Marcel Landowski

Marcel Landowski ( born February 18, 1915 in Pont- l'Abbé, † 23 December 1999 in Paris) was a French composer and cultural politicians. His father was the then world famous sculptor Paul Landowski, his mother was a descendant of the violinist and composer Henri Vieuxtemps.

Landowski, who showed great musical talent very early, studied piano in Paris with Marguerite Long, then composition at the Conservatoire de Paris. With Pierre Monteux, who performed his first works, he took to teaching in conducting. From 1962 held Landowksi, who was in the late 1940s within France as one of the most important living composers increasingly important cultural-political post in the musical field, which were given him by André Malraux, the Minister of Culture Charles de Gaulle. Effective Landowski has almost twenty years exercised a decisive influence on the organization of classical music festivals, managing orchestras and, in the first place, musical education in France (up to takeover the left under François Mitterrand, 1981), where he was left-wing in the and progressive colleagues set but rather unpopular. At the most notorious of the most commented bust-up with Pierre Boulez.

Landowski wrote five symphonies, among other things, the politically and philosophically from a right-wing conservative standpoint outgoing operas Le Rire de Nile Halerius, Le Fou, Montsegur and 1996 for Galina Vishnevskaya Galina and concertante works, including for ondes Martenot and for cello, the latter as a sign of friendship for Mstislav Rostropovich, the husband said, " Galina ".

Landowski practiced a moderate modern musical, rhythmically sophisticated language in the style of his heroes Arthur Honegger and Darius Milhaud.