Oskar Morawetz

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Oskar Morawetz , CM , O.Ont (born January 17, 1917 in Swietla ob der Sasau , Ledetsch district , Bohemia ; † June 13, 2007 in Toronto ) was a Canadian pianist and composer .

Life

Morawetz was born in the central Bohemian town of Swietla ob der Sasau near Deutschbrod , which belonged to Czechoslovakia after the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy in 1918 . He grew up in a middle-class family: his father was a textile and agricultural industrialist. The family lived in Swietla Castle in summer and in Úpice at the foot of the Giant Mountains in winter , where the father's factory was located. From 1927 to 1935 Morawetz attended a grammar school in Prague. He then studied at the Prague Conservatory with Jaroslav Křička (theory) and Karel Hoffmeister (piano). In 1936 he turned down George Szell's offer to come to the Prague State Opera as assistant conductor . In 1937 he moved to Vienna, where he continued his studies privately with Julius Isserlis .

Because of the Austrian annexation , he returned to Prague in April 1938. In December 1938 Morawetz moved to Paris, where he continued his studies at the Université de Paris (with Lazare Lévy ). Morawetz's parents fled to Canada after the German invasion of Czechoslovakia , while he himself initially stayed in Paris. Due to the sanctions against " hostile foreigners " after the beginning of the Second World War, he fled to Trieste, Italy, in October 1939 . He traveled on to Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) via the Canary Islands until his application to enter Canada was finally approved in June 1940.

There he studied further at the University of Toronto with Alberto Guerrero (piano) and Leo Smith (theory), in 1944 he received his bachelor's degree. In 1946 he became a faculty member of the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto and in 1952 Professor of Composition at the University of Toronto. In 1953 he received his doctorate with Symphony No. 2 . He was retired in 1982 . Morawetz gave his last stage concert as a pianist in 1992. Since 1995 he has not composed because of a depression illness.

He was married to Ruth Spafford Shipman from 1958 to 1984. The couple had a son and a daughter.

plant

Oskar Morawetz's work comprises more than 120 works for orchestra and chamber ensembles. He became internationally known with the compositions "Memorial to Martin Luther King" (1968), "Carnival Overture" and "Prayer for Freedom" as well as "From the Diary of Anne Frank" (1970). His Piano Concerto No. 1 was premiered in 1963 under the direction of Zubin Mehta with Anton Kuerti as the soloist. His works have been presented by artists such as cellist Yo-Yo Ma , pianist Glenn Gould and tenor Ben Heppner .

Awards

He has received the Canadian " Juno Award " for classical music twice. He has won numerous awards, including the "Order of Ontario (O.Ont.)", The "Order of Canada (CM)" and the "Golden Jubilee Medal". For his life's work the "Oskar Morawetz Music Scholarship for Piano Study" was awarded at the Regent Park School of Music in 2001, "The Oskar Morawetz Music Library" at CAMMAC in 2004 and "The Oskar Morawetz Entrance Scholarship in 2004 at the University of Toronto Music Faculty Music "set up.

  • 1987 - Order of Ontario (O.Ont.)
  • 1987 - Juno Award: Best Classical Composition (Nomination) for "Overture To A Fairy Tale"
  • 1989 - Order of Canada (CM)
  • 1990 - Juno Award: Best Classical Composition (First Prize) for "Concerto For Harp and Chamber Orchestra"
  • 1992 - Juno Award: Best Classical Composition (nomination) for "Memorial to Martin Luther King"
  • 1992 - Commemorative Medal
  • 1994 - Jan V. Matejcek Concert Music Award
  • 1998 - Honorary Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto
  • 1999 - World Cup Harold Moon Award
  • 2001 - Juno Award: Best Classical Composition (First Prize) for "From The Diary Of Anne Frank"
  • 2002 - Golden Jubilee Medal

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Albrecht Gaub: Oskar Morawetz . In: Claudia Maurer Zenck, Peter Petersen: Lexicon of persecuted musicians from the Nazi era. University of Hamburg, 2006.
  2. ↑ a b Martin Anderson: Oskar Morawetz, composer and pianist - Obituary. In: The Guardian , September 17, 2007.
personal data
SURNAME Morawetz, Oskar
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Canadian composer
DATE OF BIRTH January 17, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Swietla ob der Sasau , Austria-Hungary
DATE OF DEATH June 13, 2007
Place of death Toronto , Canada