|
Zaidel-Rudolph, Jeanne (b. 1948, Pretoria). South
African composer of orchestral, chamber, choral, vocal, and piano works that
have been successfully performed in Africa Europe and the USA; she is a
pioneering female composer of transcultural music.
Prof. Zaidel-Rudolph graduated from the composition class of Stefans Grové at the University of Pretoria in 1979, which made her the first woman (and the only woman so far) to obtain a doctorate in composition in South Africa. Earlier, in 1974, she had additional studies with György Ligeti in Hamburg.
She is also a talented pianist and earned four performance degrees with distinction. Among her private teachers were Adolph Hallis, Philip Levy and Goldie Zaidel and she later studied with John Lill at the Royal College of Music in London.
Among her many honors is First Prize in the Total Oil SA Composers Competition (1986, for Tempus Fugit). She has also written pieces for the Atlanta Olympics (1996, Oratorio for Human Rights) and the doctoral ceremony of Nelson Mandela (1997, He Walked to Freedom).
She was also a guest composer at a festival in Ohio (1995) and participated in the revision of the South African National Anthem, which resulted in the adoption of her English text near the conclusion of the piece (1995). More recently, she participated in the show Celebration in Canada and the USA (2000-02).
Since 1975, she has been Senior Lecturer at the Wits School of Music. She is also currently Professor of Composition and Head of Music at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. She has been invited on numerous occasions to lecture (mainly on indigenous African music) in both Europe and the USA.
She is married to Michael Rudolph, who holds the Chair of Community Dentistry and is currently Head of the School of Public Health at the University of the Witwatersrand.
CONTACT INFORMATION
E-mail
address: mikerud@iafrica.com
Street
address: Prof. Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph, 17 Thelma Crescent, Bagleyston 2192, Johannesburg,
South Africa
Telephone:
271 1640 3601
Fax:
271 1485 3083
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
STAGE: A Rage in a Cage (rock opera), soloists, mixed chorus, rock ensemble,
1983; Abantubomlambo – The River People (ballet), orchestra, 1987
ORCHESTRAL: Concert Overture, 1979; Five
Hasidic Melodies, youth orchestra, 1981; Construction Symphony, youth orchestra, 1985; Fanfare Festival Overture, 1985; Tempus Fugit, 1986; At the
End of the Rainbow (symphonic poem), youth orchestra, 1988; Sefirot Symphony, 1991
CHAMBER MUSIC: Kaleidoscope, flute (+ alto flute, piccolo), oboe (+ English horn),
clarinet (+ bass clarinet), alto saxophone, bassoon, French horn, trumpet,
trombone, 2 percussion, 1971; Canonetta
for Four, trumpet, viola, cello, vibraphone, 1973; Reaction, cello, piano, percussion, 1973; Tango for Tim, guitar, 1973; Chamber
Concerto, ensemble (11 players), 1979; The
Fugue that Flew Away, flute, piano, 1979; Three Hasidic Pieces, flute, violin, piano, 1982; Four Minim, cello, piano, 1982, revised
1992; And All that Jazz, French horn,
2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, 1983; Margana,
flute, violin, cello, 2 percussion, 1985; Masada,
bassoon, string quartet, 1989; Five
African Sketches, guitar, 1991; Suite
Afrique, cello, piano, 1993 (also version for viola, piano, 1995)
CHORAL: Dialogue of Self and Soul (text by William Butler Yeats), 8
soloists, speaking chorus, 1971; Swaziland
National Anthem, mixed chorus, piano, 1974; Boy on a Swing (text by Oswald Mtshali), female chorus, piano,
percussion, 1983 (also version for soprano, piano); It’s a Woman’s World, mixed chorus, piano, 1984; Peace (text by the composer), mixed
chorus, guitar, 1991 (revised as Ukuthula);
Oratorio for Human Rights, soprano,
baritone, mixed chorus, 3 African percussion, orchestra, 1996
VOCAL: Setting Afrikaans Poems to Music (text by W.E.G. Louw), soprano,
piano, 1968; Five Pieces, soprano, 2 flutes,
2 clarinets, 1971; Song-Cycle, baritone, piano, 1976; Back to Basics, speaker, piano, prepared
piano, 1983; Boy on a Swing (text by
Oswald Mtshali), soprano, piano, 1992 (version of choral work); Hell Well Heaven (text by Wally Serote),
soprano, piano, 1992; Ukuthula (text
by the composer), soprano, mezzo-soprano, orchestra, 1993 (revision of Peace; also version for soprano,
mezzo-soprano, piano, 1993); South
African National Anthem (new version), voice, orchestra, 1995 (also version
for voice, piano, 1995); He Walked to
Freedom, voice, piano, 1997
PIANO: Sonata No. 1, 1969; Seven Variations on an Original Theme,
1971; Three Dimensions, 1974; Virtuoso I, 1987; Mixed Feelings for Sara, 1988; Mosaic,
1989; Awaiting Game, 1993; The Juggler and the King, 2 pianos,
1998; ‘5 6 7 8’, 2001
HARPSICHORD: Ebony and Ivory, 2001
FILM SCORE (DIRECTOR): An African Dream,
1988 (Nody Murphy)
DISCOGRAPHY
Abantubomlambo – The River People. (EMI: L4 BCP 1832, 1987)
Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph. (EMI: EMCJ [A] 4061831, 1988) (cassette)
Sefirot Symphony; At the End of the Rainbow;
Four Minim; Virtuoso I. (SABC,
1990)
Fanfare Festival Overture; Tempus Fugit; Kaleidoscope;
Masada; Five African Sketches; Sonata
No. 1. (SABC, 1990)
Tempus Fugit. (Claremont, 1991)
Four Minim. (SABC, 1992)
Songs of Hallel. (EMI, 1993)
Three Dimensions. (Obelisklive, 1993)
(cassette)
Fanfare Festival Overture; Sefirot Symphony; Virtuoso I;
At the End of the Rainbow; Masada; Tempus Fugit. (Claremont: GSE 1532, 1994)
Celebration – Triumph of a Nation. (EMI, 1994)
Suite Afrique (cello version; excerpt). (Private,
1995)
Suite Afrique (viola version).
(Obelisklive, 1995) (cassette)
Oratorio for Human Rights; Suite Afrique (viola version). (Private, 1997)
Virtuoso I; Suite Afrique (cello version). (Private, 1998)
The Juggler and the King. Jill Richards, Wessel van
Wyk, pianos (private, 1998)
Sonata No. 1. (Obelisklive, 1998) (cassette)
Celebration 2. (EMI, 2002)
(Last updated on February 11, 2003)