Shulamit Ran (1949- )
Shalumit
Ran, winner of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize in composition, has been awarded
most major honors given to composers in the U.S., including two
fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, grants and commissions from
the Koussevitzky Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the
Fromm Music Foundation, Chamber Music America, the American Academy and
Institute for Arts and Letters, first prize in the Kennedy
Center-Friedheim Awards competition for orchestral music, and many
more. Ran came to the U. S. from Israel to study composition
and
piano, having received scholarships from The Mannes College of Music in
New York and the America Israel Cultural Foundation. Her music has been
played by major orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, the
Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Israel
Philharmonic, the Contemporary Chamber Players of the University of
Chicago, the New York Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra,
the Baltimore Symphony, the National Symphony, Orchestre de la Suisse
Romande, the Jerusalem Orchestra, and many others. Between
1990
and 1997 she was Composer-in-Residence with the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra, having been appointed for that position by Maestro Daniel
Barenboim as part of the Meet-The-Composer Orchestra Residencies
Program. Between 1994 and 1997 she was also the fifth Brena
and
Lee Freeman Sr. Composer-in-Residence with the Lyric Opera of Chicago,
where her residency culminated in the much-acclaimed premiere of her
first opera "Between Two Worlds" (The Dybbuk). Ran is
presently
the Andrew MacLeish Distinguished Service Professor in the Department
of Music at the University of Chicago, where she has taught since
1973. The recipient of five honorary doctorates, her works
are
published by Theodore Presser Company and by the Israeli Music
Institute and recorded on more than a dozen labels, including several
all-Ran discs. According to the Chicago
Tribune, "Ran has never forgotten that a vital essence of composition
is communication." This sort of reaction is by no means
unusual.
Around the country, from Seattle to Baltimore to Houston, commentary on
her music typically runs thus: "gloriously human," and "compelling not
only for its white-hot emotional content but for its intelligence and
compositional clarity; Ran is a magnificent composer."COMPOSITIONS Ran Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ Ran on Ran
Sonatina, 2 flutes (1961)
Short Piano Pieces (1962-63)
Piano Sonata No. 2 (1967)
O The Chimneys, mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble (1969)
Hatzvi Israel Eulogy, mezzo-soprano, flute, harp and string quartet (1969)
Concert Piece, piano and orchestra (1970)
Three Fantasy Pieces, cello and piano (1971) [arr. as Three Fantasy Movements, cello and orchestra, 1993]
Ensembles for 17, soprano and instrumental ensemble (1975)
Double Vision, 2 quintets (woodwinds, brass) and piano (1976)
Hyperbolae, piano (1976)
For an Actor, monologue, clarinet (1978)
Apprehensions, voice, clarinet and piano (1979)
Private Game, clarinet and cello (1979)
Fantasy Variations, cello (1979, rev. 1984)
Excursions, violin, cello and piano (1980)
A Prayer, horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon and timpani (1981)
Fanfare, 2 multi-tracked sopranos (5-voice adaptation for live performance) (1981) [arr. as Fanfare for Brass, 1991]
Verticals, piano (1982)
Sonata Walzer, piano (1983)
String Quartet No. 1 (1984)
Concerto da Camera I, woodwind quintet (1985)
Adonai Malach (Psalm 93), cantor, horn, piccolo, oboe and clarinet (1985)
Amichai Songs, mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble (1985)
Concerto for Orchestra (1986)
Concerto da Camera II, clarinet, string quartet and piano (1987)
East Wind, flute (1987)
String Quartet No. 2, "Vistas" (1989)
Symphony, orchestra (1989-90) [winner of the Pulitzer Prize]
Mirage, 5 players (1990)
Fanfare for Brass (1991)
Inscriptions, violin (1991)
Chicago Skyline, brass and percussion (1991)
Legends for Orchestra (1992-93, rev. 2001)
Three Fantasy Movements, cello and orchestra (1993)
Invocation, horn, timpani and chimes (1994)
Yearning, violin and string orchestra (1995)
Soliloquy, violin, cello and piano (1997) [arr. as Soliloquy II, violin, string orchestra and percussion, 2007]
Vessels of Courage and Hope, orchestra (1998)
Between Two Worlds (The Dybbuk), opera (1997)
Voices, flutist and orchestra (2000)
Three Scenes, clarinet (2000)
Supplications, chorus and orchestra (2002)
Bach-Shards, string quartet (2002)
Violin Concerto (2002-03)
Under the Sun's Gaze (Concerto da Camera III), 2 fl, 2 cl, soprano sax, perc, piano, violin and cello (2003-2004)
Ha'llel, organ (2005)
Shirim L'Yom Tov (Four Festive Songs), chorus (2003-05)
Fault Line, soprano (optional) and orchestra (2005-06)
Credo/Ani Ma'amin, chorus (2006)
Song and Dance Duo, saxophones and percussion (2007)
