Oscar Strasnoy


Oscar Strasnoy is a French-Argentine composer, conductor and pianist. Although primarily known for his stage works, the first of which Midea premiered in Spoleto in 2000, his principal compositions also include two secular cantatas and several song cycles.
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Career

Oscar Strasnoy was born in Buenos Aires and studied piano, conducting and composition there at the Conservatorio Nacional Superior de Música, at the Conservatoire de Paris, where he won in 1996 a Premier Prix à l’Unanimité and the Hochschule für Musik, Frankfurt. He was the music director of the Orchestre du Crous de Paris. He was one of the founding recipients of the Grüneisen Foundation conducting scholarship, and of the French Government Scholarship. In 1999 he was invited by Peter Eötvös to Herrenhaus-Edenkoben in Germany.
Luciano Berio awarded him the 2000 Orpheus Prize for his chamber opera Midea produced at the Teatro Caio Melisso in Spoleto in 2000 and at the Rome Opera in 2001. He was also artist in residence at the Akademie Schloss Solitude in Stuttgart, in 2003 at the Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto, and in 2006 at the Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Umbria, Italy. In 2007 he received a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship for Music Composition.
Radio France, in association with the parisian Théâtre du Châtelet, featured Strasnoy as the main composer of the, a retrospective of most of his works in 14 concerts in January 2012.

Compositions

Oscar Strasnoy has composed twelve stage works, including operas performed at Spoleto, Rome, Paris, Berlin State Opera; a live-accompanied silent film score for Anthony Asquith's Underground which premiered at the Louvre in 2004 and was subsequently played at the Cine Doré in Madrid, the Mozarteum Argentino, Kyoto, and Tokyo) and a secular cantata, Hochzeitsvorbereitungen . He also composed several pieces of chamber, vocal and orchestral music, including his song cycle Six Songs for the Unquiet Traveller which premiered in 2004 performed by the Nash Ensemble and Ann Murray in a concert to inaugurate the newly refurbished Wigmore Hall in London.
In January 2012 a retrospective of his work in 14 concerts has been presented at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris as part of the Festival Présences of Radio France. Strasnoy's works are primarily published by Universal Edition Chant du Monde and Billaudot. His opera Midea is published by Ricordi.

Operas and music theatre

  • 1996-1999: "Midea " chamber opera. Libretto by Irina Possamai. Premièred at the Teatro Caio Melisso, Spoleto, Italy, 8 September 2000 directed by Hennig Brockhaus, conducted by Andrea Molino.
  • 2002: "Opérette". Libretto by Witold Gombrowicz. Premièred at the Grand Théâtre of Reims, France, 10 January 2003 directed by Christian Gangneron.
  • 2003: "Geschichte", operetta a cappella. Libretto by Galin Stoev and Oscar Strasnoy based on Witold Gombrowicz's play, premièred at Theaterhaus Stuttgart, 31 March 2004, directed by Galin Stoev. Second production in 2011 directed by Titus Selge. Third production at the Berlin Staatsoper, Sept.-Oct. 2015, directed by Isabel Ostermann.
  • 2005: "Fabula", pocket-opera. Libretto by Alejandro Tantanian. Premièred at Teatro San Martín, Buenos Aires, 29 November 2005, directed by Renate Ackermann.
  • 2000-2006: "L'instant", children opera in one act. Libretto by Alejandro Tantanian. Premièred at Maison des Arts de Créteil, Paris, 2008, conducted by Oscar Strasnoy.
  • 2008-2009: "Le Bal" opera in one act based on Irène Némirovsky's novelette The Ball, libretto by Matthew Jocelyn, premièred in Hamburg Opera-House, 7 March 2010, directed by Matthew Jocelyn, conducted by Simone Young. Second production: Théâtre du Châtelet, Paris, January 2012, directed by Matthew Jocelyn, conducted by Anu Tali. Third production: Prinzregententheater of Munich, November 2012, directed by Karsten Wiegand, conducted by Ulf Schirmer.
  • 2009-2010: "Un Retour", chamber opera in one act, Libretto
  • 2010: "Cachafaz" opera in two acts. Libretto, directed by Benjamin Lazar, conducted by Geoffroy Jourdain. Second production: Teatro San Martín of Buenos Aires, Nov. 2012, directed by Pablo Maritano and conducted by Pierre Roullier.
  • 2011-2012: "??????", chamber opera in two acts. Libretto by Christine Dormoy based on Daniil Kharms writings. Premiered at Bordeaux Opera House, 26 November 2012, directed by Christine Dormoy, conducted by Oscar Strasnoy. Second Production, new version at Zürich Opera House,, directed by Jan Eßinger, conducted by Carrie-Ann Matheson.
  • 2012-2014: "Requiem", opéra in two acts. Libretto by Matthew Jocelyn based on the novel Requiem for a nun by William Faulkner, premièred at Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires, 10 June 2014, directed by Matthew Jocelyn, conducted by Christian Baldini.
  • 2015-2016: "Comeback", chamber opera. Libretto by Christoph Hein, based on "Tilla" and "Jannings" by Christoph Hein. Première: Staatsoper Berlin, 30 September 2016.
  • 2022-2023: "Robinson". Libretto by Sigrid Behrens. Première: Staatsoper Berlin, Halle, 25 February 2023.
  • 2023-2025: "Dementia". Libretto by Ariana Harwicz. Première: Teatro Colón of Buenos Aires, May 2026.

