Behzad Ranjbaran

listen       composers       performers       about

The 2004-05 season starts off for Behzad Ranjbaran with the release of his “Persian Trilogy” by Delos International, recorded by London Symphony Orchestra and conducted by JoAnn Falletta. The orchestral Cycle, comprising the works Seemorgh, The Blood of Seyavash and Seven Passages, takes its inspiration from ancient Persian legends, as recounted in the 11th century epic poem “Shahnameh” (the Book of Kings). Joshua Bell gives the American and Canadian premiere of his violin concerto in March and April, 2005, with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Mario Venzago, followed by performances with the Toronto Symphony conducted by Peter Oundjian.

Chantal Juillet and the Philadelphia Orchestra , conducted by Charles Dutoit, perform the Violin Concerto as part of Ranjbaran's summer residency in Saratoga, which also includes the premiere on August 10th of "Saratoga", an orchestral work in celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Saratoga Music Festival, as well as performances of various chamber works. August, 2005, is also the month of an International Sejong Soloists commission for string orchestra which will be premiered at the opening concert of the Great Mountains Music Festival in South Korea.

Recent seasons saw the premieres of two major works: Songs of Eternity, a song cycle for Renée Fleming, was performed with the Seattle Symphony under Gerard Schwarz in September, 2002; then in January, 2003, Maestro Schwarz conducted the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic when Joshua Bell premiered the Violin Concerto.

Ranjbaran's music has variously been described as "one of the most breathtaking modern story ballets" (Lisa A. DuBois, Nashville Banner, about The Blood of Seyavash), as having "qualities of inherent beauty and strong musical structure that make it a satisfying musical entity" (Henry Arnold, Nashville Scene, about The Blood of Seyavash) and as having "radiant luminescence" (Cecelia Porter, The Washington Post, for Elegy for Strings). John Farrell (Press-Telegram) said about Seven Passages that "Ranjbaran plays the colors of the orchestra with an unconscious mastery: here the entire gathering of forces on stage are at his command, and he uses that power with grace and ease." Accolades continue for the recent Songs of Eternity, which was described in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Philippa Kiraly) as “beautiful” and with “exquisite melismas (expressive passages sung on one syllable)”; and Joe Riley commented in the Liverpool Echo that the Violin Concerto is “high class, cohesive” and “when the concerto…just sings out a fine melodic line, the effect is ravishing.”

Ranjbaran, born in Tehran, Iran, is the recipient of the Rudolf Nissim Award for his Violin Concerto. His musical education started early when he entered the Tehran Music Conservatory at the age of nine. He came to the United States in 1974, where he attended Indiana University and received his doctorate from the Juilliard School. He is on the faculty of The Juilliard School.

Named as "Distinguished Artist" by the New Jersey Council on the Arts, Ranjbaran's honors also include a National Endowment for the Arts grant, a grant from Meet the Composer (composer/choreographer project), and a Charles Ives Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Ranjbaran's music has been performed in Europe, South America, Asia and throughout the United States and published exclusively by the Theodore Presser Company.

His recent compositions and commissions include: Symphony No.1; Seemorgh for Orchestra; The Blood of Seyavash, a full-length ballet for Nashville Ballet; a violin concerto for Joshua Bell; a cello concerto for Paul Tobias; Open Secret for chorus and chamber orchestra; Ballade for solo double bass for the International Society of Bassists; Seven Passages, for Long Beach Symphony and Moto Perpetuo, for violin and string orchestra.

Join our mailing list to stay updated on all ACM activities!