Brian Cherney (1942- )
Canadian
composer Brian Cherney studied composition with Samuel Dolin
at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto from 1960 until 1963 and
later with John Weinzweig at the University of Toronto. He received
graduate degrees from the University of Toronto in both composition and musicology. Since 1972 he has been on the
staff of the Schulich School of Music at
McGill University in Montreal, where he teaches composition. From 2002
to 2005 he was Chair of the Department of Theory. Since 1960, Cherney
has written more than ninety pieces, including orchestral music,
concertos, chamber music and music for solo instruments. His music has
been performed and broadcast throughout Canada and also in Europe, the
United States, South America and Japan and he has received commissions
from many organizations and performers over the years, including the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, La Société de musique contemporaine
du Québec, the Esprit Orchestra, the 1990 New Music America Festival,
Le Nouvel ensemble moderne, Amici, the Pierrot Ensemble, The Montreal
Symphony Orchestra, L'Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, The Strings of
the Future, Viva Voce, Rivka Golani, Lawrence Cherney, Louis-Philippe
Pelletier, Robert Aitken, Antonio Lysy, Paul Vaillancourt and Andrée
Martin, Julie-Anne Derome and the RIAS Kammerchor of Berlin. In 1979,
Cherney's String Trio, a CBC commission, tied for first place among the
"recommended" works at the International Rostrum of Composers in Paris.
In 1985 he was awarded the Jules Léger Prize for New Chamber Music for
River of Fire, a work for oboe d'amore and harp. Many of Cherney’s
works have been published by the Québec publisher Éditions
Doberman-Yppan. In April of 2006, he was
the Michael and Sonja Koerner Distinguished Visitor in Composition at
the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, at which time a work
especially commissioned for the occasion, Quelques espaces entre les
anges et la terre for wind ensemble and percussion, was premiered.- Canadian Music Centre
COMPOSITIONS Cherney Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre
Six Pieces for Piano (1958)
Sonata for Violin and Piano (1961)
Quintet, alto saxophone and string quartet (1962)
Two Songs, soprano and chamber orchestra (1963) [text: Rilke]
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1963)
Interlude and Variations, woodwind quintet (1965)
Woodwind Quintet (1965)
Suite, viola and piano (1965, lost)
Six Miniatures for Piano (1965; pub. 1971)
Piano Sonata (1966)
String Quartet No. 1 (1966)
Variations for Orchestra (1967)
Jest, piano (1967)
Six Miniatures, oboe and string orchestra (1968) [also arr. for oboe and piano]
Mobile II, cello (1968)
Pieces for Young Pianists, 3 vols., piano (1968)
Intervalls, Patterns, Shapes, piano (1968) [part of "Studies in 20th Century Idioms Series"]
Mobile IV, soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello, harp and percussion (1969) [text: Tu Fu/Rexroth]
Kontakion: Quiet Music, 11 players (fl, ob, cl, bsn, hn, 2 vln, va, vc, db and pf) (1969)
Mobile IIIa, oboe (1970)
String Quartet No. 2 (1970)
Seven Images for Twenty-two Players (1971)
Elegy for a Misty Afternoon, piano (1971) [for young players] [in "Horizons", vol. 1]
Eclipse, soprano, flute and piano (1972) [text: Brian Hendersen]
Notturno, flute, English horn (or oboe), bass clarinet, bassoon, and piano (1974)
Chamber Concerto for Viola and Ten Players (1974)
Tangents I, cello and tape (1975)
Tangents II, oboe and tape (1975-76)
String Trio (1976)
Seven Miniatures in the Form of a Mobile, viola (1978)
Group Portrait - With Piano, flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn and piano (1978)
Mémoires, reflets et rêves d'ailleurs..., piano (1977-79)
