Niculescu, Stefan

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Niculescu, Ştefan

Niculescu, Ştefan, Romanian composer and teacher; b. Moreni, July 31, 1927. He was a student of Jora (harmony and counterpoint), Rogalski (orchestration), and Andricu (composition) at the Bucharest Cons. (1951–59), of Kagel at the Siemens Studio in Munich (1966), and of Ligeti, Stockhausen, and Karkoschka at the summer courses in new music in Darmstadt (1966–68). After serving as head of research at the Bucharest Inst. of the Arts (1960–63), he taught at the Bucharest Cons. (1963–87). He was director of the International Festival of New Music in Bucharest from 1990. In addition to his various articles on music, he publ. a vol. of reflections on music (Bucharest, 1980). He first composed in a stringent adherence to serial dictates before adopting a more freely inspired personal mode of expression in which he utilized aleatory and diatonic harmony while remaining true to nontonal precepts. He later enhanced his works with enriched melodic and harmonic elements.

Works

dramatic:Cartea eu “Apolodor,” opera (Cluj-Napoca, April 13, 1975); Le Prince né des larmes, ballet (1982). orch.: 3 syms.: No. 1 (1955–56; Bucharest, April 12, 1960), No. 2, Opus dacicum (1979–80; Timişoara, Nov. 19, 1984), and No. 3, Cantos (Timişoara, Nov. 19, 1984); Scenes (1962; Cluj-Napoca, March 13, 1965); Sym. for Small Orch. (1963; Bucharest, June 16, 1964); Hétéromorphie (1967; Bucharest, April 12, 1968); Formants for Chamber Orch. (Bucharest, Aug. 15, 1968); Unisonos I (Mainz, Sept. 26, 1970) and II (1971; Ljubljana, Oct. 17, 1972); Ison I (1973; also for 14 Instruments) and II, concerto for Winds and Percussion (Romanian TV, Bucharest, Nov. 13, 1975); Sincronie II, Omaggio a Enescu e Bartók (Cluj-Napoca, May 22, 1981); Undecimum for Chamber Orch. (1997–98; also for 11 Instruments). chamber: Clarinet Sonata (1953–55); Trio for Violin, Viola, and Cello (1957; Bucharest, Feb. 18, 1976); Inventions for Clarinet and Piano (1963–64; Bucharest, Jan. 29, 1965); Invenţiuni for Viola and Piano (1965); Sextet for Flute, 2 Clarinets, 2 Oboes, and Trumpet (1969; based on the 3^rd cantata, 1960); Triplum I for Flute, Cello, and Piano (Royan, April 8, 1971) and II for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano (1972; Bucharest, April 18, 1973); Echoes I for Violin (1977; Bucharest, Feb. 21, 1978) and II for Violin and Synthesizer (1984; Turin, Oct. 1, 1985); Sincronie I for 2 to 12 Instruments (Bucharest, Nov. 5, 1979), V for Wind Quintet (1982), III for Flute, Oboe, and Bassoon (1985; Lugar, Spain, Feb. 22, 1986), and IV for Clarinet, Piano, and Percussion (1987; Bucharest, March 21, 1989); Duplum I for Cello and Piano or Synthesizer (Bucharest, Nov. 7, 1984) and III for Clarinet and Piano (1986); Ricercare in uno for Clarinet, Violin, and Synthesizer (Bucharest, March 27, 1984); Sincronie per quattro for Flute, Oboe, Violin, and Cello (1985); Octuplum for Chamber Ensemble (Den Bosch, the Netherlands, March 31, 1985); Hétérofonies pour Montreux for Flute, English Horn, Clarinet, Bassoon, and Horn (Vevey, Aug. 29, 1986); A Due for Clarinet and Bassoon (1986); Monophonie for Bassoon (1988; Bucharest, Feb. 4, 1989); Chant-son for Soprano or Alto Saxophone (1989). vocal:Cantata I for Women’s and/or Children’s Chorus and Orch. (1959; Cluj-Napoca, June 16, 1961), II for Tenor, Chorus, and Orch. (1960; Warsaw, Feb. 15, 1963), and III, Răscruce, for Mezzo-soprano and Wind Quintet (Cluj-Napoca, Dec. 11, 1965); Aphorismes d’Heraclite for Chorus (Zagreb, May 1969); Fragments I for 12 Voices and Instruments (1977; Bucharest, March 23, 1978), II for Voice and Instruments (1977), and III for Voice and Instruments (1977); Invocatio for Voices (Paris, April 18, 1989).