Vlad, Roman
Vlad, Roman
Vlad, Roman, prominent Romanian-born Italian composer, administrator, teacher, pianist, and writer on music; b. Cernăuťxi, Dec. 29, 1919. After training at the Cernauăťi Cons., he went to Rome and studied engineering at the Univ. and attended Casella’s master classes at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia (graduated, 1942). He began his career as a pianist and lecturer. In 1951 he became a naturalized Italian citizen. From 1955 to 1958 he was artistic director of the Accademia Filarmonica in Rome. He was president of the Italian section of the ISCM from 1960 to 1963. In 1964 he was artistic director of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, and returned to that city in that capacity with the Teatro Comunale from 1968 to 1973. He also was prof, of composition at the Turin Cons, from 1968. From 1976 to 1980 he was artistic director of the RAI orch. in Turin. From 1982 to 1984 he was president of the International Confederation of the Soc. of Authors and Composers. In 1987 he became president of the Società Italiana Autori ed Composers. In 1995 he was made artistic director of Milan’s La Scala. He was ed. of the journals Musica e Dossierand Lo Spettatore,and co-ed, of the journal Nuova Rivista Musicale. His scholarly articles appeared in various Italian and foreign publications. He also publ. several books. In his music, Vlad developed a non-dogmatic serial technique that respected the role of tradition in the compositional process. In some of his works, he utilized quarter tones and electronics.
Works
dramatic: Opera : Storia di una mamma (Venice, Oct. 5,1951); II dottore di vetro,radio opera (RAI, Turin, Feb. 23, 1959); La fantarca,television opera (1967); II Sogno (Bergamo, Oct. 3,1973). B a 1 1 e t : La strada sul caffé (1942-3); La dama delle camelie (Rome, Nov. 20, 1945; rev. 1956); Masques ostendais (Spoleto, June 12,1959; rev. 1960); Die Wiederkehr (1962; rev. 1968 as Ricercare); II Gabbiano (Siena, Sept. 5, 1968). Other: Incidental music for plays and film scores. ORCH.: Sinfonietta (1941); Suite (1941); Sinfonia all’antica (1947-48; Venice, Sept. 8,1948); Variazioni concertanti su una serie di 12 note dal Don Giovanni di Mozartfor Piano and Orch. (Venice, Sept. 18, 1955); Musica per archi (1955-57); Musica concertatafor Harp and Orch. (Turin, April 24, 1958); Ode super Chrysaea Phorminxfor Guitar and Orch. (1964); Divertimento sinfonico (1965-67; RAI, Naples, March 29, 1968). CHAMBER: Flute Sonatina (1945); Divertimentofor 11 Instruments (1948); String Quartet (1955-57); Serenatafor 12 Instruments (1959); Improvvisazione su di una melodiafor Clarinet and Piano (Spoleto, July 8, 1970); II magico flauto di Severinofor Flute and Piano (1971); Meditazioni sopra un antico canto russo, ricordando Igor Strawinskyfor Clarinet and 7 Instrumentalists (L’Aquila, Oct. 30, 1982); Musica per archi N. 2 sempre di nuovo “Immer Wieder”for 11 Strings (1987-88; L’Aquila, July 28, 1988). KEYBOARD: Piano: Studi dodecafonici (1943; rev. 1957); Variazioni intorno all’ultima mazurka di Chopin (1964); Sognando il sogno (1971; Rome, March 10, 1974). Harpsichord: Giochi con Bach sul clavicembalo (Rome, March 23,1979). VOCAL: Poemi della lucefor Voice and Piano (1939); 3 cantatas: No. 1, Dove sei, Elohim?,for Chorus and Orch. (1940-42), No. 2, De profundis,for Chorus and Orch. (1942-46), and No. 3, Le del est vide,for Chorus and Orch. (1952-53); 3 invocazionifor Voice and Orch. or Piano (1948-49); 5 elegiefor Voice and Strings or Piano (1952); Colinde trasilvanefor Chorus (1957); Lettura di Michelangelofor Chorus (1964; Cork, Ireland, May 6, 1966; rev. version as Cadenze michelangioleschefor Soprano or Tenor and Orch., Venice, Sept. 13,1967); Immer wiederfor Soprano and 8 Instruments (1965); Piccolo divertimento coralefor Chorus (1968); “Ego autem” in memoria di Alfredo Casellafor Baritone and Organ (Rome, March 12, 1972); Lettura di Lorenzo il Magnificofor Chorus (Cork, Ireland, April 26, 1974); Due letturefor Chorus and 13 Instruments (Rome, Oct. 25, 1976); 3 Poesie di Montalefor Baritone and Piano (Siena, Aug. 28, 1978; rev. version for Baritone and Orch., 1980); Preludio, recitativo e rilettura di Michelangelofor Bass and Piano (Lille, Oct. 24,1981); 3 Poesie di Alberto Bevilacquafor Soprano and Piano (L’Aquila, May 26,1984); 1 Poesia di Valerio Magrellifor Baritone and Piano (1987; Turin, March 5, 1990); Ternurafor Baritone and Piano (Turin, March 5, 1990). OTHER: Tape music; transcriptions.
Writings
Modernita e tradizione nella musica contemporanea (Turin, 1955); with A. Piovesan and R. Craft, Le musiche religiose di Igor Strawinsky (Venice, 1956); Luigi Dallapiccola (Milan, 1957); Storia della dodecafonia (Milan, 1958); Strawinsky (Turin, 1958; Eng. tr., 1960; 3rded., rev., 1979); co-ed., Enciclopedia dello spettacolo (1958-62).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire