Stephen Albert

Short bio Stephen Albert

Birthday: 1941 in New York, NY

Died: 1992 in Truro, MA

Active: 1970s - 1980s

Genre: Classical

Period: Contemporary

Full biography Stephen Albert

Stephen Joel Albert (February 6, 1941 - December 27, 1992) was an American composer known for his lushly scored, dramatic symphonic music. He was born in New York City and began his musical education on the piano. He went on to study at the Eastman School of Music, where he disliked the atmosphere and wrote unfashionably tonal works that didn't follow any particular trend of contemporary music. Albert developed his own unique style that was informed by his love of Mahler, Bartok, and American folk music.

Albert's works include his Symphony No. 1 RiverRun (1983), which won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Musical Composition, and Flower of the Mountain (1986). He was also commissioned to write works for major orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Albert was known for his emotional intensity, and his music often explored themes of conflict and resolution. His compositions were celebrated for their complex harmonies, dramatic use of percussion, and intricate orchestration.

Sadly, Albert's life was cut short when he died in a car accident at the age of 51. However, his legacy lives on through his music which continues to be performed and admired by musicians and audiences alike.

Compositions featuring Stephen Albert

#	Name	Duration	Genre	Year
1	Wind Canticle, for clarinet & orchestra	13:47 min	Concerto	1992
2	Cello Concerto	32:16 min	Concerto	1988
3	Anthem and Processionals, for orchestra		Orchestral	1987
4	In Concordiam for violin & orchestra	17:15 min	Concerto	1986
5	Flower of the Mountain for soprano & chamber orchestra		Vocal Music	1985
6	Treestone, songs (6) for soprano, tenor & chamber orchestra	38:25 min	Vocal Music	1984
7	Into Eclipse, song cycle for tenor & chamber ensemble or orchestra	30:38 min	Vocal Music	1983
8	To Wake the Dead, song cycle for soprano & instrumental ensemble	27:41 min	Vocal Music	1977
9	Stephen Albert comments ... (Discussion)	1:51 min	Miscellaneous (Classical)	-
10	Symphony No. 1 "Riverrun"	33:36 min	Symphony	-
11	Symphony No. 2	30:30 min	Symphony	-

Albums featuring Stephen Albert

#	Name album	Year	Music label
1	The London Symphony Orchestra, Lance Friedel, Walter Piston, Samuel Jones (2), Stephen Albert – American Symphonies(SACD, Hybrid, Multichannel)	2018	BIS
2	Stephen Albert, Gerard Schwarz – In Concordiam - Treestone(CD, )	2012	Naxos
3	Stephen Albert, Russian Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Polivnick – Symphony No. 1 'RiverRun' / Symphony No. 2(CD, Album)	2007	Naxos
4	Albert • Rouse – Eastman American Music Series Volume 1(CD, Album)	1996	Albany Records
5	Yo-Yo Ma, Stephen Albert, Béla Bartók, Ernest Bloch, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, David Zinman – The New York Album(CD, Album)	1994	Sony Classical
6	Violin Concerto, Treestone(CD, Album)	1989	Delos
7	The Juilliard Orchestra, Joseph Schwantner, Jacob Druckman, Stephen Albert – Works By Albert, Druckman, Schwantner	1989	New World Records
8	Stephen Albert, Mstislav Rostropovich And The National Symphony Orchestra – Riverrun / To Wake The Dead	1988	Delos
9	Flower of the Mountain/ Into Eclipse	1987	Elektra Nonesuch
10	The Twentieth Century Consort, Christopher Kendall - Albert / Crumb / Davidovsky / Wernick / Wright – The Twentieth Century Consort / Vol. II(2×LP, Album, Stereo)	1982	Smithsonian Collection
11	Perera / Albert – Music And Words(LP)	1980	Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI)

Videos featuring Stephen Albert

Stephen Albert - To Wake the Dead (1/3)

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Stephen Albert: Flower of the Mountain (L. Shelton et al.)

'Flower of the Mountain' by Stephen Albert, performed by Lucy Shelton and the New York Chamber Symphony of the 92nd Street Y, conducted by Gerard Schwarz. Lucy Shelton's website is accessible at http://www.lucyshelton.com/ --- Gerard Schwarz's website is