Ištvan, Miloslav

Ištvan, Miloslav, Czech composer and teacher; b. Olomouc, Sept. 2, 1928; d. Brno, Jan. 20, 1990. He was a student of Kvapil at the Brno Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts (1948-52), and then completed his postgraduate studies there (1953-56). In 1956 he joined its faculty as an asst. lecturer, becoming a lecturer there in 1966. He was also active with the avant-garde Group A and Group B, and worked in the electronic music studios of Brno Radio. In 1961 he won the Janacek Prize, and in 1982 and 1988 he was awarded prizes of the Union of Czech Composers. After following nationalist trends in his works, he adopted contemporary techniques, including serialism and electronics.

Works

ORCH.: Concerto for Horn, Strings, and Piano (1949); Sym. (1952); Winter Suite for Strings, Piano, and Percussion (1956); Concerto-Sym. for Piano and Orch. (1957); Ballad of the South, 3 symphonic frescoes after Lewis Allan’s satirical view of the American South (1960); Concertino for Violin and Chamber Orch. (1961); 6 Studies for Chamber Orch. (1964); Sonata for Violin and Chamber Orch. (1970); In Memoriam Josef Berg (1971); Shakespearean Variations (1975); The Games (1977); Partita for 16 Strings (1980); Tempus Ire (1983); Solitude for Strings (1988). CHAMBER: Trio for Clarinet, Cello, and Piano (1950); Clarinet Sonata (1954); Piano Trio (1958); Dodekameron for 12 Players (1962-64); 2 string quartets (1963, 1986); Ritmi ed antiritmi for 2 Pianos and 2 Percussionists (1966); Cello Sonata (1970); Omaggio à J.S. Bach for Wind Quintet (1971); Psalmus niger for 6 Percussionists (1971); Blacked-out Landscape, in memory of those fallen in World War II, for String Quartet (1975); The Micro-Worlds Diptych: Summer Micro-Worlds for Flute, Harp, and Harpsichord, and Micro-Worlds of My Town for 2 Violas, Oboe, and Clarinet (1977); Capriccio for Vibraphone, Marimba, and Percussion (1978); Canto I for Viola (1979), II for Prepared Violas and Woman’s Voice (1980), and III for Flute (1983); Trio for Clarinet, Piano, and Percussion (1987); Rotations and Returns for Horn, Viola, and Cello (1988). Piano: 3 sonatas (1954, 1959, 1978); Odyssey of a Child from Lidice (1963); Variations for 2 Pianos (1972). VOCAL: Conjuration of Time for 2 Narrators and Orch. (1967); I, Jacob for Soprano, Pop Tenor, Speaker, Instrumental Ensemble, and Tape (1968); Love, Defiane, and Death for Mezzo-soprano and Chamber Ensemble (1984); Vocal Sym. (1986); Variations on a Renaissance Theme for Chorus and Chamber Orch. (1988).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire