Nanes, Richard (11th December 1927

Composer and pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who started performing at five years of age and studied with Humberto Penino. He also took up the trumpet and was good enough to be named to the all-state band of New Jersey. When he was nineteen, he eschewed the trumpet for his first love, the piano. He continued his studies at the Conservatoire National Superieure de Musique de Paris.

He took over his father’s company, Nanes Finishing and Assembly Corporation, serving as co-owner and president for over three decades. His business success allowed him the capital to fund his music career, which included starting a record company to produce his works.

Meantime, he was establishing himself as a composer and in May 1984, his “Symphony No. 1” (“Atlantis: The Sunken City”) was premiered in the Garden State. He was named Composer-in-Residence by the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in 1985, and the Cathedral Symphony Orchestra performed his first symphony on national television.

His “Symphony No. 2” (“The False Benediction”) was premiered in Europe by the London Symphony Orchestra. More premieres followed in 1986: He gave the world premiere of his own “Grand Etude in A major” in Beijing and Shanghai, China; the London Philharmonic premiered “Rhapsody Pathetique for Violin and Orchestra; and, the Pacific Symphony delivered the first performance of his “Symphony for Strings”.

He was invited to the United Nations to perform recitals of his music in 1988. One of them was broadcast internationally and is available on the economically titled Richard Nanes at the United Nations.

In 1989, the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra performed his “Concerto Grosso” on television in Tokyo, Japan.

“Symphony No. 3” (“The Holocaust”) and “Symphony No. 4” (“The Eternal Conflict”) received their world premieres in the Soviet Union in the 1990s. The Moscow Philharmonic performed the fourth symphony and the Kharkiv Festival Orchestra performed the third symphony at the Kiev International Music Festival.

The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra in New Mexico appointed him their composer-in-residence in 1997.

He received a Diploma for Achievement in Fine Arts and a Medal of Honor from the Austrian Albert Schweitzer Society in 1999 for his contributions both artistic and humanitarian.

From 2000 to 2007, he received the Silver International Angel Award eight consecutive times from the Excellence in Media Foundation.

He died from cancer on 8^th October 2009. On 11^th October 2009, a memorial service was held for him at Bernheim Apter Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel in Livingston, New Jersey.

Recordings on which he appeared as artist and composer include: Adagio for Piano and Orchestra, RhapsodyPathetique for Violin & Orchestra/Symphony for Strings/Concerto Grosso for Brass Trio & Chamber Orchestra, Symphony No. 1 “Atlantis: The Sunken City”/Symphony No. 2 “The False Benediction” and Symphony No. 3 “The Holocaust”/Symphony No. 4 “The Eternal Conflict” with the London Philharmonic Orchestra; Five String Quartetsby the Budapest String Quartet; and In Recital in Moscow & Kiev, Nocturnes of the Celestial Seas, Piano Concerto No. 2 in A/Solo Prelude & Rhapsody No. 5 in C sharp minor, Rhapsody and Fugato No. 2 in D minor/Grand Etude in A major and Sonnets and Sketches from a Composer’s Notebook.

You can hear and see the late Richard Nanes’ works on videos, Holocaust Symphony No. 3 by the Kharkiv Festival Orchestra and Rhapsody Pathetique and Symphony No. 4 “The Eternal Conflict” by the Moscow Philharmonic.

His paper trail as a composer can be traced to the Eastman School of Music, MIT, the public libraries of Chicago and New York, and the universities of Louisville and New Mexico.

Richard Nanes recordings
Adagio for Piano and Orchestra (Richard Nanes)
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor – Thomas Sanderling
CD single: Delfon 9090

Sources:

Nanes, Richard (11th December 1927–8 October 2009)

Navigate Feenotes

Search Feenotes

Please donate to keep the site alive