The Show Goes On, Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (2008)
Lyre of Orpheus, string sextet (2008)
WORKS BY GENRE Ran Links ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
Between Two Worlds (The Dybbuk), opera (1997)
Orchestra
Concerto for Orchestra (1986)
Symphony, orchestra (1989-90) [winner of the Pulitzer Prize]
Legends for Orchestra (1992-93, rev. 2001)
Vessels of Courage and Hope, orchestra (1998)
Fault Line, soprano (optional) and orchestra (2005-06)
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Concert Piece, piano and orchestra (1970)
Three Fantasy Movements, cello and orchestra (1993; arr. by Colnot from Three Fantasy Pieces for Cello and Piano, 1971)
Yearning, violin and string orchestra (1995)
Voices, flutist and orchestra (2000)
Violin Concerto (2002-03)
Soliloquy II, violin, string orchestra and percussion (2007) [arr. by Colnot]
The Show Goes On, Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (2008)
Chorus w/Orchestra
Supplications, chorus and orchestra (2002)
Choral
Shirim L'Yom Tov (Four Festive Songs), chorus (2003-05)
Credo/Ani Ma'amin, chorus (2006)
Chamber
Sonatina, 2 flutes (1961)
Double Vision, 2 quintets (woodwinds, brass) and piano (1976)
Private Game, clarinet and cello (1979)
Excursions, violin, cello and piano (1980)
A Prayer, horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon and timpani (1981)
String Quartet No. 1 (1984)
Concerto da Camera I, woodwind quintet (1985)
Concerto da Camera II, clarinet, string quartet and piano (1987)
String Quartet No. 2, "Vistas" (1989)
Mirage, 5 players (1990)
Fanfare for Brass (1991; arr. by Colnot from Fanfare for Two Multi-tracked Sopranos, 1981)
Chicago Skyline, brass and percussion (1991)
Invocation, horn, timpani and chimes (1994)
Soliloquy, violin, cello and piano (1997) [arr. as Soliloquy II, violin, string orchestra and percussion, 2007]
Bach-Shards, string quartet (2002)
Under the Sun's Gaze (Concerto da Camera III), 2 fl, 2 cl, soprano sax, perc, piano, violin and cello (2003-2004)
Song and Dance Duo, saxophones and percussion (2007)
Lyre of Orpheus, string sextet (2008)
Solo Instrument
Three Fantasy Pieces, cello and piano (1971) [arr. as Three Fantasy Movements, cello and orchestra, 1993]
For an Actor, monologue, clarinet (1978)
Fantasy Variations, cello (1979, rev. 1984)
East Wind, flute (1987)
Inscriptions, violin (1991)
Three Scenes, clarinet (2000)
Piano/Organ
Short Piano Pieces (1962-63)
Piano Sonata No. 2 (1967)
Hyperbolae, piano (1976)
Verticals, piano (1982)
Sonata Walzer, piano (1983)
Ha'llel, organ (2005)
Vocal
O The Chimneys, mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble (1969)
Hatzvi Israel Eulogy, mezzo-soprano, flute, harp and string quartet (1969)
Ensembles for 17, soprano and instrumental ensemble (1975)
Apprehensions, voice, clarinet and piano (1979)
Fanfare, 2 multi-tracked sopranos (5-voice adaptation for live performance) (1981) [arr. as Fanfare for Brass, 1991]
Adonai Malach (Psalm 93), cantor, horn, piccolo, oboe and clarinet (1985)
Amichai Songs, mezzo-soprano and chamber ensemble (1985)
Fault Line, soprano (optional) and orchestra (2005-06)
RAN LINKS Works by Genre ~ top of page ~
The Melodic Energy And the Textures Of Shulamit Ran (Edward Rothstein, The New York Times)
Ode To Gravity: The Music of Shulamit Ran (Charles Amirkhanian, radiOM)
The Show Goes On, Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (Shulamit Ran, clarinetdays.com)
Shulamit Ran: Mass Appeal (George Robison, JewishJournal.com)
Shulamit Ran, in "Fifty Jewish Women Who Changed the World" (D. Felder, D. Rosen, Citadel Press, books.google.com)
Talking with Shulamit Ran Before a World Premiere (Dick Strawser, Thoughts on a Train)
Composer's website
Ran @ Wikipedia
Ran @ Absolute Astronomy
Ran @ American Composers Orchestra
Ran @ Answers.com
Ran @ Art of the States
Ran @ Beauty in Music
Ran @ Boise Philharmonic
Ran @ Center Stage Chicago
Ran @ Classic Cat
Ran @ Classical Archives
Ran @ Classical Composers Database
Ran @ Classical Net
Ran @ ClassicsToday
Ran @ composition:today
Ran @ Concertante
Ran @ counter)induction
Ran @ Dr. Estrella's Incredibly Abridged Dictionary of Composers
Ran @ Guide to the Pianist's Repertoire (Maurice Hinson, Indiana Univ. Pr., books.google.com)
Ran @ Jewish Women's Archive
Ran @ Masterworks, A Musical Discovery
Ran @ Milken Archive of American Jewish Music
Ran @ The Muse that Sings (Ann McCutchan, Oxford University Press, books.google.com)
Ran @ MusicWeb International
Ran @ NationMaster
Ran @ New World Records
Ran @ The New York Times
Ran @ Theodore Presser
Ran @ University of Chicago
Ran @ Your Resource for Living
Ran @ US Opera
Streaming Audio
Ran @ Classical Archives
Ran @ Internet Archive
Ran @ last.fm
Ran @ NPR
Ran @ radiOM
Ran @ Rhapsody
Recordings
Ran @ ArkivMusic
Ran @ ClassicsOnline
Ran @ YouTube
Ran on Ran: Introduction to Vocal Composition Project
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