Richard Peaslee (June 13, 1930, New York NY – August 20, 2016) was a composer who worked in a variety of idioms, including chorus, orchestra, dance, and soundtracks for film and television, but he was most active as a composer for the theatre.
Education
He received his undergraduate degree in Music Composition from Yale University, and after serving two years in the U.S. Army, received a master's degree from The
Juilliard School, in addition to studying privately with
Nadia Boulanger in Paris and
William Russo in New York and London.
Works
He had written the music for:
London
*the
Peter Brook /
Royal Shakespeare Company
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and produces around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, St ...
productions of ''
Marat/Sade'', ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...
'', ''US'' / ''Tell Me Lies'' and ''
Antony and Cleopatra
''Antony and Cleopatra'' (First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in around ...
'';
*
Peter Hall /
National Theatre ''
Animal Farm
''Animal Farm'' is a beast fable, in the form of satirical allegorical novella, by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. It tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to crea ...
'';
*
Terry Hands
Terence David Hands (9 January 1941 – 4 February 2020) was an English theatre director. He founded the Liverpool Everyman Theatre and ran the Royal Shakespeare Company for thirteen years during one of the company's most successful periods; h ...
/ RSC ''
Tamburlaine the Great'';
*and the musical ''
Moby-Dick''.
New York City
*
Joseph Papp /
New York Shakespeare Festival ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
'', ''Henry IV, Parts
1 and
2'', ''
Troilus and Cressida'' and ''
Antigone'';
*
Martha Clarke
Martha Clarke (born June 3, 1944) is an American theater director and choreographer noted for her multidisciplinary approach to theatre, dance, and opera productions. Her best-known original work is ''The Garden of Earthly Delights'' (1984, re-im ...
and
Music Theatre Group The Garden of Earthly Delights ''
Vienna Lusthaus'', ''
The Hunger Artist'' and ''
Miracolo d'Amore'';
*Broadway ''Indians'', ''
Teibele and Her Demon'', ''
Frankenstein'' and ''
Boccaccio'';
*children's / family theatre ''
The Snow Queen'', ''
The Children's Crusade'' and ''
Tanglewood Tales
''Tanglewood Tales for Boys and Girls'' (1853) is a book by American author Nathaniel Hawthorne, a sequel to ''A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys''. It is a re-writing of well-known Greek myths in a volume for children.
Overview
The book includes t ...
''; and an opera, ''
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight''.
*
Golden Fleece Ltd., The Composers Chamber Theater
Dance
*''
Touch'', commissioned and performed by the
New York City Ballet
*''The Four Humours'', commissioned and performed by the
Pilobolus dance company
Film and television
His film scores include the
Peter Brook films ''
Marat/Sade'' (1967) and ''
Tell Me Lies
Tell may refer to:
*Tell (archaeology), a type of archaeological site
*Tell (name), a name used as a given name and a surname
*Tell (poker), a subconscious behavior that can betray information to an observant opponent
Arts, entertainment, and m ...
'' (1968). His music for television includes the Emmy-nominated score for
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell (March 26, 1904 – October 30, 1987) was an American writer. He was a professor of literature at Sarah Lawrence College who worked in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work covers many aspects of the ...
/
Bill Moyers series ''
The Power of Myth'', Claudia Shear's ''Blown Sideways Through Life'' (''
American Playhouse''), and Time/Life's ''
Wild, Wild World of Animals
''Wild, Wild World of Animals'' is a syndicated American television show that features wildlife and nature documentaries. It was originally produced from 1973 until 1978, and was narrated by William Conrad. The soundtrack was composed by Gerhard ...
''.
Symphonic and jazz works
Peaslee's works have been performed by the Philadelphia, Detroit, Seattle, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, and Buffalo Symphony Orchestras; William Russo's London Jazz Orchestra, Chicago Jazz Ensemble, Stan Kenton and Ted Heath Orchestras and Gerry Mulligan.
''Arrows of Time'' for Solo Trombone and Band was composed in 1993 for Joseph Alessi and the United States Army Band.
Awards
*
American Academy of Arts and Letters Marc Blitzstein
Marcus Samuel Blitzstein (March 2, 1905January 22, 1964), was an American composer, lyricist, and librettist. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-union musical ''The Cradle Will Rock'', directed by Orson Welles, was shut down by the Wo ...
award
*
Obie
The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards originally given by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theatre artists and groups in New York City. In September 2014, the awards were jointly presented and administered with the A ...
*
Villager Award
*
NEA fellowships.
*
NYFA fellowships.
References
External links
Richard Peaslee's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peaslee, Richard
Ballet composers
1930 births
2016 deaths