a solid, conservative craftsman whose music, at its best, is marked by a direct expressivity that is often captivating. He has an ear for the English language, and three sets of terse, epigrammatic songs, though uneven, showed an unquestionable melodic gift. Mr. Shapiro writes in an idiom that might be characterized as gently dissonant, eschewing angular vocal leaps and bounds in favor of linear continuity.
Selected work
Opera
The Love of Don Perlimplin and Belisa in the Garden, libretto by Michael Shapiro based on the play by
Federico García Lorca - a one-act opera written in 1984
Frankenstein-The Movie Opera, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, and chamber orchestra (text the Latin Requiem Mass)
The Slave, libretto by Hannah McDermott, based on the novel by
Isaac Bashevis Singer
There is that in me (
Walt Whitman) (SATB and ensemble)
Spanish Medieval Lyrics (SSATB a capella)
Voices based on Sephardic poetry of the Holocaust (soprano or tenor soloist, SATB, and chamber ensemble), oratorio in eight movements, recorded by Daniel Mutlu, Ember Choral Arts, American Modern Ensemble,
Deborah Simpkin King
In Paradisum (SATBariB and ensemble)
Cultivo una rosa blanca (
Jose Marti) (SATB and piano)
Overture to Frankenstein-The Movie Score, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Second Sonata for Violin and Piano, Tim Fain (violin) and Steven Beck (piano) (Paumanok Records)
Archangel Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Steven Beck (piano),
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Roller Coaster, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Perlimplinito, Opera Sweet, A Lace Paper Valentine for orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Widorama!, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Michael's Songbook, Vol. I, Ariadne Greif, soprano, Michael Shapiro, piano (recordings of Canciones and Dublin Songs) (Paumanok Records)
Passages, Interludes, and Bitter(Sweet) Waltzes, Steven Beck, piano (Paumanok Records)
Voices, Daniel Mutlu, tenor, Ember Choral Arts, American Modern Ensemble, Deborah Simpkin King, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Yiddish Quartet and Piano Quintet, Argus Quartet and Steven Beck, piano (Paumanok Records)
In the Light of the Sun, Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Stathis Karapanos, flautist, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
References
^
abc"Biography". Michael Shapiro. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
a solid, conservative craftsman whose music, at its best, is marked by a direct expressivity that is often captivating. He has an ear for the English language, and three sets of terse, epigrammatic songs, though uneven, showed an unquestionable melodic gift. Mr. Shapiro writes in an idiom that might be characterized as gently dissonant, eschewing angular vocal leaps and bounds in favor of linear continuity.
Selected work
Opera
The Love of Don Perlimplin and Belisa in the Garden, libretto by Michael Shapiro based on the play by
Federico García Lorca - a one-act opera written in 1984
Frankenstein-The Movie Opera, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, bass, and chamber orchestra (text the Latin Requiem Mass)
The Slave, libretto by Hannah McDermott, based on the novel by
Isaac Bashevis Singer
There is that in me (
Walt Whitman) (SATB and ensemble)
Spanish Medieval Lyrics (SSATB a capella)
Voices based on Sephardic poetry of the Holocaust (soprano or tenor soloist, SATB, and chamber ensemble), oratorio in eight movements, recorded by Daniel Mutlu, Ember Choral Arts, American Modern Ensemble,
Deborah Simpkin King
In Paradisum (SATBariB and ensemble)
Cultivo una rosa blanca (
Jose Marti) (SATB and piano)
Overture to Frankenstein-The Movie Score, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Second Sonata for Violin and Piano, Tim Fain (violin) and Steven Beck (piano) (Paumanok Records)
Archangel Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Steven Beck (piano),
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Roller Coaster, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Perlimplinito, Opera Sweet, A Lace Paper Valentine for orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Widorama!, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Michael's Songbook, Vol. I, Ariadne Greif, soprano, Michael Shapiro, piano (recordings of Canciones and Dublin Songs) (Paumanok Records)
Passages, Interludes, and Bitter(Sweet) Waltzes, Steven Beck, piano (Paumanok Records)
Voices, Daniel Mutlu, tenor, Ember Choral Arts, American Modern Ensemble, Deborah Simpkin King, conductor (Paumanok Records)
Yiddish Quartet and Piano Quintet, Argus Quartet and Steven Beck, piano (Paumanok Records)
In the Light of the Sun, Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Stathis Karapanos, flautist, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Michael Shapiro, conductor (Paumanok Records)
References
^
abc"Biography". Michael Shapiro. Retrieved 12 April 2024.