Short bio Charles Wuorinen
Birthday:
1938 in New York, NY
Died:
2020 in New York, NY
Active:
1970s - 2010s
Genre:
Classical,Avant-Garde
Period:
20th Century, Contemporary
Full biography Charles Wuorinen
Charles Peter Wuorinen was an American composer of contemporary classical music. He was born on June 9, 1938, and passed away on March 11, 2020, at the age of 81. Wuorinen is known for his uncompromising and complex musical style, which often involved atonal and serial techniques.
Throughout his career, Wuorinen composed over 270 works across a range of genres, including orchestral and chamber music, vocal music, operas, and ballets. He won numerous awards for his compositions, including a Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1970 for his electronic composition "Time's Encomium".
Wuorinen was also known for his commitment to music education, having taught at several universities including Columbia University, Rutgers University, and Boston University. Among his notable students were composers and musicians such as John Zorn, Annie Gosfield, and Matthew Rosenblum.
One of Wuorinen's best-known compositions is the opera "Brokeback Mountain", based on the short story by Annie Proulx. The opera premiered in 2014 and was well-received by critics for its complex and intricate musical language.
In addition to his compositions and contributions to music education, Wuorinen was known for his writings on music. He authored several books, including "Simple Composition", which offers his thoughts and insights on the creative process of composing music.
Overall, Charles Wuorinen was a prolific and influential figure in contemporary classical music, known for his complex and uncompromising musical language, contributions to music education, and achievements as a composer.
Compositions featuring Charles Wuorinen
| # | Name | Duration | Genre | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alphabetical Ashbery, for baritone, clarinet, trumpet & trombone | 11:55 min | Chamber Music | 2013 |
| 2 | It Happens Like This, cantata for soloists & 12 musicians | 39:01 min | Vocal Music | 2010 |
| 3 | Metagong, for 2 pianos & 2 percussionists | 23:47 min | Chamber Music | 2008 |
| 4 | Piano Quintet No. 2 | 25:06 min | Keyboard | 2008 |
| 5 | Trio for flute, bass clarinet & piano | 9:34 min | Chamber Music | 2008 |
| 6 | Viola Variations | 13:54 min | Chamber Music | 2008 |
| 7 | Piano Sonata No. 4 | 19:01 min | Keyboard | 2007 |
| 8 | Scherzo for piano | 10:59 min | Keyboard | 2007 |
| 9 | Never Again the Same, for low voice & tuba | 4:01 min | Vocal Music | 2006 |
| 10 | Short Pieces (11), for violin & vibraphone | 2:19 min | Chamber Music | 2006 |
| 11 | Praegustatum, for piano | 2:52 min | Keyboard | 2005 |
| 12 | Symphony No. 8 ("Theologoumena") | 32:12 min | Symphony | 2005 |
| 13 | Ashberyana, for voice, trombone, string quartet & piano | 19:02 min | Vocal Music | 2004 |
| 14 | Duo Sonata, for flute & piano | 16:35 min | Chamber Music | 2004 |
| 15 | Visible, for voice & violin | 2:54 min | Vocal Music | 2004 |
| 16 | Piano Concerto No. 4 | 27:25 min | Concerto | 2003 |
| 17 | The Long Boat, for voice & English horn | 2:40 min | Vocal Music | 2003 |
| 18 | Fenton Songs No. 2, for voice, violin, cello & piano | 15:35 min | Vocal Music | 2002 |
| 19 | Fifty Fifty, for 2 pianos | 4:14 min | Keyboard | 2002 |
| 20 | Hexadactyl, for guitar | 2:25 min | Chamber Music | 2002 |
| 21 | Josquiniana, for string quartet | 6:16 min | Chamber Music | 2002 |
| 22 | Pentecost, for voice & harp | 3:39 min | Vocal Music | 2002 |
| 23 | The Haroun Songbook, for SATB solo voices & piano (after opera Haroun and the Sea of Stories) | 53:54 min | Vocal Music | 2002 |
| 24 | Andante Espressivo, for cello & piano | 6:05 min | Chamber Music | 2001 |
| 25 | September 11, 2001 for voice & piano | 10:41 min | Vocal Music | 2001 |
| 26 | Stanzas Before Time, for voice & harp | 4:00 min | Vocal Music | 2001 |
