Ivan Moody
Encyclopedia
Ivan Moody, British
composer
, was born in London
in 1964, and studied composition with Brian Dennis at London University, William Brooks at York University and privately with John Tavener
. He also studied Orthodox theology at the University of Joensuu, Finland
. Moody is active as a conductor, directing ensembles such as Voces Angelicae, the Kastalsky Chamber Choir (Britain), Capilla Peña Florida (Spain), Cappella Romana
(USA) and Ensemble Alpha (Portugal), and as a widely-published musicologist.
Moody's compositions show the influences of Eastern liturgical chant and the Orthodox Church, of which he is a member and priest (of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople). His Canticum Canticorum I, written for the Hilliard Ensemble
, was a great success in 1987, and in 1990 he won the Arts for the Earth Festival Prize for Prayer for the Forests, subsequently premièred by the renowned Tapiola Choir of Finland. One of his most important works is the oratorio Passion and Resurrection (1992), based on Orthodox liturgical texts, premièred in 1993 by Red Byrd and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste
at the Tampere Festival. In 1996 it was given its North American premiere by Cappella Romana. The Akáthistos Hymn
(1998), the composer’s largest work to date, was written for Cappella Romana
following these performances.
Other significant works include the ‘cello concerto Epitaphios
(1993), the cantata
Revelation (1995), Endechas y Canciones (1996), the recorder concerto Pnevma (1998), Lamentations of the Myrrhbearer
(2001) for string quartet, Lumière sans déclin (2000) for string orchestra, and the choral triptych written for Trio Mediaeval - Words of the Angel (1998), Troparion
of Kassiani (1999), A Lion’s Sleep (2002), and Chalice of Wisdom, Matins
of the Feast of St Thomas, written in 2002 for the ensemble amarcord
. Later compositions include a large-scale BBC
commission, The Dormition of the Virgin (2003), and concertos for double-bass (The Morning Star, 2003), piano (Linnunlaulu, 2003) and bassoon (Arise, 2004). Amongst recent works are Passione Popolare, premièred at the Antidogma Festival in Italy in June 2005, and Ossetian Requiem, written for the Amsterdam-based ‘Cello Octet Conjunto Ibérico. In 2008, he completed a new work for the King's Singers and a large-scale setting of the Stabat Mater for the Oslo International Festival of Church Music. His 2009 Hymn to St Nicholas for eight voices was commissioned for the KotorArt Festival in Montenegro, and received its American premiere in November of that year.
As of 2009, he has lived near Lisbon
, Portugal
, where he was until 1998 Professor of Composition at the Academia de Artes e Tecnologias, Lisbon. He has been involved in the construction of a database for the Portuguese Contemporary Music Centre (http://www.mic.pt), is a member of the CESEM research unit at the Universidade Nova in Lisbon and collaborates regularly with the Department of Orthodox Theology at the University of Joensuu, Finland (http://www.joensuu.fi). In 2005 he was elected the first Chairman of the International Society for Orthodox Church Music (ISOCM).
Ivan Moody’s music is recorded on the Hyperion, ECM, Sony, Telarc, Gothic and Oehms labels.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
composer
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...
, was born in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1964, and studied composition with Brian Dennis at London University, William Brooks at York University and privately with John Tavener
John Tavener
Sir John Tavener is a British composer, best known for such religious, minimal works as "The Whale", and "Funeral Ikos"...
. He also studied Orthodox theology at the University of Joensuu, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Moody is active as a conductor, directing ensembles such as Voces Angelicae, the Kastalsky Chamber Choir (Britain), Capilla Peña Florida (Spain), Cappella Romana
Cappella Romana
Cappella Romana is a vocal ensemble founded in 1991 in Portland, Oregon. Its name, meaning "Roman Chapel", refers to the medieval Greek concept of the Roman oikoumene , which embraced Rome and Western Europe, as well as the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople and its Slavic commonwealth centered...
(USA) and Ensemble Alpha (Portugal), and as a widely-published musicologist.
Moody's compositions show the influences of Eastern liturgical chant and the Orthodox Church, of which he is a member and priest (of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople). His Canticum Canticorum I, written for the Hilliard Ensemble
Hilliard Ensemble
The Hilliard Ensemble is a British male vocal quartet originally devoted to the performance of early music. Founded in 1974, the group is named after the Elizabethan miniaturist painter Nicholas Hilliard....
