Jay Reise

Jay Reise(born 1950) is an American composer.

Biography

Reise spent his childhood surrounded by classical music and jazz, but began his composition studies with Jimmy Giuffre and Hugh Hartwell in 1970. After graduating atHamilton Collegein 1972, he pursued composition study atMcGill University(withBengt HambraeusandBruce Mather), theUniversity of Pennsylvania(AM, 1975;George CrumbandRichard Wernick),Tanglewood,andCarnaticrhythm with Adrian L'Armand.

He is currently Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Pennsylvania.

Reise is married to visual artistCecilia Paredesand has two sons, Matthew Reise (born 1981) and Nicholas Reise (born 1983) from his first marriage toEsther Barazzone.

Music

Reise's music draws onpolyphonicclassical traditions. After being influenced by the great western classical voice-leading tradition, he became interested in Carnatic rhythm and integrated its techniques into his style. This has resulted in a method he calls "rhythmic polyphony" in which rhythmic motives are developed within the phrase such that the cadence point of the phrase is implied by the rhythms alone.

Works written before the adoption of the rhythmic method include Symphony of Voices (1978) which was premiered at the Monadnock Festival with sopranoNeva Pilgrim,and his Second Symphony (1980) premiered by the Syracuse Symphony, conducted by Christopher Keene, and performed subsequently by thePhiladelphia Orchestra.His Third Symphony was premiered by Keene and theLong Island Philharmonicin 1983. His 2-act operaRasputinwith alibrettoby the composer, was commissioned byBeverly Sillsand theNew York City Opera,and was premiered by City Opera in 1988. Rasputin received its Russian premiere at theHelikon Operain Moscow, directed byDmitry Bertman,in September 2008.

Works after 1990 includeThe River Within(concerto for violin and orchestra, 2008) premiered by soloist Maria Bachmann and orchestra 2001,James Freemanconductor; Concerto for Horn and 7 Instruments (2006) with Adam Unsworth and the Network for New Music, Jan Krzywicki, conductor;Powers That Be(2005) for piano quintet with theCassatt QuartetandMarc-André Hamelin;Memory Refrains(string quartet in one movement, 2002) with the Cassatt Quartet; the piano solo suiteSix Pictures from 'The Devil in the Flesh'by Marc-André Hamelin; theOscar Wilde-based ballet fairy-taleThe Selfish Giantby thePhilharmonia Orchestrawith conductorDjong Victorin Yuin London in 1997; and two extended piano works,Sonata Rhythmikosmos(Mari Akagi) andRhythmic Garlands(James Primosch). His left hand transcriptions of Scriabin'sÉtudes Op. 2, No. 1andOp. 8, No. 12have been performed byGary Graffmanand Matthew Bengtson.

Some works by Reise have been performed byAnastasia Vedyakovafor the first time in Russia.

Reise's music is published by Merion Music/Theodore Presser. The Scriabin transcriptions are published in the Journal of the Scriabin Society of America.

Selected works

Discography

• Jay Reise Chamber Music(Albany TROY) 2004
• The Devil in the Flesh and Other Pieces(Albany TROY665) 2004
• Rhythmic Garlands and Other Pieces(Centaur CRC 2598) 2003
• Concerto for Cello and 13 Instruments(CRI 899) 2002
• Chesapeake RhythmsCRI 760 (CD) (1997)
• Six Preludes for PianoCRS 3862 (LP) (1984)

Performers include Charles Abramovic, Jody Applebaum, Ulrich Boeckheller, Gregory Fulkerson,Marc-André Hamelin,Jerome Lowenthal, Charles Ullery. the Cassatt Quartet, Four Horizons, Network for New Music and Orchestra 2001 among others.

Compositions

[Publisher: Merion Music]

Stage

• Rasputinopera in two acts (1988); libretto by the composer

Orchestral

• The Selfish Giantchoreographic tone-poem in six scenes based on the fairy-tale by Oscar Wilde (1997)
• Symphony No. 3 (1983)
• Symphony No. 2 (1980)
• Symphony of Voices(1978) for orchestra with soprano

Concerti

• The River Within (Concerto for Violin and Orchestra)2008
• Concerto for Horn and 7 Instruments2006
• Yellowstone Rhythmsfor bassoon and 10 players (2001)
• Concerto for Cello and 13 Instruments(2000)

Wind ensemble

• Tinicum Rhythmsfor concert band (1997)

Chamber music

2 players

• Jisei (Japanese Death Poems)for voice and shakuhachi (2003)
• Yellowstone Rhythms(version for bassoon and piano) (1996)
• Duo Rhythmikosmosfor violin and piano (1994)
• Moonwatchingfor flute and violin (1994)
• La Chouminefor viola and piano (1984)

3 players

• Trio Rhythmikosmos(violin, cello, piano), (1993)

4 players

• Across the Horizons for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano (2004)
• Memory Refrains (String Quartet in One Movement),(2002)

5 of more players

• Powers That Befor piano quintet (2005)
• Open Night, Poem-Caprice for Six Instruments(2003)
• Chesapeake Rhythmsfor eleven players (1995)
• Celebrationsfor brass quintet (1994)
• Sinfoniettafor Wind Quintet (1985)
• Concerto-Fantasy for Nine Players(1975)

Instrumental music

• Dragonflies sing nearfor solo guitar (2000)

Piano

• Transcription for left hand of Scriabin's Etude, Op. 8, No. 12 (2005)
• Transcription for left hand of Scriabin's Etude, Op. 2, No. 1 (2003)
• Six Pictures from 'The Devil in the Flesh'(2001)
• Sonata Rhythmikosmos(1993)
• Rhythmic Garlands(1992)

Two pianos

• Three Pictures from 'The Devil in the Flesh'(2001)

Vocal music

• Arcadian Shadows(soprano, clarinet, cello, and piano) (5')
• Satori(version soprano, oboe, cello, piano), poem by Damian Congressi, (2005)
• Satori(version soprano and piano trio) (1995)
• Satori(version for soprano and piano) (1995)

Choral music

• Psalm 231980

Writings

• "Context, Choice and Issues of Perceived Determinism in Music", inIndeterminacy: The Mapped, the Navigable, and the Uncharted,Jose V. Ciprut, Contributing Editor (MIT Press, 2008 forthcoming): 241–266
• "Lukas Foss: Ways of Looking at Music" inNational Gallery of Art(2001): non paginated
• "The Phonograph Behind the Door: Some Thoughts on Musical Literacy," [with Peter J. Rabinowitz] inReading World Literature: Theory, History, Practice,edited by Sarah Lawall (University of Texas Press, 1994): 287–308.
• "Doctrine of Despair: Zimmermann'sDie Soldaten",Opera News(September): 1991
• "LateSkriabin:Some Principles Behind the Style, "19th-Century Music(Spring, 1983): 220–231, reprinted inThe Journal of the Scriabin Society of America(Winter 1996–97): 29–46
• "Rochberg the Progressive",Perspectives of New Music(1980–81): 395–407

Sources

• Freeman, James(2001). "Reise, Jay". InSadie, Stanley;Tyrrell, John(eds.).The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians(2nd ed.). London:Macmillan Publishers.ISBN978-1-56159-239-5.‎

External links

• Official website
• Jay ReiseTheodore Presser Company(music publishers)