José Serebrier (born 3 December 1938) is a
Uruguay
Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
an conductor and composer. He is one of the most recorded conductors of his generation.
Early life
Serebrier was born in
Montevideo
Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
to Russian and Polish parents of Jewish extraction. He first conducted an orchestra at the age of eleven, while at school. The school orchestra toured the country, which meant he was able to notch up over one hundred performances within four years. He graduated from the Municipal School of Music in Montevideo at fifteen, having studied violin,
solfege, and Latin American folklore. Subsequently, he studied counterpoint, fugue, composition and conducting with
Guido Santórsola, and piano with his wife, Sarah Bourdillon Santórsola.
The National Orchestra, known as
SODRE, announced a composition contest. Within two weeks, Serebrier had composed his "Legend of Faust" overture. It won. To his huge disappointment he was not allowed to conduct it, because he was only fifteen. The premiere was given to
Eleazar de Carvalho, who later that same year became his conducting teacher at
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is a music venue and Music festival, festival in the towns of Lenox, Massachusetts, Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts, Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony ...
, the
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...
's summer home.
He was awarded a United States State Department Fellowship to study at the
Curtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a private conservatory in Philadelphia. It offers a performance diploma, a Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in opera, and a Professional Studies Certificate in opera. All students attend on a full scholarshi ...
, with
Vittorio Giannini
Vittorio Giannini (October 19, 1903 – November 28, 1966) was an American neoromanticism, neoromantic composer of operas, songs, symphonies, and band works, and member of the Giannini family.
Life and work
Giannini was born in Philadelphia on Oct ...
. Later he studied with
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland (, ; November 14, 1900December 2, 1990) was an American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist, and conductor of his own and other American music. Copland was referred to by his peers and critics as the "Dean of American Compos ...
at Tanglewood, and with
Pierre Monteux
Pierre Benjamin Monteux (; 4 April 18751 July 1964) was a French (later American) conductor. After violin and viola studies, and a decade as an orchestral player and occasional conductor, he began to receive regular conducting engagements in 1 ...
. His first symphony, written at the age of 17, was premiered by
Leopold Stokowski
Leopold Anthony Stokowski (18 April 1882 – 13 September 1977) was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. H ...
, as the last minute substitute for the Ives Fourth Symphony, which proved still unplayable at the time. The recording of that Stokowski performance was released on CD in 2010. Another recording of this work was released by Naxos, also in 2010, with the composer conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
Conducting
Serebrier's New York conducting debut with the
American Symphony Orchestra was at
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...
in 1965. At the time, Ives'
Fourth Symphony had been considered so difficult that it was performed using three conductors at its premiere in 1965, almost 50 years after its composition. Stokowski, Serebrier and a third conductor performed it this way. A few years later Serebrier conducted it on his own. He made his recording debut with the work, and ''Hi-Fi News and Record Review'' wrote of it: "This ... must surely count as one of the great achievements of the gramophone".
He has had very many conducting posts, including principal guest conductor of the
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra during the 1982–83 season. He was offered the post of Chief Conductor, but since he doesn't accept such positions he agreed to the title of Principal Guest Conductor. Leopold Stokowski named Serebrier Associate Conductor of the American Symphony Orchestra, a post he held for five years until going to Cleveland at George Szell's invitation.
Serebrier married American soprano
Carole Farley in 1969. They have made a number of recordings together.
Serebrier's Third Symphony and his "Fantasia for strings" are amongst his most popular works. His style is energetic, colourful and melodic. One of his most unusual works is "Passacaglia and Perpetuum Mobile for accordion and chamber orchestra". His music is published mainly by Peermusic New York and Hamburg, and also by Peters Edition, Universal Edition Vienna, Hal Leonard, Kalmus, Boosey & Hawkes. All of his works have been recorded on various labels. In 2012, BIS Records released Serebrier's Flute Concerto with Tango, which they commissioned for flutist
Sharon Bezaly.
José Serebrier: Symphonic BACH Variations/Flute Concerto with Tango
''www.classical-music.com'', accessed 31 December 2022
Serebrier tours the world with a number of orchestras. He has made several tours with the Russian National Orchestra, to South America and China. His first international tour was with the Juilliard Orchestra to 17 countries in Latin America. He has toured with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, The Orchestra of the Americas, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and numerous others.
Awards
Serebrier has received 37 nominations for Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
and won 8 Grammys. In 1976 he won the Ditson Conductor's Award
The Ditson Conductor's Award, established in 1945, is the oldest award honoring conductors for their commitment to the performance of American music. The US$5,000 purse is endowed by the Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University, increased in ...
for commitment to American music. He won the Latin Grammy Awards of 2004 Best Classical Album for his own work, the "Carmen Symphony". In the Latin Grammy Awards of 2005 he was a nominee, for Glazunov's 5th Symphony.
Selected compositions
* 1948 Sonata for violin solo, Op. 1
* 1952 Elegy for strings
* 1955 Sonata for Viola Alone
* 1955 Quartet for Saxophones
* 1955 Song of Destiny for choir a capella
* 1956 "Pequeña Música" for woodwind quintet
* 1956 Vocalise for choir a capella
* 1956 Song without name or words No. 1
* 1956 Symphony No. 1, in one movement
* 1957 Momento Psicológico for trumpet & orchestra
* 1957 Suite Canina (Canine Suite) for woodwind trio
* 1958 Song without name or words No. 2
* 1958 Piano Sonata
* 1958 Poema Elegaico for orchestra
* 1958 Partita (Symphony No. 2)
* 1960 Fantasia for strings
* 1962 "Colores Mágicos" Concerto for harp and chamber orchestra
* 1963 Variations on a Theme from Childhood, for trombone (or bassoon) & strings
* 1963 Symphony for Percussion (5 players)
* 1965 Preludio Fantastico & Danza Mágica for 5 percussionists
* 1965 Music for the film "The Star Wagon" with Dustin Hoffman
* 1965 Passacaglia & Perpetuum Moboile, for solo accordion
* 1965 "Six on TV" for wind quintet and 1 percussionist
* 1966 Passacaglia and Perpetuum Mobile, for accordion & chamber orchestra
* 1966 Manitowabing, for flute and oboe
* 1966 Ad dusk, in shadows for solo flute
* 1967 "12 X 12" for winds, brass and percussion
* 1968 “ Erotica” for woodwind quintet and voice
* 1973 Seis por Television (6 for television)
* 1974 "Nueve" Concerto for double bass and chamber orchestra
* 1986 George and Muriel, for double bass, double bass choir & chorus
* 1991 Dorothy and Carmine!, for flute & strings
* 1998 Violin Concerto "Winter"
* 1999 Winterreise for orchestra
* 2003 Symphony No. 3 for string orchestra & soprano ("Symphonie mystique")
* 2009 Flute Concerto with Tango, for flute and string orchestra
References
External links
Serebrier at www.classical-composers.org
Official Site(archived)
Peermusic Classical: Jose Serebrier
Composer's Publisher and Bio
Discography
* http://www.naxos.com/composerinfo/5262.htm
via Naxos direct
* http://www.eroica.com/phoenix/jdt144-js.html
by Bruce Duffie, March 16, 1998
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serebrier, Jose
Uruguayan conductors (music)
Uruguayan male musicians
Uruguayan composers
Uruguayan male composers
Child classical musicians
Grammy Award winners
Latin Grammy Award winners
Uruguayan expatriates in the United States
Uruguayan people of Polish-Jewish descent
Uruguayan people of Russian-Jewish descent
Musicians from Montevideo
1938 births
Living people
21st-century conductors (music)
21st-century male musicians