Barolsky, Michael

Barolsky, Michael, Lithuanian-born German-Israeli composer; b. Vilnius, July 19, 1947. He studied piano, theory, and ethnology; in 1965 he took lessons in composition with Lutoslawski in Warsaw; in 1968 he went to Moscow and studied privately with Denisov and Schnittke. From 1969 to 1971 he was music adviser at the Lithuanian Radio. In 1971 he emigrated to Germany. In 1972 he attended seminars with Ligeti, Kagel, and Stockhausen in Darmstadt; in 1974 he went to Israel, and taught at the Pedagogic Inst. in Tel Aviv. In 1977 he settled in Cologne on a stipend of the Deutsche Akademie; also worked on electronic music with Humpert. In his compositions, he devotes himself totally to contemporary means of expression, astutely applying the full resources of electronic music.

Works

Violin Sonata (1964); String Trio (1964); Woodwind Quartet (1965); Recitative and Melody for Flute, Cello, and Piano (1966); Concertino for Violin, Trumpet, Trombone, Piano, and Percussion (1967); Basso Ostinato for Cello (1967); Telefonoballade, cantata for Baritone, 6 Narrators, and Chamber Ensemble (1969); Exodus for Orch. (1970); Scriptus, after Kafka’s letters, for Baritone, Mime, and Chamber Ensemble (1972); Dakar for Percussion, Piano, and Electronics (1972); Photogenesis I, II, III, and IV, respectively for Harpsichord, Brass Quintet, Bass Flute, and Percussion (1973); Melos for Mezzo- soprano, Cello, Piano, Electric Organ, Percussion, and Synthesizer (1975); Sublimatio for Flute, Cello, 2 Pianos, Percussion, and Tape (1975); Cries and Whispers for Chamber Ensemble and Electronics (1975; Chicago, Jan. 24, 1976); Blue Eye, Brown Eye, opera (Tel Aviv, July 29, 1976); Apocalypse, song cycle with Electronic Tape (1976); Iris for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1976); Pranah for Violin and Electronic Tape (1976); Sternenge-sang for Chamber Orch. (1977); The Book of Emanations for Orch. (1978); Ein Stuck aus der Nacht for Actor and Electronics (1978); Tonus for Quadraphonic Synthesizer (1979); Cinderella for Cello and Piano (1981); Seelenkalender for Mezzo-soprano and Piano (1982); The Book of Changes for Piano (1983); Stück-Mund-Stück for Trombone, Computer Sounds, and Video Tape (1983); Piccolost¨ck for Piccolo and Computer Sounds (1983); Rainbow Music for 6 Recorders (Bonn, Feb. 12, 1984); Trioirtrio for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1984); Cello Concerto (1985); Computer Time for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1988); Cello Concerto (1985); Computer Time for Violin, Cello, and Piano (1988).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire