Iris Szeghy was born in a hungarian family in Slovakia, she lives and works as a freelance composer in Zurich. She graduated in composition with a dissertation in 1989 from the Bratislava School of Music. Her meanwhile extensive work catalogue encompasses solo, chamber music, orchestra and vocal works which have been performed by notable interpreters at various concerts and festivals in Europe, Asia and America. Her portrait concerts have been performed in Stuttgart, San Diego, Hamburg, Bremen and Dublin, Luzern and Bern. Numerous short- and long-term fellowship residencies led her to Budapest, Warsaw, Stuttgart, Hamburg, Worpswede, Amsterdam, San Diego, Boswil and Stein am Rhein. She has received commissions for compositions from the Bratislava Music Festival, the Hillard Ensemble, Pro Helvetia Culture Foundation and the Boswil Summer Festival, the "Musikpodium der Stadt Zürich" and various other musicians and ensembles all over the world. Besides various recordings on CD collections, a portrait CD of Iris Szeghy by the ensemble SurPlus from Freiburg im Breisgau was published in 2002.
Work list
Hommage à Rodin (1982)
Encounters with three statues of the master
Instrumentation: for violin and piano
This work is inspired by three of Rodin's statues:
1. L'âge de fer
2. Le penseur
3. Balzac
Duration: 15' 00"
Musikfond
Bratislava
Confessions (1984)
Instrumentation: for female or children's choir
1. To My Grandmother
2. To Little Blanka, Iris and Martha
3. To My Sister
4. To My Father
5. To My Mother
Duration: 6' 00"
Musikfond
Bratislava
Wir gehen in den Zoo (1984)
Instrumentation: for piano
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Wir gehen in den Zoo (1984)
Instrumentation: for 2 melodic instruments and piano
Duration: 4' 00" Manuscript
Frühlingssonate (1979-1985/2008)
Instrumentation: for organ
1. Bäume
2. Blumen
3. Vögel
4. Lob des Frühlings
Duration: 20' 00" Manuscript
Vivat Summer (1980-1985)
Little Suite
Instrumentation: for Clarinet
Suite consisting of seven miniatures.
Duration: 6' 00"
Musikfond
Bratislava
Ein Spiel (1984-1985)
Instrumentation: for two children's choirs (or one choir in two groups)
This work musicalises an unsemantic nursery rhyme.
Duration: 5' 00"
Musikfond
Bratislava
Musica dolorosa (1985)
Instrumentation: for string orchestra
1. Moderato
2. Reminiscenza. Allegretto giocoso
3. Tranquillo. Sempre con sordino
Duration: 15' 00"
Musikfond
Bratislava
Musica dolorosa (1985)
string quartet
1. Moderato
2. Reminiscenza. Allegretto giocoso
3. Tranquillo. Sempre con sordino
Duration: 15' 00"
Musikfond
Bratislava
Poetische Studien (1985)
Instrumentation: for piano trio
Fifteen miniatures: Preludio - Staccato - Legato - Interludio I - Crescendo - Decrescendo - Sotto voce - Interludio II - Tremolo - Flagioletti - Interludio III - Armonia - Unisono - Glissando - Postludio.
Duration: 13' 00" Manuscript
Suite de Poche (Pocket Suite) (1986)
Instrumentation: for guitar
A work inspired by the baroque suite and jazz.
Prélude - Allemande - Courante - Sarabande - Gavotte - Fuguette - Postlude.
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Minifanfare (1986)
Instrumentation: for brass quintet (hn.2tpt.tbn.tba)
Duration: 2' 00"
Astoria-Verlag
Berlin
Canto triste (1986)
Nocturne
Instrumentation: for trombone (violoncello) and piano
Duration: 11' 00" Manuscript
Concert (1987-1989)
Instrumentation: for violoncello and orchestra (2.2.2.2/4.2.3.1/timp.3perc/str)
Passacaglia - Toccata - Aria.
Duration: 26' 00"
Astoria-Verlag
Berlin
Three Shakespeare Songs (1990)
Instrumentation: for mixed choir or female choir
Texts: William Shakespeare
Fairy Song - Sweet Music's Power - Song Sung in Arden.
Duration: 9' 00"
Tonger Verlag
Köln
Afforismi (1990)
Instrumentation: for flute (or oboe), clarinet and bassoon
This work consists of seven miniatures: Hemingway - Remarque - Schiller - Descartes - Börne - Voltaire - Hemingway/Szeghy.
Duration: 12' 00" Manuscript
De profundis (1990)
4 conzoni secondo after the poems by Michelangelo Buonarroti
Instrumentation: for voice (S or Mez) and two melodic instruments (fl, ob, cl. vn, va, vc)
Texts: Michelangelo Buonarroti
Song cycle in four movements: All'amore - All'amico - Al mondo - A Dio.
Duration: 15' 00"
Astoria-Verlag
Berlin
Ciaccona (1991)
Instrumentation: for violin or viola
Virtuoso work inspired by the Ciaccona in d minor by J.S. Bach.
Duration: 11' 00"
Tonger Verlag
Köln
Variations on a German Folksong (1991)
Instrumentation: for horn trio
A virtuoso piece over the folksong 'Grün, grün, grün sind alle meine Kleider'.