- rev. as "Dans le crépuscule de souvenir" (5 pieces), piano (1977-80)
Études, oboe (1979)
The Garden of Earthly Delights, ten, woodwind quintet, opt. harpsichord or spinet, opt. chimes and offstage piano (1979)
Trois petites pièces désséchées... en forme de sandwich, viola and piano (1979)
Adieux, orchestra (1980)
Triolet, flute, harp and bassoon (1980)
Playing for Time, oboe, piano and percussion (1 player) (1981)
In the Stillness Between, winds and percussion/band (1982)
Beyond the Seventh Palace, viola and percussion (1982)
River of Fire, oboe d'amore and harp (1983)
Gan Eden, violin and piano (1983)
In the Stillness of the Seventh Autumn, piano (1983)
Gothic Scenes and Interludes, organ (1983-87)
Into the Distant Stillness ..., orchestra (1984)
String Quratet No. 3 (1985)
Accord, oboe, accordion and cello (1985)
Epitaph, English horn (1986)
In Stillness Ascending, viola and piano (1986)
Illuminations, string orchestra (1987)
In the Stillness of the Summer Wind, oboe and string quartet (1987)
Déploration, harpsichord (1987-88)
Shekhinah, viola (1988)
Dunkle Stimmen... Am Rande der Nacht (Dark voices ... on the verge of night), viola, cello and double bass (1988)
Le fil d'Ariane, guitar and percussion (1988)
Oboe Concerto ("Final Furnishings") (1989)
Transfiguration, orchestra (1990)
... et j'entends la nuit qui chante dans les cloches, piano and orchestra (1990)
Apparitions, cello and 14 players (1991)
Dopplegänger, 2 flutes (1991)
- Doppelgänger (version for flute solo, 1992)
Quelques fois, à l'ombre de la nuit... au lointain..., piano (1991-92)
In the Stillness of Eden, violin (1992)
Le dernier cri, trumpet (1992)
The Return of Ulysses, alto saxophone (1992)
In the Stillness of September 1942, English horn and 9 solo strings (1992)
Like Ghosts from an Enchanter Fleeing, cello and piano (1993)
Music for a Solitary Cellist, cello (1993)
Die Klingende Zeit, flute and chamber ensemble (1993-94) [orchestra]
String Quartet No. 4 (1994)
In the Great Museum of our Memory, bass oboe and bass clarinet (1994)
In the Great Museum of our Memory, bass oboe (1994)
Et la solitude dérive au fil des fleuves..., orchestra (1995)
Tombeau (7 pieces), piano (1996)
Echoes in the Memory, clarinet, cello and piano (1997)
Jam for Frances, trombone (1997)
Entendre marcher un ange..., flute and percussion (1998)
Qui entendrait le cri d'un ange dans les ténèbres?, clarinet, ondes Martenot and cello (1998)
Incantation, flute (1999)
Shadow Dancing at Half-Past Nine, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and percussion (1999)
Music for a Summer Wedding, flute, viola and harp (2000)
String Quartet No. 5 (2000)
La princesse lointaine, solo harp, English horn and orchestra (2001)
[Paroles] tout bas dans la chevelure d'un ange dites, violin (2002)
Vers minuit, orchestra (2002)
Tenebrae, chorus (2002) [text: Paul Celan]
Quelques pensées sur le 300e anniversaire du voloncelle Carlo Tonini d'Antonio Lysy..., cello (2003)
Le bois qui chante , cello (2003) [same as previous work???]
Le miroir des anges, chamber ensemble plus eight cellos (2003)
Hannah's Prayers, chorus (2004)
Quelques espaces entre les anges et la terre, wind ensemble and percussion (2006)
Die Niedmandsrose, chorus (2006) [text: Paul Celan]
Une petite histoire de gestes, 2 percussionists (2006?)
Three Songs to Texts by Paul Celan, soprano and piano (1996-2007) [nos. 1, 2 as "Two Songs", 1996]
String Quartet No. 6 (2009)
In Gottes Gärten schweigen die Engel (In God’s gardens the angels grow silent), 6 percussionists (????)
WORKS BY GENRE Cherney Links ~ top of page ~
Orchestra
Variations for Orchestra (1967)
Seven Images for Twenty-two Players (1971)
Adieux, orchestra (1980)
Into the Distant Stillness ..., orchestra (1984)
Illuminations, string orchestra (1987)
Transfiguration, orchestra (1990)
Die Klingende Zeit, flute and chamber ensemble (1993-94) [orchestra?]
