In contrast to the conservative, traditional standards of piano compositions, David Del Tredici has incorporated overtones of his gay lifestyle into both the titles and themes of his piano pieces as a way of celebrating his homosexuality.

On Sept. 16, pianist Marc Peloquin will present Tredici’s original music in a piano concert at Knuth Hall in the Creative Arts Building.

“I have pieces that set a lot of gay texts, so I guess I have a controversial edge,” said Tredici, 71. “It’s something that has not been done in the past and is a way of writing different aspects of being gay.”

Receiving reviews that named him music’s “father of the Neo-Romantic movement,” Tredici made his piano debut with the San Francisco Symphony at age 17. He received a Bachelor of Arts from UC Berkeley, a Master of Fine Arts from Princeton University in 1964 and since then, has performed internationally and released more than 25 albums. He has also earned a list of prestigious awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, Woodrow Wilson fellowship and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. Perhaps most notably, he received a Pulitzer Prize in 1980 for his piece “In Memory of a Summer Day.”

While Tredici incorporates themes of Victorian literature, contemporary poets and personal stories into his work, he is most noted for his pieces that proudly rejoice his gay lifestyle, including “Queer Hosannas,” “Ballad in Lavender,” “Gay Life (excerpts)” and “LGBT.” Currently, Tredici is working on a piece called “Same-Sex Marriage.”

One noteworthy composition from the piano concert, entitled “S/M Ballade”, is a piece by Tredici that was dedicated to Peloquin, 44, and his life-partner, Seth Slade. The “M” in the title refers to “Marc” and the “S” refers to “Seth”. The two-part, 12-minute piece does not contain any words. Peloquin described the composition as a “virtuosic, knuckle-buster of a piece.”

“This piece is very intense and exciting,” Peloquin said. “It’s a large-scale prelude and fugue. I love the technical demands and the way you have to pace yourself through the piece. It is a kind of pianistic Olympic event!”

Similarly, Tredici pointed out the difficulty in playing “S/M Ballade,” which is a reference to S&M practices. He called the piece “very relentless.”

“It’s a piece that feels like being struck,” said Tredici. “It’s very torturous to play, and S&M is sort of an avenue of being gay.”

Peloquin, a contemporary and concert pianist, received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Manhattan School of Music and is a visiting lecturer at the New School University in Manhattan.

“Marc Peloquin is a wonderful pianist and a good friend of mine,” said Tredici. “He’s played my music superbly.”

Peloquin, who describes himself as a “communicative performer” without a particular performance style, began working with Tredici nearly four years ago after he showed him his solo piano pieces to critique. Peloquin also stated his mutual admiration for Tredici and his work.

“David is himself a rare and intensely creative pianist and composer and person,” said Peloquin. “As far as his work is concerned, it is truly imaginative and daring and passionate and sometimes fun. In a certain way, he has brought the joy back to modern music.”

The concert’s repertoire will include various styles, scaling from short impromptus to large-scale pieces with moments of intense lyricism and exhilarating counterpoints, Peloquin said.

Peloquin said he enjoys Tredici’s work because instead of settling for tolerance, Tredici has opted to openly celebrate his homosexuality in all of its complex dimensions. Peloquin also said that Tredici’s self-expression has helped to fire his own imagination.

“I think it’s wonderful because it is authentic,” said Peloquin. “It is David through and through, and it makes me realize the importance of celebration and expression of different lifestyles.”

The two-hour show will begin at 7 p.m. with an admission price of $10 and $5 discounts for seniors and students. Proceeds will benefit the School of Music and Dance Scholarship Fund.