The Los Angeles Times is reporting that composer Daniel Catán died in his sleep Sunday in Austin, Texas. He was 62 and apparently not ill. Wikipedia is saying that he died April 8.

I spoke to Catán a few times, in person and on the phone, and as recently as last September. He was a very nice man, intelligent, modest and personable. I genuinely liked him. He was also a gifted and interesting composer, a student of Milton Babbitt who had found his own way to a conservative, lyrical, Impressionistic style, seasoned with his Latin heritage.

His “Il Postino,” which Los Angeles Opera premiered last fall, with Domingo in the title role, is a gem, and I think it will be performed often in the future. Catán also wrote a terrific orchestral piece for the Pacific Symphony a few seasons ago.

When I spoke to him last, he was very excited about his next project, an opera based on the Frank Capra classic “Meet John Doe.” He was definitely a bright light in contemporary opera.

classical music

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April 11, 2011

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