PETER SCOTT LEWIS
PETER SCOTT LEWIS
Peter Lewis is a San Francisco-based, yet internationally active, composer of modern classical music. His music has been commissioned and/or performed by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Conspirare; the Orion, Alexander, and Ciompi String Quartets; the Raphael, Robert Schumann, and Bakken Trios; the Dorian Wind Quintet, City Winds, members of the Rotterdam Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Berkeley Symphony, Chamber Symphony of Princeton, Seattle's Intiman Theater, and many distinguished soloists and conductors including Kent Nagano, Alan Gilbert, Kees Hülsmann, Robert Hughes, Laurent Pillot, Stephanie Friedman, William Winant, and David Tanenbaum. His music has been performed throughout North America, Europe, and Japan, and has been broadcasted over National Public Radio in the United States, the BBC in England, World Broadcasts, and various other stations and programs throughout the world.
His major compositions include Pacific Triptych (for orchestra), two violin concertos, Waves of Grain (guitar concerto), Cello Concerto, Where The Heart Is Pure (for mezzo soprano and chamber orchestra), two string quartets (Night Lights and River Shining Through), Beaming Contrasts (for guitar and string quartet), Rhapsodic Images (piano trio), Serenade for Winds (woodwind quintet), Through The Mountain (cello and piano), A Whistler’s Dream (flute and piano), among many other compositions for orchestra, various chamber ensembles, and solo instruments.
New Albion and Lapis Island Records have produced five CDs devoted to his music. They are Beaming Contrasts (1993), Where the Heart Is Pure (1996), Three Suites for Guitar (2003), Atlantic Crossing/Rhapsodic Images (2004), and Riving Shining Through (2007).
His most recent work includes The Changing Light, scored for chamber choir, marimba and vibraphone (one player), and string quartet. It was commissioned for the renowned vocal ensemble, Conspirare, and the San Francisco-based, Sanford Dole Ensemble. The score is based on three poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, with the poet’s blessing. It will be premiered next season and recorded soon afterward.
Peter Scott Lewis was born on August 31, 1953, in San Rafael, California, and grew up in both the San Francisco Bay Area and Washington State. A graduate of Yale University: School of Music and San Francisco Conservatory of Music, he studied composition with Andrew Imbrie, Jacob Druckman , Nicholas Maw, and Morton Subotnick; studied guitar with Alirio Diaz and Carlos Barbosa-Lima; and conducting with Arthur Weisberg. He has taught at the University of Washington and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, even though he currently does not hold a teaching position. In addition, he has completed composer residencies at Yaddo Corporation, the MacDowell Colony, the Djerassi Foundation, and has been composer-in-residence at Seattle’s Intiman Theater, Festival for New American Music, SFMOMA, among others. He has also performed as a classical and jazz guitarist, clarinetist, and conductor. His music is published by Theodore Presser.
More information can be found on the following web sites: www.lapisisland.com and newalbion.com |
Atlantic Crossing for Violin and Piano
Published: #114-41265
Beaming Contrasts for Guitar and String Quartet (1989-90) -- 16'
Published: #114-40743
Premiere Information: Newman/Oltman Guitar Duo; January 5, 1990, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Additional Information: Originally written for 2 guitars and string quartet.
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• Reviews
Available Separately:Set of parts (#114-40743P)
Full Score - Large (#114-40743S)
Delicate Sky for Violin, Percussion, and Piano (1993) -- 17'
Published: #114-40820
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Available Separately:Full Score - Large (#114-40820S)
Journey to Still Water Pond for Vibraphone, Marimba, and String Quartet (1983) -- 6'
Published: #114-40783
Premiere Information: Yale Ensemble; December 12, 1983, Sprague Hall, New Haven, CT
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Available Separately:Set of parts (#114-40783P)
Full Score - Large (#114-40783S)
Little Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano
Available From Composer
Night Lights for String Quartet (1983) -- 10'
Published: #114-40782
Premiere Information: Alexander String Quartet; November 8, 1988, Green Room, Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
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Available Separately:Set of parts (#114-40782P)
Full Score - Large (#114-40782S)
Rhapsodic Images for Violin, Cello and Piano (1998) -- 22'
Published: #114-41127
Commission Information: Raphael and Bakken Trios and the Hulsmann/Van Staalen/Beenhouwer Trio (Holland)
Premiere Information: May 10, 1998, Minneapolis (partial performance)
Available Separately:Set of parts (#114-41127P)
Full Score - Large (#114-41127S)
Through the Mountain for Cello and Piano (1988-91) -- 21'
Published: #114-40821
Premiere Information: San Francisco Symphony members; April 15, 1990, Julia Morgan Center, Berkeley, CA
Additional Information: Also available for Cello and Orchestra.
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First Guitar Suite (1977) -- 14'
Published: #114-40780
Premiere Information: Peter Lewis, guitar; November 12, 1977, Garden Club, La Conner, WA
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Second Guitar Suite (1979) -- 13'
Published: #114-40852
Premiere Information: Peter Lewis, guitar; May, 1980, San Francisco, CA
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Sun Music for Piano (1987) -- 6'
Published: #110-40716
Premiere Information: Miles Graber, piano; May 18, 1987, Hatley Martin Gallery, San Francisco, CA
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First Violin Concerto (1986) -- 20'
Solo Vln.; 2 2(E.H.) 2 2 - 2 0 0 0; Perc., Str.
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Premiere Information: Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, Robert Hughes, conductor; Mayumi Ohira, violin; April 25, 1987, Berkeley, CA
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Available Separately:Full Score - Study (#416-41144)
Second Violin Concerto (1996) -- 35'
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Commission Information: Rotterdam Philharmonia Orchestra
Premiere Information: Alan Gilbert, conductor; Kees Hulsmann Concertmaster and Soloist, Rotterdam Philharmonia Orchestra, January 22, 1999.
