Marek Kopelent
composer (born 1932)
Marek Kopelent studied composition at the Prague Academy of Music from 1951 to 1955. In 1959 he began to discover the compositional principles of the 2nd Viennese school and the European avant-garde of 1950s, and to integrate those principles into his style.
The first piece to bring him to the attention of audiences abroad was his 3rd string quartet (1963), which was performed by the Novák Quartet (Novákovo kvarteto) during its European concert tours.
During the 1960s, Kopelent became well known in contemporary music circles in Europe, his music being played at such festivals as the Warsaw Autumn, Donaueschingen and Witten among others. From 1965 to 1973 he was artistic director of the contemporary music ensemble "Musica viva pragensis", founded by Petr Kotík and subsequently conducted by Zbyněk Vostřák, for which he wrote several chamber pieces.
In 1969 Kopelent received a scholarship from the Deutsche Akademie (DAAD) as composer-in-residence in West Berlin as part of the Berliner Künstlerprogram. With the restoration of the Stalinist regime in Czechoslovakia he was fired from his post as editor of musical scores for the Supraphon publishing house.
Kopelent was ostracised by the new Union of Composers and from 1976 to 1989 made his living as a pianist accompanying dancing courses for children. During the difficult period of the 1970s he composed many pieces, mostly commissioned from abroad, but he had no opportunity to hear them performed.
In 1991 he was appointed professor of composition at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts. He was chairman of the Czech Section of the ISCM and still is chairman of the Atelier 90 composers' association. He has organised and regularly lectured at international summer composition courses in Český Krumlov. In 1991 he was made "Chevalier des arts et des lettres" by the French government. He was also awarded the Herder Prize in 2001 and the prize of the Czech Ministry of Culture in 2003.
Titles for sale:
Nostalgic construction, a Piquant Version for Mezzosoprano, Violin, Tuba, Accordion and Piano