DESCRIPTION:
Behzad Ranjbaran is an Iranian-born composer living in the U.S.

Violinists: Frank Huang, Chen Xi


Track list:

00:00 Caprice No.1, Allegro
05:24 Caprice No.2, Allegro con brio
06:42 Caprice No.3, Andante


Ranjbaran's music has been performed all over the world. His music has been performed by soloists such as Joshua Bell, Renée Fleming, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Yo-Yo Ma, and conductors including Charles Dutoit, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Marin Alsop, Robert Spano, Gerard Schwarz, JoAnn Falletta, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, David Robertson, and many more. He has also served as composer in residence for the Philadelphia Orchestra's summer season at Saratoga, the Fort Worth Symphony, and the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
Some of his more notable compositions include works for soloist and orchestra. His Flute Concerto was commissioned and premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra, with Jeffrey Khaner, flute, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor. Songs of Eternity, using text from the Ruba'iyat of Omar Khayyam, was written for soprano Renée Fleming, and premiered with the Seattle Symphony under the direction of Gerard Schwarz. Joshua Bell was the soloist in the premiere performances of his Violin Concerto with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, also conducted by Schwarz. Jean-Yves Thibaudet premiered his Piano Concerto with the Atlanta Symphony, conducted by Robert Spano; Thibaudet and Spano have since also performed it with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Ranjbaran writes about "Six Caprices for Violin Duo":

What is better than one violin? Two violins! In 1986, I began composing series of short character pieces for two violins to explore a variety of violin techniques and textures. For my purposes, the free form of a caprice seemed suitable. In these virtuosic pieces both violins are treated equally and each caprice can be performed independently or in any order.

The first caprice begins with a three-note motif that can be found throughout the set. It is the longest caprice with a variety of characters and textures; from quick imitative passages to lyrical lines to crashing chords implying a larger ensemble. The second caprice explores the contrast between staccato and legato lines with a whimsical ending. Number three is about playing together and apart. After an intense and expansive peak it ends peacefully. Numbers four and five feature a variety of moods and textures, most notably passive and agitated. The sixth caprice is a wildly virtuosic dance racing with enormous energy to the end. It covers all corners of the violin and at times implies even more than two violins!