Bechara El Khoury (composer)
Encyclopedia
Bechara El Khoury is a Christian Franco-Lebanese composer
. Born in Beirut
in 1957, he moved to Paris
in 1979. Having written a hundred works between 1969 and 1978, he became extremely active as a pianist, conductor and Kappelmeister. He became a French national in 1987, and as a result many French institutions commissioned works for him.
Since, he has received many prizes, and his works have been performed by orchestras as noted as the Orchestre National de France and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
His works are predominantly symphonic. His most ambitious work is the symphony Les ruines de Beyrouth
, composed in 1985 in memory of the 1975 war
.
His works are published by the Editions Max Eschig and the Editions Alphonse Leduc in Paris.
Bechara El Khoury's Les fleuves engloutis was a finalist in the 2003 Masterprize international composing competition.
CD, symphonic works, Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Vladimir Sirenko – Ref.8.557043. NAXOS
“Requiem for Orchestra”… (1980)
CD, symphonic works, Orchestre Colonne, conductor: Pierre Dervaux –
Ref.8.557691. NAXOS
“ Concerto for piano”… (1984)
CD with concertante works for Piano : David Lively, Abdel Rahman El Bacha, and Violin : Gérard Poulet, Orchestre Colonne, conductor : Pierre Dervaux – Ref. 8.557692. NAXOS
- “New-York, Tears and Hope”, (2001–2005)
-“The Rivers Engulfed”…….
CD with symphonic and pianistic works :Dimitiri Vassilakis, Hidéki Nagano (pianists Soloists of the Ensemble Intercontemporain), London Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Daniel Harding, Martyn Brabbins - Ref. 8.570134. NAXOS
These 4 Cd were each awarded 3 stars in the Penguin Guide to CDs and DVDs 2006-2007
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. Born in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
in 1957, he moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1979. Having written a hundred works between 1969 and 1978, he became extremely active as a pianist, conductor and Kappelmeister. He became a French national in 1987, and as a result many French institutions commissioned works for him.
Since, he has received many prizes, and his works have been performed by orchestras as noted as the Orchestre National de France and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
His works are predominantly symphonic. His most ambitious work is the symphony Les ruines de Beyrouth
Symphony (El Khoury)
Bechara El Khoury's Symphony, subtitled The Ruins of Beirut, was composed in 1985. It was the third of a series of works inspired in the ongoing Lebanese Civil War, being preceded by tone poem Lebanon in flames and a Requiem...
, composed in 1985 in memory of the 1975 war
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
.
His works are published by the Editions Max Eschig and the Editions Alphonse Leduc in Paris.
Bechara El Khoury's Les fleuves engloutis was a finalist in the 2003 Masterprize international composing competition.
Discography
"The Ruins of Beirut”… (1985)CD, symphonic works, Ukraine National Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Vladimir Sirenko – Ref.8.557043. NAXOS
“Requiem for Orchestra”… (1980)
CD, symphonic works, Orchestre Colonne, conductor: Pierre Dervaux –
Ref.8.557691. NAXOS
“ Concerto for piano”… (1984)
CD with concertante works for Piano : David Lively, Abdel Rahman El Bacha, and Violin : Gérard Poulet, Orchestre Colonne, conductor : Pierre Dervaux – Ref. 8.557692. NAXOS
- “New-York, Tears and Hope”, (2001–2005)
-“The Rivers Engulfed”…….
CD with symphonic and pianistic works :Dimitiri Vassilakis, Hidéki Nagano (pianists Soloists of the Ensemble Intercontemporain), London Symphony Orchestra, conductor: Daniel Harding, Martyn Brabbins - Ref. 8.570134. NAXOS
These 4 Cd were each awarded 3 stars in the Penguin Guide to CDs and DVDs 2006-2007