Maurice Ohana

Maurice Ohana ( born June 12, 1913 in Casablanca, † November 13, 1992 in Paris) was a French composer of Moroccan origin, although his father was from the British Gibraltar.

Life

Ohana came from an Andalusian Sephardic family. He spent his youth in French Morocco and he received a French education. At the age of 20 he moved with his family to southern France. Ohana initially studied architecture before embarking on a musical career. He studied in Paris, Barcelona and Rome. His teachers were Jean -Yves Daniel - Lesur in Paris and from 1944 Alfredo Casella in Rome. In the period 1936-1947 Ohana was also active as a concert pianist. First compositions were created 1944-1946.

After the end of World War II, where he had participated in the fighting in Italy on the British side, he moved to Paris, where he spent the rest of his life.

Ohana wrote several concertos, including a guitar and a trumpet concerto, a concerto for two pianos, percussion and orchestra, ballet music, opera and film music. He was a founder of the Groupe Phenix, which represented a total freedom of musical expression. His compositions betray Spanish and French influences, such as Ravel, Debussy, Manuel de Falla, Isaac Albéniz, but also of Stravinsky and Bartok.

The musicologist Harry Halbreich characterized Ohanas artistic creations and their musical and historical position in 1997 with the following words: ". The factthat Maurice Ohana what one of the very greatest composers of this century Seems To Remain one of the best guarded secrets of our musical life" ( The fact that Maurice Ohana one of the greatest composers of this century was, seems to be one of the best kept secrets of our musical life ).

Works (selection)

Operas

  • Chanson de toile ( with puppets ), 1960
  • Syllabaise pour Phèdre, 1969
  • Autodafé ( with puppets ), 1972

Oratory

  • Recit de l'an zéro, to a poem by Georges Schehadé, 1959

Orchestral works

  • Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra
  • Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1980-1981)
  • Guitar Concert
  • Two cello concerts
  • T'Harân Ng, symphonic work (1973-1974)
  • Cipher de clavecin, Concerto for Harpsichord and 21 instruments
  • Piece for piano, flute, lyre and the orchestra, with one-third tones
  • Dirge for Claude Debussy for piano, dritteltönige kithara, voices and chamber orchestra

Chamber Music

  • Quatre Eudes Chorégraphiques, 1955 (1963 revised version for 6 percussionists - Les Percussion de Strasbourg )
  • Tientos for Guitar, 1955
  • 24 Preludes for Piano, 1973
  • Cinq séquences for string quartet, 1964
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