In our increasingly transnational times, Paul Moravec manages to define his own firmly grounded space amidst a musical scene that can often feel frenetic. Moravec's work in many ways builds upon "The Great Tradition" of Western Europe, reconfiguring some of its bedrock gestures...
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In our increasingly transnational times, Paul Moravec manages to define his own firmly grounded space amidst a musical scene that can often feel frenetic. Moravec's work in many ways builds upon "The Great Tradition" of Western Europe, reconfiguring some of its bedrock gestures into an aesthetic that is thoroughly of our day. Dubbed a "New Tonalist" by critic Terry Teachout, Moravec writes with depth but does so with a light touch. He draws on craftsmanship so virtuosic it seems easy. All this adds up to a composer who is simultaneously learned and accessible, tradition-based and imaginative, profound and a heck of a lot of fun. In an era when pundits worry over the fate of the concert world as a whole, Moravec's music-and its deep-down integrity-speak of confidence and hope.
Paul Moravec, winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in Music, has composed over eighty orchestral, chamber, choral, and lyric compositions. His music has earned numerous distinctions, including the Rome Prize Fellowship from the American Academy in Rome, fellowships from the NEA, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as many commissions. A graduate of Harvard and Columbia universities, he has taught at Columbia, Dartmouth, and Hunter College and is currently University Professor at Adelphi University.