Anatol Vieru

Biography

Anatol Vieru (Romanian pronunciation: [anaˈtol viˈeru]; 8 June 1926 – 8 October 1998) was a Romanian music theoretician, pedagogue, and composer. A pupil of Aram Khachaturian, he composed seven symphonies, eight string quartets, concertos, and chamber music. He also wrote three operas: Iona (1976), Praznicul Calicilor (1981), and Telegrame, Temă și Variațiuni (1983). He was awarded the Herder Prize in 1986.

Biography

Vieru was born in Iași. In 1954 he married Nina Shutikova, with whom he had one son and one daughter; his son is the pianist, writer and mathematician Andrei Vieru. He was a conductor at the Bucharest National Theatre from 1947 to 1950, when he became editor of Muzica magazine. Vieru died in Bucharest at age 72.

Dramatic

Iona (opera, 1, after Marin Sorescu and sketches by M.C. Escher), 1972–75, concert performed in Bucharest, 31 October 1976
Praznicul calicilor [The Feast of the Beggars] (op, after Mihail Sorbul), 1978–80, Berlin, 1991
Telegrame (mini-opera, after Ion Luca Caragiale), 1983
Temă cu Variațiuni [Theme and Variations] (mini-opera, after Caragiale), 1983
Ultimele zile, ultimele ore [The Last Days, the Last Hours] (opera, 3, after Alexander Pushkin: Mozart and Salieri and Mikhail Bulgakov: The Last Days), 1990–95

Film scores

(Names of directors in parentheses):

Când primăvara e fierbinte [When Spring is Hot] (Mircea Săucan), 1960
Ciucurencu (Erich Nussbaum), 1964
Procesul alb [The White Trial] (Iulian Mihu), 1965
Brâncuși la Târgu-Jiu [Brâncuși at Târgu-Jiu] (Erich Nussbaum), 1966
Soarele negru [Black Sun] (Slavomir Popovici), 1968
O sută de lei [100 Leis] (Mircea Săucan), 1972
Felix și Otilia [Felix and Otilia] (Iulian Mihu), 1972
Marele singuratic [The Great Lonesome] (Iulian Mihu), 1976
Intoarcera lui Vodă Lăpușneanu [Lăpușneanu's Return] (Malvina Urșianu), 1979

Orchestral

Symphonies:

no.1 'Oda tăcerii' [Ode to Silence], 1967
no.2, 1973
no.3 'La un cutremur' [Earthquake Symphony], 1978
no.4, 1982
no.5 (Mihai Eminescu), chorus, orchestra, 1984–85
no.6 [Exodus], 1989
no.7 'Annul soarelui calm' [The Year of the Silent Sun], 1992–93
Other:

Suită în stil vechi [Suite in an Olden Style], for strings, 1945
Dansuri simfonice, 1952
Concerto for Orchestra, 1954–55
Flute Concerto, 1958
Simfonia de cameră, 1962
Cello Concerto, 1962
Jocuri (Jeux), piano, orchestra, 1963
Violin Concerto, 1964
Clepsidra I (Sonnenuhr), 1968–69
Muzeu muzical [Museum Music], harpsichord, 12 strings, 1968
Screen (Ecran), 1969
Clarinet Concerto, 1975
Sinfonietta, 1975
Concerto for violin, cello and orchestra, 1979
Sinfonia concertante, cello and orchestra, 1987
Narration II, sax and orchestra, 1985
Memorial, 1990
Psalm, 1993
Piano Concerto 'Caleidoscop', 1993
Malincolia furiosa, viola and orchestra, 1994
Hibernal, panpipes, strings, 1995
Flute Concerto no.2, 1996
Guitar Concerto, 1996
Musik, organ and strings, 1996
Elegia II, cello, doublebass and chamber orchestra, 1998

Vocal

Choral:

Mierla lui Ilie Pintilie [Ilie Pintilie's Blackbrid] (cant.), 1949
Miorița [Miorița: The Little Ewe Lamb] (oratorio), 1957
Cantata anilor lumină [Light Years Cântată] (Nina Cassian), 1960
Scene nocturne (Federico García Lorca), 2 choruses, 1964
Vocale [Vowels] (Giuseppe Ungaretti), female chorus, 1963
Clepsidra II (folk texts), chorus, panpipes, cymbal, orchestra, 1971
Fratele cel sărac [The Poor Brother] (after Ion Neculce), 1993
Daniil, 1994
În marea apusului [In the Sea of Sunsets], chorus, trumpet, timpani, 1998
Solo:

Muzică pentru Bacovia și Labiș [Music for Bacovia and Labiș], 1959–63:
The Struggle against Inertia, mezzo-soprano, tenor, flute, violin, piano
Nocturnes and Resonances of Bacovia, soprano, flute, piano
Truces, mezzo-soprano, piano
Discul lui Newton [Newton's Disc], 12 solo vv, 1972
4 unghiuri din care am văzut Florența [4 Angels to See Florence], soprano, piano/harpsichord, 1–2 percussionists, 1973
Cântec arhaic de dragoste [Ancient Love Songs] (Bible: Solomon):
I. Sage mir an, Mez, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 1985
II. O that you were a Brother to Me, 8vv, 1987
III. Siehe, du bist schön, Mez, a sax, 1985
IV. Fă-mă precum o pecete [Set Me as a Seal upon your Heart], 4vv, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, 1989
V. Ja nartsis saronskij [I am a Rose of Sharon], chorus, 1987;
Poveste [Marches], Sprechstimme, percussion, 1993
Archipelagos, baritone, vibraphone, 1994
Dechanson (Tristan Tzara), 4vv, 1995
Questions et reponses (Paul Celan, P. Solomon), 4vv, 1995
Iarba ochilor tăi [The Grass of your Eyes] (Paul Celan), 4vv, 1997

Chamber and solo instrumental

String quartets:

no.1, 1955
no.2, 1956
no.3, soprano and string quartet, 1973
no.4, 1980
no.5, 1982
no.6, 1986
no.7, 1987
no.8, 1991
Other:

Clarinet Quintet, 1957
Kammersymphonie, 1962
Trepte ale tăcerii [Steps of Silence], string quartet, percussion, 1966
Nautilos, piano, tape, 1969
Sita lui Eratostene [The Riddle of Eratosthanes], clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, 1969
Nașterea unui limbaj [The Birth of a Language], piano 4 hands, 1971
Mozaicuri [Mosaics], 3 percussionists, 1972
Iosif și frații săi [Joseph and his Brothers], 11 instruments, tape, 1979
Scoica [Shell], 15 strings, 1982
Double Duos, a sax/b clarinet, vib/mar, 1983
Ma–jo–r Music, flute, clarinet, harp, string quartet, 1984;
Metasaks, sax, dea (1984);
Soroc I, 6 studies, percussion, 1984
Soroc II, 7 instruments, 1984
Sonata, violin, cello, 1984–5
Diaphonie, cello, doublebass, 1987
Trînta [Wrestling], sax, percussion, 1987;
Epistolaire, a flute, piano, 1988
Multigen, a flute, oboe, a sax, percussion, piano, 1988
Giusto, sax, 2 guitars, synth, percussion, 1989
Versete [Verses], 1989
Sax Quartet, 1990
Sax-Vier, sax quartet, 1991
Trio microtonic, bassoon, guitar, doublebass, 1992
Feuerwerk, flute, violin, vibraphone, 1994
Crăciun [Christmas], violin, piano, 1994
Canto, oboe, percussion, 1995
Couple, clarinet, viola, 1995
Duo leggiero, flute, percussion, 1995
Rubato, oboe, percussion, 1995
Toccatina, 2 guitar, 1995
Chanson de geste, guitar, cello, 1996
Gruss, violin, cello, piano, organ, 1996
Masca [Masks], flute, cello, doublebass, 1996
Canon und Fuge, piano 4 hands, 1997
Elegia I, sax, organ, 1997
Et in Arcadia ego, 3 recorders, 1997
Posviascenie [Dedication], trumpet, cello, timpani, 1997
Trio, violin, cello, piano, 1997
Centaurus, sax, trombone, percussion, 1998
Solo:

Din lumea copiilor [From the Realm of Childhood], 8 miniatures, piano, 1958
Sonata, cello, 1963, arr. cello, percussion (1977)
Narration, organ, 1973
Piano Sonata, 1976
Pelinarium, synthesizer, 1986
Dar I [Gift], flute, 1988
Dar II, cello, 1989
Design-Dasein, flute+a flute+piccolo, 1993
Piano Sonata, 1994
Ritmuri [Rhythms], piano, 1994
Adio, piano, 1996
Eppur si muove, flute, 1996
Sandu, piano, 1996
Schöntok, piano, 1996
Capriccio, violin, 1997
Voeu, piano, 1997