Little Attention for Composer
A somewhat dejected Oskar Morawetz sat across the desk
from me and exclaimed, "I just
don't understand it. I win a major composing award and the
Canadian newspapers barely mention it."
Morawetz did, indeed, deserve greater attention than he received from the same Canadian press that lavished praise
upon young Martine van Hamel who recently won an international ballet competition
in Bulgaria, for Morawetz had received the coveted Critics' Award at the International
Composition Competition at Cava dei Tirreni, Italy. And yet most newspapers
carried only a few lines telling of his triumph.
The story behind the winning composition is an interesting one, for were it not for a chance meeting between the composer
and the conductor of the Montreal Symphony, Zubin Mehta, the composer might never have
entered the winning composition in the competition.
Morawetz met Mehta backstage at Massey Hall in Toronto after a guest performance by the Montreal Symphony and the Montreal conductor asked Morawetz to
send him the score of his latest composition. The composer did and to his
delight was informed [that his composition would be] performed at the final
regular subscription concert of the Montreal Symphony. Its premiere,
therefore, would take place in the 1965-66 season, instead of during the 1966-67 season as Morawetz had anticipated.
Following the premiere performance (which, incidentally, received good reviews in the Montreal newspapers). Morawetz made substantial changes to the original score.
It was at the urging of Maestro Ernesto Barbini that the composition was entered in the competition at Cava dei Tirreni. In
the previous year's competition, the late Canadian composer, Pierre Mercure, had
won first prize and another Canadian, Harry Somers, had won the Critics' Award. So the composition, one of five Canadian
entries, survived the preliminary judging and was performed twice - once in the
finals and later at a special concert of award winning compositions.
The composition itself, "Sinfonietta For Winds," is written in three movements and
is scored for the whole symphony orchestra without strings. The middle section of the work
is dedicated to the composer's late father who died shortly after this
section of the work was completed.
When the news of his award finally reached Morawetz, it came as somewhat of a
mild shock, for having received no news from Cava dei Tirreni, he left for his
cottage three days after the competition had ended. It was not for several days
later that he learned he had won the award, by listening to a CBC Television
News program.
But the lack of prominence given the important win by the press across the
country was disappointing to the composer and to Maestro Barbini who had done so
much to encourage Canadian composers to take part in it. The award is important
not only to the composer but to all Canadian composers and to the cause of
Canadian music in general. For the work and the composer and Canadian music will
be talked about in international circles for some time to come. The concert of
prize-winning compositions was televised in Italy, France, and Yugoslavia. I
hope we Canadians will have a chance to hear the tape.
* * *
Oskar Morawetz was born in Czechoslovakia and settled in Canada in 1940. In 1951
he was appointed Professor of Music at the Royal Conservatory of Music, University
of Toronto.
Many of his orchestral works
have been performed by many
leading orchestras under the batons of several distinguished conductors in the U.S., South America, Europe, Australia and Canada. Among the
outstanding conductors who have premiered his works are William Steinberg in Philadelphia, Ralph Kubelik in Chicago and Walter Susskind, Sir Adrian Boult
and Zubin Mehta in Canada.
A number of his compositions have been recorded including his "Fantasy In D" by Glenn Gould. Most recently his "Piano Concerto No.1" was recorded
with Walter Susskind conducting the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Anton Kuerti as soloist. This is the latest in a series of recordings sponsored by the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association of Canada and the Canadian Association of Broadcasters.
Dr. Morawetz has received two composition awards from the Composers, Authors and Publishers Association as well as a Canada Council Fellowship in 1961.
His music was chosen to represent Canadian music at the Brussels World's Fair in 1958, and at the Prague Music Festival in 1963. He is currently
working on Centennial commissions from the Festival Singers of Toronto and
Donald Bell.
Those "in the know" about Canadian music have long ago realized the
[sic] Morawetz is one of our best composers worthy of being played by first-rate performers before packed audiences.
It remains for many Canadians to hear his music and recognize his talent.
The judges at Cava dei Tirreni did.
