Maksimović, Rajko

Maksimović, Rajko, Serbian composer and teacher; b. Belgrade, July 27, 1935. He studied with Predrag Milosevic at the Belgrade Academy of Music (graduated, 1961; M.A., 1965); continued his training at Princeton Univ. (1965–66), devoting himself mainly to electronic music. He taught at the Belgrade Academy of Music (from 1963). In 1998 he publ. an autobiographical book. In his works, he utilizes resources ranging from the Ars Nova to the contemporary period.

Works

orch.: Piano Concerto (1961; Belgrade, Jan. 28, 1964); Musique de devenir (1965; Belgrade, Dec. 15, 1967); Partita concertante for Violin and Strings (1965); Not to Be or to Be? and Eppur si muove, diptych (1969–70); Concerto non grosso for Student String Orch. (1970); Nežno (Tenderly) for Chamber Ensemble (1979); Prelude a “I’ avant midi” d’un faune for Flute and Strings (Belgrade, May 17, 1994). chamber:Trialogue for Clarinet, String Trio, and Piano (1968). Piano: Suite (1957); Ab aqua terraque (1966); Jeu à quatre for 2 Pianos, 8-Hands (1977); Gambit (1993). vocal:Kad su Živi zavideli mrtvima (When the Living Envied the Dead), epic partita for Chorus and Orch. (1963; Belgrade, Feb. 2, 1967); 2 Basho’s Haiku for Voice, Ensemble, and Tape (1966); 3 Haiku for Women’s Chorus and 24 Instruments (Zagreb, May 16, 1967); Iz tmine pojanje (Chants out of Darkness), madrigals for Chorus (1975); Buna protiv dabija (Uprising against Dakhias), dramatic oratorio for 4 Actors, Choruses, Orch., and Tape (1978; Belgrade, March 20, 1979); Palabras en piedra for Chorus and Optional Percussion (1980); After the Scent of the Blossomed Cherry, 5 haiku for Voice and Ensemble (1981); Veče na Školju (An Evening on the Reef) for Chorus (1982); Les Proverbes de Penis for Chorus (1983; also for 4 Voices and Ancient Instruments, 1984, and for Women’s Chorus and Orch., 1986); Prometheus for Chorus (1985); Testament of the Bishop of Montenegro Peter Petrovich Nyegosh for Chorus (1984; also for Bass, Chorus, Orch., and Tape, 1986); The St. Prince Lazarus Passion for Narrator, 4 Soloists, 2 Choruses, and Orch. (Belgrade, June 26, 1989); She Sleeps Perhaps for Mezzo-soprano and Chamber Orch. (Novi Sad, May 15, 1993; also for Mezzosoprano and Piano); Fate for Chorus (1993); This and That for Chorus (1994); Temptation, Feat, and Death of St. Peter of Korisha for Narrator, 3 Soloists, Chorus, Chamber Orch., and Tape (Belgrade, Oct. 19, 1994); Chase for Women’s Chorus, Percussion, and Piano (1996); M for Chorus (1999); How Long, O Lord? for Chorus (1999).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire