Lanza, Alcides (Emigdio)

Lanza, Alcides (Emigdio), Argentine-born Canadian pianist, conductor, teacher, and composer; b. Rosario, June 2, 1929. He studied piano with Arminda Canteros in Rosario (1951–52) before going to Buenos Aires to pursue musical training with Ruwin Erlich (1952–59) and Julián Bautista (1960–63); then attended the Instituto Di Telia there (1963–64), where he had advanced training in composition with Copland, Gin-astera, Maderna, Malipiero, and Messiaen, and in piano with Loriod. Upon being awarded a Guggenheim fellowship, he went to N.Y. and studied with Ussachevsky and Mimaroglu at the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center (1965–67). After serving as an instructor there (1967–70), he was a prof, of composition at McGill Univ. in Montreal (1971–93) as well as director of its electronic music studio (1974–93). In 1972-73 he was composer-in-residence at the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst in Berlin. In 1976 he became a naturalized Canadian citizen. As a pianist and conductor, he has energetically promoted the cause of contemporary music, especially avant-garde works. As a composer, he has explored the realms of electronics and multimedia in many of his scores.

Works

orch.:Transformaciones for Chamber Orch. (1959); Eidesis Sinfònica I (1963), III for 1 or 2 Orchs. and Tape (1971), V for Chamber Orch. (1981), and VI for Strings and Piano (1983); 2 piano concertos: No. 1 for Amplified Piano and Orch. (1964) and No. 2 for Piano and Chamber Orch. (1993); Bour-drones for Strings (1985); Concerto for Amplified or Electric Guitar and Orch. (1988). chamber:Concierto de Cámara for Chamber Ensemble (1960); Trio-Concertante for Any 3 Instruments (1962); Cuarteto IV for 4 Horns (1964) and V for String Quartet (1967); Interferences I for 2 Groups of Winds and Tape (1966), II for Percussion Ensemble and Tape (1967), and III for Chamber Ensemble and Tape (1983); Acúfenos I for Trombone and 4 Instruments (1966), 77 for Chamber Ensemble and Electronics (1971), 777 for Flute, Piano, and Tape (1977), IV for Wind Quintet (1978), and V for Trumpet, Piano, and Tape (1980); Eidesis II for 13 Instruments (1967) and IV for Wind Ensemble and Electronics (1977); Strobo I for Double Bass, Percussion, and Tape (1967); Ekphonesis I for String and/or Keyboard Instrument and Tape (1968) and 777 for Wind, Keyboard, String Instruments, and Tape (1969); Penetrations II for Wind, String, Percussion and/or Keyboard Instruments, and Tape (1969); Hip’nos I for 1 or More Instruments (1973); Sensors I for Percussion Ensemble (1976), 77 for Multiple Trombones (1980), 777 for Organ and Percussion (1982), V for Solo Percussion and Percussion Ensemble (1985), and VI for Percussion Ensemble (1986); Módulos III for Guitar and Chamber Ensemble (1983) and IV for Amplified or Electric Guitar and Tape (1986); Arghanum I for Accordion, Clarinets, Percussion, and Synthesizer (1986), 77 for Flute, Contrabass, and Chamber Ensemble (1987), and V for Accordion or Piano and Tape (1990); Quodlibet, stylus luxurians for Organ and Chamber Ensemble (1991). piano:Toccata (1957); Plectros II for Piano and Tape (1966), 777 for Piano, Synthesizer, and Tape (1971), and IV for 2 Pianists of the Opposite Sex and Tape (1974); Preludio (Preludio) (1989).vocal: 3 Songs for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble (1963); Ekphonesis II for Voice, Piano, and Tape (1968), V for Actress-Singer and Tape (1979), and VI for Actress-Singer and Tape (1988); Penetrations VI for Actress-Singer, Tape, and Chamber Ensemble (1972) and VII for Actress-Singer and Tape (1972); Kron’ikelz 75 for 2 Solo Voices, Chamber Ensemble, and Tape (1975); Ekphonesis VI for Actress-Singer and Tape (1988); Un mondo imaginario for Chorus and Tape (1989); The Freedom of Silence for Voice, Piano, and Tape (1990); Vôo for Acting Voice and Tape (1992). other: Electronic and tape pieces.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire