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Improvisation no 1 for quarter tone piano and live electronics

This Time is a musical response to a desire to control time, slow it down, and live in a captured, prolonged moment.  The opening material represents a kind of snap shot of time.  The musical relationships contained in that opening are explored in many ways as the piece progresses.

01 This Time (final section)

The Betrayal of Three Oranges is inspired by my opera-in-progress The Juggler, in collaboration with the writer Joseph Caldwell. The libretto he produced was initially inspired by a medieval fable known as The Juggler of Our Lady. In that fable, extravagant and costly gifts are set before the statues of Mary and the infant. A young boy in tattered clothes juggles in the market place for what few coppers are thrown his way, steps forward and offers the only gift he has. He juggles. In response, the statues come to life and the boy is blessed. What inspired the writer was the thought: what if the juggler couldn’t really juggle. The answer: he offers his failures – and is blessed. The writer then channeled his inspiration into the opera libretto. The protagonist, Jerry, is confronted by his vulnerability and haunted by his failure. He frequently tries to juggle oranges, but like everything else, he is never successful. The juggling is a metaphor for failure. In the opera, he inadvertently is given a shopping bag of money. He is determined to spend it feeding the poor. The opera dramatizes how this effort, like his juggling, is a failure. The money is a catalyst and by the end of the opera it helps to reveal Jerry’s truly divine and most profound offering – his failure. The Betrayal of Three Oranges is steeped in Jerry’s loving and vulnerable world, filled with longing, juggling, money and tragedy.

The Betrayal of Three Oranges is lovingly dedicated to Susan Brynteson, Joseph Caldwell and David Del Tredici.

The Betrayal of Three Oranges MP3

The Betrayal of Three Oranges - Final Section

Cited by the American Academy of Arts and Letters as a composer who “has that rarest of inventive gifts, a personal voice,” Steven Burke is quickly being recognized as one of the leading voices of his generation. His music has won praise for its emotional power and mastery. Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times wrote “the writing has power..stinging emotions.” Paul Griffiths of the New York Times wrote, his work “might have been written by Brahms after hearing the Rite of Spring…highly accomplished…bursting with historical awareness and creative confidence.” Composer David Del Tredici, recognized as the father of the Neo-Romantic movement, has said on public radio “There are some wonderful composers who are emerging now and who will be voices of their generation. One is Steven Burke, a remarkable composer. Completely trusting of his instinct, who writes passionate, wild, and completely controlled music.”

Steven Burke began his musical studies with the trumpet at age seven. In college, he divided his time between music and science. He taught college chemistry as a sophomore and was involved with neurosurgery research at New York University Medical Center. Ironically, it was nerve damage that forced him to abandon trumpet and start composing. Once he started composing, he realized his passion and since age twenty has pursued composition exclusively. He went on to earn degrees from Sarah Lawrence College, the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Yale University and Cornell University. He has studied with Jacob Druckman, Steven Stucky, Roberto Sierra, Lukas Foss, Martin Bresnick and Chester Biscardi.

Mr. Burke’s recognition began during his student years at Cornell University with a commission from the Seattle Symphony and the ASCAP Foundation. The work, Clockwise, was commissioned in memory of his teacher Jacob Druckman, and was premiered by the Seattle Symphony under the direction of Gerard Schwarz on March 3, 1998. A few months later, the American Academy of Arts and Letters cited Mr. Burke for his “orchestral mastery.” Clockwise was then chosen by maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen, for a performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the orchestra of the University of Southern California, as part of the “Synergy” project.

Mr. Burke’s distinctive work has already been acknowledged by critics, and has also been singled out by many distinguished prizes and commissions including: the Rome Prize, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, multiple fellowships from Yaddo, the MacDowell Colony, the Medway Institute, and an award from Meet the Composer. He was the first recipient of the Robbins Prize, and the White Flowers residency from Yaddo. He has received commissions from the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University, the Jerome Foundation, the National Symphony Orchestra, the St. Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, Sequitur, the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet and the Albany Symphony. He has also been commissioned by Yaddo and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra to compose a work commemorating the centennial of Yaddo. He was also recently commissioned by the Raschèr Saxophone Quartet and the Philharmonisches Orchester Kiel (Germany). Echo of Halos was premiered in Germany to critical and public acclaim. In December of 2006, Steven Burke was elected to the Board of Directors of Yaddo and awarded a commission from Meet the Composer. 

His music has recently been performed by such distinguished ensembles as: the Los Angeles Philharmonic,  the orchestra of the University of Southern California, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Chamber Musicians, the New Millennium Ensemble, the Eastman Wind Ensemble and the Jordan Winds of New England Conservatory. Mr. Burke’s song cycle, Songs from Bass Garden, was premiered by the Grammy Award-winning soprano, Susan Narucki and the Yale summer school of music.

The Betrayal of Three Oranges - Final Section

Steven Burke Composer

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Steven Burke Composer

Steven Burke Composer

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