Serban Nichifor
Composer
Born: August 25, 1954, in Bucharest, Romania Married to Liana Alexandra <AlexandraLiana.htm>, composer Studies
National University of Music, Bucharest, Doctor in Musicology
Theology Faculty, University of Bucharest
International courses of composition at Darmstadt, Weimar, Breukelen and Munchen
USIA Stipendium (USA)
Present Position
Professor at the National University of Music, Bucharest (Chamber Music Department);
Member of UCMR (Romania), SABAM (Belgium), ECPMN (Holland)
Vice-president of the ROMANIA-BELGIUM Association
Cellist of the Duo INTERMEDIA <../general/duointermedia.htm> and co-director of the NUOVA MUSICA CONSONANTE-LIVING MUSIC FOUNDATION INC.(U.S.A) Festival, with Liana ALEXANDRA
Selected Works OPERA, SYMPHONIC, VOCAL-SYMPHONIC AND CONCERTANTE MUSIC:
"Constellations" for Orchestra (1977)
Symphony I "Shadows" (1980)
Cantata "Sources" (1977)
Cantata "Gloria Heroum Holocausti" (1978)
Opera "Miss Christina" (libretto by Mircea ELIADE,1981)
Symphony II "Via Lucis" (1985)
Symphony III "American Symphony - I" (1986)
Symphony IV "American Symphony - II" (1987)
Symphony V "Pro Patria" (1987)
Symphony VI "Time Archways" (1988)
Cantata "Remember" (1988)
"Missa da Requiem" (1990)
Chamber-Opera "Talaria" (libretto by Etienne DE SADELEER, 1994)
Cantata "Per CHRISTUM" (1997)
"Concerto GRIEGoriano" for Piano and Orchestra (1997)
Chamber-Opera "Le Martyre de Saint Claude DEBUSSY" (libretto after Claude DEBUSSY and E.A.POE, 1999)
"Un Certain Instant" for Cello and Orchestra (2001)
CHAMBER, CHORAL AND VOCAL MUSIC
"Postludium" per Organo (1975)
"Sorcova" per Coro Misto a capella (1995)
Quartetto per Archi I - "Anamorphose" (1976)
"Carols" per Trombone e Percussione (1978)
"Invocatio" per Flauto e Celesta (1979)
"Canto di Speranza" per Flauto,Violino,Viola,Cello e Pianoforte (1981)
"Onirophonie" per Fl., Vn.e Pf. (1982)
"Chanson d'Antan" per Vn.e Pf.(1983)
"Carnyx" per Clarinetto (1984)
"Tango for Yvar" per Pf.(1984)
Quartetto per Archi II - "Vallons de l'Oubli" (1984)
"Aprite le porte di questo castel" per Coro Maschile (1984)
"Morendo" per Cb. e Pianoforte (1985)
"6 Melodies Irlandaises d'Amerique" per 2 Ob.,C.i. e 2 Fg. (1985)
"Czarna Rosa" per Mezzo-Soprano e Pf. (1986)
"7 Canti Rumeni di Natale" per 4 Trombe, 4 Tromboni ed Organo (1986)
"Horn Call Rag" per Corno e Pf. (1986)
"AVE MARIA" per Soprano ed Organo (1987)
"Isola di Euthanasios" - Sonata "sopra acqua e pietra" per Pianoforte (1988)
"Transgressio" per Fl.,Ob. e Fg. (1989)
"Battuta" per Percussione (1989)
"Lacrimosa" per Tenore e Pf. (1989)
"Meditatio"per Organo (1990)
Missa "Actio Gratiarum Oecumenica" per Coro Misto a capella (1991)
"NATALIS DOMINI" per Coro Misto a capella (1992)
"Isihia" per Cello (1992)
"Epiphania" per Cello e Pianoforte (1993)
"Rorate Caeli" per Soprano ed Orchestra da Camera (1994)
"Medium per Arpa" (1995)
"Medium per Flauto" (1995)
"3 Christmas German Chorals" for Organ (1997)
"Hommage a DEBUSSY" per 2 Pf. - ossia Pf. e Nastro Magnetico (1998)
"La Nuit Obscure" per Orchestra da Camera (1998)
"Invocation a Themis" per Sax.Alto (2001)
"Isihia" for violoncello and tape (2002)
Works published at
Musical Publishing House, Bucharest
Edition Modern, Munchen
"Pro musica Studium", Roma
"Quadrivium Music Press", New York
"Dohr Verlag", Koln a.s.o.
Edition SCORE-ON-LINE (France)
Works played and recorded in
Romania, Belgium, Holland, USA, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, England, Austria, Japan, Greece, a.s.o.
