Тарик О’Реган: Британско-американский композитор

British and American composer

Tarik Hamilton O'Regan ('/t//ær//ᵻ//k// //oʊ/'/r//iː//ɡ//ən/; born 1 January 1978) is a British and US American composer. His compositions number over 130 and are partially represented on 47 recordings which have been recognised with two Grammy nominations. He is also the recipient of two British Composer Awards. O'Regan has served on the Faculties of Columbia University as a Fulbright Chester Schirmer Fellow, The Radcliffe Institute of Harvard University as a Radcliffe Fellow, Yale University, Trinity College in the University of Cambridge, Rutgers University, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton as Director's Visitor. O'Regan's compositions incorporate the influence of Renaissance vocal writing, the music of North Africa, British rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s, jazz and Minimalist music. His music is often rhythmically complex and employs varying approaches to tonality.

Tarik O'Regan was born in London in 1978. He grew up predominantly in Croydon in South London, to an English father of Irish descent and an Algerian mother, spending some of his early childhood in Algeria and Morocco, the latter where his mother was born. Following completion of his undergraduate studies in 1999, he began serving as the classical recordings reviewer for The Observer newspaper, a position he held until 2003. At the same time he also worked for JPMorgan Chase, the investment bank. He completed his postgraduate studies under the direction of Robin Holloway at Cambridge, where he was appointed Composer in Residence at Corpus Christi College in 2000 and formally began his career as a composer, with his first published works appearing in 2001 on the Finnish Sulasol imprint.

2002 marked two important London premieres: those of Clichés with the London Sinfonietta and The Pure Good of Theory with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. During his tenure at Cambridge, his composition Threshold of Night won the Liturgical category of the 2007 British Composer Awards and on air, especially on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4. This aspect of his career broadened with the broadcasting in 2010 on BBC Radio 4 of Composing New York, a documentary written and presented by O'Regan. In the same year, he was appointed to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton as a Director's Visitor and made his BBC Proms debut with Latent Manifest performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. O'Regan's third album on the Harmonia Mundi label, Acallam na Senórach: an Irish Colloquy (based on the 12th century Middle Irish narrative of the same name) was released in October 2011.

In 2011, Heart of Darkness, O'Regan's chamber opera in one act, with an English language libretto by artist Tom Phillips, based on the novella of the same name by Joseph Conrad was premiered at the Linbury Theatre of the Royal Opera House. The idea for the opera first came to O'Regan in 2001. It received wide critical attention and marked his first foray into operatic writing. A suite for orchestra and narrator was extrapolated from the opera and was given its London premiere by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and actor Samuel West in April 2013. In May 2015, Heart of Darkness received its North American premiere in a production by Opera Parallèle, presented by Z Space in San Francisco, California. Since the opera, O'Regan composed several pieces influenced by North Africa, which include his first collaborations with both the Dutch National Ballet and the Australian Chamber Orchestra. Recently, some of his output has formed the focus of festivals such as the 2014 Vale of Glamorgan Festival and New Music for New Age from The Washington Chorus. O'Regan's first full length ballet score (Mata Hari, based on the life of Margaretha Zelle MacLeod), commissioned by the Dutch National Ballet with choreography by Ted Brandsen, opened on 6 February 2016 in Amsterdam. On 30 September 2016 Mata Hari was released in DVD and Blu ray formats by EuroArts, distributed by Warner Classics; the ballet will be revived for a further run in October, 2017. In February 2017, O'Regan's first album of orchestral music, A Celestial Map of the Sky, performed by The Hallé under the direction of Sir Mark Elder and Jamie Phillips, was released on the NMC label. The album entered the British Official Charts at number seven in the Specialist Classical Chart and number 18 in the Classical Artist Albums Chart. In the same year he was elected both to an Honorary Fellowship of Pembroke College, Oxford, and to the board of Yaddo. In 2019, O'Regan's opera The Phoenix with a libretto by John Caird was premiered at the Houston Grand Opera. The story was derived from the life of Mozart’s librettist, Lorenzo Da Ponte. Patrick Summers conducted the opera with Thomas Hampson and Luca Pisaroni playing Da Ponte at different stages of his life. The designs were by David Farley with lighting by Michael Clarke and choreography by Tim Claydon. Tarik O'Regan was appointed Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's first ever Composer in Residence from the 2021/2022 season.