, was a great success in 1987, and in 1990 he won the Arts for the Earth Festival Prize for Prayer for the Forests, subsequently premièred by the renowned Tapiola Choir of Finland. One of his most important works is the oratorio Passion and Resurrection (1992), based on Orthodox liturgical texts, premièred in 1993 by Red Byrd and the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under Tõnu Kaljuste
Tõnu Kaljuste
Tõnu Kaljuste is an Estonian conductor.Born in Tallinn, Kaljuste is the child of Heino Kaljuste , an Estonian choral conductor, and Lia Kaljuste, a radio journalist. Tõnu sang in his father's choirs as a child, and graduated from the Tallinn Music High School in 1971...
at the Tampere Festival. In 1996 it was given its North American premiere by Cappella Romana. The Akáthistos Hymn
Akathist
The Akathist Hymn is a hymn of Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic tradition dedicated to a saint, holy event, or one of the persons of the Holy Trinity...
(1998), the composer’s largest work to date, was written for Cappella Romana
Cappella Romana
Cappella Romana is a vocal ensemble founded in 1991 in Portland, Oregon. Its name, meaning "Roman Chapel", refers to the medieval Greek concept of the Roman oikoumene , which embraced Rome and Western Europe, as well as the Byzantine Empire of Constantinople and its Slavic commonwealth centered...
following these performances.
Other significant works include the ‘cello concerto Epitaphios
Epitaphios
Epitaphios may refer to:* Funeral oration or epitaphios logos* Epitaphios or epitaphion, a cloth icon used during Holy Week in churches that follow the Byzantine rite...
(1993), the cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
Revelation (1995), Endechas y Canciones (1996), the recorder concerto Pnevma (1998), Lamentations of the Myrrhbearer
Myrrhbearers
In Eastern Orthodoxy the Myrrhbearers are the individuals mentioned in the New Testament who were directly involved in the burial or who discovered the empty tomb following the resurrection of Jesus...
(2001) for string quartet, Lumière sans déclin (2000) for string orchestra, and the choral triptych written for Trio Mediaeval - Words of the Angel (1998), Troparion
Troparion
A troparion in Byzantine music and in the religious music of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a short hymn of one stanza, or one of a series of stanzas. The word probably derives from a diminutive of the Greek tropos...
of Kassiani (1999), A Lion’s Sleep (2002), and Chalice of Wisdom, Matins
Matins
Matins is the early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. The term is also used in some Protestant denominations to describe morning services.The name "Matins" originally referred to the morning office also...
of the Feast of St Thomas, written in 2002 for the ensemble amarcord
Ensemble amarcord
The ensemble amarcord is a German male classical vocal ensemble based in Leipzig, founded in 1992 by five former members of the Thomanerchor. Their focus is Medieval music, Renaissance music and the collaboration with contemporary composers.- Singers :...
. Later compositions include a large-scale BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
commission, The Dormition of the Virgin (2003), and concertos for double-bass (The Morning Star, 2003), piano (Linnunlaulu, 2003) and bassoon (Arise, 2004). Amongst recent works are Passione Popolare, premièred at the Antidogma Festival in Italy in June 2005, and Ossetian Requiem, written for the Amsterdam-based ‘Cello Octet Conjunto Ibérico. In 2008, he completed a new work for the King's Singers and a large-scale setting of the Stabat Mater for the Oslo International Festival of Church Music. His 2009 Hymn to St Nicholas for eight voices was commissioned for the KotorArt Festival in Montenegro, and received its American premiere in November of that year.
As of 2009, he has lived near Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, where he was until 1998 Professor of Composition at the Academia de Artes e Tecnologias, Lisbon. He has been involved in the construction of a database for the Portuguese Contemporary Music Centre (http://www.mic.pt), is a member of the CESEM research unit at the Universidade Nova in Lisbon and collaborates regularly with the Department of Orthodox Theology at the University of Joensuu, Finland (http://www.joensuu.fi). In 2005 he was elected the first Chairman of the International Society for Orthodox Church Music (ISOCM).
Ivan Moody’s music is recorded on the Hyperion, ECM, Sony, Telarc, Gothic and Oehms labels.
Partial list of works
- Canticum Canticorum I
- 1990: Prayer for the Forests, for choir
- 1992: Passion and Resurrection, oratorio
- 1992: Vigil of the Angels for viola and string orchestra
- 1993: Epitaphios, concerto for cello
- 1995: Revelation, cantata
- 1996: Endechas y Canciones
- 1996: Klama for viola and double bass
- 1998: The Akathistos Hymn
- 1998: Pneuma, concerto for recorder
- 1998: Words of the Angel, for choir
- 1999: Troparion of Kassiani, for choir
- 2000: Lumière sans déclin, for string orchestra
- 2001: Lamentations of the Myrrhbearers, quartet for strings
- 2002: A Lion's Sleep, for choir
- 2002: Chalice of Wisdom for choir
- 2003: The Dormition of the Virgin
- 2003: The Morning Star, concerto for double-bass
- 2003: Linnunlaulu, concerto for piano
- 2004: Arise, concerto for bassoon
- 2005: Passione Popolare
- 2009: Hymn to Saint Nicholas, for choir