Affiliations
Member in good standing of the Research Board of Advisors of the American Biographical Institute, USA
Member of the European Conference for Promoters of New Music <http://www.ecpnm.com> (see Nuova Musica Consonante)
Member of Living Music Foundation Inc., USA <http://www.e-universe.com/lmfhome/>
Prizes and Awards
1977 - First Prize GAUDEAMUS, Amsterdam
1977 - International Prize, Tours, France
1978 - "Press Prize", Evian
1979 - International Prize ISCM, Athens, Greece
1980, 1982, 1988 - Prizes of the Romanian Composers and Musicologists' Union
1980 - "Diego ORTIZ", Toledo
1982 - "George Enesco" Prize of the Romanian Academy
1983 - Urbana-Illinois
1984, 1993 - Trento
1985 - "Valentino BUCCHI", Roma
1986 - "Musica Antiqua Europae Orientalis", Bydgoszcz
1988 - ISCM, Hong-Kong
1994 - Jihlava
1996 - Karlsruhe
1997 - Koln
1998 - Newtown-Wales
1998 - Birmingham-Alabama
1998 - Bourges
2002 - "Man of the Year", American Biographical Institute, USA
PRESS REVIEWS
SUNDAY TIMES (London, 18.08.1977) - "The First Prize went to a 22-year-old Romanian Serban NICHIFOR, for his <Anamorphose>, played by the Gaudeamus String Quartet in the smaller hall of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Its virtually silent beginning, seemingly addressed to the eye rather than the ear, already hinted at a spatial element which later furnished a valid and charming feature of its ending. The visual gradually became audible, and the mosaic of sound soon acquired continuity as a few folk-tune motifs were set in relief. This innocuous, inextravagant, musically and visually direct essay in quartet-writing deserved recognition and won an ovation !" (Felix APRAHAMIAN)
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG (09.06.1978) - "Die Presse-Jury bedachte das rumanische Quartet <Lyra> mit einem Preis fur die ausgezeichnete Interpretation der attraktiven <Anamorphose> des jungen Komponisten Serban NICHIFOR" (Bernd LEUKERT)
SUDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG (27/28.05.1978) - "...Sein <Anamorphose> betiteltes Stuck exerziert die verschidensten technischen Affekte und Effekte auf den vier Instrumenten und zerfasert den Streicherklang schliesslich auf augenfallige Weise..." (Albrecht ROESELER)
DIE PRESSE (Wien,26.05.1978) - "...die originelle <Anamorphose> von Serban NICHIFOR..." (Olga OBRY)
LA VOIX (11.05.1978) - "...le Quatuor <Anamorphose> du Roumain Serban NICHIFOR,oeuvre d'une redoutable complexite, mais d'une indeniable valeur..." (Georges BERNAND)
NRC HANDELSBLAD (Amsterdam,13.09.1977) - "...Serban NICHIFOR,in sijn strijkwartet - een brok onstuimig muziek maken - integreert hij vijf Roemeense melodieen uit Transsylvanie en past hij als een soort van harmonische basis evenees vijf Roemeens-orthodoxe hymnes toe. Let wel: hij doet dat in een uit gespreken avant-gardistisch klanggemiddelde ! Resultaat hat grootste applaus en de eerste prijde van den jury." (Ernst VERMEULEN)
DARMSTADTER ECHO (04.08.1980) - "Das absolute Gegenteil dazu wurde in der Streichquartett-Komposition <Anamorphose> des Rumanen Serban NICHIFOR geboten. Komplexe polyphone Schichtungen, vorwiegend mit wisperndern Spiel am Steg und scharrenden Flageolett-Tone aufgebaut, zeugten von einer ausgesprochen raffinierten Schreibweise..." (Jo TRILLIG)
MUSICULTURA (Breukelen, II-1980) - "...NICHIFOR's final example was a 1980 cantata <Sources>. The work deals with the peoples who lived in Romania in the most ancient times. In this energetic composition one can find a montage of folk materials and contemporary idioms..." (William P. MALM)
LIVING MUSIC (USA, Fall '93, Vol.11, No.1) - "...NICHIFOR has been active as a composer, performer, and musicologist. He has won numerous awards and is performed frequently in his own country and abroad. During the past years he has been especially active in Bucharest organizing concerts of music by Amarican composers. NICHIFOR did visit the United States in 1982, so he has a good sense of musical life in this country." (Rodney OAKES)
THE WHITE HOUSE - WASHINGTON D.C. (01.10.1992) - "Dear Mr. NICHIFOR, thank you for the beautiful recordings of your Third and Fourth Symphonies, which I recently received through the U.S.Information Agency. I appreciate your having dedicated them <to the glory of America> and I am delighted to know that our cities have inspired you in this uniquely creative way. The recordings have been donated to the Library Of Congress so that they may be preserved for the people of the United States. Your thoughtful gift will bring many hours of pleasure to all who come to enjoy them." George BUSH, The President of the United States of America
