Mohammed Fairouz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mohammed Fairouz
|
|
|---|---|
Fairouz working on his second symphony in New York City, 2009
|
|
| Born | November 1, 1985 |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Years active | 2002–present |
Mohammed Fairouz (born November 1, 1985) is an American composer. He is known for writing many different kinds of music. People often say he is one of the most important new voices in music today.
Fairouz started writing music when he was very young. He studied at famous music schools like the New England Conservatory of Music and the Curtis Institute of Music. Some of his teachers were well-known composers like Gunther Schuller. Today, Fairouz lives in New York City.
Contents
Music for Voices
Mohammed Fairouz loves to set words to music. He once said he was "obsessed with text." He started by putting a poem by Oscar Wilde to music when he was 17. Since then, he has written hundreds of songs and many song cycles. A song cycle is a group of songs that are meant to be performed together.
One of his works, Three Fragments of Ibn Khafājah, uses poems by an old Arab poet. Another piece, Furia, was written for a singer and two music groups, the Imani Winds and the Borromeo String Quartet. It uses texts about the Middle East.
He also wrote Jeder Mensch for singer Kate Lindsey. This piece uses words from the diaries of Alma Mahler. Kate Lindsey also sang in his 2012 song cycle, Audenesque, which was released on a major music label.
Fairouz often works with living poets. For example, his piece Bonsai Journal uses poems by Judson Evans. He also created a theatrical song cycle called Pierrot with writer Wayne Koestenbaum.
Fairouz wrote a large musical work called an oratorio (a big piece for choir and orchestra) named Zabur. It was first performed in 2015. This work uses words in both Arabic and English and tells a story with a full orchestra, choirs, and solo singers.
Operas
An opera is like a play where the story is sung instead of spoken, with music playing throughout.
Fairouz's first opera is called Sumeida's Song. It is based on a play from Egypt. The opera tells the story of a character named Alwan who returns to his village. He tries to bring new ideas and stop a cycle of violence, but this has serious results.
In 2015, it was announced that Fairouz would work with author David Ignatius to create a political opera called The New Prince. This opera is inspired by the ideas of Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote about how leaders gain and keep power. The opera explores themes like revolutions and how leaders make difficult choices.
Fairouz is also working on a new opera about the lives of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto, who were important political figures. This opera will feature famous singers like Nathan Gunn and Kate Lindsey.
Music for Orchestras
Mohammed Fairouz has written four symphonies and several concertos. A symphony is a long piece of music for a full orchestra. A concerto is a piece of music where one or more solo instruments play with an orchestra.
Symphonies
His Third Symphony, Poems and Prayers, uses texts from different poets and prayers. It includes words from Arab poets and an Israeli poet, as well as an ancient prayer called the Aramaic Kaddish. This symphony was first performed in 2012.
Fairouz's Fourth Symphony, In the Shadow of No Towers, is for a wind ensemble (a group of wind instruments). It was inspired by a graphic novel about life in America after 9/11. Critics have said this symphony is very impressive and moving. It has been recorded by the University of Kansas Wind Ensemble.
The last part of his First Symphony, Homage to a Belly Dancer, was inspired by an essay about a famous Egyptian belly dancer named Tahia Carioca.
Concertos
Fairouz has written several concertos for different instruments:
- His Cello Concerto was written for cellist Maya Beiser and first performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
- He wrote a violin concerto called Al-Andalus for violinist Rachel Barton Pine and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. This piece was praised for its beautiful, thoughtful music.
- His Double Concerto for Violin and Cello, States of Fantasy, was written for a violinist and cellist from the Borromeo String Quartet.
- Fairouz also wrote a clarinet concerto called Tahrir for David Krakauer. The title comes from Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt.
Another piece, Akhnaten, Dweller in Truth, is a dance scene for cello and orchestra. Its name comes from a book by Naguib Mahfouz.
Chamber and Solo Music
Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments, and solo music is for just one instrument.
Fairouz's Wind Quintet, Jebel Lebnan, was written for the Imani Winds group. It tells a musical story about events from the Lebanese Civil War.
His string quartet, Lamentation and Satire, was recorded by the Borromeo String Quartet. He also wrote another string quartet called The Named Angels, which is about the stories of angels in Middle Eastern folklore. This piece was recorded by the Del Sol Quartet.
Fairouz wrote a solo piece for violin called Native Informant for Rachel Barton Pine. This piece is also the title of an album of his chamber music.
Recordings
- 2008 – Boston Diary (Albany Records)
- 2010 – As It Was, Is, and Will Be (GM Recordings) by Borromeo String Quartet
- 2011 – Critical Models (Dorian Sono Luminus)
- 2012 – Sumeida's Song (Bridge Records)
- 2013 – Native Informant (Naxos Records)
- 2013 – In the Shadow of No Towers (Naxos Records)
- 2014 – Poems and Prayers (Dorian Sono Luminus)
- 2015 – Follow, Poet (Deutsche Grammophon)
- 2015 – Scrapyard Exotica (Sono Luminus) by Del Sol String Quartet
Images for kids
-
Fairouz at work on his second symphony in New York City, 2009
