Item #30647 Through the Ancient Valley [Concerto No. 2 for Violoncello Soloist and Orchestra]. 2001. Autograph working manuscript of the complete work in score. Richard b. 1956 DANIELPOUR.
Through the Ancient Valley [Concerto No. 2 for Violoncello Soloist and Orchestra]. 2001. Autograph working manuscript of the complete work in score.

Through the Ancient Valley [Concerto No. 2 for Violoncello Soloist and Orchestra]. 2001. Autograph working manuscript of the complete work in score.

Large oblong folio. Spiral bound. 53 pp. Notated in pencil on 18-stave manuscript paper with numerous revisions, additions, and annotations in lead and blue pencil.

Commissioned jointly by the New York Philharmonic and Kölnmusik and the Orchestre National de Lyon, Through the Ancient Valley was first performed on 14 March 2001 by the New York Philharmonic with Kurt Masur conducting and Yo-Yo Ma as soloist; Mr. Ma was also soloist in the first performances in France and Germany.

"Both [of Danielpour's] cello concerti... embrace dualities. In Through the Ancient Valley (2000), several of these are specific to the work and are suggested by the title. There was a literal valley through which ancient travelers passed from East to West. This trade route, in use for about 1,500 years beginning in the second century B.C., is part of ancient history, thus one dichotomy that Danielpour examines is that of ancient versus modern eras. In addition, the valley represents the physical distance between East and West. It is also a figurative symbol of the cultural differences that separate the two... Through the Ancient Valley confronts man's separation from God and, once again, the recurring theme of death and rebirth. The composer also reveals that the piece is ultimately about fathers and sons..."

"The genesis of this particular exploration of dualities was a 1998 conversation in which Yo-Yo Ma shared his Silk Road Project with Danielpour."

"As Danielpour explores his ancestral roots in Through the Ancient Valley, Persian elements meet Western and musical traditions. In a post-premiere talk, the composer acknowledged the influence of the music he experienced during the time he spent in Iran as a child. He explained that the second cello concerto was inspired by early memories of his grandmother playing Persian music. One of the ways he creates a non-Western character in the concerto is through the use of traditional Persian instruments, the kamnancheh, santūr, and dombak." Akers: Commercialism, Accessibility, Popularity, and Originality in American High-Art Music: Richard Danielpour, A Case Study, pp. 188-190.

"My parents were both born in Iran. Mine is an old Persian Jewish family. Early on, I became interested in Persian poetry, later in music, but I hadn’t really done much to explore those things in my own compositions. My First Cello Concerto cracked the door open a bit by using some of the music of my own ancestry. I started noticing fascinating things that had existed in my music without my being aware of it, sort of unconscious transformations of something I had heard as a child. When I noticed glimmers of this in my First Cello Concerto, I grew more consciously interested in it."

"Yo-Yo Ma was the soloist for that concerto, and in 1998, in the course of a conversation, he mentioned his Silk Road Project, a composition and performance venture based on the idea that the ancient Chinese Silk Road had served as a means of crossing cultural boundaries in the ancient world. I related my own ancestry to him, and the connection was made instantly. Ancient Persia was very much along the Silk Road. It was much larger than Iran is today; it also encompassed areas that today lie in Iraq and Pakistan and beyond."

Grammy-Award winning Richard Danielpour "is an outstanding composer for any time, one who knows how to communicate deep, important emotions through simple, direct means that nevertheless do not compromise." (New York Daily News). A distinctive American voice, his music is of large and romantic gestures, brilliantly orchestrated, intensely expressive, and rhythmically vibrant." Phytheas Music website

"Richard Danielpour… has become one of the most sought-after composers of his generation - a composer whose distinctive American voice is part of a rich neo-Romantic heritage with influences from pivotal composers like Britten, Copland, Bernstein, and Barber. His works are solidly rooted in the soil of tradition, yet [sing] with an optimistic voice for today… [They] speak to the heart as well as the mind." Schirmer website

"Like many American composers of his generation, Danielpour has largely divorced himself from serial techniques, which were important to early works such as the First String Quartet (1983). With First Light (1988), he found a new, distinctly American voice. He is best known for his orchestral and chamber music, including vocal works in both genres. Although he is often described as a neo-romantic, his musical language is broadly based and widely varied... In his vocal works, which display pristine idiomatic writing, he has collaborated increasingly with living poets. Many of his instrumental works are given evocative titles that refer to extra-musical sources." Laurie Shulman in Grove Music Online.

Item #30647

Price: $5,000.00  other currencies

See all items in Autographs & Manuscripts
See all items by