THE LIVING COMPOSERS PROJECT  

Octavian Nemescu

(b. 29 March 1940, Pașcani – d. 7 November 2020, Bucharest).

Romanian composer of mostly orchestral and chamber works that have been performed throughout Europe and elsewhere.

Prof. Nemescu studied composition with Mihail Jora, harmony with Paul Constantinescu and orchestration with Alexandru Pașcanu and Anatol Vieru at the Universitatea Națională de Muzică București from 1956–63. He later studied with Sigismund Toduță at the Academia de Muzică Gheorghe Dima in Cluj-Napoca in 1978 and there earned his DMus in musicology.

Among his honours were the Aaron Copland Prize in the USA (1970), seven prizes from the Uniunea Compozitorilor și Muzicologilor din România in Bucharest (1980, 1982, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1997, 2010, 2013), two prizes in the Concours International de Musique Électroacoustique de Bourges (1980, 1982), the Premiul from the Fundația Națională pentru Știință și Artă in Bucharest (1980), and the Prize of the International Confederation of Electroacoustic Music (1985). He was later named an officer, first class, of the Ordinul Meritul Cultural by the government of Romania (2004). His music has been performed in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland.

He was also active in other positions. He wrote many articles on aesthetics, as well as the book Capacitatile semantice ale muzicii – The Semantic Capacities of Music (1983, Editura Muzicală).

He initially taught at the Universitatea Transilvania din Brașov, where he was an assistant from 1971–74 and a lecturer on analysis and counterpoint from 1974–78. He then taught as a professor of counterpoint, harmony and music history at the Școala de Muzică George Enescu in Bucharest from 1978–90 and taught as Professor of Composition and doctoral advisor at the Universitatea Națională de Muzică București from 1990–2017.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Website: http://www.nemescu.ro/en/index.php

SELECT LIST OF WORKS

ORCHESTRAL:

Triangle, 1963–64

Four Dimensions in Time – IV, 'Illuminations', mixed chorus, orchestra, fixed media, 1967

Four Dimensions in Time – V, '1918', orchestra, fixed media, 1968, revised 1976

Four Dimensions in Time – VII, orchestra, fixed media, 1970

Alpha – Omega recidiva, orchestra, fixed media, 1989

Finaleph, 1990

NonSymphony No. 5 (non-spectacular music in two parts: collective ritual around a lake; individual ritual–imaginary music in a period of five months), 1988–92

Quindecimortuorum for 1 o'clock AM, 2 percussion, symphonic band, 1994

PreSymphony No. 6 (non-spectacular music in a period of six years), 1996–2000

MultiSymphony 1 (original title PluriSymphony No. 1) (non-spectacular music in a period of one second or one minute), mixed chorus, orchestra, 2002

PostSymphony No. 2 (non-spectacular music in a period of two hours), 2001–03

A=1 a music for Noon, small orchestra (24 players)/orchestra, fixed media, 2005

Music of the First 17 Minutes of a Fatal Hour, 2014

Music of Minutes 17–30 of a Fatal Hour – for the first floor, voice, small orchestra, fixed media, 2015

EscaLiner, 2 percussion, string orchestra, fixed media, 2017

CHAMBER MUSIC:

Sonata for Clarinet and Piano, clarinet, piano, 1962

Poliritmii, clarinet, piano, 1963

Combinations in Circles, cello, ensemble (flute, clarinet, bassoon, trombone, viola), fixed media, 1965

Concentric, variable ensemble, fixed media, 1969

Spectacle pour un instant, piano, variable ensemble, fixed media, 1974

Le Chadouf de la Porte, viola/double bass, percussion, fixed media, 1976

Metabizantinirikon (spectacular, intimate pieces for practicing in a period of nine months), clarinet/soprano saxophone (+ alto saxophone, tenor saxophone)/violin/viola, fixed media, 1984

Alpha – Omega (individual and intimate practicing stage of music), alto saxophone (+ tenor saxophone, bass saxophone), violin, percussion, fixed media, 1988

IN-PAR, trombone, fixed media, 1988

Finalis-septima, clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello, piano, 2 percussion, 1989

Finalpha (music for sunset, with a cloudy sky, before a tempest, or for the beginning and end of a concert), trombone, 2 percussion, fixed media, 1990

Finalis, variable ensemble, fixed media, 1991

String Quartet for Midnight, string quartet, 1993

DanielPentAbsorbOR, alto saxophone (+ tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, contrabass saxophone), fixed media, 1995

NegantiDiaDua for 2 o'clock AM, voice, alto saxophone, trombone, piano, percussion, fixed media, 1995

