Yondani Butt

Last updated

Yondani Chak Cheung Butt (January 13, 1945 - August 28, 2014) was an orchestral conductor. [1] He was born in Macao of Chinese parentage. He studied music at Indiana University Bloomington and the University of Michigan. He also had a PhD in chemistry, [2] on which subject he has published numerous research papers, particularly on polyene photochemistry. He studied conducting with Wolfgang Vacano (1906-1985) at Indiana University, majoring in chemistry. He continued to study conducting with Josef Blatt (1906-1999) at the University of Michigan while pursuing his chemistry degree.

As founder of Symphonie Canadiana, he led the orchestra on major tours throughout North America. Since 1983, he held the position of Resident Conductor of the Victoria International Festival, creating the Concerti Extravaganza series, for which he conducted more than 23 concertos in six weeks. Butt recorded and performed in the US, Canada, Latin America, Asia and Europe. [3] He led the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic, the American Symphony (with which he performed a Brahms cycle in New York), Hamilton Philharmonic of Canada, Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México, Singapore Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic, Japan Gunma Symphony and Het Gelders Orkest, amongst many others. He recorded the First Symphony of Mahler, the Glazunov Third through Sixth Symphonies, [4] the Saint-Saëns Second, and many more works.

In 1995, Butt received an MRA Gramophone Award in the Symphony category for his recording of Glazunov's Sixth Symphony. He had won the same award in 1986 for his interpretation of Rimsky-Korsakov's Third Symphony. [5] His recording of Glazunov's Third Symphony [6] is recognized by the Glazunov Society as definitive, and earned him the title of Honorary Patron of the Society. His extensive discography includes works by Elgar, Glière, [7] Grieg, Kodály, Lalo, Liszt, Mahler, Raff, Saint-Saëns, [8] Sibelius [9] and Richard Strauss. [10] His recording of Goldmark's Rustic Wedding Symphony featured in the classical charts and was a Gramophone Magazine Critics’ Choice. [11] [12]

In the early 2000s, Butt suffered damage to his vocal cords, and retired from conducting. However, in 2009 he returned to the podium, working with the London Symphony Orchestra to record many of the Austro-German classics, including Beethoven, [13] [14] [15] Brahms, Schumann and Wagner, as well as works by Tchaikovsky, and a disc of French classics. [16]

Butt was also a composer. He studied free counterpoint and composition with Bernhard Heiden. [17] In Indiana, he studied piano with Sidney Foster, [18] a protégé of Isabelle Vengerova and David Saperton at the Curtis Institute. In Michigan, he studied ensemble with Eugene Bossart (1917-2011) and piano with Karen Keys.

Butt died on August 27, 2014 (10:45 am on August 28, 2014, Beijing Standard Time) after a sudden illness while living in China.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Ashkenazy</span> Icelandic pianist and conductor from Russia

Vladimir Davidovich Ashkenazy is a Russian solo pianist, chamber music performer, and conductor. Born in the Soviet Union, he has held Icelandic citizenship since 1972 and has been a resident of Switzerland since 1978. Ashkenazy has collaborated with well-known orchestras and soloists. In addition, he has recorded a large repertoire of classical and romantic works. His recordings have earned him five Grammy awards and Iceland's Order of the Falcon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leopold Stokowski</span> British-born American conductor (1882–1977)

Leopold Anthony Stokowski was a British-born American conductor. One of the leading conductors of the early and mid-20th century, he is best known for his long association with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was especially noted for his free-hand conducting style that spurned the traditional baton and for obtaining a characteristically sumptuous sound from the orchestras he directed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Glazunov</span> Russian composer (1865–1936)

Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov was a Russian composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Russian Romantic period. He was director of the Saint Petersburg Conservatory between 1905 and 1928 and was instrumental in the reorganization of the institute into the Petrograd Conservatory, then the Leningrad Conservatory, following the Bolshevik Revolution. He continued as head of the Conservatory until 1930, though he had left the Soviet Union in 1928 and did not return. The best-known student under his tenure during the early Soviet years was Dmitri Shostakovich.

John Richard Lill is a British classical pianist.

<i>Capriccio Espagnol</i>

Capriccio espagnol, Op. 34, is the common Western title for a five movement orchestral suite, based on Spanish folk melodies, composed by the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1887. It received its premiere on 31 October 1887, in St. Petersburg, performed by the Imperial Orchestra conducted by the composer. Rimsky-Korsakov originally intended to write the work for a solo violin with orchestra, but later decided that a purely orchestral work would do better justice to the lively melodies. The Russian title is Каприччио на испанские темы.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paavo Berglund</span> Finnish conductor and violinist

Paavo Allan Engelbert Berglund was a Finnish conductor and violinist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergei Taneyev</span> Russian composer and pianist (1856–1915)

Sergey Ivanovich Taneyev was a Russian composer, pianist, teacher of composition, music theorist and author.

James Ehnes, is a world renowned Canadian concert violinist and violist.

Gil Shaham is an American violinist of Jewish descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Steinberg</span> German-American conductor (1899–1978)

William Steinberg was a German-American conductor.

<i>Scheherazade</i> (Rimsky-Korsakov) Symphonic poem by Rimsky-Korsakov

Scheherazade, also commonly Sheherazade, Op. 35, is a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888 and based on One Thousand and One Nights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicolai Malko</span> Russian and American conductor (1883–1961)

Nicolai Andreyevich Malko was a Russian-born American symphonic conductor.

