(b. 27 January 1945, Zărnești).
Romanian composer of mostly orchestral, chamber, choral, and vocal works that have been performed in Europe.
Prof. Vlad initially studied music theory with Filaret Barbu and oboe with Pavel Tornea at the Music High School in Bucharest from 1958–64. He then studied with Tudor Ciortea, Dan Constantinescu, Octavian L. Cosma, Victor Giuleanu, Myriam Marbe, Aurel Stroe, Zeno Vancea, and Anatol Vieru at the Universitatea Națională de Muzică București, where he graduated in 1971. He also attended seminars in composition with Virgilio Mortari at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome in 1971–72. He later earned his DMus under the supervision of Gheorghe Oprea at the Universitatea Națională de Muzică București in 2004.
Among his honours are a prize in oboe at the Festival of Young Performers of Romania (1964), the Special Prize from the Universitatea Națională de Muzică București (1971), a Second-Class Medal for Distinction in Culture (1983), the Premiul George Enescu from the Academia Română in Bucharest (1985), First Prize from the Uniunea Compozitorilor și Muzicologilor din România at the festival National Song of Romania in Bucharest (1987), six prizes from the Uniunea Compozitorilor și Muzicologilor din România in Bucharest (1990, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009), and the Medal of Honour from the Universitatea Națională de Muzică București (2011). He was named an officer of the Ordinul Meritul Cultural by the government of Romania (2004).
He is also active in other positions. He researched folk music from Romania at the Universitatea Națională de Muzică București from 1971–77 and at the Institutul de Etnografie și Folclor Constantin Brăiloiu in Bucharest from 1977–80. In addition, he served as an editor for the publisher Editura Muzicală in Bucharest from 1980–84 and as its manager from 1984–92, then served as director of the department of music of the Ministry of Culture and National Patrimony in Bucharest in 1992–93. He has served as vice-president of the Romanian Community of Electronic and Computer Assisted Music in Bucharest since 2004, as vice-president of the Uniunea Compozitorilor și Muzicologilor din România since 2006 and as a member of the board of directors of the Alianța Națională a Uniunilor de Creatori din România since 2006. He served as a member of the board of directors of the Institutul Cultural Român in Bucharest from 2009–13 and has served as president of the section in Romania of ISCM since 2013.
He has taught as a professor of score reading at the Universitatea Națională de Muzică București since 1993, where he has served in the senate since 2004.
He is married to the composer Marina-Marta Vlad and is the father of the composer Roman Vlad.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
ORCHESTRAL:
As Hardly from Depths (sinfonia concertante), cello, piano, orchestra, 1971, revised 1981
Dreams I, string orchestra, 1972
Remembrances, 3 French horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, percussion, string orchestra, 1973
The Time of Mirrors, small orchestra, 1974
Inscriptions in Hearts I – Simfonia Brevis, 1978
Symphony I, 'Roads in the Light', 1979
Dreams II (concerto), string orchestra, 1982
The Scales of Light, mezzo-soprano, small orchestra (15 players), 1982 (variation of Mosaic [1974–78])
Symphony II, 'From our Hearts', 1984
Sources (symphonic poem), small orchestra (4 clarinets [all + saxophone], 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, piano, percussion), 1987
Lights in the Sunset, 1991
From the Joy of Dreams (concerto), string orchestra, 1991
The Game of Dreams (concerto), small orchestra, 1992
Suddenly, Dreams (concerto), small orchestra, 1994
The Light of Dreams, 1995
Interlocking Dreams II, small orchestra (13 players), 1997
Resonances on a Pale Background (concerto), harp, string orchestra, 2002
Through the Light of Resonances – Piece for Cello and Chamber Orchestra, cello, small orchestra, 2004
