Ivan Moody (composer)

Ivan Moody ( born June 11, 1964 in London ) is a British composer, conductor and musicologist.

Training

Moody studied composition with Brian Dennis at London University, William Brooks at the University of York and privately with John Tavener. He also studied Orthodox theology at the University of Joensuu, Finland. Moody also acts as a conductor and conducts ensembles such as Voces Angelicae, the Kastalsky Chamber Choir (Britain ), Capilla Peña Florida ( Spain), Cappella Romana ( USA) and Ensemble Alpha ( Portugal).

Music style

Moody's compositions show the influence of the Eastern Church liturgical chant and the Orthodox Church is a member and priest ( of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople Opel ) he is. His Canticle Canticorum I, which he wrote for the Hilliard Ensemble, 1987 was a great success, and in 1990 he won the prize of the Arts for the Earth Festival of Prayer for the Forests, which was later premiered by the renowned Finnish Tapiola Choir. One of his most important works is based on Orthodox liturgical texts oratorio Passion and Resurrection ( 1992), which was premiered in 1993 at the Tampere Festival of Red Byrd and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste. 1996 it experienced its North American premiere by Cappella Romana. Following these performances, he wrote for Capella Romana Akathist Hymn (1998 ), his most extensive work to date.

Other major works are the Cello Concerto Epitaph (1993 ), the cantata Revelation (1995), Endechas y Canciones (1996 ), the Blockflötenkonzert Pnevma (1998), Lamentations of the Myrrhbearer (2001) for string quartet, Lumière sans Declin (2000) for string orchestra, and written for the Trio Mediaeval choral Triptych: Words of the Angel (1998), Troparion of Kassiani (1999 ), A Lion's Sleep ( 2002), Chalice of Wisdom, Metten for the feast of St. Thomas, composed in 2002 for Ensemble Amarcord. Later compositions include a large-scale commissioned work for the BBC, The Dormition of the Virgin (2003), as well as concertos for double bass ( The Morning Star, 2003), piano ( Linnunlaulu, 2003) and bassoon ( Arise, 2004). His recent works include Passione Popolare, which premiered in June 2005 at the Antidogma Festival in Italy, and Ossetian Requiem for Cello Octet Conjunto Amsterdam-based Ibérico. In 2008 he composed a new work for the King's Singers, as well as a large-scale movement of the Stabat Mater for the Oslo International Festival of Church Music. His eight-part Hymn to St. Nicholas (2009 ) was a commissioned work for the KotorArt Festival in Montenegro, and was told its U.S. premiere in November of the same year.

Since 2009 he lives near Lisbon, Portugal, where he taught until 1998 as a professor of composition at the Academia de Artes e Tecnologias. He was involved in building a database of the Center for Portuguese contemporary music, is a member of the research group of CESEM at the Universidade Nova in Lisbon, and works regularly with the Department of Orthodox Theology at the University of Joensuu, Finland. He became the first chairman of the International Society for Orthodox Church Music ( ISOCM ) 2005.

Ivan Moody's music has been released on the Hyperion label, ECM, Sony, Telarc, Gothic and Classic Oehms.

Works (selection)

  • Canticum Canticorum I
  • 1990: Prayer for the Forests, for choir
  • 1992: Passion and Resurrection, oratorio
  • 1992: Vigil of the Angels for viola and string orchestra
  • 1993: Epitaphios concerto for cello
  • 1995: Revelation, cantata
  • 1996: Endechas y Canciones
  • 1996: Klama for viola and double bass
  • 1998: The Akathist Hymn
  • 1998: Pneuma, concerto for recorder
  • 1998: Words of the Angel, for choir
  • 1999: Troparion of Kassiani, for choir
  • 2000: Lumière sans déclin, for string orchestra
  • 2001: Lamentations of the Myrrhbearers, quartet for strings
  • 2002: A Lion's Sleep, for choir
  • 2002: Chalice of Wisdom for choir
  • 2003: The Dormition of the Virgin
  • 2003: The Morning Star, concerto for double -bass
  • 2003: Linnunlaulu, concerto for piano
  • 2004: Arise, concerto for bassoon
  • 2005: Passione Popolare
  • 2009: Hymn to Saint Nicholas, for choir
Ivan L. Moody Amarcord (ensemble) Name Authority File
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