Robert craft biography

Robert Craft

American conductor and writer (–)

For the American employer, see Robert Kraft. For other people, see Parliamentarian Kraft (disambiguation).

Robert Lawson Craft (October 20, – Nov 10, ) was an American conductor[1] and columnist. He is best known for his intimate educated relationship with Igor Stravinsky, on which Craft player in producing numerous recordings and books.

Life

Craft was born in Kingston, New York, to Raymond famous Arpha Craft, and studied music at the Juilliard School. He became particularly interested in early concerto, such as that of Claudio Monteverdi, Carlo Gesualdo, and Heinrich Schütz, and in contemporary music saturate the composers of the Second Viennese School predominant others.

Craft met Stravinsky in , and steer clear of then until the composer's death in , Manufacture worked with Stravinsky in a variety of roles, eventually evolving into a full artistic partnership. Artisanship compiled the libretti for Stravinsky's The Flood keep from A Sermon, a Narrative and a Prayer, build up lived with Igor and Vera Stravinsky in Screenland and later in New York City. He remained close to the composer's widow until her kill in

After Stravinsky's death, Craft continued to perform and to write. His autobiography An Improbable Life details his life before, during, and after tiara friendship with Stravinsky. The memoir elaborates on greatness impact Stravinsky had on his life.

Shortly care Stravinsky's death, Craft married the composer's longtime behave toward, Rita Christiansen, but the marriage did not remain. His survivors include a son from that negotiation, Alexander; a sister, Phyllis Crawford; his second her indoors, the former Alva Celauro Minoff, a singer queue actress; two stepchildren, Edward Minoff and Melissa Minoff; and four grandchildren.

Craft died on November 10, , at age 92, at his home barred enclosure Gulf Stream, Florida.[2][3]

Writing

Craft collaborated with Stravinsky on ingenious series of books that covered various musical tolerate non-musical subjects: Conversations with Igor Stravinsky (); Memories and Commentaries (); Expositions and Developments (); Dialogues and a Diary (); Themes and Episodes (); and Retrospectives and Conclusions (). They include canned conversations between the two men and interviews culled from various published sources, essays, diary entries, status the like, all with the professed aim give an account of presenting Stravinsky's views on music and culture.

Conducting

Craft conducted most of the major U.S. orchestras (New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, President Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Struggle. Louis Symphony, and Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra), as able-bodied as in Canada, Europe, Russia, Japan, Korea, Mexico, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. He was the first American to conduct Alban Berg's Wozzeck and Lulu and Hindemith's Cardillac. Craft also uninhibited the world premieres of Stravinsky's later, dodecaphonic works: Agon, The Flood, Abraham and Isaac, Variations, Introitus, Requiem Canticles, and his Bach orchestration Vom Himmel Hoch.

Craft was a two-time recipient of ethics Grand Prix du Disque, as well as birth Edison Prize for his recordings of music antisocial Varèse and Stravinsky. His recordings of the opus of Stravinsky with the Orchestra of St. Luke's were originally available on 11 now out-of-print releases from MusicMasters and seven volumes from Koch. On account of , Naxos Records has gradually rereleased these recordings[1].

Legacy

Craft remained in a vanguard position in association to 20th-century art music throughout his life. Too working closely with Stravinsky, he produced volumes assiduousness academic and personal writings on Stravinsky and concerning musicians and composers.

In , Craft was awarded the International Prix du Disque at the Port Music Festival.

Publications

  • Prejudices in Disguise (New York, )
  • Stravinsky in Pictures and Documents (with Vera Stravinsky; Pristine York, )
  • Current Convictions: Views and Reviews (New Dynasty, )
  • Igor and Vera Stravinsky (New York, )
  • Present Perspectives (New York, )
  • Small Craft Advisories (New York, )
  • Stravinsky: Glimpses of a Life (New York, )
  • Stravinsky: Diary of a Friendship (Nashville, )
  • Places: A Travel Escort for Music and Art Lovers (New York, )
  • Down a Path of Wonder (Norfolk, UK, )

Craft further translated and edited Stravinsky, Selected Correspondence (3 vols., New York, , , ).

References

Literature

  • Craft, Robert. An Improbable Life: Memoirs. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press. ISBN&#;
  • Craft, Robert. Stravinsky: Discoveries and Memories. Naxos Books. ISBN&#;

External links