| 27 | Two Machine Portraits, for voice & piano | 3:49 min | Vocal Music | 2001 |
| 28 | String Quartet No. 4 | 21:48 min | Chamber Music | 2000 |
| 29 | An Orbicle of Jasp, for cello & piano | 8:41 min | Chamber Music | 1999 |
| 30 | Cello Variations III | 12:09 min | Chamber Music | 1997 |
| 31 | Fenton Songs No. 1 for voice, violin, cello & piano | 9:35 min | Vocal Music | 1997 |
| 32 | The River of Light, ballet | 18:58 min | Ballet | 1996 |
| 33 | Katz Fugue, for piano | 3:18 min | Keyboard | 1995 |
| 34 | The Great Procession, ballet | 25:55 min | Ballet | 1995 |
| 35 | Christes Crosse, for voice & piano | 4:47 min | Vocal Music | 1994 |
| 36 | Lightenings VIII | 2:25 min | Vocal Music | 1994 |
| 37 | Mission of Virgil, ballet in 7 parts | 25:16 min | Ballet | 1993 |
| 38 | Percussion quartet | 20:08 min | Chamber Music | 1993 |
| 39 | Piano Quintet | 24:41 min | Chamber Music | 1993 |
| 40 | A Winter's Tale, for voice & ensemble | 25:50 min | Vocal Music | 1990 |
| 41 | Epithalamium, for 2 trumpets | 5:49 min | Chamber Music | 199? |
| 42 | A Solis Ortu | 1:17 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | 1989 |
| 43 | Genesis, oratorio for chorus & orchestra | 35:34 min | Choral | 1989 |
| 44 | Twang, for mezzo-soprano or soprano & piano | 2:05 min | Vocal Music | 1989 |
| 45 | Ave Christie of Josquin, for piano | 5:04 min | Keyboard | 1988 |
| 46 | Sextet for Strings | 19:05 min | Chamber Music | 1988 |
| 47 | Bagatelle for piano | 9:19 min | Keyboard | 1987 |
| 48 | Five, concerto for amplified cello & orchestra | 22:30 min | Concerto | 1987 |
| 49 | Fanfare for Rutgers University, for band | 1:51 min | Band Music | 1986 |
| 50 | Golden Dance for piano & orchestra | 22:41 min | Concerto | 1986 |
| 51 | Sonata for piano, No. 3 | 21:47 min | Keyboard | 1986 |
| 52 | String Quartet No. 3 | 29:22 min | Chamber Music | 1986 |
| 53 | Double Solo for Horn Trio | 15:15 min | Chamber Music | 1985 |
| 54 | Horn Trio Continued, for violin, horn & piano | 11:02 min | Chamber Music | 1985 |
| 55 | Natural Fantasy for organ | 12:53 min | Keyboard | 1985 |
| 56 | Trombone Trio | 8:36 min | Chamber Music | 1985 |
| 57 | Album Leaf for Howard Klein | 2:33 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | 1984 |
| 58 | Concerto for piano & orchestra, No 3 | 30:03 min | Concerto | 1984 |
| 59 | Spinoff for violin, double bass & conga drums | 6:35 min | Chamber Music | 1983 |
| 60 | Divertimento for alto saxophone & piano | 12:08 min | Chamber Music | 1982 |
| 61 | Mass for the Restoration of St. Luke in the Fields | 33:40 min | Choral | 1982 |
| 62 | Capriccio | 12:31 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | 1981 |
| 63 | Horn Trio, for violin, horn & piano | 12:10 min | Chamber Music | 1981 |
| 64 | New York Notes for chamber ensemble | 25:05 min | Chamber Music | 1981 |
| 65 | Piano Trio | 10:11 min | Chamber Music | 1981 |
| 66 | Trio for Bass Instruments | 8:44 min | Chamber Music | 1981 |
| 67 | The Blue Bamboula, for piano | 11:07 min | Keyboard | 1980 |
| 68 | Arabian Felix for flute, bassoon, violin, guitar, vibraphone & piano | 11:24 min | Chamber Music | 1979 |
| 69 | Fortune | 18:20 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | 1979 |
| 70 | Percussion Duo for piano and percussion | 14:12 min | Chamber Music | 1979 |
| 71 | Psalm 39, for voice & guitar | 11:34 min | Vocal Music | 1979 |
| 72 | String Quartet No. 2 | 14:16 min | Chamber Music | 1979 |
| 73 | Archaeopteryx, for bass trombone & 10 players | 15:37 min | Concerto | 1978 |
| 74 | Archangel for bass trombone & string quartet | 12:45 min | Chamber Music | 1977 |
| 75 | Fast Fantasy for cello & piano | 16:17 min | Chamber Music | 1977 |
| 76 | Pieces (6) for violin & piano | 19:54 min | Chamber Music | 1977 |
| 77 | Self-Similar Waltz, for piano | 2:12 min | Keyboard | 1977 |
| 78 | Two Part Symphony | 23:36 min | Symphony | 1977 |
| 79 | Album Leaf for violin & cello | 2:36 min | Chamber Music | 1976 |
| 80 | Sonata for piano, No. 2 | 32:09 min | Keyboard | 1976 |
