Kolman, Peter

Kolman, Peter, Slovak-born Austrian composer; b. Bratislava, May 29, 1937. In 1944 the Nazis imprisoned him at the Theresienstadt concentration camp, from which he was liberated in 1945. Returning to Bratislava, he pursued his composition studies at the Cons. (1951–56) and the Academy of Music (1956–60). In 1961 he became a music ed. in the division of serious music of the Czech Radio in Bratislava, where he was director of its experimental studio (studio for electronic music) from 1965 to 1977. After the Soviet-bloc invasion of his homeland in 1968, he was expelled from the Slovak Composers Soc. as a result of a performance ban on his music. In 1977 he emigrated to Austria and in 1979 became a naturalized Austrian citizen. He worked as an ed. at Universal Edition in Vienna. As a composer, Kolman followed in the paths of the 2^nd Viennese School and the post-World War II avant-garde.

Works

orch.:Funeral Music (1958); Violin Concerto (1960); 4 Pieces (1963; rev. 1996); Monumento per 6, 000, 000 (1964-66; rev. 1996); Concerto for Orch. (1995). chamber:Partecipazioni for 12 Instruments (1962); Sonata canonica for Clarinet and Bass Clarinet (1963); Panegyrikos for 4 Oboes, 4 Trumpets, 4 Percussion, and 4 Cellos (1964); Molisation, mobile for Flute and Vibraphone (1965); String Quartet (1970); Movement for Winds and Percussion (1971); “…wie ein Hauch von Glückseligkeit” for Violin and Piano (1978); Music for 14 Strings (1978).keyboard:Piano: 3 Piano Pieces in Memory of Arnold Schönberg (1960); Note bene (1978). Organ: Laudatio (1982); Interludium (1984); Jeu de touches (1986). electronic:Omaggio a Gesualdo (1970); Lentement mais pas trop (1972); Poliritmica (1974); E 15 (1974); 9 (1976).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire