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Conductor, Composer and Music Theorist
Born: June 14, 1920, Brasov. Son of Tiberiu Brediceanu,
composer Died: March 4, 2005
Studies
Musical: Brasov Conservatory (piano), Academy of Music, Bucharest (theoretical studies, composition, conducting). Professors:
Im. Bernfeld, Mihail Jora, Martian Negrea, Florica Musicescu, Silvia Serbescu, I. Ghiga, Ionel Perlea
Law: Graduate of the Faculty of Law, Bucharest University
Mathematical: PhD in Mathematics of Bucharest University (Scientific Guide acad. Miron
Niculescu; members of the Doctoral Commission acad. M.Nicolescu, acad. Gh. Mihoc, acad. Solomon Marcus, prof. I. Bucur, prof. Zeno
Vancea)
Family
Grand-Father Coriolan Brediceanu,
lawyer, politician of the Romanians from the Habsburgic
Ardeal, defender in the process of Memorandum, deputy, as
Romanians' representative, in the Parliament of Budapest,
strong animator of the Romanian cultural life.
Father, Tiberiu Brediceanu, composer,
musicologist and folklorist, minister of Arts and Social
Protection in the Leading Council of the 1918-freed Ardeal,
established the first State Opera in Romania at Cluj,
Brasov Conservatory and, as director of the Romanian Opera
of Bucharest, the orchestra of this institution. Senator,
member of the Romanian Academy
Career
- 1959-1966 - General Director of the Romanian National
Opera, Bucharest
- 1969-1971 - Musical Director of the Syracuse
Orchestra, New York
- 1971-1975 - Visiting Professor of Syracuse
University, New York for the interdisciplinary domain of music and mathematics
- 1978-1980 - Musical General Director of Istanbul
Opera
- 1982-1990 - General Director of
"George Enescu" Philharmonic
- 1991 - General Director of Romanian National Opera
of Bucharest
- 1993 - Director of "George Enescu" Musical
Festival and Competition, President of the Union of Interpreters, Choreographers
and Musical Critics of Romania. Coordinator of the group "Music, Mathematics,
Informatics" of the Romanian Academy
Artistic Activities
- conducting
- over 20 years as conductor of the Romanian National
Opera of Bucharest
- 38 years as director of "George Enescu"
Philharmonic Orchestra
- conducted concerts and opera performances in Paris,
London, Vienna, Berlin, Brussels, Moscow, Roma, Monte-Carlo, Athens, Prague,
Warsaw, Teheran, Vilnius, Tashkent,
Beijing, Phenian, Chishinew, Kiev, Sofia, Stockholm, Lima, Rio de Janeiro.
Conductor in numerous other towns of Europe, Americas and
Asia
- Invited to conduct concerts and opera performances
at international musical festivals in Paris, Lucerne, Monte-Carlo, Prague,
Athens,
Strasbourg, Names, Brussels
- Considered the world promotion of George Enescu'
works as a chief duty for any Romanian musician, including himself. He
included in his concerts the Symphony I in Berlin, Moscow, Beijing, Prague
and Nice and recorded this work for His Master's Voice recording House.
Conducted the Symphony II with orchestra of Sankt-Petersburg and the Symphony
III with the famous "Orchestre de Paris". Intimately attached to
the opera "Oedip", signed the production of 1962 and 1991 in Bucharest
and conducted the performances at the Grand Opera in Paris, in Stockholm, Sofia,
at the Festival in Athens and at the Festival in Lucerne, on the occasion of
Enescu's Centennial. Made the first integral recording of this masterpiece,
which was awarded, in Paris, the Prize "The Golden Record" (1976).
