Vinko Globokar

Vinko Globokar
Vinko Globokar
Background information
Born	7 July 1934 (1934-07-07) (age 75) Anderny, France
Genres	Avant-garde, Free Improvisation, Experimental Music
Instruments	composer, trombone
Years active	1947–present

Vinko Globokar (born 7 July 1934) is a French avant-garde composer and trombonist of Slovene descent.^{[citation needed]}

His work is noted for its use of unconventional and extended techniques, closely allying him to contemporaries Salvatore Sciarrino and Helmut Lachenmann. Unlike the work of Sciarrino and Lachenmann, however, Globokar's music also places great emphasis on spontaneity and creativity, and often requires improvisation. Although a prolific composer, he is largely unknown outside of experimental music circles.

As a trombonist, he has premiered works by Luciano Berio, Mauricio Kagel, Karlheinz Stockhausen, René Leibowitz, and Toru Takemitsu, as well as his own compositions.

Biography

Globokar was born in Anderny, France. In 1947 he moved to Yugoslavia, where he played jazz trombone until 1955, at which point he relocated to Paris in order to study at the Conservatoire de Paris. At the Conservatoire, he studied composition with René Leibowitz (a noted student of Arnold Schoenberg) and trombone with Andre Lafosse. In 1965, he moved to Berlin and began composition lessons with Luciano Berio, whose Sequenza V he later performed.

In the later 1960s he worked with Karlheinz Stockhausen on some of his compositions from the cycle Aus den sieben Tagen, and co-founded the free improvisation group New Phonic Art. From 1967 to 1976 he taught composition at the Musikhochschule in Cologne. In 1974, he joined IRCAM as the director of instrumental and vocal research, a post which he occupied until 1980.

After leaving IRCAM, he conducted a number of high profile orchestral groups, including the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Westdeutscher Symphonie, and the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, among others. From 1980 until 2000, he directed 20th century music performance at Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Florence.

In 2002, Globokar was bestowed with the Prešeren Award for his life-time work.

Musical style

Globokar's music is notable for its spontaneity, energy, and innovative use of unorthodox instrumental and compositional techniques. His works often feature indeterminacy and improvisation, reflecting his own background in Jazz and free improvisation. His timbral palette is extremely diverse, and his pieces employ an often astounding array of extended techniques. For example, in his solo percussion piece Toucher, the performer narrates a story while simultaneously playing the syllabic patterns on a percussion array.

The influence of Globokar's sound world may be felt in the works of such composers as Helmut Lachenmann, Salvatore Sciarrino, Arthur Kampela, and even in the recent work of Anthony Braxton.

References

• Allied Artists. [1] Allied Artists: Vinko Globokar, URL accessed on 7 January 2008.

External links

• Vinko Globokar page from IRCAM site (French)