Pavol Šimai
PAVOL ŠlMAI (1930, Levice) studied between 1941–1943 piano and harmony in Budapest with Pal Kadosa, a native of Levice, later composition with Jan Cikker in Bratislava and with Paul Dessau in Berlin. Since i960 he worked as a teacher at the Bratislava Conservatoire, as an editor of the Czechoslovak Radio and as a music advi-ser of the Studio of Short Films in Bratislava. Since 1968 he lives in Sweden, where he taught at several music institutes in Sbdertalje, Arvike and in Stockholm. His latest post was at the Music School of the University in Göteborg. He also wrote music re-views and worked as a piano technician and piano tuner.
In his first creative compositional period Pavol Šimai focused his attention primarily on timbre, inspired by the melodies of the Slovak folk music. Apart from the employed composition means and techniques, his music has always a strong expressive drive. He chose very carefully the texts of his vocal compositions - by P. Neruda, E. Blomberg, Gy. Illyes a.o. Several of his pieces are inspired by the visual art of his wife Jarmila Šimaiová (Sketches for wind quintet).
Works (selection): Flute Sonatina (1952), Vittoria for orchestra (1963), Combattimenti for orchestra (1965), Meditation for alto and string quartet (1966), Dream and Morning, cycle of mixed choirs (1966), Three Songs for sopra-no, cello and piano (1975), Impressions for guitar (1976), Nordron for orchestra (1978), Klartext for soprano and clarinet (1978), Cross-eyed Witnesses for alto, percussion and trombone on texts by N. Sax (1989/91), Sketches for wind quintet (1989–1990), Concertino rustico for flute and string orchestra (1952/1991), Bridges for piano and wind quintet (1992), Utan ridd for wind orchestra (1992), Message for trumpet and wind orchestra (1993), Fragments from Kafka's Diary for alto and string quartet (1993), Music for Cello and String Orchestra (1986/94), // Tramonto dal Monte Solaro a Capri for trumpet and organ (1994), Gratitude for organ (1995), Laetitia recognitionis for string trio (1995), Scenes for chamber en-semble (1995), Hommage à Vladimír Kovář wind orchestra (1997), O, lappri! for orchestra (1997), Alle tarantella for piano (1998), Gonglot for mixed choir (1998), Marcia funebre for flute, violin, accordion and piano (fiatti) (1998).