Ivo Malec
French composer Ivo Malec died on 14 August at the age of 94. The news came yesterday only. Born in Zagreb, Ivo Malec has lived in France since 1959. A member of the GRM (Groupe de Recherche Musicale) since 1960, he has forged a deeply personal instrumental style, having always been attracted by the mix of genres and techniques.
Born in Zagreb in 1925, Ivo Malec received an academic training in Croatia. He started his career in his native country with first works resistant to the surrounding aesthetics, critical writings and a significant part in the organization of Croatian musical life. Between 1955 (the first stay in Paris and the decisive meeting with Pierre Schaeffer, « my only true master ») and 1959 (the definitive installation in Paris), he underwent a very profound transformation and discovered the raw sound, which had to be cultivated before any compositional gesture.
The Groupe de Recherches Musicales became a haven where he could deepen his research and his deeply original path and prepare, from 1972, an eminent career as a professor of composition at the Conservatoire de Paris.
Malec had close connexions with Luxembourg. His Violin Concerto was commissioned by the City of Luxembourg and his Epistola, a cantata for soloists, choir and orchestra, was created in 2007, when Luxembourg was European Cultural Capital.
The Philharmonic Orchestra has released a Malec program on Timpani (1C1153), featuring two works, Epistola, as well as the Concerto for cello and orchestra Arc-en-cello. Emmanuel Krivine directs this program, with soloists Claudia Barainski, soprano, Marjana Lipovsek, mezzo-soprano, Robin Leggate, tenor, Ralf Lukas, bass, and Ilia Laporev, cello.
In 2005 the Luxembourg Philharmonic conducted by Arturo Tamayo had already recorded Exempla, Sonoris Causa and Ottava Alta. (Timpani 1C1086).
In our Features and Interviews section, you can find an interview with Ivo Malec, done by Remy Franck in 2004.
