Gelbrun, Artur

Gelbrun, Artur, Polish-born Israeli composer and teacher; b. Warsaw, July 11, 1913; d. Tel Aviv, Dec. 24, 1985. He studied at the Warsaw Cons., then took courses with Molinari and Casella at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome; later studied composition with W. Burkhard and conducting with Scherchen in Zürich. He was an orch. and solo violinist in Warsaw, Lausanne, and Zürich (1936–47). In 1949 he emigrated to Israel and joined the staff of the Tel Aviv Academy of Music as prof. of conducting and composition.

Works

ORCH Suite (1947); Prelude, Passacaglia and Fugue (1954); Variations for Piano and Orch. (1955); Prologue Symphonique (1956); 5 Capriccios (1957); 3 syms. (1957–58; 1961; Jubilee, 1973); Cello Concerto (1962); Piccolo Divertimento for Youth Orch. (1963; also perf. As a ballet); 4 Pieces for Strings (1963); Concerto-Fantasia for Flute, Harp, and Strings (1963); Concertino for Chamber Orch. (1974); Adagio for Strings (1974); Hommagea Rodin (1979–81); Concerto for Oboe and Strings (1985; rev. and orchestrated by L. Biriotti, 1986). B a l l e t : Hedva (1951; concert premiere, Ein-Gev, May 27, 1951; stage premiere, St. Gallen, 1958); Miadoux (1966–67); Prologue to the Decameron (1968); King Solomon and the Hoopoes (1976). CHAMBER: String Trio (1945); String Quartet (1969); Wind Quintet (1971); Trio for Trumpet, Horn, and Trombone (1972); Piano Trio (1977); Septet for Harp, Flute, Clarinet, and String Quartet (1984); solo pieces; piano music. VOCAL: Lieder der Madchen for Voice and Orch. (1945); Song of the River for Soprano and Orch. (1959); Le Livre du Feu, radiophonic oratorio (1964; Jerusalem, 1966); Salmo e Alelujah for Soprano and Orch. (1968); Holocaust and Revival, cantata for Narrator, Chorus, and Orch. (1977–78); songs.

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire