Roque Cordero (August 16, 1917 – December 27, 2008) was a
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
nian composer.
[De Lerma, Dominique-Rene]
"African Heritage Symphonic Series"
Liner note essay. Cedille Records
Cedille Records () is the independent record label of the Chicago Classical Recording Foundation.
History
In 1989, James Ginsburg, the son of U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, founded Cedille Records as a for-profit cl ...
CDR061.
Life
Born in
Panama City
Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
, he studied composition under
Ernst Krenek
Ernst Heinrich Krenek (, 23 August 1900 – 22 December 1991) was an Austrian, later American, composer of Czech origin. He explored atonality and other modern styles and wrote a number of books, including ''Music Here and Now'' (1939), a stud ...
and conducting under
Dimitri Mitropoulos
Dimitri Mitropoulos ( el, Δημήτρης Μητρόπουλος; The dates 18 February 1896 and 1 March 1896 both appear in the literature. Many of Mitropoulos's early interviews and program notes gave 18 February. In his later interviews, howe ...
, Stanley Chapple, and
Léon Barzin before becoming director of the Institute of Music and Artistic Director and conductor of the National Symphony of his native country. Later he was assistant director of the Latin American Music Center (LAMúsiCa), professor of composition at
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
* Indiana Univers ...
, and, from 1972, distinguished professor emeritus at
Illinois State University
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
.
His works have been widely performed in Latin America, the United States and Europe, receiving international awards for his First Symphony (Honorable Mention, Detroit, 1947), Rapsodia Campesina (First Prize, Panama, 1953), Second Symphony (Caro de Boesi Award, Caracas, Venezuela, 1957), Violin Concerto (1974 Koussevitzky International Recording Award), and Third String Quartet (Chamber Music Award, San José, Costa Rica, 1977). Several of his compositions have been recorded by the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its primary performance venue is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood. Jader Bignamini is the current musi ...
, the
Louisville Orchestra, the
Chicago Sinfonietta
The Chicago Sinfonietta is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is nationally and internationally acclaimed as a cultural leader and a powerful advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion and is renowned for its groundbreaking, ...
(''Eight Miniatures for Small Orchestra'', Paul Freeman, conductor, Cedille Records) and various chamber music groups and soloists. He has appeared as guest conductor in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama, and in the United States. His "Sonata breve" for solo piano, composed in 1966, is published by
C.F. Peters
Edition Peters is a classical music publisher founded in Leipzig, Germany in 1800.
History
The company came into being on 1 December 1800 when the Viennese composer Franz Anton Hoffmeister (1754–1812) and the local organist Ambrosius Kühnel ...
. His Second Symphony was performed by the Seattle Philharmonic in April 2008.
In 2020, his complete works for solo piano were published by
Albany Records
Albany Records is a record label that concentrates on unconventional contemporary classical music by American composers and musicians. It was established by Peter Kermani in 1987 and is based in Albany, New York.
See also
* List of record labe ...
. They were recorded by Dr. Tuyen Tonnu, Associate Professor of Piano, at Illinois State University.
After retiring he spent the last eight years of his life living with his family in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater ...
, where he died at age 91.
[Moss, Khalid. (December 29, 2008).]
Classical composer dies weeks before concert
" ''Dayton Daily News''. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
Selected works
Orchestral
*''Adagio Tragico'', String Orchestra
*''Capricho Interiorano: Panamanian Folk Ballet Suite''
*''Eight Miniatures for Small Orchestra''
*''Concerto for Violin and Orchestra''
*''Second Symphony in One Movement''
Chamber music
*''Dodecaconcerto''
*''Dos Piezas Cortas''
*''Mensaje Funebre''
*''Paz, Paix, Peace'', Harp and Ensemble
*''Permutaciones 7''
*''Quinteto''
*''Soliloquios No. 1''
*''Soliloquios No. 2''
*''Soliloquios No. 3''
*''Sonata''
*''Sonatina''
*''String Quartet No. 1''
*''String Quartet No. 2''
*''Tres Mensajes Breves'', Viola and Piano
*''Variations and Theme for Five'', Woodwind Quintet
Piano
*''Cinco Miniaturas para Piano''
*''Duo 1954'', Two Pianos
*''Five New Preludes for Piano''
*''Miniatura para Piano''
*''Nueve Preludios''
*''Nostalgia''
*''Preludio para la Cuna Vacía''
*''Tres Meditaciones Poéticas''
*''Tres Piececillas para Alina''
*''Sonata Breve''
*''Sonata for Piano''
*''Sonatina Ritmica''
*''Variaciones para la Segunda Miniatura''
Choral
*''Cantata para la Paz''
*''Dos Pequeñas Piezas Corales''
Vocal
*''Musica Veinte'', Vocal Soloists and Ensemble
References
External links
Peermusic Classical: Roque CorderoComposer's Publisher and Bio
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090311071632/https://music.indiana.edu/som/lamc/new/Roque_Cordero.html Roque Cordero's Memorial Page from the Latin American Music Center at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music]
Roque Cordero: The biggest secret of modern music when it come to panamanian avantgarde music composer August 30, 1989
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cordero, Roque
1917 births
2008 deaths
Panamanian composers
Panamanian male musicians
Male composers
Indiana University faculty
Illinois State University faculty
People from Panama City
20th-century male musicians