Mykola Kolessa

Mykola Filaretowytsch Kolessa (Ukrainian Микола Філаретович Колесса; born December 6, 1903 in Sambir at Lemberg; † June 8, 2006 in Lviv ) was a Ukrainian composer, conductor and teacher.

Life

Kolessa came from a very musical family: his father Filaret Kolessa was himself a well-known folklorist and composer. The famous concert pianist Lubka Kolessa was his cousin. By 1923 Kolessa studied music at the Lysenko Lviv Institute. After that he went to Prague, where he continued his studies at the University and at the Conservatory. His teachers were, inter alia, Vítězslav Novák (composition ) and Otakar Ostrčil (conducting). In 1931 he completed his studies and even began the same year, even to teach: to 1939 at Lysenko Lviv Institute, from 1939 at the Lviv Conservatory, which he headed for several years as rector. His professor of conducting took Kolessa more true than 100 - year-old. In addition to his teaching, he was also active as a conductor. For 40 years, from 1939 to 1979, he led the Philharmonic Orchestra of Lviv. In addition, he also conducted at the Lviv Theatre and directed various choirs. Among his most famous pupils was the composer Myroslaw Skoryk. Kolessa received awards such as People's Artist of Ukraine (1972) and the Taras Shevchenko State Prize (1983). He was considered the grand old man of the Ukrainian music scene and had a tremendous reputation.

Style

Kolessa always relied on the Ukrainian folklore that he so wanted to play original and unadulterated as possible after the model of Béla Bartók. That's why he put in some of his orchestral works also folk instruments. The influence of Impressionism can be observed in his works. Overall, however, was undoubtedly Kolessa especially in the tradition of Russian nationalist music. His musical language was very conservative and always will be tonal. His best-known work in the West, the First Symphony, is stylistically much beyond Glazunov. Important for his work, the demands of Socialist Realism. Both as a composer and as a conductor Kolessa was one of the leading Ukrainian personalities of his generation.

Works

• Orchestral works Symphony No.1 in G major (1950 )
• Symphony No.2 in A minor (1966 )
• "Ukrainian Suite" (1928 )
• " In the mountains ," Suite for String Orchestra ( 1972)
• Symphonic Variations (1931 )
• Stage and Film Music

• " Lemkische wedding ", folksong arrangements for choir and string quartet (1937 )
• "In the land of the cherry trees ", song cycle (1971 )
• Many folk song arrangements

• Piano Quartet (1930 )
• Sonatina for piano (1939 )
• "Little things " for piano (1928 )
• Passacaglia, Scherzo and Fugue for Piano ( 1929)
• "Three Kolomyki " for piano (1958 )
• " Two Miniatures " for piano (1987 )