Uroš Krek
Encyclopedia
Uroš Krek was a Slovenia
n composer, considered one of the most renowned personalities of Slovenian music after the Second World War. A native of Ljubljana
, he died in Jesenice. He worked for many years for Radiotelevizija Slovenija
, and composed a number of soundtrack
s. Krek was a pupil of Lucijan Marija Škerjanc
.
, under Lucijan Marija Škerjanc, and later graduated in 1947. He was also an editor of symphonic broadcasts and later a chief editor of music on Radiotelevizija Slovenija
. From 1968 until 1982 he taught at the Music Academy in Ljubljana at the Institute of Ethnomusicology, as a professor of composition and music theory. At one point Uroš Krek was a president of the Society of Slovenian Composers.
Krek was a regular member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA) and corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Although he was strongly influenced by earlier 20th-century classical music and use of neo-classicist aesthetics, he was also noted for incorporating elements of folklore into his compositions.
Krek's compositions covered virtually all musical ensembles, but his best work was created for stringed instruments. His music has also been performed in drama, and theatrical and film music.Amongst his compositions are his Sinfonietta from 1951, the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, the Concertino for piccolo and orchestra and the Concerto for Horn and String Orchestra. He also created choral music and chamber music such as the Second Sonata for Violin and Piano and Canto for Viola and Harp.
in 1949. In 1975 and 1976 he received the award for Badjurovo music. In 1988 he was appointed an honorary member of the Slovenian Philharmonic and in 1995 attained another title from the University of Ljubljana
. In 1992 he received the Prešeren Award for Lifetime Achievement.
's Der Rosenkavalier
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Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
n composer, considered one of the most renowned personalities of Slovenian music after the Second World War. A native of Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, he died in Jesenice. He worked for many years for Radiotelevizija Slovenija
Radiotelevizija Slovenija
Radiotelevizija Slovenija – usually abbreviated to RTV Slovenija – is Slovenia's national public broadcasting organization. Based in the country's capital, Ljubljana, it has regional broadcasting centres in Koper and Maribor and correspondents around Slovenia, Europe and the world...
, and composed a number of soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
s. Krek was a pupil of Lucijan Marija Škerjanc
Lucijan Marija Škerjanc
Lucijan Marija Škerjanc was a Slovene composer, pedagogue, conductor, musician, and writer who was accomplished on and wrote for a number of musical instruments such as the piano, violin and clarinet....
.
Biography
He studied at the Academy of Music in LjubljanaLjubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, under Lucijan Marija Škerjanc, and later graduated in 1947. He was also an editor of symphonic broadcasts and later a chief editor of music on Radiotelevizija Slovenija
Radiotelevizija Slovenija
Radiotelevizija Slovenija – usually abbreviated to RTV Slovenija – is Slovenia's national public broadcasting organization. Based in the country's capital, Ljubljana, it has regional broadcasting centres in Koper and Maribor and correspondents around Slovenia, Europe and the world...
. From 1968 until 1982 he taught at the Music Academy in Ljubljana at the Institute of Ethnomusicology, as a professor of composition and music theory. At one point Uroš Krek was a president of the Society of Slovenian Composers.
Krek was a regular member of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SASA) and corresponding member of the Croatian Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Although he was strongly influenced by earlier 20th-century classical music and use of neo-classicist aesthetics, he was also noted for incorporating elements of folklore into his compositions.
Krek's compositions covered virtually all musical ensembles, but his best work was created for stringed instruments. His music has also been performed in drama, and theatrical and film music.Amongst his compositions are his Sinfonietta from 1951, the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, the Concertino for piccolo and orchestra and the Concerto for Horn and String Orchestra. He also created choral music and chamber music such as the Second Sonata for Violin and Piano and Canto for Viola and Harp.
Awards
His composition, Concerto for violin and orchestra won him his first Prešeren AwardPrešeren Award
Prešeren Award is the highest decoration in the field of artistic and in the past also scientific creation in Slovenia awarded each year to one or two eminent Slovene artists...
in 1949. In 1975 and 1976 he received the award for Badjurovo music. In 1988 he was appointed an honorary member of the Slovenian Philharmonic and in 1995 attained another title from the University of Ljubljana
University of Ljubljana
The University of Ljubljana is the oldest and largest university in Slovenia. With 64,000 enrolled graduate and postgraduate students, it is among the largest universities in Europe.-Beginnings:...
. In 1992 he received the Prešeren Award for Lifetime Achievement.
Death and legacy
He died on May 3, 2008 after a long illness. On November 20, 2008, a concert by the Slovenian Symphony Orchestra was held in Cankarjev dom, Gallus Hall in Ljubljana in his memory. The orchestra, conducted by Marko Letonja, featured soloist Jože Kotar on clarinet. They performed a number of pieces such as Krek's Concert Fantasia for Clarinet and Orchestra but also the late-Romantic Richard StraussRichard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
's Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier
Der Rosenkavalier is a comic opera in three acts by Richard Strauss to an original German libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It is loosely adapted from the novel Les amours du chevalier de Faublas by Louvet de Couvrai and Molière’s comedy Monsieur de Pourceaugnac...
suite.