Carlos Micháns
Encyclopedia
Carlos Micháns is a Dutch composer of Argentine origin. He lives in Holland since 1982. His works (from solo pieces to large compositions for choir and orchestra) are published in Amsterdam by Muziek Centrum Nederland (Donemus). Micháns is also a writer. He has published poetry, short stories, novels and a series of essays on Argentine history. Since 1995 he is in charge of Podium Neerlandés, a program of Radio Nederland (the Dutch international broadcast) for Latin American audiences featuring recordings made in Holland’s major concert halls.
into a middle-class family with Spanish, English and Scottish background, Micháns started taking piano and theory lessons at seven, but gave up after a few years. According to the composer himself, he found theory and solfège
boring and just wanted to play what he heard and compose his own tunes. At twelve he decided to give himself a second chance and returned to piano and theory lessons. He never again stopped studying until he graduated from university. Still a teenager, he was encouraged by his piano teacher Almah Melgar to play his own compositions at the yearly students concerts held at a well-known piano shop in downtown Buenos Aires. This first taste of success, though brief and modest, made him decide to become a composer. However, his first lessons in composition at seventeen with Roberto García Morillo
, a major figure in Argentine music, did not prove a great success, which Micháns attributed to his teacher’s lack of pedagogical skill and insight. At the same time he studied harmony, counterpoint and fugue with Susana Oliveto, a young and knowledgeable woman composer who would become his true musical mentor and a life-long friend. In 1967 he was granted a two-year scholarship by Almah Melgar which enabled him to study organ with her husband Carlos Larrimbe, a renowned choir conductor and organist at St. Saviour’s Church in Buenos Aires. The prospective of a future as an organist and eventual successor to his teacher, however, came to an abrupt end when the latter succumbed to a massive heart attack less than a year later. Disorientated by this sudden change of scenario, he nevertheless continued his studies of choir and orchestra conducting at the University of Buenos Aires
and the Art Institute of the Teatro Colón, Argentina’s major opera house, which he completed almost simultaneously in 1973.
in the early 1970s and the return to power of the corrupt peronist regime brought about a reorganization of the theater and the reincorporation of staff previously dismissed by the former board of directors. It also caused Pedro Valenti Costa, head of the Art Institute and directly responsible for Micháns’ eventual appointment as an assistant conductor, to resign. A few years of uncertainty about his future followed, during which he took up drawing and sculpting (he even held a couple of public exhibitions) and enrolled in the Faculty of Veterinary, which he believed might provide a safer source of income in cattle-land Argentina. This new venture, however, was short lived, and he quit the faculty after a few months, during which constant demonstrations by the militant peronist youth on the one hand and aggressive indoctrination by left-wing teachers on the other, made studying almost impossible. In 1976, Micháns decided to return to music and managed to secure a monthly salary as a music teacher, which he later traded for a more lucrative and relaxed position as a private English teacher. Although he never ceased to compose, his output was limited (partly due to lack of time) and hardly ever played, except for a few minor pieces for piano, organ and choir. A significant breakthrough was the performance in 1981 of his Three Pieces for Chamber Orchestra by the National Symphonic Orchestra, which, although warmly reviewed, he later discarded.
in 1981, Micháns applied for a scholarship from the Dutch government which would enable him to free himself from work and other obligations and concentrate purely on composition. Although the scholarship came through, the sudden outbreak of the Falkland War threatened to frustrate his plans once again (the Netherlands were natural allies to the British). He only obtained his permit after Argentina’s defeat and left for Holland in August 1982. At Utrechts Conservatorium, at the time one of Holland’s most prestigious and international music schools, he took lessons from Hans Kox, Joep Straesser, Ton Bruynèl (electronic music
) and Tristan Keuris
. During this new phase as an adult student (he was already thirty two), Micháns could not only fully concentrate on composition, as he had hoped, but also explore other styles and composition techniques. Soon after obtaining his diploma in 1987 he decided to become a Dutch citizen. He has lived in Utrecht
ever since.
