Ned Rorem

American composer and diarist Ned Rorem was born in Richmond, Indiana on 23 October 1923. His family moved to Chicago when he was young, and he studied at the American Conservatory of Music and later at the Curtis Institute and at Juilliard.

His chromatic tonal output consists of much vocal and choral music, including operas, and he also produced symphonic music, much of it combined with voices.

His notorious Paris Diary of Ned Rorem describes his relationships with various other male composers, including Samuel Barber, Leonard Bernstein, Noel Coward and Virgil Thomson. He also wrote extensively about music and musicians, with his essays, collected into three anthologies, sometimes featuring prickly comments about his fellow musicians and attacks on the avant-garde.

Ned Rorem died at his home in Manhattan, New York, on 18 November 2022, aged ninety-nine.

 

A selection of articles about Ned Rorem

Echoes of Oblivion by Robert McCarney - A New Look and Format

Classical music news - November 2022 Obituaries - Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month

CD Spotlight. The Harpsichord's Newest Reincarnation - Ona Jarmalavičiūtė listens to twentieth century harpsichord concertos. 'Not many harpsichord players are as multifaceted and expressive as Jory Vinikour when interpreting modern music.'

CD Spotlight. A Hint of Bitters - Music by William Ferris, heard by Howard Smith. 'Well worth investigating.'

Ensemble. Beautifully Sung - An evening with Juan-Diego Flórez, by Robert Hugill

CD Spotlight. Musical Finesse - Songs by Gregg Kallor, recommended by Howard Smith. 'Go to the top of the class.'

CD Spotlight. A Delight - Philippe Quint plays Korngold's Violin Concerto, heard by Patric Standford. '... his emotional command is convincing.'

A Real Find - Robert Davies made a remarkable impact when he stood in as Papageno late in the run of English Touring Opera's 'The Magic Flute'; Roderic Dunnett profiles him and celebrates the progress of other ETO cast members

Ensemble. A Real Barnburner - Another report from this summer's Tanglewood Festival, by Lawrence Budmen

CD Spotlight. Creative Tensions - A double CD from the Fry Street Quartet, reviewed by Malcolm Tattersall. '... excellent by any standards ...'

Ensemble. Enchanting music - Festival Miami celebrates Ned Rorem's eightieth birthday, and Lawrence Budmen was impressed