PhosisTriPercMetaMor for 3 o'clock AM, French horn, 6 percussion, fixed media, 1996

Septuor for 4 o'clock AM, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello, piano, percussion, fixed media, 1997

QuintaBeit for 5 o'clock AM, voice, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 2 trumpets, violin, cello, piano, 6 percussion, fixed media, 1998

BeitSonorum for 6 o'clock AM, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello, piano, 4 percussion, fixed media, 1999

BeitIntervallum for 7 o'clock AM, clarinet, violin, piano, 4 percussion, fixed media, 2000

BeiTrissonum for 8 o'clock AM, 2 flutes, violin, viola, accordion, fixed media, 2001

rouaUruauor for 9 o'clock AM, flute, tuba, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2002

OUA for 10 o'clock AM, flute, clarinet, trombone, violin, piano, 2 percussion, fixed media, 2002–03

OU for 11 o'clock AM, flute, clarinet, French horn, trombone, tuba, violin, cello, piano, 2 percussion, fixed media, 2004

ASCENSIO, saxophone, 6 percussion, fixed media, 2005

ErAImII or EAE ou EA for 1 o'clock PM, flute, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, violin, cello, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2006

EUI or ErUImII for 2 o'clock PM, clarinet, viola, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2007

CRISTIASCENSICELLO, flute, clarinet, soprano saxophone (+ alto saxophone), French horn, trombone, harp, cello, piano (+ celesta), percussion, 2007

A T, saxophones (1 player), viola, fixed media, 2008

OUIEIUO for 3 o'clock PM, flute, tuba, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2008–09

ITRIssonumBE oder ssonumBEITRI for 4 o'clock PM, 2 flutes, violin, viola, accordion, fixed media, 2009

ITintervallumBE or vallumBEITinter for 5 o'clock PM, clarinet, violin, piano, 4 percussion, fixed media, 2009–10

ITsonorumBE for 6 o'clock PM, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2010

PinAscensiCristiCho, piano, celesta, organ, 2 percussion, fixed media, 2010–11

BEseptimaIT for 7 o'clock PM, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 2 trumpets, violin, cello, piano, 5 percussion, fixed media, 2011

ORsept for 8 o'clock PM, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2011–12

PerMETAMor or MorMETAPer for 9 o'clock PM, French horn, 6 percussion, fixed media, 2013

duaNEGdia oder diaNEGdua for 10 o'clock PM, voice, flute, trombone, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2013–14

NATIVITAS QUINDECI for 11 o'clock PM, 11 players, 2014

Parallel Destinies, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, fixed media, 2015

Music of Minutes 30–35 of a Fatal Hour – for the second floor, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trombone, violin, cello, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2015

Music of Minutes 35–40 of a Fatal Hour – for the third floor, clarinet, trombone, violin, cello, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2015

Music of Minutes 40–45 of a Fatal Hour – for the fourth floor, clarinet, trombone, violin, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2016

Music of Minutes 45–50 of a Fatal Hour – for the fifth floor, trombone, violin, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2017

Music of Minutes 50–55 of a Fatal Hour – for the sixth floor, trombone, percussion, fixed media, 2018

Ephemeridæ, 5 violins, cello, 2020

CHORAL:

Two Madrigals, equal chorus, 1960

Salve Regina, mixed chorus, organ, 1981

Lumina lina, mixed chorus, 1988

VOCAL:

Je dis comme, voice, piano, 1996

AM UAT, voice, double bass, piano, 2008

PIANO:

Suggestions IV, 1979

Centrifuga (individual and intimate practicing stage of music), piano, fixed media, 1985

ELECTROACOUSTIC:

Naturel – Culturel (music for the peak of a mountain at sunrise), fixed media, 1973, revised 1983

Gradeatia (music for the ambience of a monastery), fixed media, 1982

Trisson (music around a temple), fixed media, 1986

Sonatu(h)r (music for sunset around a lake or in a meadow with blossoming trees), fixed media, 1987

Sæcula – Sæculorum (music for the end of a century), fixed media, 2000

Music of the Last Minutes of a Fatal Hour – seventh floor, fixed media, 2019

CONCEPTUAL MUSIC:

Suggestions I, variable ensemble, multimedia, 1968

Memorial, variable ensemble, multimedia, 1968

Will the King Die?!, any player, clock, fixed media, multimedia, 1968

Graphological Music, variable ensemble, multimedia, 1969

Ulysses, variable ensemble, fixed media, spatial multimedia, 1972, revised 1982

METAMUSIC:

Semantics for n melomen, 1971–74

IMAGINARY MUSIC:

Cromoson – A Song of Objects, 1974–75

Will You Be Able by Yourself?, 1976