Carlos Micháns

Carlos Micháns (born Carlos Eduardo Micháns on August 18th 1950) is a Dutch composer of Argentine origin. He lives in Holland since 1982. His works (from solo pieces to large compositions for choir and orchestra) are published in Amsterdam by Muziek Centrum Nederland (Donemus) . Micháns is also a writer. He has published poetry, short stories, novels and a series of essays on Argentine history. Since 1995 he is in charge of Podium Neerlandés, a program of Radio Nederland (the Dutch international broadcast) for Latin American audiences featuring recordings made in Holland’s major concert halls.

Biography

Early years in Argentina

Born in Buenos Aires into a middle-class family with Spanish, English and Scottish background, Micháns started taking piano and theory lessons at seven, but gave up after a few years. According to the composer himself, he found theory and solfège boring and just wanted to play what he heard and compose his own tunes. At twelve he decided to give himself a second chance and returned to piano and theory lessons. He never again stopped studying until he graduated from university. Still a teenager, he was encouraged by his piano teacher Almah Melgar to play his own compositions at the yearly students concerts held at a well-known piano shop in downtown Buenos Aires. This first taste of success, though brief and modest, decided him to become a composer. However, his first lessons in composition at seventeen with Roberto García Morillo, a major figure in Argentine music, did not prove a great success, which Micháns attributed to his teacher’s lack of pedagogical skill and insight. At the same time he studied harmony, counterpoint and fugue with Susana Oliveto , a young and knowledgeable woman composer who would become his true musical mentor and a life-long friend. In 1967 he was granted a two-year scholarship by Almah Melgar which enabled him to study organ with her husband Carlos Larrimbe , a renowned choir conductor and organist at St. Saviour’s Church in Buenos Aires. The prospective of a future as an organist and eventual successor to his teacher, however, came to an abrupt end when the latter succumbed to a massive heart attack less then a year later. Disorientated by this sudden change of scenario, he nevertheless continued his studies of choir and orchestra conducting at the University of Buenos Aires and the Art Institute of the Teatro Colón, Argentina’s major opera house, which he completed almost simultaneously in 1973.

Changing plans

Almost certain of a job at the theater once he graduated, his hopes were again cut short by a new blow of fate. The political unrest in Argentina in the early 70’s and the return to power of the corrupt peronist regime brought about a reorganization of the theater and the reincorporation of staff previously dismissed by the former board of directors. It also caused Pedro Valenti Costa , head of the Art Institute and directly responsible for Micháns’ eventual appointment as an assistant conductor, to resign. A few years of uncertainty about his future followed, during which he took up drawing and sculpting (he even held a couple of public exhibitions) and enrolled in the Faculty of Veterinary, which he believed might provide a safer source of income in cattle-land Argentina. This new venture, however, was short lived, and he quit the faculty after a few months, during which constant demonstrations by the militant peronist youth on the one hand and aggressive indoctrination by left-wing teachers on the other, made studying almost impossible. In 1976, Micháns decided to return to music and managed to secure a monthly salary as a music teacher, which he later traded for a more lucrative and relaxed position as a private English teacher. Although he never ceased to compose, his output was limited (partly due to lack of time) and hardly ever played, except for a few minor pieces for piano, organ and choir. A significant breakthrough was the performance in 1981 of his Three Pieces for Chamber Orchestra by the National Symphonic Orchestra, which, although warmly reviewed, he later discarded.

Holland: a new beginning

Back from a short visit to the Netherlands in 1981, Micháns applied for a scholarship from the Dutch government which would enable him to free himself from work and other obligations and concentrate purely on composition. Although the scholarship came through, the sudden outbreak of the Falkland War threatened to frustrate his plans once again (the Netherlands were natural allies to the British). He only obtained his permit after Argentina’s defeat and left for Holland in August 1982. At Utrechts Conservatorium , at the time one of Holland’s most prestigious and international music schools, he took lessons from Hans Kox , Joep Straesser, Ton Bruynèl (electronic music) and Tristan Keuris. During this new phase as an adult student (he was already thirty two), Micháns could not only fully concentrate on composition, as he had hoped, but also explore other styles and composition techniques. Soon after obtaining his diploma in 1987 he decided to become a Dutch citizen. He has lived in Utrecht ever since.

