Vieru Anatol
Vieru Anatol
Vieru, Anatol, distinguished Romanian composer and musicologist; b. Ia§i, June 8,1926; d. Bucharest, Oct. 8, 1998. He was a student of Klepper (composition), Constantinescu (harmony), and Silvestri (conducting) at the Bucharest Cons. (1946-51) before pursuing training with Khachaturian (composition) at the Moscow Cons. (1951-54). He later attended the summer courses in new music at Darmstadt (1967) and subsequently took his Ph.D. in musicology at the Cluj Cons. (1978) with the diss. De la moduri, spre un model al gîndirii muzicale intervalice (From Modes Towards a Model of Intervallic Musical Thought; publ. as Cartea Modurilor[Book of Modes], Bucharest, 1980; 2nded., 1993). From 1955 he taught composition at the Bucharest Cons. He was founder-director of the Musiques parallèles concerts (1970-84), at which he presented the first Romanian performances of works by such modern masters as Schoenberg, Varése, and Ives. In 1973 he was in Berlin under the auspices of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst. In 1984, 1992, and 1994 he gave courses in Darmstadt and in 1992-93 he was composer-in-residence at N.Y.U. Among his honors were the Reine Marie José prize of Geneva (1962), a Koussevitzky Foundation grant (1966), the prize of the Romanian Academy (1967), and the Gottfried von Herder Prize of the Univ. of Vienna (1986). He contributed articles to various journals and publ. the vol. Cuvinte despre sunete (Words About Sounds; Bucharest, 1993). Beginning with neo-modal models, Vieru developed a highly personal compositional style in which microstructures served as the foundation upon which to build scores notable for their inventive handling of modal, tonal, and serial elements.
Works
(all 1stperf. in Bucharest unless otherwise given): DRAMATIC: Opera: Jonah (1972-75; concert perf., Oct. 30,1976); The Feast of the Cadgers (1978-81; concert perf., June 24, 1984; 1ststage perf., Berlin, Nov. 10, 1990); 3 “pocket” operas (1982-83): Telegrams (Nov. 8,1983), Theme and Variations (Nov. 8, 1983), and A Pedagogue of the New School (April 7,1987); The Last Days, the Last Hours (1990-95); film and television scores. ORCH.: Suite in Ancient Stylefor Strings (1945; May 21,1966); Concerto for Orchestra (1954-55; Feb. 2, 1956); Concerto for Strings (1958; transcription of String Quartet No. 1, 1955); 2 flute concertos: No. 1 (1958-59; Dec. 7, 1961) and No. 2 (1996); 2 cello concertos: No. 1 (1962; Geneva, March 27,1963) and No. 2 (1992)); Jeuxfor Piano and Orch. (1963; Ia§i, March 18, 1966); Violin Concerto (1964; Cluj, Oct. 14,1967); 6 syms.: No. 1, Ode to Silence (1966-67; March 28, 1968), No. 2 (1973; Berlin, Jan. 26, 1974), No. 3, An Earthquake Symphony (1977-78; March 1,1979), No. 4 (1979-83; Cluj, May 5, 1983), No. 5 for Chorus and Orch. (1984; Jan. 30,1986), and No. 6, Exodus (1988-89); Museum Musicfor Harpsichord and 12 Strings (1968; Paris, July 2, 1970); Clepsydra I (1968-69; Donaueschingen, Oct. 10, 1969); Screen (1970; Royan, April 4, 1971); Clarinet Concerto (1974-75; Ia§i, Feb. 3, 1978); Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Orch. (June 3, 1980); Shellfor 15 Strings (1981; Timi§oara, Nov. 6, 1982); Narration IIfor Saxophone(s) and Orch. (1985; Nice, Feb. 9, 1986); Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orch. (Feb. 2, 1989); Taragotfor 2 Instrumentalists and Orch. (May 24, 1992); Kaleidoscopefor Piano and Orch. (1993); Musicfor Organ and Strings (1996); Guitar Concerto (1996). CHAMBER: 2 Pieces for Trumpet and Piano (1953); 8 string quartets: No. 1 (1955; Moscow, Dec. 12, 1957), No. 2 (1956; June 7, 1957), No. 3, with Woman’s Voice (1973; Sept. 8,1977), No. 4 (1980; Nov. 6,1981), No. 5 (1981-82; June 16, 1984), No. 6 (1986; April 7, 1987), No. 7 (1987; Turin, Sept. 29,1988), and No. 8 (1991); Clarinet Quintet (1957); Sonata for Solo Cello (1962; May 16, 1968; also with Percussion, 1975); Steps of Silencefor String Quartet and Percussionist (1967; Washington, D.C., Jan. 12, 1968); The Eratosthenes Sievefor Clarinet, Violin, Viola, Cello, and Piano (Mainz, Oct. 8, 1969); Mosaicsfor 3 Percussionists (1972; Zagreb, May 13,1977); Inscriptiofor 2 Flutes, 2 Trombones, Electric Guitar, and Bass Guitar (June 20, 1978); Over the Treetopsfor 8 Instrumentalists (1979); Joseph and His Brothersfor 11 Instrumentalists and Tape (Metz, Nov. 16, 1979); Double Duosfor Alto Saxophone, Vibraphone, and Piano (1983; Darmstadt, July 15,1990; also for Alto Saxophone and Vibraphone, Sept. 15, 1986); Some Ifor 6 or 7 Instrumentalists (July 16, 1984) and IIfor Wind Quintet, Viola, and 2 Percussionists (Darmstadt, July 29, 1984); Sonata for Violin and Cello (1985; April 7, 1987); Millefoliumfor 4 Flutists Playing 12 Flutes (1986; Amsterdam, Nov. 11, 1987); Trintafor Saxophone(s) and Percussion (1987); Diaphoniefor Cello and Double Bass (1987; Cologne, June 28, 1988); Dar Ifor Flute (1988) and ÍÍ for Cello (1989); Multigenfor Alto Flute, Oboe, Alto Saxophone, Percussion, and Piano (1988); Giustofor Alto Saxophone, Synthesizer, Electric Guitar, and Bass Guitar (1988; Berlin, Jan. 29, 1990); Vérsetefor Violin and Piano (1989); 4 Saxfor Saxophone Quartet (1990; Berlin, Nov. 17, 1991); Cello Sonata (Radio classique, Paris, Dec. 15,1992); Eclissefor Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, and Piano (May 30,1992); Ricercar for NYUfor Chamber Ensemble (N.Y., Dec. 7, 1992); Taborfor 7 Instrumentalists (1992; Feb. 2, 1993); Trio for Bassoon, Guitar, and Double Bass (1992; N.Y., May 13, 1994); Cracium,violin sonata (1994); Couplefor Clarinet and Viola (1995); Leggerofor Flute(s) and Percussion (1995). KEYBOARD: Piano: Die Kinderwelt,20 miniatures (1958); Nautilosfor Piano and Tape (Dec. 10,1968); 2 sonatas: No. 1 (Oct. 30,1976) and No. 2 (1994). Organ: Narration (1975; Berlin, March 6, 1977). VOCAL: Mioritsa,oratorio for Tenor, Baritone, Chorus, Children’s Chorus, and Orch. (1956-57; Feb. 27, 1958); Music for Bacovia and Labisfor Voices and Instruments (1959-63; Oct. 4,1982); Cantata of the Light Yearsfor Chorus and Orch. (June 18,1960); Sym. for Mezzo-soprano and 15 Instrumentalists (1963; Cluj, Dec. 11, 1965); Clepsydra IIfor Chorus and Orch. (1971; Nov. 20, 1972); Quatre angles pour regarder Florencefor Soprano, Piano or Harpsichord, and Percussion (1973; Champigny, April 19,1974); The Treasure in the Currantfor Children’s Chorus and Orch. (Bra§ov, July 3, 1982); Psalm 91for Baritone, Organ, Cello, and Double Bass (1983; Berlin, Jan. 15, 1984); Archaic Love Songsfor Various Vocalists and Instrumental Combinations (1985-89); Life Sentencefor Mezzo-soprano, Clarinet, and Percussionist (1992; Nov. 25, 1993); Archipelagusfor Baritone and Percussion (1994). MULTIMEDIA AND TAPE: Quartet for Dancer, Clarinet, Horn, and Percussion (1967; April 20,1970); Clocksfor Tape, Instruments, Dancer, and Reciter (April 20, 1970); Stone Landfor Tape (1972); Antiphony to Stone Landfor Trombone, Organ, and Tape (1984); Die Waagefor Tape, Violin, Cello, Clarinet, Bassoon, Guitar, Piano, and Reciter (Nov. 25, 1986); Pelinariumfor Synthesizer and Tape (1986).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire