Darryl Kubian
Darryl Kubian is an American composer, thereminist, violinist, and audio/video engineer. His compositions have been commissioned and performed by North American orchestras, such as the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and Omaha Symphony, and he has written soundtrack scores for the Wildlife Conservation Society, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Pangolin Pictures, NHK, CBS, The Learning Channel, and others. Darryl performs and records as a thereminist, including chamber and solo works by Herb Deutsch, Martinu, and others, and has also been a featured soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia of New York, and the NJ Symphony on theremin. He was the featured theremin soloist for the Lincoln Center Festival production of Danny Elfman's Music from the Films of Tim Burton. Darryl Kubian is a member of the first violin section of the NJ Symphony, and was the principal second violinist of the Brooklyn Philharmonic., Kubian's New Jersey–based audio/video production company, has recorded artists such as the Emerson String Quartet, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, members of the NY Philharmonic, New Jersey Symphony, and the Metropolitan Opera, among many others. He is married to violinist .
Compositions
Symphonic
''The Well of Urd''
In March 2023, the New Jersey Symphony premiered The Well of Urd, a tone poem and concerto for full orchestra and three soloists. The work is inspired by Norse mythology, with each soloist representing one of the three Norns, the weavers of the Fate. The soloists for its premiere performances were Chris Komer, principal horn of the NJ Symphony; Garth Greenup, principal trumpet of the Symphony; and Nayoung Baek, assistant principal cello of the New Jersey Symphony.;Reception
"The Well of Urd" received positive reviews in its premiere. From NJ.com: "The 23-minute piece, commissioned by the New Jersey Symphony, began with an extended low tone soon joined by a few harp plucks and then a woodwind melody. A dissonant, Ives-like trumpet sound from off-stage then sets up a haunting cello solo by Nayoung Baek, that starts with a twisting, leaping line and ends with severe pizzicato pulls. Chris Komer's horn playing meshed well with the other two soloists and Zhang sculpted some elegant musical phrases with the orchestra. 'The Well of Urðr' recalled early 20th-century symphonic poems of Arnold Bax and Ottorino Respighi—elegant, reflective pieces that showcase orchestral color."
''O for a Muse of Fire''
In March 2015, the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra premiered Darryl's work, O for a Muse of Fire, a concert overture for full orchestra and vocal soloist, based on Shakespeare's Henry V. The work is dedicated to the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and its music director, Jacques Lacombe. The soloist for the premiere performances with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra was former October Project lead singer Mary Fahl. The vocal part is adaptable to different vocal ranges.;Reception
"O For a Muse of Fire" received positive reviews in its premiere performances. From Broadway World publication: "The overall composition is dramatic with flurries of vibrant musicality especially among the violins and brass.... Mary Fahl has a dramatic, beautiful voice. This is a cinematic composition that builds steadily and majestically. One wishes Kubian had fleshed it out more. He will be a composer to keep one's eye on whether he pursues dramatic or cinema scores or continues in a classical venue." From The Star Ledger: "As the composer noted in an articulate pre-performance introduction, the music dealt with the conscience of the king, exploring matters earthly and spiritual and taking on sounds of both warfare and contemplation.... a cinematic fabric with deep lower strings and soaring brass. Dissonant threads in sustained chords and warlike percussion contrasted warm, meditative passages. In an earthy alto, vocalist Mary Fahl sang passages of Shakespeare text and keened wordlessly in the work's more impassioned moments. A waterphone added an otherworldly tinge before a frenetic rise and the pound of battle drums led to a fittingly heroic conclusion."
''3-2-1 Concerto for Electric and Acoustic Violin and Orchestra''
During the 2007–08 season, the NJSO gave the premiere of Kubian's 3-2-1 Concerto for Electric and Acoustic Violin and Orchestra — an NJSO commission dedicated to then-Music Director Neeme Järvi and NJSO Concertmaster . A preview about the Kubian and the new work was featured on NJN's . This NJN segment can be found online here:;Reception
The work was very well received in its premiere, and was subsequently broadcast on WQXR radio. From The Star Ledger review: "The piece balances the sort of electronic effects taken for granted in pop music with an open-hearted lyricism redolent of mainstream film scores, as it moves from an evocation of the Big Bang to a pool of idyllic repose to a cyclic, out-the-door rush.... He triggered new colors with a pedal board at his feet, shifting from that initial serrated timbre to a sound like a celestial lyre; the violinist also set echoing loops into motion so that he accompanied himself along with the orchestra. The effect was so texturally engaging that one almost wished that Kubian had written a concerto entirely for electric violin ... When Wyrick's electric violin soared above the orchestra again in full cry, the sheer lyricism was stirring, the instrument's hot edge searing away any sentimentality into something pure and affecting.... Listeners seemed to enjoy the experience from the first note, with an attentive excitement in the air that isn't always there."
Eric Wyrick performed the work with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Michoacán in Mexico, in October 2009. A CD of this collaboration was recorded and released.