Et la solitude dérive au fil des fleuves..., orchestra (1995)
Vers minuit, orchestra (2002)
Band
In the Stillness Between, winds and percussion/band (1982)
Quelques espaces entre les anges et la terre, wind ensemble and percussion (2006)
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra (1963)
Six Miniatures, oboe and string orchestra (1968) [also arr. for oboe and piano]
Chamber Concerto for Viola and Ten Players (1974)
Final Furnishings (Oboe Concerto), oboe and orchestra (1989; fp. 1991)
... et j'entends la nuit qui chante dans les cloches, piano and orchestra (1990)
Apparitions, cello and 14 players (1991)
In the Stillness of September 1942, English horn and 9 solo strings (1992)
Die Klingende Zeit, flute and chamber ensemble (1993-94) [orchestra]
La princesse lointaine, solo harp, English horn and orchestra (2001)
Choral
Tenebrae, chorus (2002) [text: Paul Celan]
Hannah's Prayers, chorus (2004)
Die Niedmandsrose, chorus (2006) [text: Paul Celan]
Chamber
Quintet, alto saxophone and string quartet (1962)
Interlude and Variations, woodwind quintet (1965)
Woodwind Quintet (1965)
String Quartet No. 1 (1966)
Kontakion: Quiet Music, 11 players (fl, ob, cl, bsn, hn, 2 vln, va, vc, db and pf) (1969)
String Quartet No. 2 (1970)
Notturno, flute, English horn (or oboe), bass clarinet, bassoon, and piano (1974)
Chamber Concerto for Viola and Ten Players (1974)
String Trio (1976)
Group Portrait - With Piano, flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn and piano (1978)
The Garden of Earthly Delights, ten, woodwind quintet, opt. harpsichord or spinet, opt. chimes and offstage piano (1979)
Triolet, flute, harp and bassoon (1980)
Playing for Time, oboe, piano and percussion (1 player) (1981)
Beyond the Seventh Palace, viola and percussion (1982)
River of Fire, oboe d'amore and harp (1983)
String Quratet No. 3 (1985)
Accord, oboe, accordion and cello (1985)
In the Stillness of the Summer Wind, oboe and string quartet (1987)
Le fil d'Ariane, guitar and percussion (1988)
Dunkle Stimmen... Am Rande der Nacht (Dark voices ... on the verge of night), viola, cello and double bass (1988)
Apparitions, cello and 14 players (1991)
Dopplegänger, 2 flutes (1991)
In the Stillness of September 1942, English horn and 9 solo strings (1992)
Die Klingende Zeit, flute and chamber ensemble (1993-94) [orchestra]
String Quartet No. 4 (1994)
In the Great Museum of our Memory, bass oboe and bass clarinet (1994)
Echoes in the Memory, clarinet, cello and piano (1997)
Entendre marcher un ange..., flute and percussion (1998)
Qui entendrait le cri d'un ange dans les ténèbres?, clarinet, ondes Martenot and cello (1998)
Shadow Dancing at Half-Past Nine, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and percussion (1999)
Music for a Summer Wedding, flute, viola and harp (2000)
String Quartet No. 5 (2000)
Le miroir des anges, chamber ensemble plus eight cellos (2003)
Une petite histoire de gestes, 2 percussionists (2006?)
String Quartet No. 6 (2009)
In Gottes Gärten schweigen die Engel (In God’s gardens the angels grow silent), 6 percussionists (????)
Solo Instrument
Sonata for Violin and Piano (1961)
Suite, viola and piano (1965, lost)
Six Miniatures, oboe and piano (1968) [??? arr. 1989 from work for oboe and string orch]
Mobile II, cello (1968)
Mobile IIIa, oboe (1970)
Tangents I, cello and tape (1975)
Tangents II, oboe and tape (1975-76)
Seven Miniatures in the Form of a Mobile, viola (1978)
Études, oboe (1979)
Trois petites pièces désséchées... en forme de sandwich, viola and piano (1979)
Gan Eden, violin and piano (1983)
Epitaph, English horn (1986)
In Stillness Ascending, viola and piano (1986)
Shekhinah, viola (1988)
Doppelgänger (version for flute solo, 1992)
In the Stillness of Eden, violin (1992)
Le dernier cri, trumpet (1992)
The Return of Ulysses, alto saxophone (1992)
Like Ghosts from an Enchanter Fleeing (6 pieces), cello and piano (1993)
Music for a Solitary Cellist, cello (1993)
In the Great Museum of our Memory, bass oboe (1994)
Jam for Frances, trombone (1997)
Incantation, flute (1999)
[Paroles] tout bas dans la chevelure d'un ange dites, violin (2002)
Quelques pensées sur le 300e anniversaire du voloncelle Carlo Tonini d'Antonio Lysy..., cello (2003)
Le bois qui chante , cello (2003) [same as previous work???]
