Carter Larsen

Early life and education

Larsen was born in San Francisco, California, and began piano studies at the age of six. Composing music in his teens, Larsen graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, pursuing a dual career as composer and pianist. He studied composition under John Adams and piano under Milton Salkind (Conservatory president) and Mack McCray. Post Conservatory, he worked with Peter Feuchtwanger and Ruth Nye in London, and Vlado Perlemuter (Maurice Ravel's assistant) in Paris.

Musical style and compositions

Larsen is known for creating a new style of 21st-century romanticism which combines 19th-century romanticism with influences of the 20th century, such as jazz, minimalism and world music. His group of compositions, Fantasia Suite, is seen as a Neo-Romantic reaction to the violence and dissonance of the last century, emphasizing beauty and fantasy with idealism at its foundation.

His more than 180 substantial solo piano works in Fantasia Suite establishes Larsen as one of today's most prolific solo piano composers. These compositions represent a continuous cycle of cinematic, yet classically written music in a bold, new contemporary idiom. Andrea Van de Kamp, Chairman Emeritus of the Music Center in Los Angeles, declares, “Fantasia Suite is the music of the future. Larsen is creating a breakthrough with his twenty-first century Neo-Romantic approach. He has embraced the summation of our classical culture in music, while exploding into another dimension of creativity.” Scott Epstein insists, “Larsen composes music for our age that is personal, deeply felt and sophisticated. Resisting conventional labels, his music pursues its own path with intense inspiration. It reaches us and reflects us. Larsen is a composer for out times.”

In Larsen's compositions, the melody, harmony, rhythm and instrumental virtuosity attains a level of complexity that is richly satisfying. Larsen's approach to the piano, though modern and individual, has its antecedents in the pianism of the great classical and romantic composers. The music is sometimes vocal, sometimes orchestral and sometimes peculiarly pianistic in figuration. The forms are clear and accessible and the music is always at the service of the emotional content, whether serious or capricious, bitter or sweet, worldly or spiritual.

Performances and appearances

Starting in 1980, Larsen became renowned in Europe for his piano performances of the High Romantics. In particular, his interpretations of Liszt, Grieg, Rachmaninoff and Saint-Saëns made significant contributions to the Romantic Revival and won acclaim from both audiences and critics.

Carter Larsen conducted and performed as soloist with major concerts including the Royal Philharmonic and the London Symphony Orchestras. His featured presentation in London performing Chopin's music, was broadcast on BBC television's prestigious "Omnibus " program in 1986.

Renowned for several world premieres and recordings of previously unknown works of Liszt and Saint-Saëns, Larsen became the first pianist to make a complete cd recording of Saint-Saëns' solo piano music in 1989.

Carter Larsen established himself as a serious composer premiering four original compositions alongside the classics, which were first broadcast on the UK's Classic FM "Platform Live" in 1994.

He also served as conductor in the 70th Academy Awards.

Further expanding his musical influence, in 2010 Larsen was invited to perform during the Shanghai Expo 2010, at the Shanghai Grand Theatre June 21, the closing night of the International Film Festival and the Shanghai Music Festival. Larsen performed the classics, original compositions, and improvisations. It was the first time CNN had interviewed an artist for the Grand Theatre. The concert was covered by two television stations broadcasting to a total estimated audience of 500 million and included the Shanghai International Channel and the Shanghai Arts Channel filming a documentary of the concert.

Larsen's Volumes

Twenty-first century composer Carter Larsen has, since 1973, written more than 180 substantial piano and orchestra works in Fantasia Suite, now available in a complete collection of Six Volumes and as individual books.

“The significance of this collection on the culture of classical music cannot be overstated. Larsen’s volumes of solo piano and orchestral music impact classical music’s identity to twenty-first century audiences, who will find that its focus is vital and culturally relevant. This collected edition marks an important and large contribution to piano and orchestra repertoire through its aesthetic vision, originality and legacy.” Dr. Mark Howard, PhD These volumes establish Larsen as one of today’s most prolific piano composers. Larsen compositions represent a continuous cycle of romantic, yet classically written, music in a bold, new contemporary idiom.

Music in film

Larsen extended his talents to create film and television scores, writing music for major Hollywood studios. He was asked to compose music for prestigious films, such as Paramount's Star Trek to Nosferatu along with Masterpiece Theatre and The Mark of Zorro. Larsen's films, "Innocents Mission" and Love Bytes, premiered during the Sundance Film Festival and his feature Big Shots premiered during the Cannes Film Festival.

The composer is currently scoring Martin Scorsese’s new film Something to Believe In, as well as creating his most ambitious work, the Fantasia Suite.

Works list

Fantasia Suite

Recordings

Soundtracks

Videos