Peter Klatzow wen Helgaard Steyn-toekenning vir komposisie ’n tweede keer

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Peter Klatzow wen Helgaard Steyn-toekenning vir komposisie ’n tweede keer

Die Helgaard Steyn-toekenning het ten doel die bevordering van die kunskultuur in Suid-Afrika, en is een van die mees omvangryke pryse op die kunstoneel. Dit word sedert 1987 in ’n vierjaarlikse siklus toegeken, en roteer tussen die dissiplines van Afrikaanse letterkunde, komposisie, beeldhoukuns en skilderkuns. In 2014 was komposisie weer aan die beurt en die beoordelaars het besluit om die toekenning van ongeveer R500 000 aan Peter Klatzow van Kaapstad te maak vir sy komposisie Lightscapes vir marimba en klein ensemble. Hy was ook twintig jaar gelede, in 1994, die wenner van hierdie toekenning vir sy klavierwerk From the Poets.

Die Helgaard Steyn Trust het tot stand gekom vanuit die boedel van wyle dr JH Steyn (1902–1983) en is vernoem na sy vader, ‘n eertydse LPR vir Bloemfontein en jongste broer van die laaste republikeinse president van die Oranje-Vrystaat, MT Steyn. Die plek waar die toekennings gedoen word, wissel af tussen Bloemfontein en Potchefstroom, gegrond op vroeëre affiliasies van die familie Steyn. Die rektore van die universiteite in hierdie twee stede word jaarliks daarmee getaak om elk ’n beoordelaar aan te stel om die wenner te kies. Ter wille van sowel ’n breër inspraak as deursigtigheid word ’n derde eksterne beoordelaar aangewys.

Die beoordelaars vir komposisie in 2014 was Henk Temmingh, voormalige hoof van die Departement Musiek aan die destydse PU vir CHO, Noël Stockton van die Odeion Skool vir Musiek aan die Universiteit van die Vrystaat, en Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph, emeritus professor in musiek aan die Wits Skool vir die Kunste. Die administrasie is behartig deur die Skool vir Musiek op die Potchefstroomkampus van die Noordwes-Universiteit.

Om in aanmerking te kom vir die toekenning, moes komposisies vanaf 2010 tot 2013 gekomponeer en in dieselfde tydperk in die publiek uitgevoer, of uitgesaai, of opgeneem gewees het. Lightscapes was ’n opdragwerk vir die World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart, Duitsland in 2012 en is daar deur al die deelnemers uitgevoer.

Die beoordelaars het die komponis geprys vir sy ontginning in hierdie werk van verskeie harmoniese lae in ’n multitonale taal wat kontemporêr is, maar steeds heel toeganklik. Die klankwêreld wat Klatzow skep, is vars en “magies”. Die melodiese kontoere en subtiele ritmiese patrone is pragtig gevorm en die vorm goed gekonstrueer. Die komponis se vakmanskap, gekombineer met sy inherente musikaliteit, maak hierdie werk besonder aantreklik en hou die aandag van die luisteraar tot die einde.

Die toekenning sal amptelik aan Peter Klatzow oorhandig word by ’n spesiale seremonie op Dinsdag 28 Oktober 2014 in Potchefstroom.
www.helgaardsteyntrust.co.za

Peter Klatzow wins Helgaard Steyn Award for composition a second time

The Helgaard Steyn Award, which is dedicated to the promotion of artistic culture in South Africa, is one of the most substantial prizes on our arts scene. It is a quadrennial prize, awarded since 1987, which alternates between the disciplines of Afrikaans literature, musical composition, sculpture and painting. In 2014 it was the turn of composition again and the adjudicators decided to present this award of approximately R500 000 to Peter Klatzow of Cape Town for his composition Lightscapes for marimba and small ensemble. He was also the winner of this award 20 year ago, in 1994, for his piano work From the Poets.

The Helgaard Steyn Trust was established in the estate of the late Dr JH Steyn (1902–1983) and named after his father, once MPC for Bloemfontein and the youngest brother of MT Steyn, the last president of the former Republic of the Orange Free State. The venue of presentation alternates between Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom, due to the previous affiliations of the Steyn family, and the principals of the universities in these two cities are tasked annually with appointing adjudicators. For the sake of transparency and to broaden the base of expertise, a third external adjudicator is appointed.