James Zuill Bailey, better known as Zuill Bailey is a celebrated, Grammy Award-winning American cello soloist, chamber musician, and artistic director. A graduate of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University and the Juilliard School, he has appeared in recital and with major orchestras internationally. He is a professor of cello and Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Texas at El Paso. Bailey’s extensive recording catalogue are released on TELARC, Avie, Steinway and Sons, Octave, Delos, Albany, Sono Luminus, Naxos, Azica, Concord, EuroArts, ASV, Oxingale and Zenph Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian Symphony Concerts</span>

The Russian Symphony Concerts were a series of Russian classical music concerts hosted by timber magnate and musical philanthropist Mitrofan Belyayev in St. Petersburg as a forum for young Russian composers to have their orchestral works performed. While a number of works by these composers were performed, pieces written by composers of the previous generation such as Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Mily Balakirev were also played there.

Alexander Glazunov wrote his Symphony No. 1 in E major, Op. 5, in 1881, when he was 16 years old. It was premiered the following year in St. Petersburg. It is known as his Slavonian Symphony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Petersburg Philharmonia</span> Music society and hall in Saint Petersburg, Russia

Saint Petersburg Philharmonia, officially the Saint Petersburg Academic Philharmonia Named After D. D. Shostakovich, is a music society located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and is the name of the building where it is housed. Also there is another one building of Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Society: Malii Zal. The location of the Small Hall is in the city centre. The society now hosts two symphony orchestras: Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and Saint Petersburg Academic Symphony Orchestra. The venue is named after Dmitri Shostakovich.

Sviatoslav Nikolayevich Knushevitsky was a Soviet-Russian classical cellist. He was particularly noted for his partnership with the violinist David Oistrakh and the pianist Lev Oborin in a renowned piano trio from 1940 until his death. After Mstislav Rostropovich and Daniil Shafran, he is spoken of as one of the pre-eminent Russian cellists of the 20th century.

The Symphony in E-flat, Op. 1, is the first published work composed by Igor Stravinsky during his apprenticeship with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. It is also his first composition for orchestra. Of classical structure, it is broadly influenced by Rimsky-Korsakov, Glazunov, Tchaikovsky and Wagner. It was composed in 1905–1907 and revised in 1913. It lasts for about forty minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Othmar Mága</span> German conductor (1929–2020)

Othmar Mága was a German conductor, who was chief conductor internationally, including the Odense Symphony Orchestra in Denmark and the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Korea. Among his many recordings are several rarely played concertos for instruments such as horn and double bass, including works of the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hideko Udagawa</span> Japanese musician

Hideko Udagawa is a Japanese violinist based in London, United Kingdom.

References

  1. ↑ The Penguin guide to compact discs. Penguin Books. 2002. pp. 522–.
  2. ↑ "The Journal of Chemistry". 85. June 1981: 209–2097.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ↑ King's Lynn festival, Eastern Daily Press, August 1st, 2000, Evening of the World-Class Playing at Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by Yondani Butt
  4. ↑ see OCLC   961118624, OCLC   601693976 and OCLC   601694510.
  5. ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, Rimsky-Korsakov, Symphony no3, A Fairy Tale op.29, July 20, 1986
  6. ↑ Nov.99 Gramophone Magazine Glazunov Symphony No4&5 ASV CDDCA1051, Ivan March
  7. ↑ Gliere Violin Concerto, Symphony no.2, Butt/Philharmonia Orchestra ASV CDDCA1129, Critics' Choice of the Year 2002 Robert McColley, Fanfare Magazine, Dec/Nov 2002
  8. ↑ Gramophone Magazine, Saint-Saens, Symphony no2, London Symphony, Yondani Butt, Reviewed by Ivan March, July 1990
  9. ↑ American Record Guide Review Sibelius, Pelleas et Melisande, Swanwhite, Kuolema, Valse Romantique; Spring Song, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. ASV CDDCA649,9/10/1989.
  10. ↑ R. Strauss, Don Juan, Till Eulenspiegel, Death and Transfiguration, Imp Classics Nov/Dec 1991, American Record Guide, Mckelvey.
  11. ↑ Classic CD, 27 July 1992 ASV CDDCA791, Goldmark, Rustic Wedding Symphony, Sakuntala Overture op.13, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, David Doughty
  12. ↑ Goldmark, Rustic Wedding Symphony, Sakuntala Overture, op.13, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Critics' Choice, Gramophone Magazine, July 1992, ASV CDDCA791
  13. ↑ Classical Candor, Classical Music Reviewed by John J. Puccio, Sept. 2011; Beethoven: Symphony no3 “Eroica”, Fidelio, Consecration of the House, Nimbus Alliance N16144
  14. ↑ International Record Review, Nimbus Alliance NI6147, Beethoven's Symphony no.4&5, Mortimer H. Frank.
  15. ↑ Classical Net, the Internet's Premier Classical Music Sources, Nimbus Alliance NI6146, Beethoven, Symphony no.9, Copyright@2011, Gerald French.
  16. ↑ French Classics, John Whitmore, Music Web International, 29/10/2012
  17. ↑ "Classical composer database". 3 March 2001. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  18. ↑ Sidney Foster, Ovation to Sidney Foster, International Piano Archives at Maryland, IPAM/204A-B
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.