and minimalism
, discovered the music of Olivier Messiaen
, Witold Lutoslawski
and Henri Dutilleux
(to name just a few) and blended his findings into a uniform and distinctive style of his own. More recently, he has added a few Asian elements to his palette, as a result of his frequent visits (both privately and on tour with other musicians) to India
and Indonesia
. This is particularly evident in his Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 4, the choral work Tirthankara, Purana for saxophone and piano and Dradivian Moods for oboe and string quartet. In his view, any style, culture or period may supply useful material and enrich the grammar of music, and it is up to the composer to select and combine the elements most suited to his needs, in order to configure a widely accessible, yet personal and distinctive language. This new approach is clear in one of Micháns’ major piano works, Apparitions, composed for the outstanding Dutch pianist Ronald Brautigam
in 1990 and which the composer himself regards as a turning point in his creative career. A few years earlier than Apparitions, the Magnificat for soprano and choir also reflects Micháns’ affinity with vocal music and his former training as a choir conductor. Combining rich, dissonant harmonies and a counterpoint
with strong roots in polyphonic tradition, it is the first of a long series of works which would gradually establish his name in Holland’s rich choral life. Writing almost exclusively on commission, Micháns’ output since his arrival in the Netherlands has grown steadily. At present, his catalog includes works for all sorts of instrumental combinations, from solos to major compositions for choir and orchestra. His list of chamber and choral music features a number of titles regularly performed by Dutch and international musicians and ensembles. Several of his compositions, which are published in Amsterdam by Muziek Centrum Nederland have been released on CD. Among the musicians and ensembles of international stature which have performed music by Carlos Micháns are: Isabelle van Keulen (vl.), Ronald Brautigam
(pn.), Michael Collins (cl.), Liza Ferschtman (vl.), Tjeerd Top (vl.) Dmitry Ferschtman (vc.), Arno Bornkamp (sax.), Pieter Wispelwey
(vc.), Marcio Carneiro (vc.), Lavinia Meijer
(hp.), Udo Reinemann (baritone), Thierry Fischer
(cond.), Kenneth Montgomery
(cond.), Etienne Siebens (cond.), Utrecht String Quartet, Aurelia Saxophone Quartet, Duo Imaginaire (clarinet & harp), Het Reizend Muziekgezelschap (Amsterdam Chamber Music Society), Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
, Orkest van het Oosten
, Holland's Radio Kamer Filharmonie, Groot Omroepkoor (the major choir of the Dutch Broadcasting Company), Holland Symfonia and Hagen Philharmonisches Orchester (Germany).
), legends (The Merchant of Poompuhar) and a novel (Madurai
, Madurai) based on Indian traditions and religion. The primary goal of these publications, however, was neither literary nor commercial, but to serve as fund-raisers for humanitarian projects in South India
in which Micháns was then involved. He later continued to publish his writings on other subjects, including autobiographical stories (Rogelio G.), a short novel (The Next Stop) and an essay on aspects of Argentina’s history up to 1982 (It Rains Red in Buenos Aires). Among his works in progress are a new series of Indian stories, animal stories and an introduction to aspects of Mongolian
religious art. In addition, Micháns is a free-lance writer and editor for Podium Neerlandés, a classical music program of the Dutch international broadcasting station Radio Nederland for Spanish speaking, mainly Latin American audiences.
