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Paul Desenne

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Paul Xavier Desenne Hable (7 December 1959 – 20 May 2023) was a Venezuelan cellist and composer.[1][2][3]

Biography

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Desenne was born on 7 December 1959,[4] in Caracas, where he was also raised. In 1977, he was a founding member of the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, for whom he later became the resident composer. He studied composition for 11 years in Paris.[5]

Desenne's main instrument was the cello.[6] He won first prize in cello performance at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris.[7] After returning from Paris, Desenne joined the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and was El Sistema's resident composer.[8]

In 2002, Desenne took a sabbatical from teaching and performance to concentrate on composition.[6] Desenne's works have been performed in major venues around the world, including Alice Tully Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Joan and Sanford I. Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.[7] On 4 September 2016, Desenne's work Hipnosis mariposa was premiered at The Proms[9][10] by Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.

In 2006, Desenne became a Fellow at Civitella Ranieri Center in Umbria, Italy,[11] and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2009.[7] From 2010 to 2011 he was a Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute at Harvard University.[7]

Desenne was resident composer with FESNOJIV (El Sistema) in Venezuela.[12] He wrote a weekly column on music for the Venezuelan national newspaper El Nacional.[7] In 2015-2016, he was Composer in Residence with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.[5][13]

On 20 May 2023, Desenne died from a heart attack in Boston, Massachusetts, at the age of 63.[14] His widow Carmen Liliana Rojas Marulanda survives him.[1]

Works

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Desenne wrote instrumental music for cello, flute, and combinations of instruments, and wrote an opera based on the story of coffee cultivation.[6] His works include:

  • Gurrufío for flute orchestra (1997)[3]
  • Solo Flute Sonata (2001)[3]
  • "Jaguar Songs" (2002),[6] a sonata for solo cello[15]
  • "The Two Seasons of the Caribbean Tropics" (2003),[6] a violin concerto
  • Guasa Macabra for flute and clarinet (2003)[3]
  • Sinfonía Burocratica ed’Amazzonica (2004), a "tropical symphony in five movements"[16]
  • Palenkumbé (2007), an overture incorporating Latin rhythms and folk songs[5]
  • Gran Cacelorazo (2010), a piece for piano, percussion, and strings[7]
  • La Revoltosa, two chamber works for clarinet[7]
  • Hipnosis Mariposa (2014)[17][18]
  • "Life of Benjamin: a Monkey Symphony" (2015)[19]
  • Symphony No. 5 (2016)[5]
  • Guasamacabra for orchestra (2018)[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Paul Desenne obituary". Nardone Funeral Home. May 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  2. ^ Patricia Aloy (20 May 2023). "Homenaje al legado musical de Paul Desenne: Un virtuoso de la composición y el violonchelo latinoamericano". Venezuela Sinfonica. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Javier A. Montilla, "THE FLUTE MUSIC OF PAUL DESENNE: A COMPARATIVE ANALYTICAL STUDY OF REPRESENTATIVE WORKS", Doctoral document, University of Nebraska
  4. ^ Paul Desenne (b12/07/1959) Archived 8 May 2016 at the Wayback Machine, Classics Online
  5. ^ a b c d Huebner, Michael (29 February 2016). "ASO's Classical Edge: Composer Paul Desenne on Thursday". ArtsBham. Archived from the original (Archived by the Wayback Machine) on 3 May 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e Corydon Ireland (15 July 2021). "History of Coffee Inspires Radcliffe Fellow's Opera". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Paul Desenne, 2010–2011 Rieman and Baketel Fellow for Music, Radcliffe Institute
  8. ^ Paul Desenne
  9. ^ "The BBC Proms 2016: few surprises, but a solid programme". Guardian. London.
  10. ^ Prom 67: Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra and Gustavo Dudamel, Royal Albert Hall
  11. ^ Fellows: Paul Desenne, Civitella Ranieri
  12. ^ Paul Desenne – Venezuela/USA, Quinteto Latino (QL) Latin American Chamber Music Festival
  13. ^ Huebner, Michael (5 November 2018). "This Orchestra Has Decided It Won't Linger In The Past". ClassicalVoiceAmerica.org. Retrieved 27 May 2023. Alabama Symphony composers-in-residence: ... 2015-16 Paul Desenne ...
  14. ^ "Falleció el músico y compositor venezolano Paul Desenne" [Venezuelan musician and composer Paul Desenne passed away]. El Nacional (in Spanish). 21 May 2023.
  15. ^ Rondón, Tulio Jose. "Cultural hybridization in the music of Paul Desenne: An integration of Latin American folk, pop and indigenous music with Western classical traditions". University of Arizona Campus Repository, 2005.
  16. ^ "Paul Desenne’s Sinfonía Burocratica ed’Amazzonica & Prokofiev 3 with Lang Lang and LA Phil", Gustavo Dudamel, 7 May 2014
  17. ^ Hall, George (5 September 2016). "Simón Bolívar SO/Dudamel review – Venezuela's finest on world-class form". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  18. ^ Orga, Ateş (4 September 2016). "Prom 67: Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra/Gustavo Dudamel – Desenne's Hipnosis mariposa, Villa-Lobos's Bachianas brasileiras No.2, Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé and La valse". www.classicalsource.com. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  19. ^ Composer Spotlight: Paul Desenne, Classical Edge, Alabama Symphony Orchestra
  20. ^ Rabold, Stephan (26 August 2023). "Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela: Gustavo Dudamel conducts Mahler". Edinburgh International Festival. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
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