Background
MUSGRAVE, Thea was born on May 27, 1928 in Edinburgh. Daughter of James and Joan (nee Hacking) Musgrave.
(Legendary performances on CD for the first time! Scottish...)
Legendary performances on CD for the first time! Scottish-born US resident Thea Musgrave (b. 1928) has composed in almost every genre, yet has managed to conduct her creative career with remarkable singleness of purpose--and with highly varied and wholly fruitful results that have been greeted with success, and indeed affection, by audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. In her student days, a scholarship took her to Paris, where she spent four years as a pupil of the redoubtable Nadia Boulanger; during this period she won the Lili Boulanger Memorial Prize.
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(3 LP set from 1980 of Thea Musgrave's Opera for Christmas...)
3 LP set from 1980 of Thea Musgrave's Opera for Christmas in Two Acts, based on Charles Dickens' famous tale. This is taken from tapes recorded during a live broadcast on December 16th 1979 by National Public Radio. Frederick Burchinal takes the lead role of Ebeneezer Scrooge and Peter Mark conducts the Virginia Opera Association Orchestra. The records come in a slipcase and there is a 23 page booklet with libretto, pictures and cast bios. LP set
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(Recording of live premiere performance, Norfolk, Virginia...)
Recording of live premiere performance, Norfolk, Virginia, 1978. Libretto and music by Thea Musgrave. Based on Amalia Elguera's "Moray." Production by David Farrar.~~~CD1)~~1. Act 1. Cardinal Beaton's Study~~2. Mary's arrival in Scotland~~3. Peace Chorus~~4. Ballroom at Holyrood~~5. Act 2. Council scene: Provocation scene~~~CD2)~~1. Confrontation scene~~2. Supper Room scene~~3. Second Council scene~~4. Act 4. Opening-Mary's Lullaby~~5. Seduction scene~~6. Mary's Soliloquy. Finale.
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(Rich and powerful musical language and a strong sense of ...)
Rich and powerful musical language and a strong sense of drama have made Scottish-American composer Thea Musgrave (b.1928) one of the most respected and exciting contemporary voices. This recording by star oboist Nicholas Daniel features a collection of Musgrave's chamber works for oboe composed between 1960 and 2009 and includes several works written especially for Daniel. Joined by flutist Emer McDonough, oboist James Turnbull, clarinetist Joy Farall, pianist Huw Watkins and members of the Chilingirian Quartet, Daniel plays eight works in a variety of combinations ranging from duos to quartets.
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MUSGRAVE, Thea was born on May 27, 1928 in Edinburgh. Daughter of James and Joan (nee Hacking) Musgrave.
Born in Barnton, Edinburgh, Thea Musgrave was educated at Moreton Hall School, a boarding independent school for girls near the market town of Oswestry in Shropshire, followed by the University of Edinburgh, and in Paris as a pupil of Nadia Boulanger 1950-1954. In 1958 she attended the Tanglewood Festival and studied with Aaron Copland.
She has lived in the United States since 1972. In 1970 she became Guest Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, a position which confirmed her increasing involvement with the musical life of the United States. From 1987 to 2002 she was Distinguished Professor at Queen"s College, City University of New New York
Among Musgrave"s earlier orchestral works, the Concerto for Orchestra of 1967 and the Concerto for Horn of 1971 display the composer"s ongoing fascination with ‘dramatic-abstract’ musical ideas.
More recent works continue the idea though sometimes in a more programmatic way: such as the oboe concerto Helios of 1994, in which the soloist represents the Sun God. Another frequent source of inspiration is the visual arts – The Seasons took its initial inspiration from a visit to New York"s Metropolitan Museum of Art, while Turbulent Landscapes (commissioned by the Boston Symphony Orchestra and premiered by them in 2003) depicts a series of paintings by J. M. West. Turner.
Musgrave has written more than a dozen operas and other music theatre works, many taking a historical figure as their central character, among them Mary Queen of Scots (1977), Harriet Tubman (Harriet, the Woman called Moses, 1984), Simón Bolívar (1993. Premiere 1995 at the Virginia Opera) and
Her music has been recorded on the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Bridge and Lyrita record labels.
In 2008, Thea Musgrave"s eightieth birthday was marked by premieres of Points of View, Green, Cantilena, Taking Turns and other performances.
(Rich and powerful musical language and a strong sense of ...)
(3 LP set from 1980 of Thea Musgrave's Opera for Christmas...)
(Legendary performances on CD for the first time! Scottish...)
(Recording of live premiere performance, Norfolk, Virginia...)
(3 LP Records & Booklet)
Married Peter Mark in 1971.