Duration: 8' 00" Manuscript
Prelusio e danza (1992)
Instrumentation: for bass clarinet or basset horn
Virtuoso work partly inspired by jazz improvisation.
Duration: 5' 00"
Tonger Verlag
Köln
Midsummer Night's Mystery (1992)
Instrumentation: for two (or four) percussionists
This work is inspired by the midsummer night's rituals.
Fire - Dance - Dawn.
Duration: 12' 00"
Astoria-Verlag
Berlin
Afforismi II (1992)
Instrumentation: for flute, oboe (or English horn) and bass clarinet
This work consists of seven miniatures: Hemingway - Remarque - Schiller - Descartes - Börne - Voltaire - Hemingway/Szeghy.
Duration: 12' 00" Manuscript
Ave Maria (1992)
Instrumentation: for soprano, viola, violoncello and double-bass (or string orchestra without violins)
Duration: 7' 00"
Tonger Verlag
Köln
Perpetuum mobile (1993)
Instrumentation: for piano
for fully or partly prepared piano.
Duration: 4' 00" Manuscript
Psalm (1993)
Instrumentation: for solo voice
Texts: Paul Celan
Musicalisation of Celan's poem 'Psalm' from 'Niemandsrose'.
Duration: 7' 00"
Tonger Verlag
Köln
In Between (1993)
Instrumentation: for oboe and electronic tape
Duration: 8' 30" Manuscript
Oratio et gratias actio pro sanitate matris meae (1994-1995)
Instrumentation: for four voices (CT2TB) or six voices (S2CTTBarB) or a mixed choir without soprano
Liturgical latin text.
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Story (1995)
Instrumentation: for voice (S or Mez) and electronic tape
Duration: 14' 00" Manuscript
A Day in Manhattan (1996)
Instrumentation: for four guitars
Morning - Afternoon - Evening - Night.
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Hommage à Heidelberg (1996)
Vocalisms
Instrumentation: for song and chamber orchestra (fl, cl, pf, timp, vn, vc, db)
Duration: 3' 00" Manuscript
The Prayer (1998)
Instrumentation: for mixed choir
Latin liturgical text.
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Secret Love (1999)
Instrumentation: for mixed choir
Texts: Emilia Husarová
Choral cycle in three movements:
1. Narcissus
2. This House
3. Secret Love
Two language versions: English and Slovak.
Duration: 9' 00" Manuscript
Psalms 130 (1999)
Instrumentation: for mixed choir and organ
Latin text from the Bible.
Duration: 6' 00" Manuscript
When I Die (1999)
Instrumentation: for voice (MezA poss. S) and percussion instruments
Texts: Imre Szeghy
This piece musicalises a poem written by my father. The speach mutations are English or Hungarian.
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Bolero-Blues (2000)
Instrumentation: for piano
Duration: 4' 00" Manuscript
It-Movements (2001)
Instrumentation: for flute, saxophone, viola, guitar and percussion
1. Laying It Down
2. Taking It up
3. Moving It Around
Duration: 15' 00" Manuscript
Canticum (2002)
Instrumentation: for accordion
Virtouso piece. Variations over a kind of choral theme.
Duration: 8' 30" Manuscript
Homewards (1997/2003)
Instrumentation: for large orchestra (3.3.3.3/4.3.3.1/timp.3perc/cel.hp/hp)
Dedicated to the memory of my father.
Duration: 16' 00" Manuscript
Tableaux d'un parc (1999/2003)
Instrumentation: for chamber ensemble (1.1.1.1 - 0.0.0.0 - perc, pf - 1.1.1.1) or orchestra (with choral strings)
Inspired by Mussorgskij's 'Bildern einer Ausstellung'. Instead of the pictures it is the trees of a park.
Movements: Promenade - Betula - Quercus - Promenade - Salix - Nymphaea - Promenade - Pinus - Sequoia.
Duration: 25' 00" Manuscript
Vielleicht, dass uns etwas aufginge (2002-2003)
Instrumentation: for soprano and strings (min. 2-2-2-2-1)
Texts: Klaus Merz
Five short poems.
Duration: 15' 00" Manuscript
Anrufung des Grossen Bären (2003)
Instrumentation: for soprano, flute and piano
Texts: Ingeborg Bachmann
This three-movement piece is a musicalisation of the poems 'Reklame' and 'Anrufung des Grossen Bären' by Ingeborg Bachmann.
Duration: 15' 00" Manuscript
Ad Parnassum (2004-2005)
After pictures by Paul Klee
Instrumentation: for strings (min.: 4.3.2.2.1)
Cycle for string orchestra in 9 movements.
Duration: 20' 00" Manuscript
Slowakischer Tanz (2005)
Instrumentation: for violin solo
Short, virtuoso piece with folk inspiration.
Duration: 5' 00" Manuscript
Hesse-Splitter (2006)
Instrumentation: for soprano (tenor) and piano
Texts: Hermann Hesse
Cycle of 16 miniatures after fragments from Hesse's letters, essays and poetry.
Duration: 20' 00" Manuscript
Streichtrio "Goldberg" (2006-2007)
Movements (attacca)
1. Introduzione. Cadenza I
2. Arietta. Cadenza II
3. Agitato. Cadenza III
4. Variazioni
Duration: 25' 00" Manuscript
Liebeserklärungen (1989)
Instrumentation: for female choir or children's choir