| 81 | Symphony ("Percussion Symphony") | 42:12 min | Symphony | 1976 |
| 82 | Unknown Work | 2:29 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | 1976 |
| 83 | Cello Variations II | 7:30 min | Chamber Music | 1975 |
| 84 | Hyperion, for 12 players | 17:26 min | Orchestral | 1975 |
| 85 | Tashi, for clarinet, violin, cello, piano & orchestra | 30:54 min | Chamber Music | 1975 |
| 86 | A Reliquary for Igor Stravinsky, for orchestra | 17:10 min | Orchestral | 1974 |
| 87 | Fantasia for violin & piano | 17:15 min | Chamber Music | 1974 |
| 88 | Grand Union, for cello & drums | 16:14 min | Chamber Music | 1973 |
| 89 | Short Pieces (12), for piano | 6:30 min | Keyboard | 1973 |
| 90 | Concerto for amplified violin & orchestra | 21:28 min | Concerto | 1972 |
| 91 | On Alligators, for flute/piccolo, oboe, clairnet, bassoon & string quartet | 14:53 min | Chamber Music | 1972 |
| 92 | Violin Variations | 13:31 min | Chamber Music | 1972 |
| 93 | Bassoon Variations | 12:00 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | 1971 |
| 94 | Grand Bamboula for string orchestra | 6:28 min | Orchestral | 1971 |
| 95 | Cello Variations | 10:26 min | Chamber Music | 1970 |
| 96 | Concerto for tuba with 12 Winds & 12 drums | 19:06 min | Concerto | 1970 |
| 97 | String Quartet No. 1 | 22:33 min | Chamber Music | 1970 |
| 98 | A Song to the Lute in Musicke, for voice & piano | 3:48 min | Vocal Music | 1969 |
| 99 | Adapting To The Times, for cello & piano | 16:15 min | Chamber Music | 1969 |
| 100 | Ringing Changes for percussion ensemble | 17:25 min | Chamber Music | 1969 |
| 101 | The Long and the Short, for violin solo | 9:47 min | Chamber Music | 1969 |
| 102 | String Trio | 16:40 min | Chamber Music | 1968 |
| 103 | Time's Encomium, electronic work for processed synthesized sounds | 31:57 min | Electronic/Computer Music | 1968 |
| 104 | Concerto No. 1 for piano & orchestra | 19:54 min | Concerto | 1966 |
| 105 | Harpsichord Divisions | 14:38 min | Keyboard | 1966 |
| 106 | Chamber Concerto for flute & 10 players | 14:48 min | Concerto | 1964 |
| 107 | Chamber Concerto for cello & 10 players | 18:35 min | Concerto | 1963 |
| 108 | Bearbeitungen über das Glogauer Liederbuch | 7:08 min | Vocal Music | 1962 |
| 109 | Second trio: Piece for Stefan Wolpe, for flute, piano & cello | 9:23 min | Chamber Music | 1962 |
| 110 | Evolutio, for organ | 9:38 min | Keyboard | 1961 |
| 111 | Consort of Four Trombones | 5:43 min | Chamber Music | 1960 |
| 112 | Big Spinoff, for 16 players | 6:25 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 113 | Cyclops 2000, for orchestra | 23:29 min | Orchestral | - |
| 114 | Divertimento | 10:53 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 115 | Duo for Violin and Piano | 14:57 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 116 | Guitar Variations | 16:39 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 117 | Haroun and the Sea of Stories, opera | 133:10 min | Opera | - |
| 118 | Heart Shadow, for piano | 9:41 min | Keyboard | - |
| 119 | Janissary Music for percussion | 10:15 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 120 | Lepton, for celeste, harp & piano | 9:08 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 121 | Marimba Variations | 12:08 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 122 | Missa Brevis | 10:45 min | Choral | - |
| 123 | Saxophone Quartet | 14:33 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 124 | Sonata for guitar & piano | 12:14 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 125 | Sonata for violin & piano | 22:03 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 126 | Speculum Speculi, for chamber ensemble | 15:02 min | Chamber Music | - |
| 127 | Variations for 2 pianos (transcription of Schoenberg's Op. 31) | 21:35 min | Keyboard | - |
| 128 | Variations for piano | 9:19 min | Keyboard | - |
| 129 | Winds | 15:00 min | Miscellaneous (Classical) | - |
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