The Marie-Josee Kravis Composer-in-Residence Magnus Lindberg.
Credit: Hanya Chlala / ArenaPAL
Magnus Lindberg was the New York Philharmonic’s Marie-Josee Kravis Composer-in-Residence from 2009 until 2012. During his time there, he premiered several new works, which have now been performed by Music Director Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic.
The new album will be released on May 28th by Dacapo Records and will include “EXPO,” “Piano Concerto No. 2 (with Yefim Bronfman)” and “Al largo.” The album, which is already available for pre-order will include the world premiere recordings of the three works.
Magnus Lindberg was born in Helsinki, Finland, in 1958. He is both a composer and a pianist, and his studies of music have taken him across the globe—from Finland to Germany to Italy to America. His first major musical breakthrough came in 1982 when he composed Action-Situation-Signification, a large-scale orchestral work. Kraft followed from 1983-85. During the 1980s, Lindberg combined experimentalism, complexity, primitivism and musical extremes. He eventually moved toward a modern classicism in the latter part of the decade.
Today, Lindberg is highly respected as a modern orchestral composer. He has received several awards since the 1980s, which recognize his innovation and compositional excellence. These awards include the UNESCO Rostrum in 1982 and 1986, the Prix Italia in 1986, the Nordic Music Prize in 1988, the Royal Philharmonic Society Prize in 1992, and the Wihuri Sibelius Prize in 2003.
Marie-Josée Kravis and her husband are longtime supporters of new music at the NY Philharmonic. In 2009, Marie-Josee and Henry Kravis donated $10 million to the Orchestra, creating the Marie-Josee Kravis Prize for New Music and the Composer-in-Residence position. They have also commissioned eleven new works for the Philharmonic, including two by Mr. Lindberg.
Be sure to check out our full profiles on Marie-Josee Kravis and Henry Kravis, her business mogul husband, both of whom have contributed greatly to the highbrow culture scene in New York City.