[Anderson] employs various techniques specific to each instrument in shaping compelling and mysterious narratives… brooding orations…sweeping and animated flights…expressive, vital commentary…piquant dialogue…

Gramophone Magazine
What She Saw - Album cover
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Latest Release: What She Saw

WHAT SHE SAW features two epic, large-scale works from composer Douglas Anderson. These gripping vocal works focus on the lives of two archetypal women: Cassandra of ancient Greece and The Woman of modern times.

News & Press

November 27, 2023

Announcing Composer Douglas Anderson’s Multi-Year Recording Project

Composer Douglas Anderson is thrilled to unveil a multi-year release project of four new albums. Continuing the success of previous albums such as ONE AT A TIME, featuring solo instrumental works, and a compelling collection of chamber symphonies, Anderson is […]

October 7, 2022

Performance Review: pupsbooks.com on Through/In

“This a bold, atonal work perfectly suited to the shifting emotional mindscape of our age…It works very well.  It’s a true gesamtkunstwerk.”

October 1, 2022

Performance Review: New York Theatre Wire on Images of Her, Through/In, Simonetta

“Anderson expertly conducted both works, and the orchestra performed flawlessly throughout the evening.” Images of Her, the world premieres of Through/In by Douglas Anderson, and of Simonetta, by Larry Lipkis

May 29, 2020

Album Review: ArkivMusic Editorial on One at a Time

“In this album, you will hear the diversity of the composer’s inspiration amid its intense, physical element. The first track, appropriately named “…increasingly, physical…”, establishes tension with consistent building and release, creating captivating drama that draws the listener in immediately. The […]

February 28, 2020

Album Review: The Clarinet [Online] on One at a Time

(about “…vikings, unless…”) “…The work is altogether thoroughly engaging, and Anderson’s intimation — without explicit articulation — of such sophisticated narrative elements with such limited musical materials is commendable…”

Performances

  • Jun
    02
    2024

    Clarinet Trio to be performed

    Douglas Anderson's Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano will be performed at 3 pm on Sunday, June 2, by the di.vi.sion Clarinet Trio at the Riverdale Presbyterian Church in Bronx, NY.  This work is a seminal example of Anderson's early experiments with ordering in serial music, which was the topic of his doctoral dissertation.  It [...]

    Bronx NY, United States
    More Info
  • Jun
    21
    2024

    Mozart Requiem

    Once again Douglas Anderson will conduct the Mozart Requiem as part of the annual Make Music New York Festival.  Singers and instrumentalists are invited to join in performing this iconic and moving work.  Watch this space for details!

    More Info
  • Sep
    21
    2024

    Premiere of Sonata for Piano

    The musical ensemble di.vi.sion will present a concert entitled Five for the Planet featuring the premieres of 5 pieces written for the occasion.  Each piece presents a perspective on global warming and it's effect on the planet Earth.  Douglas Anderson's piece will be a Sonata for Piano, subtitled 'the rise and decline of species', which [...]

    New York NY, United States
    More Info
Featured

Instrumental
Works

Explore a collection of compelling instrumental compositions, including recent major works such as Spirit Guide, a concerto for clarinet and orchestra premiered by the Brooklyn Symphony and Whispers of Weeping: Mozart (an iconoclasm), unveiled by the Downtown Symphony.

Spirit Guide

Orchestral

Concerto for clarinet and orchestra, with obbligato soprano. Premiered by Gary Dranch, clarinets, and Nita Baxani, soprano, with the Brooklyn Symphony conducted by Nicholas Armstrong. (2014)

Whispers of Weeping: Mozart (an iconoclasm)

Orchestral

For orchestra. Premiered by BMCC Downtown Symphony, conducted by Douglas Anderson. (2014)

Five Bagatelles and a Synopsis

Solo Instrumental

For piano. Premiered by Anthony Weinstein. (1979)

Piece for Clarinet and Tape

Solo Instrumental

For clarinet with tape. Premiered by Douglas Anderson. (1975)

Featured

Works for
Voice

Explore a diverse range of vocal compositions, spanning solo voice, choral pieces, and intricate song cycles. From the evocative Cassandra Songs for mezzo-soprano and piano premiered by Esther Hickman, to early acclaimed works like Haiku for voice alone, experience the richness of the composer’s vocal repertoire across various vocal formats.

Cassandra Songs

Song Cycle

For mezzo-soprano and piano (words by Andrew Joffe). Premiered by A Potpourri of Song, Esther Hickman (mezzo) and Mark Victor Smith. (2014)

Haiku

Solo Voice

For voice alone (11 haiku by various authors, translated by Harold G. Henderson). (1980)

Nora’s Scene

Solo Voice

For mezzo-soprano and piano (words by Douglas Anderson, translated and adapted from Ibsen’s A Doll’s House). Premiered by Margaret Astrup. (1985)

Vocalise No. 1

Solo Voice

For voice. (1979)

Featured

Dramatic
Works

Explore an array of dramatic musical works spanning opera, theatre, and radio/internet compositions, including acclaimed pieces like Faust Triumphant, Medea in Exile, and featured radio dramas like Romance Concerto and The King of Jazz.

Through/In

Opera

Video opera for soprano with piano and percussion (words by Andrew Joffe). (2001)

Faust Triumphant

Opera

For chamber opera (words by Andrew Joffe). Premiered by American Chamber Opera Company/International Faust Festival. (1995)

The King of Jazz

Radio

Music for a radio play. Premiered by Jazzplay on NPR. (2001)

Medea in Exile

Opera

For chamber opera (words by Andrew Joffe). Premiered by American Chamber Opera Company conducted by Douglas Anderson. (2000)