Initiated and, together with Yehudi Menuhin, Eugene Ormandy, Sergiu
Comissiona and other distinguished American musicians, established "The
George Enescu Society of the United States" (1981). Held conferences
about George Enescu's life and work ar WCNY Radio Station in New York, at Smith College (Northampton, Massachusetts)
and at Boston University
- composition
- Symphonic Music: Symphony "Mithe"
- Four symphonic dances on themes by Tiberiu
Brediceanu
-
Suite for small orchestra
- Music in structural polytempos: Politempo I;
Etude for ballet in polytempos. A different drummer (for orchestra, chore and
recitator, on poems by Henry Thoreau); Double play for piano and orchestra;
Coral in Byzantine style for four choral groups, Blues in structural polytempo
- Chamber Music: Scherzo for piano; Sonata for piano;
Suite for piano; Trio for violin, clarinet and fagot; Sonata for flute, marimba
and
- Vocal Music: Three songs on poems by Lucian
Blaga
- Music for theatre: The Fire Citadel (Davidoglu), The
Gentleman Bourgeois (Molicre); The Fancy Ill (Moliere); The Precious Ridicules
(Moliere); Don Carlos
(Schiller); The Fan (Goldoni); Don Gil of green socks (Tirso de Molina); The
Storm (Shakespeare)
- published and granted interviews on issues of musicology
and organization of the musical life. A selective presentation is included
in the Lexicon "Musicians of Romania" by Viorel Cosma
Scientific Activity
- Elaborated the concept of
polimodular time, of the time measured
simultaneously by different and variable time modules, respectively by time
systems organized in structures with different degrees of coherence and
complexity. The concept applied to the music settles theoretically and
fundamentally a problem that preoccupied the composers of the 20th century
beginning, like G. Mahler and
Ch. Yves, that is the possibility of composing musical structures where
different voices of a polyphonic music develop different tempos. This type
of musical time organization is now known as
"structural polytempo", term introduced by the author
- In 1970 he invented the Polytimer, a
computer enabling the realization of concerts and other choreographic performances
based on the "structural polytempo". Polytimer was patented in Romania
(nr. 55447, September 23, 1970), USA (United State Patent: Programmed system for
complex polytempi music and ballet performances - nr. 3.595122, July 27,
1971), in France (nr. 7045706, May 28, 1971) and in Belgium (nr.770533, July
23,
1971). Built as prototype in USA by prof. Ed. Stabler of
Syracuse University and later manufactured in Romania by ITC Company. The
first performances based on this instrument, like those in the USA (1976) or
at Georges Pompidou Center in Paris, in 1978, attracted the interest and the
comments of the international press (over 100 articles). The concept
of modular time find naturally its application in choreography, theatre and
visual arts, but as well in many other domains, like biology, physics,
astronomy and everywher one could find temporal structures and time is
measured as different and variable time modules.
- Held conferences and courses about art and
polymodular time in Bucharest, Paris, Syracuse University (USA), New York State University
and Bilbao (Spain)
Published Works
"Topology of sound forms and music",
synthesizing the results of the preoccupations in the field of modular
sound (about 450 pages, to be published by the Romanian Academy
Publishing House)
Membership
Member of the Romanian Composers' Union since 1945
Member of the National Society of Literature and Arts, New York
Member of the Academic Society "Arts, Sciences, Letters", Paris
Prizes, Awards and Decorations
Laureate of "George Enescu"
Prize for Composition The
Prize "The Golden Record" for the
first integral recording of George Enescu' s
Opera "Oedip", Paris, 1976 Knight of the National Order of Arts and Letters,
France
Critics'
Appreciation
Half a century of
conducting represents a performance difficult to match.
The multitude of symphonic concerts and opera
performances, conducting Romanian ensembles or the most
famous formations in the world, stands for a long and
glorious career. Multilateral artist - pianist, composer,
conductor, scientist
- graduate of law school and PhD in Mathematics, a fine intellectual, polyglot,
man of the world, with charming conversation, correct in the relations with other people, Mihai
Brediceanu focuses the attention and obtains the admiration of everybody. Preoccupied
by the quotidian, a tireless worker, the musician proves an untouched spiritual youth, coming down from his birth,
maintained by his generous and good-natured essence. His supreme goal is the creation - as composition,
interpretation, research and inventions. A goal attained, recognized, rewarded. For all, he deserves our thanks, congratulations
and wishes to continue the work well done. George Breazul
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