Laks, Simon (actually, Szymon)

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Laks, Simon (actually, Szymon)

Laks, Simon (actually, Szymon), Polish-born French composer; b. Warsaw, Nov. 1, 1901; d. Paris, Dec. 11, 1983. He studied at the Warsaw Cons. (1921–24) with Melcer (conducting) and Statkowski (composition), then went to Paris in 1925, continuing his studies under Rabaud and Vidal at the Cons. He was interned by the Nazis in the Auschwitz and Dachau concentration camps (1941–44), where he was active as a performer and music director. After his liberation, he returned to Paris. He publ. his experiences of his internment as La Musique d’un autre monde (Paris, 1948; Eng. ed., 1989).

Works

dramatic: opera buffa:L’Hirondelle inattendue (1965). orch.:Farys, symphonie poem (1924); Symphonie Blues, jazz fantasy (1928); Suite polonaise (1936); Sinfonietta for Strings (1936); Suite on Silesian Tunes for Small Orch. (1945); Songs of the Polish Earth (1946); 3 Warsaw Polonaises for Chamber Orch. (1947); Sym. for Strings (1964). chamber: 5 string quartets (1928–64); Piano Trio (1950); Concerto da camera for Piano, 9 Wind Instruments, and Percussion (1963); Concertino for Wind Trio (1965); Piano Quintet on Polish Themes (1967); piano pieces.vocal: Songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire

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