RHEIN-NECKAR-ZEITUNG (Karlsruhe,31.10.1996) - "...Und mit der <Meditation> des rumanischen Komponist Serban NICHIFOR wurde man dann doch noch hineingefuhrt in die versunkene Welt der stillen Gebete, des Archaischen, der ruhig brutenden Fauxbourdon-Klange, die zuweilen die innigen religioso-Harmonien eines Cesar FRANCK herbeizitieren. Doch dann noch gesprochene lateinische Gebetformeln - da gab es alles, war die Glaubensseele begluckt. Dass davon gleichwohl ein subtiler Reiz ausging, blieb unbestritten."(Rainer KOHL)
LE JOURNAL DE ST-GERMAIN (24.09.1999) - "...C'est pour honorer la memoire de Claude DEBUSSY que le compositeur Serban NICHIFOR a compose en 1999 , <Le Martyre de Saint Claude DEBUSSY>, drame lyrique evoquant les dernieres annees du musicien. Il vient d'adresser au Musee Claude DEBUSSY sa piece pour piano et bande magnetique. Dans cette piece,on retrouvera tout l'univers debussyste: de la poesie enchanteresse,a l'appel du lontain... Cet enregistrement vient enrichir le fonds du musee (en cours de constitution) et devrait s'integrer au projet d'ecoutes musicales." (Jacques BERLIE)
LUXEMBURGER WORT (23.02.2000) - "...Finalement, c'est <La Nuit Obscure> de Serban NICHIFOR qui nous impressionna le plus. Concue comme un veritable <concerto pour percussion>,l'oeuvre surprend par son originalite et sa beaute intrinseque, mais aussi par la virtuosite qu'elle exige du soliste. Pas de bavardage, pas de fioriture, rien que de la tres belle musique, fracassante certes, mais tellement vraie !" (Pierre SCHWICKERATH)
LA LETTRE DU HAUTBOISTE (France, No 5/2000) - "...Dans les <6 Melodies Irlandaises d'Amerique> de Serban NICHIFOR, les nantais, deja nombreux, s'etaient associes aus messins. Cette musique franche et limpide, se pretait bien a un effectif hors norme concu pour le plaisir de jouer tout ensemble."
CORALITA (Trento, Nr.6/1985) - "...<Aprite le porte di questo castel> di Serban NICHIFOR - vivace e scherzoso elaborazione, tessuto su uno scheletro armonico in cui le tre strofe vengono variamente presentate... una <coda> precipitosa si conclude in un buffo <portamento>, che sfoncia nel <quasi parlando> (e <quasi grido>) dei due accordi finali."
KOLNER STADT-ANZEIGER (08.12.1997) - "...der Anhang umfasst 135 Kompositionen... Zweiter wurde Serban NICHIFOR aus Bukarest..." (Claudia FREYTAG)
LIVING MUSIC (USA, Spring 2000, Vol.17, No.3) - "Serban NICHIFOR himself turned in some splendid performances of our american cello music, and ensembles of student performers who are sure to develop technical and professional polish with experience filled the remaining concert-and-a-half with vibrantly enthusiastic renditions of chamber works..." (Aaron J. RABUSHKA)
THE NEW GROVE DICTIONARY OF MUSIC AND MUSICIANS 2002, vol.17, p. 865-866 ? ?Nichifor, Serban (b Bucharest, 25 Aug 1954). Romanian composer. After studying the cello with Serafim Antropov at the Bucharest Academy, graduating in 1972, he took private composition lessons with Stroe and Walter Mihai Kleper. Nichifor continued his composition studies in Darmstadt and Breukelen with Ton de Leeuw (1978, 1980) and in Munich with Celibidache. Musical secretary of the George Enescu Philharmonic, he has also taught in the chamber music class at the Bucharest Academy, where he took the doctorate in music (1995) and in theology (1996). Developing from a neo-romantic stylistic basis, Nichifor has remained firmly convinced of the continuing relevance of conventionally composed music. He has experimented with new techniques of sound organization and structure, notably in his opera Domnisoara Cristina, which includes tape recordings. His eclectic compositonal language extends to jazz elements in his Third and Fourth Symphonies. In his compositions after 1990 he has developed a simplified style employing themes reminiscent of Byzantine chant. Further information is given in G. Tartler: Melopoetica (Bucharest,1984).? (Octavian COSMA)
Address : Serban NICHIFOR, Str.Principatele Unite Nr.2,Vila I, Ap.7, Sector 4, RO-70512 BUCHAREST, ROMANIA, Tel.(0040-1)336.13.99. and (0040-1)772.30.29. Mobil: 0040731048383.
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