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Brett Dean (1961-    )

Brett Dean, composerBrett Dean studied in Brisbane before moving to Germany in 1984 where he was a permanent member of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra for fourteen years. He began composing in 1988, initially concentrating on experimental film and radio projects and as an improvising performer. Dean’s reputation as a composer continued to develop, and it was through works such as his clarinet concerto Ariel´s Music (1995), which won an award from the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers, and Carlo (1997) for strings, sampler and tape, inspired by the music of Carlo Gesualdo, that he gained international recognition. In 2000 Dean returned to his native Australia to concentrate on his composition, and he now shares his time between homes in Melbourne and Berlin. Now one of the most internationally performed composers of his generation, much of Dean’s work draws from literary, political, environmental or visual stimuli, including a number of compositions inspired by paintings by his wife Heather Betts. His music is championed by many of the leading conductors and orchestras worldwide, including Sir Simon Rattle, Andris Nelsons, Marin Alsop, David Robertson and Simone Young. In 2009, Brett Dean won the Grawemeyer Award for music composition for his violin concerto The Lost Art of Letter Writing and received the Elise L. Stoeger Prize from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, New York in 2011. His first opera, Bliss, was commissioned and given its premiere in 2010 by Opera Australia in Melbourne, and has since received further performances in Sydney, Hamburg and at the Edinburgh International Festival. Recent commissions include The Last Days of Socrates, a large-scale choral-orchestral work for the Berlin Rundfunkchor, Melbourne Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic, premiered in 2013.
 - Intermusica

COMPOSITIONS                                 Brett Dean Links     ~ ~ ~     Works by Genre     ~ ~ ~     Brett Dean on Brett Dean
Wendezeit (Homage to F.C.), 5 violas (1988)
some birthday..., 2 violas and cello (1992)
Night Window, clarinet, viola and piano (1993)
Ariel's Music, clarinet and orchestra (1995)
Twelve Angry Men, 12 cellos (1996) [inspired by the 1957 Sidney Lumet film]
Voices of Angels, strings and piano (1996)
Intimate Decisions, viola (1996)
Carlo, strings, sampler and tape (1997)
Night's Journey, 4 trombones (1997)
One of a Kind, ballet in 3 acts, cello and tape (1998)
Three Pieces for Eight Horns (1998)
One of a Kind, viola and tape (1998; rev. 2012)
Beggars and Angels Music, orchestra (1999)
hundreds and thousands, tape (1999)
Katz and Spatz, 8-part chorus (1999/2002)
Amphitheatre – Scene, orchestra (2000)
Etüdenfest, string orchestra, w/off-stage piano (2000)
Game Over, instrumental soloists, string orchestra and electronics (2000)
Pastoral Symphony, chamber orchestra (2000)
Winter Songs, tenor and wind quintet (2000)
Dispersal, orchestra (2001)
Bell and Anti-Bell, children's choir and small orchestra (2001)
    - from "Parables, Lullabies and Secrets", collaborative work w/Neil Finn, Paul Healy, Michael Leunig, John Rodgers
      and Richard Tognetti
Huntington Eulogy, cello and piano (2001)
Shadow Music, small orchestra (2002)
Tracks and Traces (4 songs), children's choir (2002) [based on texts by indigenous Australians]
Testament, 12 violas (2002)
    - Testament, orchestra (2008) [arr. from version for 12 violas]
Between Moments, orchestra (2003) [in memory of Cameron Retchford]
Ceremonial, orchestra (2003)
Eclipse, string quartet (2003)
Three Caprichos after Goya, guitar (2003)
Moments of Bliss, orchestra (2004)
Viola Concerto (2004)
Water Music, saxophone quartet and chamber orchestra (2004)
Demons, flute (2004)
Equality, piano, w/speaking part (2004)
Parteitag, orchestral groups and video (2004/05)
Short Stories – Five Interludes, string orchestra (2005)
Vexations and Devotions, choirs and orchestra (2005)
Prayer, piano, w/speaking part (2005)
Komarov's Fall, orchestra (2005/06)
The Lost Art of Letter Writing, violin and orchestra (2006)
Sparge la morte, solo cello, vocal consort and tape (2006)
Recollections, chamber ensemble (2006)
Sparge la morte, solo cello, vocal consort and tape (2006)
Poems and Prayers, mezzo-soprano and piano (2006)
Wolf-Lieder, soprano and ensemble (2006)
The Siduri Dances, flute and string orchestra (2007)
Now Comes the Dawn, chorus (2007)
Polysomnography, piano and wind quartet (2007)
Songs of Joy (from opera Bliss), baritone and orchestra (2008)
Bliss, opera (2010)
Skizzen für Siegbert (Sketches for Siegbert), viola (2011)
Electric Preludes, electric violin and ensemble (2012)


WORKS BY GENRE                          Brett Dean Links    ~ ~ ~     Brett Dean on Brett Dean      ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
One of a Kind, ballet in 3 acts, cello and tape (1998)
Bliss, opera (2010)

Orchestra
Carlo, strings, sampler and tape (1997)
Beggars and Angels Music, orchestra (1999)
Amphitheatre – Scene, orchestra (2000)
Etüdenfest, string orchestra, w/off-stage piano (2000)
Game Over, instrumental soloists, string orchestra and electronics (2000)
Pastoral Symphony, chamber orchestra (2000)
Dispersal, orchestra (2001)
Shadow Music, small orchestra (2002)
Between Moments, orchestra (2003) [in memory of Cameron Retchford]
Ceremonial, orchestra (2003)
Moments of Bliss, orchestra (2004)
Parteitag, orchestral groups and video (2004/05)
Short Stories – Five Interludes, string orchestra (2005)
Komarov's Fall, orchestra (2005/06)
Testament, orchestra (2008) [arr. from original work (2002) for 12 violas]

Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Ariel's Music, clarinet and orchestra (1995)
Viola Concerto (2004)
Water Music, saxophone quartet and chamber orchestra (2004)
The Lost Art of Letter Writing, violin and orchestra (2006)
The Siduri Dances, flute and string orchestra (2007)

Chorus w/Orchestra
Bell and Anti-Bell, children's choir and small orchestra (2001)
    - from "Parables, Lullabies and Secrets", collaborative work w/Neil Finn, Paul Healy, Michael Leunig, John Rodgers
      and Richard Tognetti
Vexations and Devotions, choirs and orchestra (2005)

Choral
Katz and Spatz, 8-part chorus (1999/2002)
Tracks and Traces (4 songs), children's choir (2002) [based on texts by indigenous Australians]
Sparge la morte, solo cello, vocal consort and tape (2006)
Now Comes the Dawn, chorus (2007)

Chamber
Wendezeit (Homage to F.C.), 5 violas (1988)
some birthday..., 2 violas and cello (1992)
Night Window, clarinet, viola and piano (1993)
Twelve Angry Men, 12 cellos (1996) [inspired by the 1957 Sidney Lumet film]
Voices of Angels, strings and piano (1996)
Night's Journey, 4 trombones (1997)
Three Pieces for Eight Horns (1998)
Testament, 12 violas (2002) [arr. 2008 for orchestra]
Eclipse, string quartet (2003)
Recollections, chamber ensemble (2006)
Sparge la morte, solo cello, vocal consort and tape (2006)
Polysomnography, piano and wind quartet (2007)
Electric Preludes, electric violin and ensemble (2012)

Instrument and Piano
Huntington Eulogy, cello and piano (2001)

Solo Instrument
Intimate Decisions, viola (1996)
One of a Kind, viola and tape (1998; rev. 2012) [from music for ballet]
Three Caprichos after Goya, guitar (2003)
Demons, flute (2004)
Skizzen für Siegbert (Sketches for Siegbert), viola (2011)

Piano
Equality, piano, w/speaking part (2004)
Prayer, piano, w/speaking part (2005)

Vocal
Winter Songs, tenor and wind quintet (2000)
Buy Now, Pay Later! (by Tim Freedman), arr. for voice and ensemble (2002)
Poems and Prayers, mezzo-soprano and piano (2006)
Wolf-Lieder, soprano and ensemble (2006)
Songs of Joy (from opera Bliss), baritone and orchestra (2008)

Electronic/Electroacoustic
Carlo, strings, sampler and tape (1997)
One of a Kind, ballet in 3 acts, cello and tape (1998)
    - One of a Kind, viola and tape (1998; rev. 2012)
hundreds and thousands, tape (1999)
Game Over, instrumental soloists, string orchestra and electronics (2000)
Sparge la morte, solo cello, vocal consort and tape (2006)


BRETT DEAN  LINKS                         Works by Genre    ~ ~ ~     Brett Dean on Brett Dean       ~ top of page ~
[under construction]
Immersed in the Music of Brett Dean (BBC Radio 3)

Composer's website (@ Boosey & Hawkes)   . . .   contact Brett Dean:  here

Brett Dean @ Wikipedia
Brett Dean @ Australian Music Centre
Brett Dean @ Boosey & Hawkes
Brett Dean @ Classical Archives
Brett Dean @ ClassicsToday (via Google Advanced Search)
Brett Dean @ composition:today
Brett Dean @ Griffith University
Brett Dean @ InstantEncore
Brett Dean @ Intermusica
Brett Dean @ IRCAM
Brett Dean @ Los Angeles Philharmonic
Brett Dean @ MusicWeb International
Brett Dean @ The New York Times
Brett Dean @ Sinfini Music

Publisher
Brett Dean @ Boosey & Hawkes

Streaming Audio
Brett Dean @ Classical Archives
Brett Dean @ last.fm
Brett Dean @ MySpaceMusic
Brett Dean @ NPRmusic
Brett Dean @ Rhapsody.com
Brett Dean @ SoundCloud

Recordings
Brett Dean @ Amazon.com
Brett Dean @ ArkivMusic
Brett Dean @ CD Universe
Brett Dean @ ClassicsOnline
Brett Dean @ itunes
Brett Dean @ Naxos

Video
Brett Dean @ YouTube
Brett Dean @ Google Video
Brett Dean @ Vimeo (via Google Advanced Search)
                                                                                                                                           ~ top of page ~
Brett Dean on Brett Dean: CMS Artist Profile (VIDEO)






Brett Dean on Brett Dean: 2009 Grawemeyer Award Winner (VIDEO)







Brett Dean on Brett Dean: On composing The Last Days of Socrates (VIDEO)
Brett Dean, composerComposers Speak on the Web at Pytheas
                            ~ click on composer picture to listen ~







Brett Dean on Brett Dean: On His Beginnings (streaming audio)
Brett Dean, composerComposers Speak on the Web at Pytheas
                            ~ click on composer picture to listen ~







. . . and check out more    Composers Speak on the Web    at Pytheas

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