Piano/Organ/Harpsichord
Six Pieces for Piano (1958)
- Moderato
- Andante
- Tempo di minuet
- Adagio
- Scherzando
- Allegro molto
Six Miniatures for Piano (1965) (Oxford, 1971) [or "Six Piano Miniatures"]
- Allegro
- Andante
- Adagio, "Elegy for a Misty Afternoon" (also in "Horizons", vol. 1)
- Allegro giocoso
- Andante
- Allegro giocoso
Piano Sonata (1966)
Jest, piano (1967)
Intervalls, Patterns, Shapes (6 pieces), piano (1968; pub. 1970) [part of "Studies in 20th Century Idioms Series"]
- Rhythm and whims
- Sonorous seconds
- Homage to Karl Czerny
- Ulcerated scales
- Two in one
- Interval patterns
Pieces for Young Pianists, 3 vols. (1968) (Jaymar Music, 1971-72)
Vol. 1
- Moderato
- Allegro non troppo
- Tempo di marcia
- Scherzando
Vol. 2
- ???
- ???
- ???
- ???
Vol. 3
- Tranquillo
- Piacevole
- Dance for a light-hearted elephant
Mémoires, reflets et rêves d'ailleurs..., piano (1977-79)
- rev. as "Dans le crépuscule de souvenir" (5 pieces), piano (1977-80)
In the Stillness of the Seventh Autumn, piano (1983)
Gothic Scenes and Interludes, organ (1983-87)
Déploration, harpsichord (1987-88)
Quelques fois, à l'ombre de la nuit... au lointain..., piano (1991-92)
Tombeau (7 pieces), piano (1996)
- Prologue
- Scherzo I
- Interlude I
- Portrait
- Interlude II
- Scherzo II
- Epilogue
Vocal
Two Songs, soprano and chamber orchestra (1963) [text: Rilke]
Mobile IV, soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello, harp and percussion (1969) [text: Tu Fu/Rexroth]
Eclipse, soprano, flute and piano (1972) [text: Brian Hendersen]
Three Songs to Texts by Paul Celan, soprano and piano (1996-2007) [nos. 1, 2 as "Two Songs", 1996]
Electronic
Tangents I, cello and tape (1975)
Tangents II, oboe and tape (1975-76)
CHERNEY LINKS Works by Genre ~ top of page ~
Deacuteploration - In Memoriam Morton Feldman by Brian Cherney, and in Conversation (Vivienne Spiteri, informaworld)
Like Ghosts from an Enchanter Fleeing (Sandy Thorburn, ICM Newsletter)
"An Unfinished Life" by Brian Cherney (Stanley Fefferman, showtime magazine)
Premieres of New Orchestral Works by Istvan Anhalt and Brian Cherney (ICM Newsletter)
Composer's website (at Schulich School of Music/McGill University) . . . contact Brian Cherney: here
Cherney @ Wikipedia
Cherney @ CAML Review/Revue de l'ACBM
Cherney @ The Canadian Encyclopedia
Cherney @ Canadian Music Centre
Cherney @ Classical Archives
Cherney @ Classical Net
Cherney @ Facebook
Cherney @ McGill University
Cherney @ Naxos
Cherney @ SMCQ
Cherney @ Splendid E-zine
Publisher
Cherney @ Éditions Doberman-Yppan
Streaming Audio
Cherney @ Composer's website
Cherney @ Canadian Music Centre
Cherney @ Classical Archives
Cherney @ last.fm
Cherney @ Rhapsody.com
Recordings
Cherney @ ArkivMusic
Cherney @ ClassicsOnline
Cherney @ Discogs
Video
[nothing at the moment]
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