In 2023, O'Regan was one of five composers asked to write a new piece for the coronation service of Charles III and Camilla in Westminster Abbey. The king commissioned O’Regan having heard his music at Lincoln Cathedral in 2006. His setting of the Agnus Dei, Coronation Agnus Dei, was performed during the Eucharist. O'Regan said of the piece, "I wanted to explore influences from my own varied heritages within the context of the Agnus Dei in the British choral tradition: a unison melody is slowly fragmented to create myriad timbres, much as one might hear in some Arab or Irish traditional music. This melodic shifting is also reminiscent of 'phase music', strongly connected with San Francisco, where I wrote this work. Finally, there is an alternating verse anthem structure: a nod to Orlando Gibbons, who became Organist of Westminster Abbey exactly 400 years ago."

Tarik O'Regan's earliest works were published by Oxford University Press and Sulasol; since 2004 his music has been exclusively published by Novello & Company, part of the Wise Music Group.

Date of releaseTitlePerformersWorks containedLabelMusic from the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen CamillaPeter Holder (organ), Choirs of Westminster Abbey and His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, choristers from Methodist College Belfast and Truro Cathedral Choir, and an octet from the Monteverdi Choir (Andrew Nethsingha)Coronation Agnus DeiDecca5576767 (CD)5576774 (vinyl)The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla: The ServicePeter Holder (organ), Choirs of Westminster Abbey and His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, choristers from Methodist College Belfast and Truro Cathedral Choir, and an octet from the Monteverdi Choir (Andrew Nethsingha)Coronation Agnus DeiDecca4859080The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla: The ServicePeter Holder (organ), Choirs of Westminster Abbey and His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, choristers from Methodist College Belfast and Truro Cathedral Choir, and an octet from the Monteverdi Choir (Andrew Nethsingha)Coronation Agnus DeiDecca5528383Reliquaries of the Sacred FeminineBella Voce (Brett Amundson)Alleluia, laus et gloriaThe College of St. ScholasticaLettersChamber Choir Ireland, Irish Chamber Orchestra (Paul Hillier)A Letter of RightsNaxos8.574287For All the Saints: Anthems, Hymns & MotetsJason Klein Mendoza (organ), Sarah Parga (soprano), Choir of All Saints' Church, Beverly Hills (Craig Phillips)We Remember ThemGothicG 49325The PhoenixThomas Hampson (baritone), Luca Pisaroni (bass baritone), Chad Shelton (tenor), Rihab Chaieb (mezzo soprano), Lauren Snouffer (soprano), Elizabeth Sutphen (soprano), Houston Grand Opera Orchestra, Houston Grand Opera Chorus, Houston Grand Opera Children's Chorus (Patrick Summers)The PhoenixPentatonePTC5186857All Things CommonPacific Chorale, Salastina Music Society (Robert Istad)All Things Common; Blessed Are They; Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis; Turn; Facing West; The Ecstasies Above; I Listen to the Stillness of YouYarlungYAR02592Songs of RenewalBath Camerata (Benjamin Goodson)Threshold of NightSomm RecordingsSOMMCD 0195Douce Dame Joliei Flautisi: The London Recorder QuartetVirelai: Douce Dame JolieSupraphonSU 4254 2Snow QueensJuice Vocal EnsembleTell meResonusRES10224Nostos: The Homecoming of MusicCalifornia State University, Fullerton Singers (Robert Istad)Alleluia, laus et gloria (SATB version)YarlungYAR80173Shattered GlassShattered Glass EnsembleChaâbiShattered GlassA Celestial Map of the SkyHallé, Hallé Youth Choir, The Manchester Grammar School Choir (Sir Mark Elder, Jamie Philips)A Celestial Map of the Sky; Latent Manifest, Raï, Chaâbi, Suite from Heart of DarknessNMCD220ContemporaryCanta Volare (Jori Klomp)Alleluia, laus et gloriaCanta VolareSong of the StarsWells Cathedral School Choralia (Christopher Finch)A Light Exists in Spring; Alleluia, laus et gloria; Columba aspexitNaxos8.573427Hodie! Contemporary Christmas CarolsPortsmouth Grammar School Chamber Choir (Sam Gladstone)Ecce PuerConviviumCR024Bright ShadowsConcanendaLocus isteConcanenda5029385996086There is No RoseLes Sirènes Female Chamber ChoirBring rest, sweet dreaming childNimbus AllianceNI6249The Organ of Guildford CathedralKatherine Dienes Williams and David DaviesColimaçonHerald HAVP371The OPERA America SongbookVarious artistsMy House, I SayCD Baby 884501791311Variations for JudithMelvyn TanDiomedesNMC DL3009Winter: an evocationPolyphony: Voices of New Mexico (Maxine Thévenot)Bring rest, sweet dreaming childRavenORA 934Love Raise Your VoiceChristine Howlett (soprano), Patrick Wood Uribe (violin), Holly Chatham (piano)Love Raise Your Voice; SainteMSR ClassicsMS1384The Spirit of Christmas PresentElysian Singers (Sam Laughton)Bring rest, sweet dreaming childMeridianCDE84601Acallam na Senórach: An Irish ColloquyNational Chamber Choir of Ireland (Paul Hillier)Acallam na Senórach: An Irish ColloquyHarmonia MundiHMU807486Sing Freedom!Conspirare (Craig Hella Johnson)Swing low, sweet chariotHarmonia MundiHMU807525O Guiding NightThe Sixteen (Harry Christophers)fleeting, God; Beloved all things ceased; O vera digna hostiaCoro COR16090Absolute Masters, Volume 2Brno Philharmonic OrchestraMaybe we have timeSmith & CoTalescapesYL Male Voice Choir (Matti Hyökki)LamentationOndine ODE1155 2New HorizonsEbor Singers (Paul Gameson)Beatus auctor sæculi; O vera digna hostiaBoreas BMCD901A Company of VoicesConspirare (Craig Hella Johnson)Triptych (version for percussion)Harmonia MundiHMU907534The NMC SongbookAndrew Watts (countertenor), Benjamin Hulett (tenor), Lucy Wakeford (harp)Darkness VisibleNMC D150Songs of the SkyBritten SinfoniaRaïSignum Records SIGCD149A Song More SilentThe London Mozart Players (Nicolae Moldoveanu)And there was a great calmAvie AV2147Sanctum est verum lumenNational Youth Choirs of Great Britain (Michael Brewer)I sleep, but my heart wakethDelphian DCD34045Threshold of NightConspirare (Craig Hella Johnson)Two Emily Dickinson Settings: Had I Not Seen the Sun / I Had No Time to Hate; The Ecstasies Above; Threshold of Night; Tal vez tenemos tiempo; Care Charminge Sleepe; TriptychHarmonia Mundi HMU807490Scattered RhymesThe Orlando Consort, Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (Paul Hillier)Scattered Rhymes; Douce dame jolieHarmonia Mundi HMU807469FiddlesticksMadeleine Mitchell (violin), ensemblebash (percussion quartet)Fragments from a Gradual ProcessSignum Records SIGCD111The Quiet RoomJohn Lenehan (piano)Lines of DesireSony Classical 82876821452MacMillan and his British ContemporariesThe Choir of New College, Oxford (Edward Higginbottom)Surrexit ChristusAvieAV2085Regina CaeliThe Choir of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (Daniel Soper)Sub tuum praesidiumLammas LAMM188Tarik O'Regan: VOICESThe Choir of Clare College, Cambridge (Timothy Brown)Three Motets from Sequence for St Wulfstan: Beatus auctor sæculi / O vera digna hostia / Tu claustra stripe regia; Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis: Variations for Choir; Two Upper Voice Settings: Bring rest sweet dreaming child / Columba aspexit; Dorchester Canticles: Cantate Domino / Deus Misereatur; Four Mixed Voice Settings: Gratias tibi / Ave Maria / Care Charminge Sleepe / Locus iste; Colimaçon for organ. Collegium COLCD130New French SongAlison Smart (soprano), Katharine Durran (piano)SainteMetier MSVCD92100St John the BaptistThe Choir of St John's College, Oxford (Ryan Wigglesworth)De Sancto Ioanne BaptistaCantoris CRCD6080Love and HonourThe Choir of Queens' College, Cambridge (Samuel Hayes)Cantate Domino; Tu claustra stirpe regiaGuildGMCD7287Carmina SaeculiThe Elisabeth Singers, Hiroshima, Japan (Timo Nuoranne)Gratias tibiBrain Music OSBR20025