Light for the Future I, flute (+ piccolo, bass flute, contrabass flute), harp, small orchestra (20 flutes [4 + piccolo, 6 + alto flute, 6 + bass flute, 4 + contrabass flute]), 2006
From the Sound of Earth, cello, small orchestra (15 or more players), 2007
The Light of Roads, 2011
Inscriptions in Hearts II, 2012
Wild Flowers, string orchestra, 2013
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Sonata, oboe, piano/harpsichord, 1969
Septet, flute (+ percussion), oboe (+ percussion), clarinet (+ percussion), bassoon (+ percussion), French horn (+ percussion), trumpet (+ percussion), piano, 1970
Thoughts, flute, harp, 1971
Sketch I, flute, 1974
Sketch II, viola, 1975
Quintet, clarinet, trumpet, violin, viola, piano, 1977 (variation of Mosaic [1974–78])
Commentary on 'Mosaic', 8 French horns, 1977
Mosaic, violin, viola, cello, 1978
Watercolours, oboe, 1981
Winter Landscape, piccolo, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, cello, piano, 1981 (variation of Mosaic [1974–78])
Flowers for Peace, string quartet, 1982
Mosaic, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1983
The Spring (string trio no. 1), violin, viola, cello, 1984
Codex Caioni, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1984
Voices of Peace, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, fixed media, 1986
Portraits, harp, 1987
String Trio, violin, viola, cello, 1987
Sunlit Landscape (string trio no. 2), violin, viola, cello, 1987
On This Sunny Land I (string trio no. 3), violin, viola, cello, 1988
String Trio, violin, viola, cello, 1990
The Joy of Dreams I, flute, violin, viola, cello, percussion, 1990
The Joy of the Passage (string trio no. 4), violin, viola, cello, 1991
The Secret of Dreams I, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1992
The Time of Dreams, flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, 1993
The Secret of Dreams II, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, harp, 1993
The Joy of Dreams II, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, 1994
The Legend of Dreams, flute/oboe, clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1994
Flash of Dreams, flute, violin, viola, cello, 1995
From the Light of Dreams I, flute, violin, viola, cello, 1995
From the Light of Dreams II, flute, violin, viola, cello, 1996
Beyond Dreams I–V, any number of winds, any number of strings, any keyboard instrument, 1996
The Secret of Dreams III, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, piano, percussion, 1996
Interlocking Dreams I, 3 flutes, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, violin, viola, piano, accordion, percussion, 1997
Resonances on a White Background, soprano saxophone (+ alto saxophone, bass saxophone), trombone, piano, percussion, 1999
Resonances on a Mauve Background, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, violin, cello, piano, percussion, 2000
Resonances on a Light Blue Background I, flute, cello, 2000
Resonances in the Future (11 solo pieces), flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, harp, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, 1997–2001
Resonances on a Green Background, flute, harp, cello, 2001
Resonances on a Light Blue Background II, flute, trumpet, cello, 2004
Resonances on a Red Background II, flute, piano, percussion, fixed media, 2004
The Light of Blue Resonances I – Concertino, mezzo-soprano, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, B-flat trumpet, harp, violin, viola, cello, double bass, fixed media, 2005
The Light of Blue Resonances II, viola, fixed media, 2005
Flowers and Resonances – Trio for Saxophones, Viola and Piano, saxophones (1 player), viola, piano, 2005
Lamento I, French horn, fixed media, 2005
White and Resonances, viola, fixed media, 2005
On This Sunny Land II, string quartet, 2006
Light for the Future II, flute, harp, 2006
Resonances on a White Background, soprano saxophones (+ alto saxophone, bass saxophone), trombone, piano, percussion, 2006
Grey and Resonances, harp, fixed media, 2006
