Tristana - Emil Viklický

16. listopad 2012

Emil Viklický, a pianist, composer, music arranger and jazz music promoter was born on 23rd November 1948 in Olomouc to the family of a visual artist (his father was Jan Zrzavý’s assistant). Ever since the beginning of his career as a composer, Viklický has strived for creative innovations, taking his inspiration, among other sources, from the compositional techniques usual in artificial music, partly also within the movement of the so called New Music. It was therefore merely a matter of time before Viklický, who refined his compositional mastery also in the courses led by the composers Václav Kučera and George Crumb, would try his fortune in this field as well.

The author’s tendency to compose artificial music has become stronger over time, so that, at present, his production in this field is more numerous than in the field of jazz music. Viklický’s musical speech reveals his acquaintance with the traditions of the 20th century music and his well-developed sense for sound colours.

“The basic motive of the piece entitled Tristana sprang to my mind one morning in the Průhonice park, and I jotted it down on a crumpled piece of paper. I had just seen two male nurses teaching a beautiful girl to walk on crutches. I realized in horror that the girl’s left leg was missing from the knee down. I am not sure up to this day, whether it was not just a hallucination brought about by the fatigue from the morning jog. I finished the composition in a few days and sent it to the Marimolin composition in Boston. It was awarded the 2nd prize. The original title, “Girl with One Leg”, however, was not to liking of Amy Lynn Barber, who premiered the piece in Prague alongside Jitka Adamusová. I did not hesitate to change the title to “Tristan” I guessed correctly that Amy would not be familiar with Buñuel film, where Catherine Deneuve plays the part of a girl suffering from the same handicap. Later on I arranged the marimba part also for piano.” E. Viklický

Other compositions by Emil Viklický published in Czech Radio:
Clarinet Concerto D major
Dark and Vibrant
Double Concerto for Harp, Violin and String Orchestra
Green Satin
Images for Orchestra
Piano Concerto E Major
Tauromaquia
The Mystery of Man

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