Aria (organ, 1981–82)
Diferencias y Fuga en Modo Arcaico (organ, 1981–82)
Musique pour Saxophone (1984)
In Alta Solitudine (Sonata Nr. 2, violin, 1986)
Cello Sonata (1987)
Apparitions (piano, 1990)
Viola Sonata (1993)
Suite en Noir (bass clarinet, 1993)
Trois Impromptus (piano, 1994)
Cinq Réflexions (sur un thème de Béla Bartók) (violin, 1995)
Cinq-Plus-Cinq (Etude-Caprice pour la harpe a dix doigts) (2010)
Mouvements Éclatants (pour harpe à dix doigts) (2011)
Music for Harp and Clarinet (1985)
3 Pezzi per Piano e Marimba (1986)
Concerto per cinque Nr. 1 (cl., tr., vl., vc., pn., 1986)
String Quartet Nr. 1 (1988, rev. 1990)
Episodes for 18 players (1989)
Four movements for cello & piano (1989)
Saxophone Quartet Nr. 1 (1989)
String Quartet Nr. 2 (1992)
Concerto da Camera (violin and ensemble, 1993)
Piano Quintet (1994)
Saxophone Quartet Nr. 2 (1998)
Après Minuit (sop.sax., violin, harp, perc., pn., 1998)
Purana (alto saxophon and piano, 1999)
Divertimento for eight strings (Variations on a Tamil Lyric, 2000)
L’Ange Maudit (violin and piano, 2000)
Igoriana (Three glances at The Rite of Spring)(cl., vl., va., vc., d-b, pn., 2001)
Piano Quartet (2001)
Entre Nous (Trois Scènes pour violon en violoncelle)(2003)
Trois Étoffes Anciennes (viola and piano, 2003)
Dravidian Moods (oboe and string quartet, 2007/08)
Trois Portraits de l'Amour (viola and piano, 2009)
Herbstlieder (Rilke, 1989)
Salmos (Quevedo, 1992)
Le Cortège d'Orphée (Apollinaire, choir and accordion ensemble, 1993)
Six épigrammes (Martialis, choir, harp & string quintet, 1993, rev. 1995)
Tres Plegarias (Micháns, choir and 12 winds, 1999)
Dos Tangos (Micháns, choir, bandoneón, piano, 2 vls., va., vc. and d-b, 2000)
Dos Abismos (Micháns, female choir, 2008)
Ave Maria – Pater Noster (mixed choir a cappella, 2010)
Joy (a minimal overture)(1987)
Concerto Breve (1990)
Mouvements Concertants (piano, perc. and string orchestra, 1991)
Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 2 (vl., vc., and orchestra, 1996)
Phoenix (symphonic overture, 1997)
Kaleidos (Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 3, vl., cl., pn. and orchestra, 2000)
Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 4 (vl., va. and orchestra, 2002)
Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (2006)
Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra (2009)
Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 5 ("Imaginaire") (cl., harp and orchestra, 2010)
Correspondences (De Nerval, Flaubert, Baudelaire, baritone, choir and orchestra, 1991)
Quid Hoc Dementiae Est? (Erasmus, double choir and orchestra, 2004)
Sinfonia Trajectina (Micháns, choir and orchestra, 2005/06)
And Nothing Death (John Wilmot, soprano, choir and orchestra, 2007)
Three Poems of Drenthe (Suze Sanders, choir and orchestra, 2008)
El Mercader de Pumpuhar (The Merchant of Poompuhar, Indian stories – Spanish)
La Próxima Parada (The Next Stop, novel – Spanish)
De Ogen van Meenakshi (The Eyes of Meenakshi, Indian stories – Dutch)
Madurai, Madurai (novel – Dutch)
Het Regent Rood in Buenos Aires (It Rains Red in Buenos Aires, essays – Dutch)
Poemas Terminales (Terminal Poems – Spanish/Dutch)
Nuevos Abismos (y otros poemas) (New Abysses and other poems – Spanish/Dutch)
lavinia meijer http://www.laviniameijer.nl
donemus http://www.donemus.nl
muziek centrum nederland http://www.muziekcentrumnederland.nl
radio nederland http://www.radionederland.nl
duo imaginaire http://www.duoimaginaire.com
carlos cappellaro
Early years in Argentina
Born in Buenos AiresBuenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
into a middle-class family with Spanish, English and Scottish background, Micháns started taking piano and theory lessons at seven, but gave up after a few years. According to the composer himself, he found theory and solfège
Solfege
In music, solfège is a pedagogical solmization technique for the teaching of sight-singing in which each note of the score is sung to a special syllable, called a solfège syllable...
boring and just wanted to play what he heard and compose his own tunes. At twelve he decided to give himself a second chance and returned to piano and theory lessons. He never again stopped studying until he graduated from university. Still a teenager, he was encouraged by his piano teacher Almah Melgar to play his own compositions at the yearly students concerts held at a well-known piano shop in downtown Buenos Aires. This first taste of success, though brief and modest, made him decide to become a composer. However, his first lessons in composition at seventeen with Roberto García Morillo
Roberto Garcia Morillo
Roberto García Morillo was an Argentine composer, musicologist, music professor and music critic.-Biography:Morillo was born in Buenos Aires...
