fourteenth competition
COMMISSIONED WORK BIRICHINO BY CHRISTOPHER THEOFANIDIS Since the First Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 1962, the Semifinal Round has featured the performance of a new work written especially for the competition. The purpose of this competition component is twofold: it explores each competitor’s ability to learn and perform a new piece in a short amount of time, while also encouraging today’s composers to create repertoire for solo piano. In addition, the new works allow both the pianists and the jury to approach the music without preconceived notions. The Cliburn has made a significant contribution to the standard piano repertoire in its fifty-year history, commissioning new works by Lee Hoiby, Willard Straight, Norman Dello Joio, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, John Corigliano, William Schuman, Morton Gould, and William Bolcom.
Of his new work, Mr. Theofanidis comments:
In 2001, 2005, and 2009, the Cliburn departed from its usual commissioning practice to host the American Composers Invitational—a first-of-its-kind initiative that promoted new music and allowed competitors to choose which pieces would be performed. Dozens of composers were nominated by a committee of music professionals and invited to submit scores for new or existing solo piano works. Of these, five were selected by jury and sent to competitors before the competition; each competitor then performed one during the Semifinal Round recital. As a result of all three Invitationals, audiences heard new works by Lowell Liebermann, Judith Lang Zaimont, Sebastian Currier, Jennifer Higdon, Daniel Kellogg, Ruth Schonthal, Mason Bates, Derek Bermel, Daron Hagen, and John Musto.
Birichino is dedicated to John Giordano and inspired by my daughter, Isabella, the original little prankster!
This year, the Cliburn returned to its commissioning program, inviting renowned American composer Christopher Theofanidis to create a work to be performed by all 2013 semifinalists. The result was Birichino, a seven-minute piece for solo piano. 76
“Birichino” is the affectionate Italian word for “prankster,” and it is often used to refer to slightly naughty children who like to play jokes on their unsuspecting parents. As I started my new work for the Cliburn Competition, I realized that I was using the basic material of the piece in a kind of “cat and mouse” way, employing certain physical techniques in a manner that was both fun to play but also quite trouble-making for the poor pianist. This manifests itself not only in the techniques of playing reverse stride piano, using interlocking hand motion, and playing extremely fast figurations, but also in some of the piece’s rhythmic timing. My goal was to really challenge the performer, but also make them laugh at the same time—above all, it should be a piece that will show off their sense of comic timing and wit.
CHRISTOPHER THEOFANIDIS Christopher Theofanidis is one of the most widely performed American composers writing today. He regularly writes for a variety of musical genres, from orchestral and chamber music to opera and ballet. His work, Rainbow Body, has been programmed by more than 120 orchestras internationally; such groups as the New York Philharmonic, the London Symphony, The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and the Moscow Soloists have also performed his music. Mr. Theofanidis has a longstanding relationship with the Atlanta Symphony and Maestro Robert Spano, and his Symphony #1 has just been released by that orchestra on CD. Mr. Theofanidis has written widely for the stage, from a work for the American Ballet Theatre to multiple dramatic pieces,
including The Refuge for the Houston Grand Opera and Heart of a Soldier for Thomas Hampson and the San Francisco Opera. His large-scale piece, The Here and Now, for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, was nominated for a Grammy® Award in 2008. Mr. Theofanidis is currently on faculty at the Yale School of Music. He has also taught at the Peabody Conservatory, The Juilliard School, and the University of Houston, and serves as a fellow of the U.S.-Japan Leadership Program. His upcoming works include the opera Siddhartha for the Houston Grand Opera; a commissioned work for the Miró String Quartet, in collaboration with the multimedia artist Bill Viola; and the oratorio, Creation/Creator, for the Atlanta Symphony and Chorus. Born in Dallas in 1967, Mr. Theofanidis spent his formative years in Houston and has worked with the Houston, Dallas, El Paso, and Fort Worth Symphonies; the Houston Grand Opera; Houston’s Da Camera; and many other institutions. His work, Fanfare Shining, was commissioned for the opening of Fort Worth’s Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in 1998, and was premiered by Maestro John Giordano and the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for the occasion. For more information, visit www.theofanidismusic.com.