Skrowaczewski, Stanislaw

Skrowaczewski, Stanislaw , eminent Polishborn American conductor and composer; b. Lwów, Oct. 3, 1923. A precocious Wunderkind, he composed an orch. overture at the age of 8, played a piano recital at 11, and performed Beethoven’s third Piano Concerto at 13, conducting the orch. from the keyboard. He studied composition and conducting at the Lwów Cons. and also physics, chemistry, and philosophy at the Univ. of Lwów. The oppressive Nazi occupation of Poland interrupted his studies, and an unfortunate bomb exploded in the vicinity of his house, causing an injury to his hands that interfered with his further activities as a concert pianist. After World War II, he went to Kraków to study composition with Palester and conducting with Bierdiajew. In 1947 he received a French government scholarship that enabled him to study composition with Boulanger and conducting with Kletzki in Paris. He then conducted the Wroclaw Orch. (1946–47), the State Silesian Phil, in Katowice (1949–54), the Kraków Phil. (1954–56), and the National Phil, in Warsaw (1956–59). In 1956 he won first prize in the international conducting competition in Rome. On Dec. 4, 1958, he made his U.S. debut as a guest conductor of the Cleveland Orch., scoring an impressive success. In 1960 he was named music director of the Minneapolis Sym. Orch. (renamed the Minn. Orch. in 1968), and asserted his excellence both as a consummate technician of the baton and a fine interpreter of the classic and modern repertoire. In 1966 he became a naturalized American citizen. He also made appearances as a guest conductor throughout the world. He made his Metropolitan Opera debut in N.Y. on Jan. 8, 1970, with Die Zauberflöte. In 1979 he resigned as music director of the Minn. Orch., and was made its conductor emeritus. He was principal conductor and musical adviser of the Hallé Orch. in Manchester from 1984 to 1990. He also served as music adviser of the St. Paul (Minn.) Chamber Orch. (1987–88) and as artistic advisor of the Milwaukee Sym. Orch. (1995–97).

Works

DRAMATIC: Ballet : Ugo and Parisina (1949). OTHER: Theater and film music. ORCH.: 4 syms.: No. 1 (1936), No. 2 (1945), No. 3, for Strings (1947), and No. 4 (1954); Overture 1947 (1947); Music at Night, extracts from the ballet, Ugo and Parisina (1949–51); English Horn Concerto (Minneapolis, Nov. 21, 1969; rev. 1998); Ricercari notturni for Saxophone and Orch. (1977; Minneapolis, Jan. 19, 1978); Clarinet Concerto (1981); Violin Concerto (Philadelphia, Dec. 12, 1985); Fanfare (1987); Triple Concerto for Violin, Clarinet, Piano, and Orch. (1991); Gesualdo di Venosa, arrangement of 6 madrigals for Chamber Orch. (1992); Chamber Concerto, Ritornelli poi Ritornelli (1993); Passacaglia Immaginaria (1995). CHAMBER : 4 string quartets; Trio for Clarinet, Bassoon, and Piano (1982–84); Fantasie per quattro for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1984); Fantasie per sei for Oboe, Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, and Piano (Atlanta, April 16, 1989); String Trio (1990); Fantasie per tre for Flute, Oboe, and Cello (1992); Musica a quattro for Clarinet, Violin, Viola, and Cello (1998). Piano : 6 sonatas. VOCAL : Songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire