The New York Philharmonic mourns the passing of David Del Tredici — a prominent composer of the latter half of the 20th century with a longstanding NY Phil association — who died Saturday at the age of 86.
Del Tredici, who became part of the New Romanticism movement, was deeply indebted to his literary influences, setting to music works by James Joyce and Lewis Carroll. It was Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, in particular, that would yield some of the most notable compositions of his career, culminating in Final Alice, which the New York Philharmonic co-commissioned as part of the National Endowment for the Arts’s celebration of the American Bicentennial, in 1976.
His association with the New York Philharmonic would continue in the years to follow: the Orchestra gave the US Premiere of Del Tredici’s Tattoo in 1988, led by Laureate Conductor Leonard Bernstein; the World Premiere of Steps for Orchestra in 1990, led by then Music Director Zubin Mehta; and the World Premiere of The Spider and the Fly in 1998 — an NY Phil commission as part of the Orchestra’s 150th-anniversary celebration — led by then Music Director Kurt Masur. Additionally, Del Tredici served as the NY Phil’s composer-in-residence from 1988–90.
The NY Phil extends deepest sympathies to Del Tredici’s family and friends.