Concert works (selection)

  • 1992: Piano 1: Incognito
  • 1995: Piano 2: Britannicus
  • 1995: Naipes, for Pierrot-Lunaire-type quintet
  • 1997: Piano 3: à Corinthe
  • 1999: Piano 4: 5 pièces
  • 1999: Two tangos
  • 2000: Bloc-notes d'Ephemera for ensemble
  • 2000: Bloc-notes d'Ephemera for two pianos
  • 2002: Piano 5: Exercices de Latinité
  • 2000-: Hochzeitsvorbereitungen
  • 2004: Underground, music for the 1928 silent film by Anthony Asquith.
  • 2004: Six Songs for the Unquiet Traveller
  • 2005: Scherzo for orchestra
  • 2006: The End for orchestra
  • 2008: Quodlibet, song cycle, premièred in Stuttgart, 2008.
  • 2010: "Heine", song cycle on poems by Heinrich Heine
  • 2009-2011: Incipit, for orchestra
  • 2009-2011: Y
  • 2012: Odyssée, cantata, for 12 vocal soloists, 5 choirs and three instrumental groups
  • 2013: Vague-Requiem, for Cello Octet
  • 2014: Müller, song-cycle on poems by Wilhelm Müller, Heiner Müller and Herta Müller for Tenor and piano.
  • 2015: Double Ostinato, for solo accordion.
  • 2016: Ghost Stories, for string quartet and 33rpm record
  • 2016: Automaton, for violin and chamber orchestra
  • 2017: Kuleshov, for piano and chamber orchestra
  • 2017: Ittingen-Concerto, for chamber orchestra
  • 2017: 2. Juni, for violin, horn and 33rpm record.
  • 2017: 4. Juni, for solo violin and 33rpm record.
  • 2017: 5. Juni, for violin and tenor.
  • 2017: Flashbacks, for 10 instruments. Première: 8 DEC 2017 by the Ensemble Modern Frankfurt, in Munich. Ed. Billaudot.
  • 2018: d'Amore, for viola d'amore and ensemble. Première: 20 OCT 2018 by Garth Knox and the Ensemble Modern, in Donaueschingen. Ed. Billaudot.
  • 2019: Trí Amhrán Ghaelacha for tenor and piano.
  • 2019: Chanzuns Popularas Rumanchas for female singer and ensemble. Première: 29 MAY 2019, La-Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland Universal Edition
  • 2019: Zaunkönig und -gäste, for orchestra. Première: 1 JUL 2019 by the Musikalische Akademie des Nationaltheater-Orchesters Mannheim conducted by Alexander Soddy. Ed. Billaudot
  • 2019: Verschiedene Canones - Neue Auflösungen for baroque orchestra and percussion. Première: 19 OCT 2019 in Berlin, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
  • 2019: Für Felice for vocal ensemble and instrument ad libitum. Commissioned by the Ensemble Musicatreize
  • 2020: Three Kamasutra Etudes, for vocal ensemble.
  • 2020: Partita I for solo violin
  • 2020: 24 Preludes for piano
  • 2022 : Bazaar for ensemble and live electronics
  • 2022: Partita II for harp.
  • 2022: Tombeau de Monjeau for piano.
  • 2025: Sinfonia Concertante for piano, violoncello and orchestra.

Transcriptions and Arrangements

  • 2010: La Forza del Destino, Overture by Giuseppe Verdi, for ensemble.
  • 2011: Trois caprices de Paganini, for violin and orchestra.
  • 2011: "Dido and Aeneas" chamber opera based on Henry Purcell's opera), for seven singers, two pianos, two brass instruments and two percussion players. Premièred in Paris, Théâtre du Châtelet, January 2012 conducted by Roland Hayrabedian.
  • 2017 Two Schubert Menuets, Nº 3 and Nº 5 for octet.
  • 2019: Romanze Op. 118, Nº 5, arrangement for violin and orchestra. Première: 25 APR 2019 at the Elbphiharmonie Hamburg, Isabelle Faust, NDR Elbphilharmonie-Orchester, cond. Antonello Manacorda.
  • 2020: Saint François d'Assise, opera by Olivier Messiaen. Première: 15 OCT 2020 at Theater Basel, Switzerland.

Discography

2025: Cadenza, to the Ligeti Violin Concerto. Isabelle Faust, Les Siècles, François-Xavier Roth .
2022: Tombeau de Monjeau, for piano. Mara Dobresco .
2022: Chanzuns Popularas Rumanchas, for female voice and ensemble. Sarah Maria Sun and Ensemble SONGS .
2020: Kuleshov, Piano Concerto. Alexandre Tharaud, Les Violons du Roy conducted by Mathieu Lussier .
2018: Two Schubert Menuets, nº 3 and nº 5, arrangement for octet, Isabelle Faust & Friends. .
2017: Berceuse, Mara Dobresco, piano. CD Paraty 107159.
2016: Hanokh, by Erwan Keravec, bagpipe, Donatienne Michel-Dansac, soprano and Vincent Bouchot, baritone, CD Vox.
2014: An Island Far, Ensemble 2e2m, dir. Pierre Roullier, .
2013: Orchestral works, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France conducted by Dima Slobodeniouk and Susanna Mälkki
2013: Geschichte, CD du Festival d'Automne de Varsovie. Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart.
2010: Un retour, Ensemble Musicatreize, dir. Roland Hayrabedian
2007: Hochzeitsvorbereitungen, Ensemble 2e2m, dir. Pierre Roullier
2000: Two tangos Paris-Buenos Aires, CD Bis records
1998: Bloc-notes de Midea , CD Hochschule für Musik Köln/Conservatoire de Paris, cond. Peter Eötvös

Awards