David Lang

David Lang is the recipient of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize in Music for The Little Match Girl Passion. The Little Match Girl Passion was commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the vocal ensemble Theatre of Voices, directed by Paul Hillier.

One of America’s most performed and honored composers, David Lang's recent works include Writing On Water for the London Sinfonietta, with libretto and visuals by English filmmaker Peter Greenaway; The Difficulty of Crossing a Field, a fully staged opera for the Kronos Quartet, staged by Carey Perloff and the American Conservatory Theater; Loud Love Songs, a concerto for the percussionist Evelyn Glennie, and the oratorio Shelter, with co-composers Michael Gordon and Julia Wolfe, at the Next Wave Festival of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, staged by Ridge Theater and featuring the Norwegian vocal ensemble Trio Mediaeval.

Lang is co-founder and co-artistic director of New York's legendary music festival, Bang on a Can.

David Lang appears in the following:

A Philip Glass Moment That Could Last Forever

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang has been a Philip Glass fan since high school. But it was a performance of the opera Satyagraha triggered a genuine epiphany.

Comment

Download: David Lang Distills Late Friends in 'Memory Pieces'

Tuesday, April 05, 2016

David Lang breaks down two of his "Memory Pieces" – recollections of friends distilled into brief musical moments – and we join pianist Andrew Zolinsky for this episode of LPR Live.

Comment

David Lang Hosts 'The Dissonant Show'

Thursday, March 07, 2013

Composer David Lang hosts a two-part series that explores how the breakthroughs of musical abstraction in the years 1910 to 1925 have found renewed voice in the music of today. Music ...

Comment

David Lang Hosts 'The Consonant Show'

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang hosts a two-part series that teases apart the threads of contemporary music that took inspiration from breakthroughs of 1910-1925. Part One,...

Comment

Listen: Debussy, Reich and Lang at MoMA

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Q2 Music recently presented a live webcast of the sold-out show, "Consonant Abstraction: Claude Debussy and Steve Reich," from the Museum of Modern Art.

Comment

Bang on a Can Turns 25

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

It began 25 years ago as a one-day, 12-hour marathon of unknown music – and today, it’s a major force in new classical music. Bang on a Can co-founder David Lang joins us to talk about the past, present and future of the organization.

Comments [1]

Eight Days of Steve: David Lang

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Eight Days of Steve: David Lang
Read More

Comment

David Lang Explains Bach Connection

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

WNYC's John Schaefer talks to the composer about his Pulitzer Prize-winning piece "Little Match Girl Passion" and the story that influenced him.

Comment

Lang's Passion Makes U.S. Choral Debut

Monday, November 09, 2009

It’s part Bach, part Hans Christian Andersen and whole lot of New York. The New York Virtuoso Singers performed the choral version of the composer's Pulitzer Prize-winning The Little Match Girl Passion Sunday night at The Greene Space.

Comments [1]

David Lang Mash-up Makes U.S. Debut

Monday, November 09, 2009

David Lang’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Little Match Girl Passion made its U.S. debut at the Jerome L. Greene Space. The New York Virtuoso Singers performed the choral version Sunday night.

Comments [2]

David Lang, Match Girl Passion and Coffee Mugs

Tuesday, November 03, 2009

I am getting very excited about the American premiere of the chorus version of my piece The Little Match Girl Passion, which takes place  in The Greene Space and live on WNYC and Q2 w...
Read More

Comments [3]

Seven Sins: Wrath

Friday, March 13, 2009

As part of our weekly series "Seven Sins: The Deadly Medley," we look at how wrath is manifested in music and lyrics. Washington Post pop music critic J. Freedom du Lac and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang (creator of such sinful-sounding works like "Cheating, Lying, Stealing") join us to show ...

Comments [41]

The Wordless Music Series on WNYC

Saturday, May 31, 2008

The Wordless Music Series pairs rock and electronic musicians with more traditional chamber and new music performers, to create an entirely new concert experience. WNYC presents four one-hour specials that highlight the ground-breaking '07-'08 season, hosted by Radiolab's Jad Abumrad.

Comment

Lang Wins Pulitzer Prize

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

The Pulitzer Prize for music was awarded to composer David Lang for "The Little Match Girl Passion." The piece premiered on Oct. 25, 2007 at Carnegie Hall. Lang joins us to talk about the award.

Comment

Maestro or Monster?

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

For decades, conductor Herbert Von Karajan was the most powerful man in classical music. He also had a dangerous ego and a link to the Nazi Party. Today on Soundcheck, it’s another Soundcheck Smackdown, as critics debate Karajan’s legacy. Later: After releasing a critically acclaimed debut, indie quartet Tapes n ...