Through the Mountain (Cello Concerto) for Solo Cello, Strings and Percussion (1991)
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Additional Information: Also available for Cello and Piano.
Three Songs from Ish River for Mezzo-soprano and Guitar (1976-78)
Published: #111-40181
Premiere Information: Cyndia Sydentop, soprano, Peter Scott Lewis, guitar; Seattle, WA; May 1978
Where the Heart is Pure for Mezzo-soprano and Chamber Orchestra (1993) -- 16'
Mezzo-sop.; 1-1(E.H.)-1(B.Cl.)-0; Str.
Available from the Presser Rental Library
Premiere Information: Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, Laurent Pillot, conductor; Stephanie Friedman, Mezzo-soprano; June 25, 1995
Additional Information: Based on three poems of Robert Sund.
Version for Mezzo-Soprano and Chamber Ensemble also available.
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"San Francisco composer Peter Scott Lewis writes in an attractive tonal idiom that appeals to both the heart and mind. The music is euphonious and often disarmingly pretty, but with a core of strength that shows itself in surprising harmonic choices and vigorous instrumental textures."-Datebook: San Francisco Sunday Chronicle
"This CD is a real find. It is a great recording of what might best be described as post-modern chamber music by the California composer Peter Scott Lewis. Beaming Contrasts and Through the Mountain are both substantial new works that deserve to become staples of the contemporary chamber music repertoire."-Arnold van der Valk, Classical Express"Passionate, yet lyrical. This is music making by a virtuoso composer."-Esquire (Tokyo)"Beaming Contrasts is driving, full of jagged, jazz-like rhythm; an earnest piece, tightly constructed, and telling in its use of dissonance."-Guitar Review (NY)"It is obvious that the composer (having written a guitar concerto) knows the instrument well and exploits his aural resource with a fine ear."-Strad Magazine"Peter Scott Lewis' new CD on New Albion is something completely different. The piece that has held my attention (and garnered plenty of response from WPKN listeners) is Journey To Still Water Pond . Lewis develops a beautiful tension between strings and percussion that grips you tightly. Another exciting piece isLittle Trio a mix of aggressive exchanges and romantic phrases."-CMJ, Bridgeport, CT"A dialectic of steel and catgut exploring both differences and similarities between string and guitar textures. The amplified guitar’s strident, biting nature seemed to slice air when the duo played in jazzy syncopation with the quartet."-The Washington Post"A finely crafted composition."-The New York Times"Delightful… Shimmering… Skillfull. Unmistakably the work of an alert young American. Recommended."-Fanfare
"Vivid, entrancing, and remarkable…impressionistic harmonies, recitative-like phrases and borrowings from Northwest Indians… Lewis' music exudes songfulness…""-Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone Magazine"The guitar suites are wonderfully haunting. I remember what Stravinsky said about the guitar: not small but as from far away. The music brings those distances home. I¹ve listened to it over and over. Bravo!"-J.D. McClatchy, Editor, The Yale Review"A wonderful CD. Exquisite!"-J.L. Bueno, La Otra Musica, FM80, Cadiz, Spain"Tuneful and highly rhythmic, the suites (especially the last one) have an improvisational feel, with repeated passages that alter slightly and gradually metamorphose into completely different material. The writing exploits the guitar's resources very stylishly."-Melinda Bargreen, Seattle Times
"Its… lyrical melodies with strong, clear profiles… made the work absorbable on a first hearing without sounding facile or glib."-The San Francisco Examiner
"San Francisco composer Peter Scott Lewis writes music marked by an appealing combination of intricacy and rhetorical straightforwardness… The most immediately accessible work is the opening Journey to Still Water Pond, a quietly colorful nature portrait for vibraphone, marimba, and string quartet."-Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle
"Vivid, entrancing, and remarkable…impressionistic harmonies, recitative-like phrases and borrowings from Northwest Indians… Lewis' music exudes songfulness…""-Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone Magazine"Tuneful and highly rhythmic, the suites (especially the last one) have an improvisational feel, with repeated passages that alter slightly and gradually metamorphose into completely different material. The writing exploits the guitar's resources very stylishly."-Melinda Bargreen, Seattle Times
"The mood throughout is romantic without cliches, the writing contemporary without contrivance. The piece makes demands on the soloist in ways that are both exciting and rewarding, with fresh sounds deftly woven into the total fabric. Above all, it is an easy piece to listen to, yet one that promises fresh insights on rehearing… Particularly attractive was an ostinato figure in the orchestra during the second movement that provides momentum over which the violin unfolds a lyrical melody."-The Montclarion (Oakland, CA)
"Peter Scott Lewis is a composer of considerable talents…solid construction…strong rhythmic sections…luminous"-20th Century Music"Where The Heart Is Pure : [is] a thoughtful and varied song cycle to poems of Robert Sund. The vocal writing shows equal concern for the shape of the poetry and for the autonomous demands of melody… Delicate Sky…an offbeat, charming trio."-Datebook: San Francisco Sunday Chronicle
"The work has a number of highly lyrical passages interspersed with spiky segments, all combining into a constantly absorbing whole."-The Times: Trenton, NJ"The composer Peter Lewis has the rare ability to make the language of his compositions emotionally accessible to the listener…his Guitar Concerto is melodically and harmonically abstract and also rhythmically complex. However, the music does not perplex, but is surprisingly pleasing and sensual. Herein lies the composer¹s originality."-Guitar Review, New York
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