The music

Far from denying his South American roots and musical background, including elements from Argentina’s rich folk music and rhythms, Micháns regards them as components of his personality, although not essential to his musical language. On the other hand, sustained exposure to new music from all over the world rarely heard in Argentina, would result in a gradual updating of his regular style (strongly influenced by the free and aggressive dissonances of Bartók and Prokofiev), without breaking with tradition altogether. Never interested in experimentation for its own sake, he nevertheless adopted certain aspects of serialism and minimalism, discovered the music of Olivier Messiaen, Witold Lutoslawski and Henri Dutilleux (to name just a few) and blended his findings into a uniform and distinctive style of his own. More recently, he has added a few Asian elements to his palette, as a result of his frequent visits (both privately and on tour with other musicians) to India and Indonesia. This is particularly evident in his Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 4, the choral work Tirthankara, Purana for saxophone and piano and Dradivian Moods for oboe and string quartet. In his view, any style, culture or period may supply useful material and enrich the grammar of music, and it is up to the composer to select and combine the elements most suited to his needs, in order to configure a widely accessible, yet personal and distinctive language. This new approach is clear in one of Micháns’ major piano works, Apparitions, composed for the outstanding Dutch pianist Ronald Brautigam in 1990 and which the composer himself regards as a turning point in his creative career. A few years earlier than Apparitions, the Magnificat for soprano and choir also reflects Micháns’ affinity with vocal music and his former training as a choir conductor. Combining rich, dissonant harmonies and a counterpoint with strong roots in polyphonic tradition, it is the first of a long series of works which would gradually establish his name in Holland’s rich choral life. Writing almost exclusively on commission, Micháns’ output since his arrival in the Netherlands has grown steadily. At present, his catalog includes works for all sorts of instrumental combinations, from solos to major compositions for choir and orchestra. His list of chamber and choral music features a number of titles regularly performed by Dutch and international musicians and ensembles. Several of his compositions, which are published in Amsterdam by Muziek Centrum Nederland have been released on CD. Among the musicians and ensembles of international stature which have performed music by Carlos Micháns are: Isabelle van Keulen (vl.), Ronald Brautigam (pn.), Michael Collins (cl.), Liza Ferschtman (vl.), Tjeerd Top (vl.) Dmitry Ferschtman (vc.), Pieter Wispelwey (vc.), Marcio Carneiro (vc.), Lavinia Meijer (hp.), Udo Reinemann (baritone), Thierry Fischer (cond.), Kenneth Montgomery (cond.), Utrecht String Quartet , Aurelia Saxophone Quartet , Het Reizend Muziekgezelschap (Amsterdam Chamber Music Society), Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra , Orkest van het Oosten , Holland's Radio Kamer Filharmonie and Groot Omroepkoor (the major choir of the Dutch Broadcasting Company).

Literary work

Although never intended for publication, Micháns’ first serious literary endeavours date back to the 1970’s, when he started writing short stories and poetry. It was not until after his first visits to India in the early 1990’s that he decided to publish limited editions of his travel stories (The Eyes of Meenakshi), legends (The Merchant of Poompuhar) and a novel (Madurai, Madurai) based on Indian traditions and religion. The primary goal of these publications, however, was neither literary nor commercial, but to serve as fund-raisers for humanitarian projects in South India in which Micháns was then involved. He later continued to publish his writings on other subjects, including autobiographical stories (Rogelio G.), a short novel (The Next Stop) and an essay on aspects of Argentina’s history up to 1982 (It Rains Red in Buenos Aires). Among his works in progress are a new series of Indian stories, animal stories and an introduction to aspects of Mongolian religious art. In addition, Micháns is a free-lance writer and editor for Podium Neerlandés , a classical music program of the Dutch international broadcasting station Radio Nederland for Spanish speaking, mainly Latin American audiences.

Selected Works

Solo

Tema, Toccata y Fuga (organ, 1977)

Musique pour Saxophone (1984)

In Alta Solitudine (Sonata Nr. 2, violin, 1986)

Cello Sonata (1987)

Apparitions (piano, 1990)

Viola Sonata (1993)

Suite en Noir (bass clarinet, 1993)

Trois Impromptus (piano, 1994)

Cinq Réflexions (sur un thème de Béla Bartók) (violin, 1995)

Chamber music

Divertimento for Five Trumpets (1985)

Music for Harp and Clarinet (1985)

3 Pezzi per Piano e Marimba (1986)

Concerto per cinque Nr. 1 (cl., tr., vl., vc., pn., 1986)