, a major figure in Argentine music, did not prove a great success, which Micháns attributed to his teacher’s lack of pedagogical skill and insight. At the same time he studied harmony, counterpoint and fugue with Susana Oliveto, a young and knowledgeable woman composer who would become his true musical mentor and a life-long friend. In 1967 he was granted a two-year scholarship by Almah Melgar which enabled him to study organ with her husband Carlos Larrimbe, a renowned choir conductor and organist at St. Saviour’s Church in Buenos Aires. The prospective of a future as an organist and eventual successor to his teacher, however, came to an abrupt end when the latter succumbed to a massive heart attack less than a year later. Disorientated by this sudden change of scenario, he nevertheless continued his studies of choir and orchestra conducting at the University of Buenos Aires
University of Buenos Aires
The University of Buenos Aires is the largest university in Argentina and the largest university by enrollment in Latin America. Founded on August 12, 1821 in the city of Buenos Aires, it consists of 13 faculties, 6 hospitals, 10 museums and is linked to 4 high schools: Colegio Nacional de Buenos...
and the Art Institute of the Teatro Colón, Argentina’s major opera house, which he completed almost simultaneously in 1973.
Changing plans
Almost certain of a job at the theater once he graduated, his hopes were again cut short by a new blow of fate. The political unrest in ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in the early 1970s and the return to power of the corrupt peronist regime brought about a reorganization of the theater and the reincorporation of staff previously dismissed by the former board of directors. It also caused Pedro Valenti Costa, head of the Art Institute and directly responsible for Micháns’ eventual appointment as an assistant conductor, to resign. A few years of uncertainty about his future followed, during which he took up drawing and sculpting (he even held a couple of public exhibitions) and enrolled in the Faculty of Veterinary, which he believed might provide a safer source of income in cattle-land Argentina. This new venture, however, was short lived, and he quit the faculty after a few months, during which constant demonstrations by the militant peronist youth on the one hand and aggressive indoctrination by left-wing teachers on the other, made studying almost impossible. In 1976, Micháns decided to return to music and managed to secure a monthly salary as a music teacher, which he later traded for a more lucrative and relaxed position as a private English teacher. Although he never ceased to compose, his output was limited (partly due to lack of time) and hardly ever played, except for a few minor pieces for piano, organ and choir. A significant breakthrough was the performance in 1981 of his Three Pieces for Chamber Orchestra by the National Symphonic Orchestra, which, although warmly reviewed, he later discarded.
Holland: a new beginning
Back from a short visit to the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in 1981, Micháns applied for a scholarship from the Dutch government which would enable him to free himself from work and other obligations and concentrate purely on composition. Although the scholarship came through, the sudden outbreak of the Falkland War threatened to frustrate his plans once again (the Netherlands were natural allies to the British). He only obtained his permit after Argentina’s defeat and left for Holland in August 1982. At Utrechts Conservatorium, at the time one of Holland’s most prestigious and international music schools, he took lessons from Hans Kox, Joep Straesser, Ton Bruynèl (electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
) and Tristan Keuris
Tristan Keuris
Tristan Keuris was a Dutch composer.Keuris initially studied with Jan van Vlijmen in Amersfoort. At the age of 15 he started his studies with Ton de Leeuw at the Utrecht Conservatory. Upon graduating from the conservatory he received the 'Prijs voor compositie'...
. During this new phase as an adult student (he was already thirty two), Micháns could not only fully concentrate on composition, as he had hoped, but also explore other styles and composition techniques. Soon after obtaining his diploma in 1987 he decided to become a Dutch citizen. He has lived in Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
ever since.
The music
Far from denying his South American roots and musical background, including elements from Argentina’s rich folk music and rhythms, Micháns regards them as components of his personality, although not essential to his musical language. On the other hand, sustained exposure to new music from all over the world rarely heard in Argentina, would result in a gradual updating of his regular style (strongly influenced by the free and aggressive dissonances of Bartók and Prokofiev), without breaking with tradition altogether. Never interested in experimentation for its own sake, he nevertheless adopted certain aspects of serialismSerialism
In music, serialism is a method or technique of composition that uses a series of values to manipulate different musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though his contemporaries were also working to establish serialism as one example of...
and minimalism
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
, discovered the music of Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen
Olivier Messiaen was a French composer, organist and ornithologist, one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex ; harmonically and melodically it is based on modes of limited transposition, which he abstracted from his early compositions and improvisations...
