Liana Alexandra facts for kids
Liana Alexandra (born Liana Moraru) was a talented Romanian composer, pianist, and music teacher. She was born on May 27, 1947, and passed away on January 10, 2011.
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About Liana Alexandra
Liana was born in Bucharest, Romania. She studied music at the Ciprian Porumbescu Conservatory in Bucharest from 1965 to 1971. This school is now called the National University of Music Bucharest. She learned from famous teachers like Tudor Ciortea and Tiberiu Olah. She also took special courses in Germany to learn more about composing music.
Liana earned a high degree in music, called a doctorate. She taught composition, orchestration (how to arrange music for an orchestra), and music analysis at the Conservatory. She taught there from 1971 until she passed away in 2011.
Her Music Style
Liana Alexandra was a very active composer. She wrote over 100 musical pieces. Her style is often called "neoromantic." This means her music had feelings and emotions, similar to older romantic music.
A music expert named Octavian Cosma described her music. He said she was great at writing for orchestras and smaller groups of instruments. Her music often used repeating sounds and slowly changing ideas. Her melodies were lyrical, meaning they sounded like songs, and made you think. She used many different instruments to create soft, "pastel" colors in her music.
Her Family and Work
In 1978, Liana married Şerban Nichifor, who was a Romanian cellist and composer. They often performed together as a group called Duo Intermedia, starting in 1990. They also helped lead a music festival called Nuova Musica Consonante - Living Music Foundation Festival.
Liana Alexandra passed away at her home in Bucharest on January 10, 2011, at the age of 63, due to a stroke. Just two days later, a radio show on Radio România Muzical was dedicated to her music. Later that year, a book about her music was published. It was called Liana Alexandra: Marturii despre muzica ei (Liana Alexandra: Confessions about her Music). Her husband, Şerban Nichifor, edited the book. It included writings about her music from many composers and critics.
In May 2011, her opera În labirint (The Maze) was performed. The Banatul Philharmonic of Timișoara played it in her memory. This concert was the closing event of the Timișoara International Music Festival.
Awards and Recognitions
Liana Alexandra's compositions won many awards and honors. Some of these include:
- 1975, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, 1987, 1988 - Prize of the Union of Romanian Composers
- 1979, 1980 - Gaudeamus Prize
- 1980 - Prize of the Romanian Academy
- 1993 - International Society for Contemporary Music Prize
- 1997 - ACMEOR Prize of Israel
Selected Musical Works
Liana Alexandra wrote many different types of music. Here are some examples:
Music for Orchestra and Voices
- Symphony I (1971)
- Cantata for women's choir and orchestra (1971)
- Concerto for clarinet and orchestra (1974)
- Symphony II "Hymns" (1978)
- Concerto for flute, viola, and chamber orchestra (1980)
- Symphonic poem "Jerusalem" (1990)
- Concerto for string orchestra (1991)
- Concerto for piano for four hands and orchestra (1993)
- Concerto for saxophone and orchestra (1997)
- Concerto for organ and orchestra (2002)
Operas
- The Snow Queen (1978): This was a children's opera based on the famous story by Hans Christian Andersen.
- În labirint (The Maze) (1987): A chamber opera.
- Chant d'amour de la Dame à la Licorne (1995): A chamber opera set to poems.
Chamber Music
Chamber music is written for a small group of instruments.
- Sonata for solo flute (1973)
- Music for clarinet, harp, and percussion (1972)
- "Collages" for brass quintet (1977)
- "Incantations" II for violin, viola, cello, and piano (1978)
- "Consonances" II for clarinet and piano (1979)
- "Images interrupted" for woodwind quintet (1983)
- "Pastorale" for bass clarinet and piano (1984)
- Sonata for six horns (1986)
- "Fantasy" for cello and piano (1994)
- "Consonances" VI for recorder quartet (1997)
- "Parallel musics" for saxophone, cello, and piano (2001)
