Vytautas Barkauskas
Encyclopedia
Vytautas Barkauskas is a Lithuania
n composer
and is a Professor of Composition of the Lithuanian Academy of Music, where he has taught since 1961.
, Witold Lutosławski and György Ligeti
.
However he has now moved towards more intuitively arranged sounds, striving to create naturally beautiful music, writing more chamber music. "I do not restrict myself to any single, defined compositional system, but am constantly searching for a natural stylistic synthesis. I strive to make my music expressive, emotional and of a concerto type", Barkauskas says.
His works have been performed at international festivals, competitions and concerts in various European, American and Asian countries, and have been interpreted by Gidon Kremer
, Lothar Faber, Yuri Bashmet
, David Geringas
, Joachim Greiner, Juozas Domarkas, Raimundas Katilius, Ruth Palmer
and others.
Vytautas Barkauskas is a winner of the Lithuanian State Prize. In 2000 his "Journey of the Princess. Fairy Tale", Op. 114 was awarded the prize at the composers' competition dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis. His symphonic piece entitled "At the End is the Beginning", Op. 115 was awarded the prize at the "Sinfonia Baltica" International Composers' Competition in 2001. In 2003 the composer was awarded the Lithuanian National Award. In 2005 he won the prize for the best chamber work ("Echoes" for percussion solo) at the composers' competition organized by the Lithuanian Composers' Union.
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Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and is a Professor of Composition of the Lithuanian Academy of Music, where he has taught since 1961.
Career
Barkauskas has degrees in mathematics (1953) and music composition (1959) from the University of Vilnius. He was one of the most active avant-garde composers in Lithuania in the 1960s, influenced by Krzysztof PendereckiKrzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
, Witold Lutosławski and György Ligeti
György Ligeti
György Sándor Ligeti was a composer of contemporary classical music. Born in a Hungarian Jewish family in Transylvania, Romania, he briefly lived in Hungary before becoming an Austrian citizen.-Early life:...
.
However he has now moved towards more intuitively arranged sounds, striving to create naturally beautiful music, writing more chamber music. "I do not restrict myself to any single, defined compositional system, but am constantly searching for a natural stylistic synthesis. I strive to make my music expressive, emotional and of a concerto type", Barkauskas says.
His works have been performed at international festivals, competitions and concerts in various European, American and Asian countries, and have been interpreted by Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer is a Latvian violinist and conductor. In 1980 he left the USSR and settled in Germany.-Biography:Kremer was born in Riga to parents of German-Jewish and Latvian-Swedish origins. He began playing the violin at the age of four, receiving instruction from his father and his grandfather,...
, Lothar Faber, Yuri Bashmet
Yuri Bashmet
Yuri Abramovich Bashmet is a Russian conductor and violist.Direct patrilineal descendant of Besht.-Biography:Yuri Bashmet was born on 24 January 1953 in Rostov-on-Don in the family of Abram Borisovich Bashmet and Maya Zinovyeva Bashmet . "Father's mother, Tsilya Efimovna, studied singing at the...
, David Geringas
David Geringas
David Geringas is a world-renowned cellist and conductor who studied under Mstislav Rostropovich. In 1970 he won the Gold Medal at the International Tchaikovsky Competition...
, Joachim Greiner, Juozas Domarkas, Raimundas Katilius, Ruth Palmer
Ruth Palmer
Ruth Palmer is an acclaimed young British violinist, an exponent of music ranging from Bach to Shostakovich and beyond, who was named "Young Classical Performer of the Year" at the Classical BRITs in 2007.-Career:...
and others.
Vytautas Barkauskas is a winner of the Lithuanian State Prize. In 2000 his "Journey of the Princess. Fairy Tale", Op. 114 was awarded the prize at the composers' competition dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis. His symphonic piece entitled "At the End is the Beginning", Op. 115 was awarded the prize at the "Sinfonia Baltica" International Composers' Competition in 2001. In 2003 the composer was awarded the Lithuanian National Award. In 2005 he won the prize for the best chamber work ("Echoes" for percussion solo) at the composers' competition organized by the Lithuanian Composers' Union.
Compositions
His works, such as Drei Fragmente für Violoncello und Bratsche, were published by the Friedrich Hofmeister MusikverlagFriedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag
Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag is a publisher of classical music, founded by Friedrich Hofmeister in Leipzig in 1807. Early listings included composers Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin and Franz Liszt. Hofmeister was the first to publish Mahler's Second Symphony. Pedagogical works, such as...
.