Tibor Andrašovan

“Tibor Andrašovan is one of the composers who are, by their multilateral work, involved in Slovak national culture of the postwar period. His artistic encounters with musical folklore date from the establishment of the Lúčnica ensemble and its first trip to Romania. The dramaturgical orientation of this ensemble has set one of the fundamental approaches to the compositional processing of folk natures and originality of expression of folk singer and folk fiddlers (Detvianska veselica / Detva Festivity, Radvanský jarmok / Radvaň fair). While creating Lúčnica he enhanced the originality of folklore songs and dances, and for another ensemble SĽUK he composed monumental scenic images with dramatic emphasis using folklore tongue, as well as ideas of the revolutionary traditions of our nation (Svadba Eža Vlkolínskeho / The Wedding of Ežo Vlkolínsky, Povesti o hôrnych chlapcoch / Rumors of Mountain Boys and Jánošík). His artistic nature leans to the musical-dramatic rendering of literary masters. While his ballets convey profound human feelings, folklore tradition and progressive ideas, his operas displays social problems and criticism of petty bourgeoisie and folk optimism. The basic characteristics of Andrašovan's music are lyricism, tunefulness, folklore and communicability. As for genre, his compositions range from symphonic and vocal-symphonic through chamber, vocal to choral compositions and attest to the fact that Andrašovan not only knowingly made use of the rich resources of folklore and dance music while maintaining their tonal, ornamental character and distinctive harmonic thinking of individual localities of Slovakia, but in the choice of musical-expression resources he reached to extended tonality.”

(LABORECKÝ, Jozef: Tibor Andrašovan. In: 100 slovenských skladateľov. Ed. Marián Jurík, Peter Zagar. Bratislava: Národné hudobné centrum, 1998, p. 17 – 18)