Karlsons, Juris (1948)
Biography Works
Foto 1
Juris Karlsons was born on August
19th, 1948. He studied at the Riga High School of Choreography.
From 1963 to 1967, he continued his studies at the Theory Division
of the Emīls Dārziņš Music College. Afterwards he enrolled at the
Latvian State Conservatory (in the composition class of Jānis
Ivanovs) and graduated from it in 1972.
From 1968 until 1975, he worked as a sound editor at Latvian
Radio and Television. From 1975 until 1982 he was the chief sound
engineer at the Rainis Dailes Theatre. As of 1974, Karlsons has
been teaching at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian State Conservatory. In
1990, Karlsons became the rector of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian
Academy of Music (at that time still the Conservatory), and
continued his responsibilities after being elected to this position
for a second time in 2002. From 2000 to 2004 Karlsons
was the head of the composition
department at the Academy of Music. As of 2008, he is the director
of the State Agency of Intangible Culture Heritage.
Juris Karlsons is a member of the Latvian Composers’ Union;
from 1989 to 1993 he was the chairman of the Union. In 1984,
Karlsons was awarded the Jānis Ivanovs Award (the composer
completed and arranged for orchestra Jānis Ivanovs’s 21st
Symphony), in turn in 1989 he was given the title of Honoured
Artist. In 1998, Karlsons was given the highest award of the
Latvian Republic – the Three Star Order (Third Level). For his
music for the ballet Sidraba šķidrauts (The Silver
Veil) in 2000 Karlsons was given the Latvian Great
Music Award. In 2004, for his distinguished contribution to Latvian
culture and to the development of the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy
of Music, he received an honorary Doctor title (Dr. honoris causa),
and, in 2005, for his services for the development of cooperation
between Poland and Latvia, he received the Poland State
Award.
The musical work of Juris Karlsons earns attention with vivid
and interesting stylistic resolutions, and with the original
synthesis of many different 20th century compositional techniques.
His ballets, music for the theatre, expansive vocal symphonic and
symphonic compositions are often dominated by many different genres
and their characteristic expression by means of colouristic
contrasts. A rich use of rhythmic expression, masterfully polished
textures and many different interesting timbral developments are
characteristic of such Juris Karlsons’ symphonic works as the
Symphony, Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Chamber Orchestra, Concerto
No. 2 for Piano and Symphony Orchestra, and the Symphony Concerto
for Two Pianos and Orchestra. The composer’s inherent disposition
to a deeply inner contrast and revelation of dramatic conflict is
clearly felt in his symphonic compositions. There is sometimes even
the paradoxical change from the original image to its own opposite.
This trend towards the epic genre image is represented in his
expansive choir compositions, where significant attention is given
to timbre and textures of many differenttypes, a spatial model
development and a searching for different ways of expression. His
instrumental chamber music is dominated by the expansiveness of
analytic musical thought. In turn, his vocal instrumental chamber
music works have a genuine lyricism woven through them that
testifies also to the manifestation of romantic traditions in the
musical writing of Juris Karlsons.
