Raymond Deane facts for kids
Raymond Deane was born in Ireland on January 27, 1953. He is a famous Irish composer, which means he writes music.
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About Raymond Deane
Raymond Deane grew up in different parts of Ireland, including Tuam and Achill Island. When he was 10, he moved to Dublin. There, he started learning to play the piano.
He went to University College Dublin and finished his studies in 1974. He also helped start a group for young Irish composers. Raymond was very good at playing the piano and won several awards.
After college, he won a special scholarship to study music in Switzerland. Later, he moved to Germany to learn from other famous composers like Mauricio Kagel and Isang Yun. He even briefly studied with Karlheinz Stockhausen, another very important composer.
Raymond Deane's music has been played at many big festivals around the world. These include events in Mexico City, Manchester, Hong Kong, Paris, Montreal, and Warsaw. In 2000, one of his pieces for orchestra, called Ripieno, won a special award! He also helped organize two music festivals in Dublin, where he showed the music of other great composers.
In 2005, Raymond Deane earned a special degree called a Doctorate in Composition. Since 1986, he has been a member of Aosdána. This is a special group in Ireland that supports creative artists like writers, musicians, and painters.
Besides writing music, Raymond Deane also cares a lot about fairness and peace in the world. He helped start a group called the Ireland–Palestine Solidarity Campaign in 2001. He also supports the Irish Anti-War Movement. He has said that his experiences growing up made him want to stand up for people who are treated unfairly.
Raymond Deane is also a writer. He has written essays and reviewed music for different magazines. In 1991, he wrote a novel called Death of a Medium. He also wrote a book about his own life.
Since 2022, a big music publisher called Universal Edition has been publishing Raymond Deane's music. This means his music can be shared with even more people around the world.
Raymond Deane's Music Style
Raymond Deane is known as one of the most important modern composers in Ireland. His music has changed over time, almost like it has had three different phases. He likes to create music that is thoughtful and serious. However, his music also often includes a unique sense of humor and a playful side.
One expert said that his music shows he has a very deep thinking mind. It's clear that he puts a lot of thought into every piece he creates.
Selected Works
Raymond Deane has written many different kinds of music. Here are some of his most well-known pieces:
Operas
- The Poet and His Double (1991)
- The Wall of Cloud (1997)
- Vagabones (2019)
Orchestral Music
These are pieces written for a large group of musicians, like a symphony orchestra.
- Embers (1973) for string orchestra
- Enchaînement (1982)
- Thresholds (1987)
- Quaternion (1988) for piano and orchestra
- Krespel's Concerto (1990) for violin and orchestra
- Oboe Concerto (1994)
- Ripieno (1999)
- Violin Concerto (2003)
- Samara (2005)
- Hungarian Jewish Melodies (2007) for violin, viola, cello and string orchestra
Chamber Music
These pieces are for smaller groups of instruments.
- Embers (1973) for string quartet (four string instruments)
- Lichtzwang (1979) for cello and piano
- String Quartet I: Silhouettes (1981)
- Seachanges (1993) for piccolo, violin, cello, piano and percussion
- Catacombs (1994) for clarinet, violin, cello, piano
- String Quartet II: Brown Studies (1998)
- String Quartet III: Inter pares (2000)
- String Quartet IV: Equali (2001)
- String Quartet V: Siberia (2013)
- String Quartet VI (2016)
Piano Music
These are pieces written for the piano.
- Orphica (1970)
- Piano Sonata No. 1 (1974)
- Piano Sonata No. 2 (1981)
- Avatars (1982)
- Contretemps (1989) for 2 pianos
- After-Pieces (1990)
- Noctuary (2011)
- Legerdemain (2013)
Vocal Music
These pieces include singing, often with instruments.
- Tristia (1980) for soprano (a high female voice) and other instruments
- Archair (1987) for soprano and other instruments
- November Songs (1990) for mezzo (a middle female voice) and other instruments
- Two Songs for Paris (1995) for mezzo, viola and piano
- Voices, Receding (Two Songs against War) (2015) for soprano and piano
- 5 Roses in 4 Parts (2021) for mixed choir (a group of singers)
Recordings
Many of Raymond Deane's works have been recorded so people can listen to them. Here are some of the albums and recordings featuring his music:
- Avatars, performed by Jimmy Vaughan (1985).
- Dekatriad, performed by the Irish Chamber Orchestra (1998).
- Quaternion, Krespel's Concerto, and Oboe Concerto, performed by the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland (1999).
- After-Pieces, Seachanges, Catacombs, Marche oublié, and String Quartet II: Brown Studies (2000).
- Ripieno, Violin Concerto, and Samara, performed by the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (2007).
- Apostille, performed by David Adams on organ (2008).
- Five Piece Suite, performed by the Young European Strings Chamber Orchestra (2011).
- Noctuary Books I and II, performed by Hugh Tinney on piano (2014).
- Embers (orchestral version), performed by RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra (2016).
- Embers (string quartet version) and Marthiya, performed by Carducci Quartet and Crash Ensemble (2021).
