Martin Marek

born in 1956 in Prague into a musical family, he studied cello and composition at the Prague Conservatory. Upon graduation, he became a member of the Czechoslovak (later Czech) Radio Sympho-ny Orchestra, with which, during succeeding 12 years, he toured extensively abroad, including several visits to Japan. He resumed compositional studies with Marek Kopelent at the Prague Conser-vatory, winning a diploma in 1998. Several of his compositions have won international acclaim. The trio Alban Arthuan received an award in Val Tidone. Voce Taciturna was selected for performance at the 2001 iscm World Music Days in Yokohama. Hi-Castle Blues was on the programme of Jazzvenue 2000 in Amsterdam. The sextet Cosciette di Roncole alla Luigi Galvani was nominated for the Programme Parade of National Broadcasting Companies in Amsterdam.

Selected works: Amfion for flute, violin, cello and harpsichord (1991), Epitaph for Pavel Wonka for English horn and organ (1992), Vivaldolina for mandoline, harpsichord, bongos and 12 strings (1994), The Turn-table for four conductors and a symphonic violinist (1994), Thirty-seven Views on the Rip Mountain for violin, viola and cello (1996), The Apo-calypsis Passed Over, oratorio for narrator, soloists, mixed choir, ensemble of instruments and sound track (1997), …Abbandonato, come il steccone nel stecconato… for clarinet and cello (1998), Cosciette di Roncole alla Luigi Galvani for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, viola, piano, synthesizer and soundtrack (1999), Alban Arthuan, trio for French horn, clarinet and piano (2000), Voce taciturna for solo cello (2000), Hi-Castle Blue (2000), Schlussgesang, trio for clarinet, viola and cello (2000), Roses Impénétrables for mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, viola and cello, set to verse by Charles van Lerberghe, Three Rural Madrigals for mixed choir, set to verse by Seamus Heaney (2001), a poem qua afterword for mezzo-soprano and baritone, set to verse by Mario Cesarina (2001).

Cosciette di Roncole alla Luigi Galvani was written in 1999 and was premiered on 30 November of that year in Prague by the Mondschein Ensemble under Miroslav Pudlak.
We can only speculate today on what could have prompted the successful Bologna-based gynaecologist and surgeon Luigi Galvani to conduct experiments on prepared (but still alive) frogs, or, to be precise, on the frogs’ legs. He would surely fail to get the blessing of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals… The spasmatic movements caused by the contact of frogs’ legs with a metal surface have been interpreted as the omnipresence of ‘animal electricity’ in every body. The contrast between tension and relaxation (one can talk about such contrast in the categories of both physics and biochemistry, as well as the human ‘psyche’) was the main source of inspiration for me when composing the sextet.
Duration: 11’.

Martin Marek