iranian poem. <br />
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To my ears, the opening movement sounds like film music trying to evoke a Middle Eastern setting. But as the work progresses, pastiche gives way to passion, and the music develops its own blended and original voice. The final movement for orchestra and soprano (Hila Plitmann, for whom the part was written) brings the work home with an emotional and transcendent finale. <br />
<br. rounding="" out="" the="" release="" are="" two="" other="" orchestral="" works.="" "lacrimae="" beati"="" sounds="" a="" little="" like="" copland="" with="" its="" open="" intervals.="" although="" based="" on="" first="" eight="" bars="" of="" mozart's="" requiem="" (reportedly="" last="" music="" he="" ever="" wrote),="" danielpour="" so="" completely="" integrates="" source="" material="" that="" there's="" almost="" no="" trace="" original="" composer.="" and="" that's="" good="" thing="" --="" this="" is="" deeply="" personal="" work,="" musing="" mortality.="" it="" would="" be="" jarring="" to="" stick="" from="" rest="" composition.="" <br="">
<br /> "A Woman's Life," a setting of eight poems by Maya Angelou, has a distinctively American feel to it. But it's not Copland Americana. While the harmonies may sound similar, the rhythm of the words and the melodic seem to recall African-American gospel traditions. The work was composed for soprano Angela Brown, and her performance here infuses the words with understated drama and urgency. A beautiful orchestral song cycle that deserves a place in the repertoire.
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Danielpour: Darkness In The Ancient Valley / Guer December 4, 2013
By Due Fuss See All My Reviews
"While I gave him another chance with this disc, I must conclude that Danielpour's music is not necessarily to my liking, though of course this is not through any fault of his or of the quality playing and singing on this disc. He is clearly an adept composer, with a strong voice and skills, but since my tastes fall more on the side of continental dissonant abstraction, his musical language just isn't to my liking. That said, I can easily recommend this recording to his fans as it is well recorded and performed with solid singing and playing all around."
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