Role

:

Composer  

Birth

:

November 1, 1935 in Warsaw, Poland

Death

:

June 26, 1982 in Oxford, England

Period

:

Romantic

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Keyboard

 

André Tchaikovsky was a Polish-British composer and pianist, born on November 1, 1935, in Warsaw, Poland. He was born into a family of musicians, and his father was a well-known pianist and composer. André showed an early interest in music and began playing the piano at the age of five. He was a child prodigy and gave his first public performance at the age of six. In 1942, André and his family were forced to flee Warsaw due to the Nazi occupation. They settled in Łódź, where André continued his music studies. He studied piano with Maria Wiłkomirska and composition with Kazimierz Sikorski. In 1945, the family moved to Kraków, where André continued his studies at the State Music School. He later studied at the State Higher School of Music in Kraków, where he received a degree in composition. In 1955, André moved to Paris to study with Nadia Boulanger, one of the most influential music teachers of the 20th century. He also studied with Arthur Honegger and Olivier Messiaen. While in Paris, André met many of the leading composers and musicians of the time, including Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland, and Leonard Bernstein. In 1958, André moved to London, where he lived for the rest of his life. He became a British citizen in 1982. In London, André worked as a pianist and composer, and he also taught at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. André's music is characterized by its emotional intensity and its use of traditional forms and structures. He was influenced by the music of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, as well as by the music of his contemporaries, such as Stravinsky and Messiaen. André's music is also notable for its use of tonality, which was unusual for a composer of his generation. One of André's most famous works is his opera, The Merchant of Venice, which he began composing in the 1960s. The opera is based on Shakespeare's play of the same name and tells the story of the Jewish moneylender Shylock and his relationship with the Christian merchant Antonio. The opera was not completed until after André's death, and it was premiered in 2013 at the Bregenz Festival in Austria. Another notable work by André is his Piano Concerto, which he composed in 1955. The concerto is in three movements and is characterized by its virtuosic piano writing and its use of traditional forms. The concerto has been performed by many leading pianists, including Martha Argerich and Krystian Zimerman. André also composed a number of chamber works, including his String Quartet No. 2, which he composed in 1968. The quartet is in four movements and is notable for its use of tonality and its emotional intensity. The quartet has been performed by many leading string quartets, including the Borodin Quartet and the Emerson Quartet. In addition to his work as a composer, André was also a respected pianist. He performed extensively throughout Europe and the United States, and he was known for his interpretations of the music of Chopin and Beethoven. André died on June 26, 1982, at the age of 46, from cancer. He left behind a legacy of music that continues to be performed and admired today. His music is characterized by its emotional intensity, its use of traditional forms and structures, and its tonality, which was unusual for a composer of his generation. André's music is a testament to his talent and his dedication to the art of music.

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