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Contents 1 Bold text= Viktor Kalabis (1923-2006) = 1.1 Musical Works 1.2 Other works of note 1.3 References 1.4 External links

[edit] Bold text= Viktor Kalabis (1923-2006) =

Born in Cerveny Kostelec, a town in the Czech Republic, on February 27, 1923, Kalabis was an important 20th century Czech composer. Viktor was interested in music from a young age, but due to the Nazi occupation of Prague during the Second World War, he was unable to study music in Prague. After the end of the war, Kalabis studied at the Prague Conservatory and at the Academy of Music and Charles University.

In 1952, Kalabis married Zuzana Ruzickova, who became a famous harpsichord player. They both refused to join the Communist party, making the beginning of their music careers difficult. Eventually, Viktor got work in the children's music section at Prague Radio. It was in this post that he established the now internationally known Concertino Praga competition for young musicians.

He truly established himself as an international composer when in 1957, Manuel Rosenthal performed Kalabis' Concert for violoncello op. 8 at the Orchestera de Paris at the Theatre de Champs Elysee. Many of his works were commissioned, for example, by the Czech Philharmony, the Dresden Philharmony, Camerata Zurich, Josef Suk, The Suk Trio, Janos Starker, M. Andre, The Prague Spring Festival and many others. His composition Sinfonia pacis is one of the world's most-played Czech contemporary music compositions.^[1]

Although most of the works of Viktor Kalabis are symphonic, concertante or chamber compositions, his vocal works such as the cantata Canticum Canticorum, the chamber cantata Vojna (The War), song cycles and choruses are of a similar high standard. For stage he was written the Fable for chamber orchestra and the two part ballet score Two Worlds, inspired by Lewis Caroll's book "Alice in Wonderland." The video recording of this ballet was given the "Parents' Choice Award" of 1993 in the United States. In 1967, he received the Prize of the Czechoslovak Music Critics and in 1969 he was awarded the State Prize.^[2]

In an interview with Ales Brezina, a close friend of Kalabis, he described Viktor's musical influence.

"I would place his music not only in the Czech context but also in the European one, because he was a well educated man who spoke several languages fluently and was interested in everything that happened - also in philosophy and other things. And I would say that his music started where the masters of neo-classicism stopped. His beginnings in the fifties and in the early sixties were deeply influenced by people like Stravinsky and Hindemith, and Honegger and Bartok - and Martinu of course."^[3]

Eventually, Kalabis became President of the Bohuslav Martinu Foundation. Here he established the Bohuslav Martinu Institute for studies and information, launched the Martinu Festival and competition, and created a dynamic base from which Martinu’s work has become far better known.

Kalabis died on September 28, 2006. The Viktor Kalabis & Zuzana Ruzickova Foundation was established in his memory. Ruzickova is the President of the Board of Directors for the Foundation and is dedicated to promoting Kalabis' music throughout the world.

[edit] Musical Works

Classical music editor, Rob Barnett,^[4] describes a number of Kalabis's compositions.

"The Harpsichord Concerto is dedicated to the composer's wife whose eminent recordings of the Poulenc and Martinů concertos have for years been staples of first the LP catalogue and latterly the CD. Kalabis's concerto is in three movements. The outer ones have the notes rushing in pealing relentlessly Gothic torrents with the instrument probably recorded with much more prominence than you would hear in the concert hall."

"The Violin Concerto starts with awesome spleen but rapidly establishes itself in Olympian realms. This is a contemplative kingdom half way between Bax and Rawsthorne. This continues through the middle movement. The allegro vivace is almost Walton - almost Frankel. The concerto is dedicated to the memory of Hana Webrová-Hlavsová who died under tragic circumstances in 1960. This work has some superbly lyrical Mediterranean sunset writing - especially in the finale. Quite a discovery, I should say."

"The Largo is the oldest recording in this anthology - not that it sounds deficient. It is tough going - not specially dissonant but certainly bleak. The music retains long lines but it is, overall, a rather fatalistic piece with little to hold the hope of rising from the gloom. The notewriter suggests that its negative charge reflected life in a totalitarian society. Impressive if not endearing is the writing for the horns of the Czech Philharmonic, the orchestra who commissioned the piece."

