October, 2009 — In 2002 composer Paul Moravec wrote a piece inspired by a 1945 photograph of his parents. At the time, the young couple was not yet married and Vince, his father, was on leave from the Navy. They didn't know if they would ever see each other again. Moravec took a few notes from their favorite song, "I'll Be Seeing You", and created a new song inspired by that photograph. Read more...

June, 2009 — Paul Moravec’s opera The Letter will receive its first performance on July 25, 2009, at the Santa Fe Opera, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Commissioned by the Santa Fe Opera, The Letter has a libretto by noted music critic and writer Terry Teachout. Read more...

October, 2008 — Orpheus premieres Paul Moravec's Brandenburg Gate at Carnegie Hall. Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec channels the silvery timbre of J.S. Bach's 2nd Brandenburg Concerto for 21st century listeners in his new work.

"Bach is my musical hero, an indispensable figure in my training and in my consciousness as a composer, so I am thrilled to be part of this project. The Brandenburg Concertos occupy such a wonderful spirit of joy, which I hope to reflect in my own composition." Read More...

September, 2008 — Naxos Classical has just released a recording of chamber works by Pulitzer-prize winning composer Paul Moravec, including Cool Fire, Chamber Symphony, and Autumn Song performed by the artists of the Bridgehampton Chamber Festival, which commissioned several of the works.

"Paul’s music is deeply lyrical ... his music sings, and the long arcs of melody sketched by his pen are as perfectly poised as any I know." -- Terry Teachout

March, 2008 —

Paul Moravec's Songs of Love & War, for Baritone Solo, SATB Chorus, Trumpet & Strings, was performed by the Oratorio Society of New York, under the direction of Kent Tritle, at Carnegie Hall on Tuesday, March 4, 2008. In this powerful work, Moravec sets text derived from letters sent to and from soldiers in four American wars: Vietnam (son to mother), World War II (wife to husband), World War I (a Marine's condolences to a fallen comrade's mother), and the Civil War (husband to wife). Along the way, the cantata charts an emotional and spiritual course of increasing intensity.

The Oratorio Society invited the two letter-writers still living to attend the performance: George Jay Robinson, from New York, whose letter was written to his mother during his service in Vietnam; and Marjorie Gaunt, from Rhode Island, whose letter was written to her husband serving in WWII. Here are photos and news stories about Marjorie Gaunt, who traveled to New York City to hear her words set to music for the first time.

The New York Times, Music Review: "Ethereal Harmonies That Transcend Loss and Grief," March 6, 2008

Request perusal materials for Paul Moravec's Songs of Love & War.

May 9, 2007—Santa Fe, NM— Paul Moravec, the Pulitzer-Prize winning composer, has been commissioned to write an opera for The Santa Fe Opera to be premiered in the 2009 season. Announcement of the commission was made today in Santa Fe by General Director Richard Gaddes. The commission is the first of two planned by the company.

Mr. Moravec has chosen the play entitled The Letter written in 1927 by W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965). Considered a Maugham masterpiece, The Letter is set in the Far East, and tells the story of an adulterous affair that leads to murder, blackmail, and revenge. It was made into a film in 1940 starring Bette Davis which has become a classic. Terry Teachout, the eminent critic and writer, is the librettist.

In making the announcement Gaddes commented: “When I first heard music by Paul Moravec I was immediately captivated. The great thing about him is that he’s found a musical language all on his own that is both pleasing to the ear and at the same time very contemporary. It is ground breaking and we are excited that this important American composer has agreed to write for The Santa Fe Opera. While Paul has written for voice, this is his first opera.”

“The Santa Fe Opera is especially grateful to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its generous support of this commission,” stated Gaddes. Read more...

October, 2006 — The Time Gallery, a new Naxos release featuring ‘Protean Fantasy’ and ‘Ariel Fantasy,’ along with the title track, ‘The Time Gallery’ as its centerpiece (performed by eighth blackbird, violinist Paul Sheppard-Skaerved and pianist Aaron Shorr) was listed as Naxos’ ‘Top Pick of the Week’ the first week of October, 2006.

“In our increasingly transnational times, Paul Moravec manages to define his own firmly grounded space amidst a musical scene that can often feel frenetic. Moravec’s work in many ways builds upon “The Great Tradition” of Western Europe, reconfiguring some of its bedrock gestures into an aesthetic that is thoroughly of our day. Dubbed a “New Tonalist” by critic Terry Teachout, Moravec writes with depth but does so with a light touch. He draws on craftsmanship so virtuosic it seems easy. All this adds up to a composer who is simultaneously learned and accessible, tradition-based and imaginative, profound and a heck of a lot of fun. In an era when pundits worry over the fate of the concert world as a whole, Moravec’s music—and its deep-down integrity—speak of confidence and hope. “ Carol J. Oja

For more information about ‘The Time Gallery’ and listen to excerpts of the featured works visit www.naxos.com.