, Witold Lutoslawski
Witold Lutoslawski
Witold Lutosławski was one of the major European composers of the 20th century, and one of the preeminent Polish musicians during his last three decades. During his lifetime, Lutosławski earned many international awards and prizes, including the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest...
and Henri Dutilleux
Henri Dutilleux
Henri Dutilleux is one of the most important French composers of the second half of the 20th century, producing work in the tradition of Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Albert Roussel, but in a style distinctly his own...
(to name just a few) and blended his findings into a uniform and distinctive style of his own. More recently, he has added a few Asian elements to his palette, as a result of his frequent visits (both privately and on tour with other musicians) to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. This is particularly evident in his Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 4, the choral work Tirthankara, Purana for saxophone and piano and Dradivian Moods for oboe and string quartet. In his view, any style, culture or period may supply useful material and enrich the grammar of music, and it is up to the composer to select and combine the elements most suited to his needs, in order to configure a widely accessible, yet personal and distinctive language. This new approach is clear in one of Micháns’ major piano works, Apparitions, composed for the outstanding Dutch pianist Ronald Brautigam
Ronald Brautigam
Ronald Brautigam is currently one of The Netherlands' most widely respected pianists.Born in Amsterdam, Brautigam studied with Jan Wijn and left to study in London and in the United States...
in 1990 and which the composer himself regards as a turning point in his creative career. A few years earlier than Apparitions, the Magnificat for soprano and choir also reflects Micháns’ affinity with vocal music and his former training as a choir conductor. Combining rich, dissonant harmonies and a counterpoint
Counterpoint
In music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and rhythm and are harmonically interdependent . It has been most commonly identified in classical music, developing strongly during the Renaissance and in much of the common practice period,...
with strong roots in polyphonic tradition, it is the first of a long series of works which would gradually establish his name in Holland’s rich choral life. Writing almost exclusively on commission, Micháns’ output since his arrival in the Netherlands has grown steadily. At present, his catalog includes works for all sorts of instrumental combinations, from solos to major compositions for choir and orchestra. His list of chamber and choral music features a number of titles regularly performed by Dutch and international musicians and ensembles. Several of his compositions, which are published in Amsterdam by Muziek Centrum Nederland have been released on CD. Among the musicians and ensembles of international stature which have performed music by Carlos Micháns are: Isabelle van Keulen (vl.), Ronald Brautigam
Ronald Brautigam
Ronald Brautigam is currently one of The Netherlands' most widely respected pianists.Born in Amsterdam, Brautigam studied with Jan Wijn and left to study in London and in the United States...
(pn.), Michael Collins (cl.), Liza Ferschtman (vl.), Tjeerd Top (vl.) Dmitry Ferschtman (vc.), Arno Bornkamp (sax.), Pieter Wispelwey
Pieter Wispelwey
Pieter Wispelwey is a Dutch cellist. In 1992 he was the first cellist to receive the Netherlands Music Prize, given to the most promising young musician in the Netherlands. He has come to be regarded as one of the world's leading cello soloists.Pieter Wispelwey was born in Haarlem and grew up in...
(vc.), Marcio Carneiro (vc.), Lavinia Meijer
Lavinia Meijer
Lavinia Meijer is a Dutch harpist.-Education:When she was 11 years old, Lavinia was accepted by Erika Waardenburg to study at the Young Talent Department of the Utrecht Conservatory...
(hp.), Udo Reinemann (baritone), Thierry Fischer
Thierry Fischer
Thierry Fischer is a Swiss orchestra conductor and flutist.Fischer studied flute with Aurèle Nicolet and began his musical career as Principal Flute in Hamburg and at the Zurich Opera, where he studied scores with Nikolaus Harnoncourt...
(cond.), Kenneth Montgomery
Kenneth Montgomery
Kenneth Montgomery OBE is a British conductor, the only child of Lily and Tom Montgomery. His upbringing was in Wandsworth Parade and he attended the Royal Belfast Academical Institution. His musical studies were at the Royal College of Music...
