THE LIVING COMPOSERS PROJECT  

Violeta Dinescu

(b. 13 July 1953, Bucharest).

Romanian composer, now resident in Germany, of mostly stage, orchestral, chamber, choral, vocal, and piano works that have been performed throughout the world.

Prof. Dinescu graduated in mathematics and physics from the Colegiul Național Gheorghe Lazăr in Bucharest in 1972 and studied composition, music pedagogy and piano at the Universitatea Națională de Muzică București from 1972–78, including analysis with Ștefan Niculescu and composition with Myriam Marbe in 1977–78. She later studied musicology in Heidelberg for two years.

Among her honours are four prizes from the Uniunea Compozitorilor și Muzicologilor din România in Bucharest (1975–76, 1980, 1983), Zweiter Preis in the competition GEDOK in Mannheim (1982), First Prize in a competition in Utah (1983), Terzo Premio in the competition G. B. Viotti in Vercelli (1983), and the Carl-Maria-von-Weber-Preis (1985, for Hunger und Durst). She became a member of the Europäische Akademie der Wissenschaften und Künste in 2017.

She is also active in other positions. She has served as a member of the executive board of directors of the International Alliance for Women in Music since 1985. She founded the series Komponisten-Colloquium in Oldenburg in 1996 and has served as its director since 1996. She later founded the Archiv für Osteuropäische Musik in Oldenburg in 2000 and has organised the annual series of symposia Zwischen Zeiten since 2006.

She taught aesthetics and piano at the Școala de Muzică George Enescu in Bucharest from 1978–82, the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik Heidelberg from 1986–91 and the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt am Main from 1989–92. She lectured at the Hochschule für evangelische Kirchenmusik Bayreuth from 1990–94. She has taught as Professor für Angewandte Komposition at the Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg since 1996. In addition, she has given lectures in South Africa and the USA.

She has lived in Germany since 1982.

Her publisher is Verlag Dohr.

CONTACT INFORMATION

E-mail address: violeta.dinescu@uni-oldenburg.de

COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS

STAGE:

Der Kreisel (ballet, scenario after Eduard Mörike), orchestra, 1985

Hunger und Durst (chamber opera, libretto by the composer, after Eugène Ionesco), soloists, small orchestra (14 players), 1985

Der 35. Mai (opera for children, libretto by the composer, after Erich Kästner), 3 soloists, 8 mixed voices, children's chorus, orchestra, 1986

Eréndira (chamber opera, libretto by the composer, after Gabriel García Márquez), 7 soloists, small orchestra, 1992

Schachnovelle (chamber opera, libretto by the composer, after Stefan Zweig), 3 soloists, 2 clarinets, 4 French horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, violin, viola, cello, 2 pianos, percussion, 1994

Effi Briest (ballet, scenario after Theodor Fontane), orchestra, 1998

ORCHESTRAL:

Verwandlungen, 1978

Anna Perenna, 1979

Memories, string orchestra, 1980

Akrostichon, 1983

Map 67, small orchestra, 1987

Fresco, youth orchestra, 1989

Kybalion, string orchestra, 1991

Niutao, small orchestra (guitars), 1992

ora x, 1995

Vortex – Wolken I, II und III, small orchestra, 1998

CHAMBER MUSIC:

Sonata, violin/viola, piano, 1975

Arabesques, flute, percussion, 1980

Dialogo, flute, viola, 1980 (also version for clarinet, viola, 1980)

Elogium, trumpet, trombone, 1981

Satya I, violin, 1981

Satya II, bassoon, 1981

Satya III, double bass, 1981

Satya IV, clarinet, 1981

Satya V, clarinet, bassoon, violin, double bass, 1981

Immagini, flute, 1982

Parra Quitarra, guitar, 1982

Alternanzen, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1982

Drei Miniaturen, 4 saxophones, 1982

Aion, clarinet, bassoon, cello, 2 double basses, percussion, 1982

Euraculos, clarinet, viola, 1982

Sonatina, double bass, piano, 1982

Sleep Song, double bass, piano, 1982

The Toy, double bass, piano, 1982

Trio, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 1982

Intarsien, cello, 1983

Auf der Suche nach Mozart..., flute, saxophone, bassoon, French horn, harp, violin, piano (+ celesta), 1983

Flutesplay III, 8 flutes, 1983

Improvisation, saxophone, 1984

Din Cimpoiu, viola, 1984

Flutesplay I, 3 flutes, 1984

Flutesplay II, 6 flutes, 1984

Terra Lonhdana, flute, piano, string quartet, 1984

Improvisation, saxophone, 1985

Abendandacht, trumpet, 1985

Quasaar Paal 2, cello, live electronics, 1985

Scherzo da fantasia III, violin, cello, 1985

Loc Maria, organ, percussion, 1985

Nakris, 4 saxophones, 1985

Melismen, 5 recorders, 1985

Méandre, bass clarinet, piano, 1985

Atréju, flute, guitar, 1986

New Rochelle, synthesizer, 1987

Ostrov I, viola, 1987

Din terra Lonhdana, string quartet, 1987

Trio d'anches, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 1987

Aretusa, violin, 1988

Ostrov II, 4 clarinets, 1989

Contraste, 4 trombones, 1989

'...wenn der freude thränen fließen...', cello, piano, 1990

Cime lointaine, oboe, 1990

Immaginabile, recorder, 1990

Fragment II, flute, harp, 1990

Figuren I, 3 double basses, 1990

Figuren III, 3 guitars, 1990

Fragment V, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 1990

Lichtwellen, clarinet/bass clarinet, 1991

Kata, flute, piano, 1991

Figuren II, 2 guitars, 1991

ICHTHYS, violin, cello, piano, 1991

Tautropfen, clarinet, piano, 1992

Shan-Shui, 3 percussion, 1993

Streichquartett, string quartet, 1993

Notte di festa, vibraphone, 1993

et les fruits passeront la promesse des fleurs..., flute, clarinet (+ bass clarinet), violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, 1995

au cœur du silence..., recorder, 1995

Flammentropfen, 4 players, 1995

Reversing Fields, clarinet, 1996

Kathargos, zither, 1996

Les Cymbales du soleil, oboe, 2 percussion, 1996

Rand, clarinet, viola, 1996

Sonatina, piano, percussion, 2001

Licht-Bruch, accordion, 2001

Rugá, clarinet, double bass, accordion, 2001

CHORAL:

Ballade, children's chorus, 1976

Verzaubere mich in einen Silbervogel, mixed chorus, orchestra, 1977

Latin Sequences (text from an anonymous source), children's chorus, 1977

Das Spiel, children's chorus, percussion, 1978

Arpagic (text by Ana Blandiana), children's chorus, 1980

Tamina (text by Delia Dorcea), children's chorus, 1980

In meinem Garten (text by Ana Blandiana), children's chorus, 1980

Blumenlied (text by Ion Caraion), children's chorus, 1980

Lied in einer Flöte (text by Ion Caraion), children's chorus, 1980

Doinasland, children's chorus, 1981

Sonnenuntergang (text by Dan Mihăilescu), children's chorus, 1982

Zori de flori, children's chorus, 1982

Frühlingslied, children's chorus, 1984

Rondo über den Frühling, children's chorus, flutes, 1984

Pfingstoratorium, 5 soloists, mixed chorus, small orchestra, 1993

VOCAL:

Euracolus (text by Ion Caraion), mezzo-soprano, clarinet, 1980

Mondnacht (text by Joseph von Eichendorff), mezzo-soprano, organ, 1982

Amont (text from a letter written to Guillaume de Machaut), mezzo-soprano, harpsichord, 1983

Zebaoth (texts from various psalms), baritone, 2 organs, 1985

Ich bin in Sehnsucht eingehüllt (text by Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger), soprano, harpsichord, 1985

Mein Heim ein Stein, voice, flute, percussion, 1985

Concerto, voice, orchestra, 1986

Quatrain (text by François Villon), female voice, 1986

Mondnächte (text by Joseph von Eichendorff), mezzo-soprano, saxophone, percussion, 1986

Dona nobis pacem, mezzo-soprano, cello (+ percussion), 1987

Concertino, mezzo-soprano, orchestra, 1988

Psalm 126, soprano, flute, organ, 1988

SchattenRosenSchatten, female voice, percussion, 1992

Frühlingsland, female voice, piano (+ percussion), 1998

Ballade vom Verlonensein, female voice, piano, percussion, 2001

PIANO:

Akanua, 1974

Story, 1977

Echoes I, 1979

Echoes II, piano (+ percussion), 1982

Dies Diem Docet, 1986

Cyclotron, piano 4 hands, 1994

Reflections I/II, piano, live electronics, 1996–97

ORGAN:

Echoes III, 1982

Ambo, 1996

HARPSICHORD:

Prelude, 1982

SCORE FOR SILENT FILM:

Tabu, small orchestra (17 players), 1988 (for Tabu by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau)

DISCOGRAPHY

Satya I; Satya II; Euracolus; Immagini; Alternanzen; Scherzo da fantasia III; Mondnacht; Echoes I. (classic production osnabrück: cpo 999 016-2, 1985) (LP)

Euracolus; Mondnächte. (Electrecord: ST-CS 0217, 1988) (LP)

Euracolus. (Mediaphon Classic: MED 72115, 1991)

Figuren II. (Edition Pro Viva: ISPV 165, 1992)

Echoes I. (P+O-Pallas: RK 93-004, 1993)

Echoes I. (Bayer: LC 8498 DDD 100169, 1994)

Tautropfen; Echoes I; Satya IV; '...wenn der freude thränen fließen...'; Lichtwellen; Aretusa; Ostrov II. (Adesso, 1995)

Fresco. (Rhein-Neckar-Kreis, 1995)

Cime lointaine. (Pan Classics: 510087, 1995)

'...wenn der freude thränen fließen...'. (Living Artists Recording, 1996)

Ambo. (Meli: 7114, 1996)

ICHTHYS. (Living Artists Recording, 1996)

Niutao. (Bayer: LC 8498 CAD 800916, 1997)

Din terra Lonhdana. (Troubadisc: TRO-CD 01418, 1997)

Méandre. (NSS: 36931, 1997)

Euracolus. (Edition Pro Viva: ISPV 180, 1997)

Quatrain. (New Music International Public Organization, 1997)

au cœur du silence.... (Cybele Records: 260.501, 1998)

'...wenn der freude thränen fließen...'. (Vienna Modern Masters: 2027, 1998)

Euracolus (excerpt); Tautropfen (excerpt); Ostrov II (excerpt). (RAABE: 3-8183-0010, 1998)

Vortex – Wolken I, II und III. (Symposion: 1 SCL 0207, 1998)

Reversing Fields. (Living Artists Recording, 1998)

Echoes I; Méandre; Les Cymbales du soleil; Akanua; Dies Diem Docet; Improvisation; Echoes II; Mein Heim ein Stein. (UCMR–ADA: 8629045, 1999)

Lichtwellen; Rand; Reversing Fields; Dialogo (version for clarinet, viola); Improvisation; Din Cimpoiu; ICHTHYS. (Sargasso Records: SCD28027, 1999)

Kathargos. (Cavalli Records: LC 05724, 1999)