[edit] Other works of note

The Viktor Kalabis and Zuzana Ruzickova Foundation has the following list of musical compositions.^[5]

Ballets

"Two Worlds"
"Fable"

Symphonies

Symphony No. 1
Symphony No. 2 "Sinfonia pacis"
Symphony No. 3 (1970-71)
Symphony No. 4 (1972)
Symphony No. 5 (1976)

Symphonic music

Suita for orchestra "Festival of Straznice”
Symphonic Variations
Concerto for large orchestra

Instrumental concertos

Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 1
Concerto for piano and wind instruments No. 2
Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 1
Concerto for violin and orchestra No. 2
Concerto for harpsichord and string orchestra
Fantasia Concertante for viola and string orchestra
Concerto for violoncello and orchestra
Concerto for trumpet and orchestra ("Le Tambour de Villevielle")
Concerto for bassoon and wind instruments

Compositions for chamber orchestra

Diptych for string orchestra
Chamber Music for String
Concerto for Chamber Orchestra "Hommage a Stravinskij"

String quartets String Quartet No. 1
String Quartet No. 2
String Quartet No. 3
String Quartet No. 4
String Quartet No. 5 "In Memory of M. Chagall"
String Quartet No. 6 "In Memory of B. Martinu"
String Quartet No. 7

Piano quartet

Ludus for piano quartet op. 82 (1996)

Nonets

Classical Nonet
Nonet "Homage to Nature"

Compositions for wind instruments

Incantation
Septet "Strange Pipers"
Octet "Spring Whistles" (1979)
Divertimento for Wind Quintet
Small Chamber Music for wind quintet

Duos with piano

Sonata for violin and piano
Hallelujah for violin and piano
Sonata for viola and piano
Sonata for cello and piano
Sonata for clarinet and piano
Suite for clarinet and piano
Suite ("Bagpiper's") for oboe and piano
Fantasie for oboe and piano
Variations for French horn and piano
Sonata for trombone and piano

Duos with harpsichord

Sonata for violin and harpsichord
Dialogues for violoncello and harpsichord
"Four Pictures" for flute and harpsichord

Duos for other instrumentation

Duettina for violin and cello
Duettina for cello and double bass
3 Impressions for two clarinets
Small Suite for two bassoons
Couples for two flutes
Compositions for solo instruments

Piano

Accents (Expressive studies for piano)
Entrata, Aria e Toccata for piano,
3 Polkas for piano
4 Enigmas for Graham
2 Toccatas for piano
Allegro impetuoso for piano
I. Sonata
II. Sonata
III. Sonata

Harpsichord

6 Two-Voices Canonic Inventions
Aquarelles
Preludio, Aria e Toccata, "I casi di Sisyphos"

Violoncello

3 Monologues for cello solo
Rondo Drammatico for cello solo

Flute

3 Pieces for flute
"Tempting" for flute

French horn

Invocation for French horn solo

Guitar

"Reminiscences"

Organ

Symphonic Fresco for organ, “Afresco sinfonico”

Vocal Compositions

Cantatas
"Canticum canticorum" for mixed choir, chamber orchestra, alto, tenor
"The War" for mixed choir, flute, and piano on folk poetry

Songs with orchestral accompaniment

5 Romantic Love Songs to words by R.M. Rilke,
"Bird's Weddings" for higher voice and piano
"Carousel of Life" for lower voice and piano to words by R.M. Rilke

Mixed choirs

"Dawn", "Autumn", 2 choirs to words by Vl. Sefl
Children choirs
Children Songs (with piano accompaniment)
Album of Folksongs (with piano)
4 Songs for Little Children (with piano)
We Sing a Song (with flute and oboe)
Three Children Choirs (with piano)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Viktor Kalabis and Zuzana Ruzickova Foundation
  
• The Dvorak Society for Czech and Slovak Music
  
• Czech Music Information Centre
  
• Schott Music Publishers
  
• Di-Arezzo scores of Viktor Kalabis
  
• Supraphon Producers