(cond.), Etienne Siebens (cond.), Utrecht String Quartet, Aurelia Saxophone Quartet, Duo Imaginaire (clarinet & harp), Het Reizend Muziekgezelschap (Amsterdam Chamber Music Society), Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
The Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra is a Dutch symphony orchestra based in Rotterdam. Its primary venue is the concert hall De Doelen. The RPhO is considered one of the Netherlands' two principal orchestras of international standing, second to the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam...
, Orkest van het Oosten
Orkest van het Oosten
The Orkest van het Oosten is a Dutch symphony orchestra. The home of the orchestra is the Muziekcentrum in Enschede. The OvhO performs about 75 concerts a year in Enschede, Hengelo, Zwolle and Deventer, as well as throughout the province of Overijssel and the Randstad...
, Holland's Radio Kamer Filharmonie, Groot Omroepkoor (the major choir of the Dutch Broadcasting Company), Holland Symfonia and Hagen Philharmonisches Orchester (Germany).
Literary work
Although never intended for publication, Micháns’ first serious literary endeavours date back to the 1970s, when he started writing short stories and poetry. It was not until after his first visits to India in the early 1990s that he decided to publish limited editions of his travel stories (The Eyes of MeenakshiMeenakshi
Minakshi is an Avatar of the Hindu Goddess Parvati - and consort of Shiva - who is worshipped mainly by South Indians. She is also one of the few Hindu female deities to have a major temple devoted to her - the far famed Meenakshi Amman Temple in Madurai, Tamil Nadu...
), legends (The Merchant of Poompuhar) and a novel (Madurai
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
, Madurai) based on Indian traditions and religion. The primary goal of these publications, however, was neither literary nor commercial, but to serve as fund-raisers for humanitarian projects in South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
in which Micháns was then involved. He later continued to publish his writings on other subjects, including autobiographical stories (Rogelio G.), a short novel (The Next Stop) and an essay on aspects of Argentina’s history up to 1982 (It Rains Red in Buenos Aires). Among his works in progress are a new series of Indian stories, animal stories and an introduction to aspects of Mongolian
Mongols
Mongols ) are a Central-East Asian ethnic group that lives mainly in the countries of Mongolia, China, and Russia. In China, ethnic Mongols can be found mainly in the central north region of China such as Inner Mongolia...
religious art. In addition, Micháns is a free-lance writer and editor for Podium Neerlandés, a classical music program of the Dutch international broadcasting station Radio Nederland for Spanish speaking, mainly Latin American audiences.
Solo
Tema, Toccata y Fuga (organ, 1977)Aria (organ, 1981–82)
Diferencias y Fuga en Modo Arcaico (organ, 1981–82)
Musique pour Saxophone (1984)
In Alta Solitudine (Sonata Nr. 2, violin, 1986)
Cello Sonata (1987)
Apparitions (piano, 1990)
Viola Sonata (1993)
Suite en Noir (bass clarinet, 1993)
Trois Impromptus (piano, 1994)
Cinq Réflexions (sur un thème de Béla Bartók) (violin, 1995)
Cinq-Plus-Cinq (Etude-Caprice pour la harpe a dix doigts) (2010)
Mouvements Éclatants (pour harpe à dix doigts) (2011)
Chamber music
Divertimento for Five Trumpets (1985)Music for Harp and Clarinet (1985)
3 Pezzi per Piano e Marimba (1986)
Concerto per cinque Nr. 1 (cl., tr., vl., vc., pn., 1986)
String Quartet Nr. 1 (1988, rev. 1990)
Episodes for 18 players (1989)
Four movements for cello & piano (1989)
Saxophone Quartet Nr. 1 (1989)
String Quartet Nr. 2 (1992)
Concerto da Camera (violin and ensemble, 1993)