The adjudicators for composition in 2014 were Henk Temmingh, former head of the Department of Music at the then PU for CHE, Noël Stockton of the Odeion School of Music at the University of the Free State, and Jeanne Zaidel-Rudolph, emeritus professor in the Wits School of Arts. The administration was handled by the School of Music on the Potchefstroom campus of North-West University.
To be eligible for this award the compositions entered had to have been composed from 2010 to 2013 and also performed in public, or broadcast, or recorded during this period. Lightscapes was commissioned for the World Marimba Competition in Stuttgart, Germany in 2012 and was performed by all the competitors.

The adjudicators commended the composer for his exploration in this work of “various harmonic layerings in a multi-tonal language that is current yet also quite accessible. The sound-world Klatzow creates is fresh and ‘magical’. The melodic contours and subtle rhythmic devices are beautifully sculpted and the form well-constructed. The composer’s craftsmanship combined with his innate musicality makes this work deeply engaging and holds the attention of the listener to the end.”

The award will be officially presented to Peter Klatzow at a special ceremony in Potchefstroom on Tuesday 28 October 2014.
www.helgaardsteyntrust.co.za

Brief biography of Peter Klatzow

Peter Klatzow was born in Springs, Transvaal, in 1945. After his school years at St Martin’s School, Johannesburg, he spent a year teaching music and Afrikaans at the then newly established Waterford School, Swaziland.

The award of the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) scholarship for composers in 1964 took him to the Royal College of Music in London, where he studied composition with Bernard Stevens, piano with Kathleen Long, and orchestration with Gordon Jacob. In that year he won several of the College composition prizes as well as the Royal Philharmonic Prize for composition, which was open to any Commonwealth composer under 30. He spent the following years in Italy and Paris, where he studied with Nadia Boulanger. He remained on very cordial terms with her until the time of her death.

Returning to South Africa in 1966, he worked at the SABC in Johannesburg as a music producer, and in 1973 was appointed to the University of Cape Town, where he is presently professor in composition. In 1986 he was elected as Fellow of the University of Cape Town for “having performed original distinguished academic work of such quality as to merit special recognition”. In 2002 he was awarded the prestigious Molteno Gold Medal from the Cape Tercentenary Foundation for lifetime services to music.

In 1999 he was awarded his DMus for published work in composition.

One of only a few South African composers to achieve international recognition, Peter Klatzow has won prizes in Spain, Toronto and Stroud and his works have been performed in various European centres and in the USA. In South Africa he was awarded the prestigious Helgaard Steyn Prize worth R45 000 for his piano suite From the Poets.

His major works include a full-length ballet on Hamlet, for which he was given a special Nederburg award for the music, scores for ballets on Drie Diere and Vier Gebede, and concertos for various solo instruments: piano, clarinet, two for organ, marimba, and a double concerto for flute and marimba which was recently performed at Yale. His Prayers and Dances of Praise from Africa was introduced at the Three Choirs Festival, Worcester, UK. 1997 saw the first performances of two new works: his 3rd String Quartet (commissioned by the Lake District Summer Music Festival for the Chilingirian Quartet) and Return of the Moon, a cycle for voices and marimba, commissioned by the King’s Singers for themselves and Evelyn Glennie. They have successfully toured this work in the UK and the USA.

Recent stylistic changes have seen a reversion to a more tonal idiom, which is particularly clear in his Prayers and Dances of Praise from Africa. Recent commissions include a set of concert etudes for violin, cello and piano, commissioned for the Broadwood Glories of the Keyboard Competition in Manchester, October/November 1999, The World of Paul Klee (III), composed for the opening of the new Paul Klee Centre in Berne, Switzerland, and a celebratory Te Deum for choir, organ and orchestra, commissioned for a special service celebrating the 100th anniversary of St George’s Cathedral, Cape Town. In addition, Towards the Light, a work for double choir, marimba and organ, was commissioned for the opening of the new Peabody concert hall (USA) in April 2004, and he was commissioned by the University of Cape Town to provide a short (20-minute) opera for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the South African College of Music. In 2012 he also attended a major festival of his marimba works in Tokyo, where he also lectured at the Tokyo Music School and gave master classes on his music.

His discography includes recordings of his piano music, played by Jill Richards, the Mass for Choir, Horn, Marimba and Strings, String Quartet, Chamber Concerto for 7, Piano Concerto From the Poets, an RCA issue of Return of the Moon.

His CD entitled Myths, Magic and Marimbas — The Music of Peter Klatzow was issued in July 2006.

He is now retired from the University of Cape Town, where he remains as a professor emeritus. In 2012 the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns awarded him the Huberte Rupert music prize for his lifetime work.

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