Beyond Dreams VI, piccolo (+ flute), alto flute (+ bass flute), violin, viola, piano, accordion, percussion, fixed media, 2006
Through the Sound of Resonances, flute, harp, cello, piano, 2007
Thoughts and Resonances, violin, viola, cello, fixed media, 2007
The Sparkle of the Mosaic, cello, fixed media, 2007
Red and Resonances, flute, harp, cello, piano, fixed media, 2007
From the Sounds of Sight I, double bass, fixed media, 2007
From the Sounds of Sight II, cello, fixed media, 2007
From the Sounds of Sight III, flute, fixed media, 2007
From the Sounds of Sight IV, violin, fixed media, 2007
From the Sounds of Sight V, double bass, 2007
From the Sounds of Sight VI, cello, 2007
From the Sounds of Sight VII, flute, 2007
From the Sounds of Sight VIII, violin, 2007
Lamento II, bassoon, fixed media, 2007
Lamento III, cello, fixed media, 2008
Through the Sounds of Sight II, violin, fixed media, 2008
Light for the Future III, flute, 2008
Through the Sounds of Sight III, cello, 2008
Through the Sounds of Sight IV, violin, 2008
Through the Sounds of Sight I, cello, fixed media, 2008–09
In the Light of Evocation – Dan Constantinescu, oboe, fixed media, 2009
In the Light of Evocation – Anatol Vieru, cello, fixed media, 2010
For You, soprano, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, 2011
Flowers for You, string quartet, 2012
Echoes I, violin, piano, 2012
Echoes II, violin, cello, piano, 2013
Resonances on a Yellow Background I, violin, cello, 2014
Resonances on a Yellow Background II, violin, cello, piano, 2014
CHORAL:
Lead (text by George Bacovia), 4 mixed voices, flute, clarinet, 2 trombones, tuba (any player + gong), 1970
This is the Earth (cantata, text by Eugen Frunză), mixed chorus, orchestra, 1970
The Joy of Achievement – Wedding Songs, mixed chorus, 1988
VOCAL:
The Tears (text by Lucian Blaga), soprano, English horn, piano, 1970
Mosaic (24 solo pieces, text by the composer), soprano, alto, tenor, bass, piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, B-flat trumpet, trombone, tuba, harp, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, piano, 3 percussion, 1974–78 (also three variations: Quintet; Winter Landscape; The Scales of Light)
Mosaic, mezzo-soprano, clarinet, 1984
Interlocking Dreams III (text by the composer), soprano, small orchestra (13 players), 1999
The Poetry of Dreams (text by the composer), soprano, small orchestra (12 players), fixed media, 2003
PIANO:
Resonances in the Future XI B, piano, fixed media, 2004
ELECTROACOUSTIC:
Resonances on a Red Background I, fixed media, 2004
DISCOGRAPHY
Winter Landscape; The Scales of Light. Steliana Calos, mezzo-soprano; Matei Corvin, piccolo; Virgil Frâncu, flute; Radu Chișu, oboe; Valeriu Bărbuceanu, clarinet; Mihai Tănăsilă, bassoon; Ion Rațiu, French horn; Iancu Văduva, trumpet; Marin Soare, trombone; Ion Ivan Roncea, harp; Mircea Opreanu, Octavian Rațiu, violins; Mihai Sofonea, viola; Vasile Țugui, cello; Ștefan Tomasz, double bass; Șerban Soreanu, piano; Costin Petrescu, percussion (Electrecord: ST-ECE 01980) (LP)
Dreams I. Paul Staicu/Orchestra Camerata (Electrecord: ST-ECE 03516) (LP)
Beyond Dreams III. Partita Radicale (Edition Pro Viva: ISPV 186, 1998)
Beyond Dreams V. Partita Radicale (Edition Pro Viva: ISPV 193, 2004)
The Legend of Dreams. Pro Contemporania (Editura Muzicală/Star Media Music: 037, 2005)
Mosaic (1974–78). Valeriu Bărbuceanu, clarinet; Iancu Văduva, trumpet; Mircea Opreanu, violin; Mihai Sofonea, viola; Paul Rogojină, piano (Nova Musica: A003, 2007)
Flowers and Resonances – Trio for Saxophones, Viola and Piano. Daniel Kientzy, saxophones; Cornelia Petroiu, viola; Mihai Vârtosu, piano (Nova Musica: NMCD 5121, 2007)
Suddenly, Dreams. Dorel Pașcu Rădulescu/Concordia, Concerto (Editura Muzicală: EM 006)
The Joy of Achievement – Wedding Songs. Constantin Marin/Madrigal (Electrecord: ST-EXE 03475)
The Joy of Achievement – Wedding Songs. Dorel Pașcu Rădulescu/Madrigal (Uniunea Compozitorilor și Muzicologilor din România: ROSAF125012655)