String Quartet Nr. 1 (1988, rev. 1990)

Episodes for 18 players (1989)

Four movements for cello & piano (1989)

Saxophone Quartet Nr. 1 (1989)

String Quartet Nr. 2 (1992)

Concerto da Camera (violin and ensemble, 1993)

Piano Quintet (1994)

Saxophone Quartet Nr. 2 (1998)

Après Minuit (sop.sax., violin, harp, perc., pn., 1998)

Purana (alto saxophon and piano, 1999)

Divertimento for eight strings (Variations on a Tamil Lyric, 2000)

L’Ange Maudit (violin and piano, 2000)

Igoriana (Three glances at The Rite of Spring)(cl., vl., va., vc., d-b, pn., 2001)

Piano Quartet (2001)

Entre Nous (Trois Scènes pour violon en violoncelle)(2003)

Trois Étoffes Anciennes (viola and piano, 2003)

Dravidian Moods (oboe and string quartet, 2007/08)

Choir

Magnificat (soprano and choir, 1985)

Herbstlieder (Rilke, 1989)

Salmos (Quevedo, 1992)

Le Cortège d'Orphée (Apollinaire, choir and accordion ensemble, 1993)

Six épigrammes (Martialis, choir, harp & string quintet, 1993, rev. 1995)

Tres Plegarias (Micháns, choir and 12 winds, 1999)

Dos Tangos (Micháns, choir, bandoneón, piano, 2 vls., va., vc. and d-b, 2000)

Dos Abismos (Micháns, female choir, 2008)

Orchestra

Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 1 (2 vls. and string orchestra, 1987)

Joy (a minimal overture)(1987)

Concerto Breve (1990)

Mouvements Concertants (piano, perc. and string orchestra, 1991)

Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 2 (vl., vc., and orchestra, 1996)

Phoenix (symphonic overture, 1997)

Kaleidos (Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 3, vl., cl., pn. and orchestra, 2000)

Sinfonia Concertante Nr. 4 (vl., va. and orchestra, 2002)

Concerto for Harp and Orchestra (2006)

Choir and Orchestra

Syrinx (Ovidius, choir and orchestra, 1990)

Correspondances (De Nerval, Flaubert, Baudelaire, baritone, choir and orchestra, 1991)

Quid Hoc Dementiae Est? (Erasmus, double choir and orchestra, 2004)

Sinfonia Trajectina (Micháns, choir and orchestra, 2005/06)

And Nothing Death (John Wilmot, soprano, choir and orchestra, 2007)

Three Poems of Drenthe (Suze Sanders, choir and orchestra, 2008)

Literary work

Rogelio G. (stories - Spanish)

El Mercader de Pumpuhar (The Merchant of Poompuhar, Indian stories - Spanish)

La Próxima Parada (The Next Stop, novel - Spanish)

De Ogen van Meenakshi (The Eyes of Meenakshi, Indian stories - Dutch)

Madurai, Madurai (novel - Dutch)

Het Regent Rood in Buenos Aires (It Rains Red in Buenos Aires, essays - Dutch)

Poemas Terminales (Terminal Poems - Spanish/Dutch)

Nuevos Abismos (y otros poemas) (New Abysses and other poems - Spanish/Dutch)

Further reading

• Kaai, Martin: Niet bij Bach Alleen, Uitgeverij Contact, 2005, p. 136

• Olof, Theo: Oskar Back en veertig jaar Nationaal Vioolconcours, Uitgeverij Thoth, 2005, p. 140, 173

• Podium 1997-1998: Carlos Micháns, p. 13-14

• Don, Floris: De mars van Micháns, Preludium, Januari 2009, p. 38

• Van Merwijk, Willem: Micháns, Trois Visions Tantriques, Preludium, Januari 2009, p. 77

• Eindhovens Dagblad, 07-03-2003: Geen muzak van saxofoonkwartet

• Gooi en Eemlander, 15-05-03: Cd van de dag: Saxophone Quartets from The Netherlands

• Van Swol, Els: Twee talen – Dichtende componisten (5): Carlos Micháns, Mens en Melodie Nr. 5/6, 2006, p. 5-7

• Micháns, Carlos: Het Regent Rood in Buenos Aires, CMP Utrecht, 2005

Links

carlos micháns [[1]] lavinia meijer [[2]] donemus [[3]] muziek centrum nederland [[4]] radio nederland [[5]]