Piano Quintet (1994)
Saxophone Quartet Nr. 2 (1998)
Après Minuit (sop.sax., violin, harp, perc., pn., 1998)
Purana (alto saxophon and piano, 1999)
Divertimento for eight strings (Variations on a Tamil Lyric, 2000)
L’Ange Maudit (violin and piano, 2000)
Igoriana (Three glances at The Rite of Spring)(cl., vl., va., vc., d-b, pn., 2001)
Piano Quartet (2001)
Entre Nous (Trois Scènes pour violon en violoncelle)(2003)
Trois Étoffes Anciennes (viola and piano, 2003)
Dravidian Moods (oboe and string quartet, 2007/08)
Trois Portraits de l'Amour (viola and piano, 2009)
Choir
Magnificat (soprano and choir, 1985)Herbstlieder (Rilke, 1989)
Salmos (Quevedo, 1992)
Le Cortège d'Orphée (Apollinaire, choir and accordion ensemble, 1993)
Six épigrammes (Martialis, choir, harp & string quintet, 1993, rev. 1995)
Tres Plegarias (Micháns, choir and 12 winds, 1999)
Dos Tangos (Micháns, choir, bandoneón, piano, 2 vls., va., vc. and d-b, 2000)
Dos Abismos (Micháns, female choir, 2008)
Ave Maria – Pater Noster (mixed choir a cappella, 2010)
Orchestra
Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 1 (2 vls. and string orchestra, 1987)Joy (a minimal overture)(1987)
Concerto Breve (1990)
Mouvements Concertants (piano, perc. and string orchestra, 1991)
Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 2 (vl., vc., and orchestra, 1996)
Phoenix (symphonic overture, 1997)
Kaleidos (Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 3, vl., cl., pn. and orchestra, 2000)
Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 4 (vl., va. and orchestra, 2002)
Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (2006)
Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra (2009)
Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 5 ("Imaginaire") (cl., harp and orchestra, 2010)
Choir and Orchestra
Syrinx (Ovidius, choir and orchestra, 1990)Correspondences (De Nerval, Flaubert, Baudelaire, baritone, choir and orchestra, 1991)
Quid Hoc Dementiae Est? (Erasmus, double choir and orchestra, 2004)
Sinfonia Trajectina (Micháns, choir and orchestra, 2005/06)
And Nothing Death (John Wilmot, soprano, choir and orchestra, 2007)
Three Poems of Drenthe (Suze Sanders, choir and orchestra, 2008)
Literary work
Rogelio G. (stories – Spanish)El Mercader de Pumpuhar (The Merchant of Poompuhar, Indian stories – Spanish)
La Próxima Parada (The Next Stop, novel – Spanish)
De Ogen van Meenakshi (The Eyes of Meenakshi, Indian stories – Dutch)
Madurai, Madurai (novel – Dutch)
Het Regent Rood in Buenos Aires (It Rains Red in Buenos Aires, essays – Dutch)
Poemas Terminales (Terminal Poems – Spanish/Dutch)
Nuevos Abismos (y otros poemas) (New Abysses and other poems – Spanish/Dutch)
Further reading
- Kaai, Martin: Niet bij Bach Alleen, Uitgeverij Contact, 2005, p. 136
- Olof, Theo: Oskar Back en veertig jaar Nationaal Vioolconcours, Uitgeverij Thoth, 2005, p. 140, 173
- Podium 1997–1998: Carlos Micháns, p. 13–14
- Don, Floris: De mars van Micháns, Preludium, Januari 2009, p. 38
- Van Merwijk, Willem: Micháns, Trois Visions Tantriques, Preludium, Januari 2009, p. 77
- Eindhovens Dagblad, 7 March 2003: Geen muzak van saxofoonkwartet
- Gooi en Eemlander, 15-05-03: Cd van de dag: Saxophone Quartets from The Netherlands
- Van Swol, Els: Twee talen – Dichtende componisten (5): Carlos Micháns, Mens en Melodie Nr. 5/6, 2006, p. 5–7
- Micháns, Carlos: Het Regent Rood in Buenos Aires, CMP Utrecht, 2005
- Jörg Loskill: Mozart in Zahlen und in Fasern zerlegt, Das Orchester, December 2010, p. 59
External links
carlos micháns http://www.carlosmichans.nllavinia meijer http://www.laviniameijer.nl
donemus http://www.donemus.nl
muziek centrum nederland http://www.muziekcentrumnederland.nl
radio nederland http://www.radionederland.nl
duo imaginaire http://www.duoimaginaire.com
carlos cappellaro