Berio, Luciano

(1925–2003)

   One of the most important contemporary composers, Luciano Berio was born in the province of Imperia (Liguria). His father was an accomplished musician, and Berio’s early training was at home. He completed his studies at Milan conservatory, where he graduated in composition and orchestral conducting in 1950, and in the United States. In the late 1950s, Berio emerged at the forefront of efforts to modernize the classical canon by integrating electronic sounds into his orchestral pieces. He edited an academic journal of avant-garde music, Incontri musicali (Musical Encounters), and collaborated with the noted novelist Italo Calvino and the poet Edouardo Sanguineti. In the 1960s and 1970s, Berio taught composition in some of the most prestigious conservatories in the world, including the Juilliard School in New York, as well as Harvard and Columbia Universities. He also met the soloist Cathy Berberian, his first wife, who became the “voice” for some of his most complex and challenging works. In addition to electronic music, Berio is noted for having infused the classical form with themes from Japanese and Indian music, for his interest in folk music and rock, and for his creation of musical collages that quote from other composers. His most famous works are probably Sinfonia (1968), Folk Songs (first version, 1964; second version, 1973), and Coro (Choir, 1976). Berio died in Rome in May 2003.