Many of Schidlowsky's works make reference to his Jewish-Israeli identity and to the history of the Jewish people, as well as to his interest in history and the political and social situation in Chile and Latin America. There is also in his works a musical response to his personal life and experience, such as the death of his wife Susanne (1999) and his son Elias (2004), or the destiny of many personal and professional friends, or personalities of his time. As an admirer of
Arnold Schoenberg´s music, Schidlowsky began his career as a composer in the tradition of the
Second Viennese School. His music is also highly influenced by
Edgard Varèse, specially on his concern with
timbre and freedom of
form. Later he began to use
serial techniques, and to experiment with various tonal concepts (
atonal,
aleatoric,
graphic notation), but always on the understanding that music has a deeper significance which transcends absolute art, which can open up a path for a human being to find a way to himself (Schidlowsky: "Art itself has not only one meaning. It includes and encompasses all senses, questions and all answers. I think that art is a way to us."). His compositions have been performed in numerous countries with orchestra conductors including
Aldo Ceccato, ,
Clytus Gottwald, ,
Erhard Karkoschka,
Herbert Kegel,
Lukas Foss,
Zubin Mehta,
Hermann Scherchen, and . The scores of his graphic music have been shown in various exhibitions linked to concerts, such as in the
Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Kunsthaus Hamburg, the
Wilhelm-Hack-Museum,
Ludwigshafen, and the Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken. Schidlowsky's works include: •
Caupolicán, text by
Pablo Neruda, for speaker, mixed chorus, 2 pianos, 6 percussionists •
Tríptico for orchestra •
Kristallnacht, text: fragment from a traditional Jewish prayer, for tenor, male chorus, orchestra •
Invocation, text by the composer, for soprano, speaker, orchestra •
Llaqui, text by
Javier Heraud, for speaker and orchestra] •
New York for orchestra •
Epitafio para Hermann Scherchen for orchestra •
Amereida •
Llaqui, text by
Javier Heraud, for speaker and orchestra •
Memento, text by Heraud, for soprano and orchestra •
Ecce Homo, text after fragments of
Che Guevara), for soprano and orchestra, 1969 •
In Eius Memoriam, for orchestra •
Amerindia •
Preludio for orchestra •
Los heraldos negros, text by
César Vallejo), for speaker and orchestra •
Sacsahuamán, for orchestra •
Era el crepúsculo de la iguana, text by
Pablo Neruda, for speaker and orchestra •
Yo vengo a hablar, text by Neruda, for speaker and orchestra •
Missa in Nomine Bach, text from the Mass, for mixed chorus and ensemble (8 players) •
Nacht, text by the composer, for mixed chorus •
Lux in Tenebris, for orchestra •
In memoriam Luigi Nono, for viola, cello and double bass • Arabesque for transverse flute •
Silvestre Revueltas, text by Neruda, for speaker and chamber ensemble •
Prelude to a Drama, for orchestra •
Absalom, for orchestra •
Three Dialogues for 2 violins •
In memoriam Jorge Peña, text by the composer, for speaker and orchestra •
And death shall have no dominion for orchestra •
Job for orchestra •
L´inferno for orchestra • Partita for cello •
In memoriam György Ligeti for orchestra • Nocturno, text by Neruda, for narrator and orchestra •
Soledad, text in
Quechua and Spanish, for voice, oboe, horn and cello •
Lautaro, text by Neruda, for narrator and orchestra •
Valparaíso, text by Álvaro Gallegos, narrator and orchestra Examples from his graphic notation music include: •
Kolot for harp •
Trigon for violin or viola, cello and piano •
Actions for Piano' •
Vera la morte, text by
Cesare Pavese, for voice and percussion •
Hommage to Picasso, text by
Gertrude Stein, for voice •
Tetralog •
Music for Piano and Winds •
Music for Piano and Strings •
Music for Piano and Percussion •
Music for Piano and Voice •
Dadayamasong, text by
Franz Mehring, for soprano, saxophone, piano and percussion •
Misa Sine Nomine (In Memoriam Víctor Jara) •
Bereschít bará elohím et haschamáim weét haáretz text from the Bible, for two mixed choruses and percussion • Kyrie eleison for large mixed chorus •
Lied, text by George Grosz, for speaker and organ • Gloria, for large mixed chorus and four gongs (1 player) •
Chile, text by the composer, for 20 mixed voices • Credo, for speaker, large mixed chorus, organ and four bass drums (1 player) • Benedictus, for 36 mixed voices and four suspended cymbals (1 player) •
Ich komme, text by Vladimir Mayakovsky, for 36 mixed voices • Dona nobis pacem, for large mixed chorus •
Babel, text from the Bible, for 6 sopranos, 6 altos, 4 tenors, 4 basses •
Epilog, text from the Bible, for speaker, small mixed chorus, large mixed chorus, organ, 4 percussion •
Palindrom for
women's chorus •
Am Grab Kafkas, text by
Franz Kafka), for women's voice (+ crotales) •
Greise sind die Sterne geworden, texts by
Heinrich Heine,
Georg Trakl,
Else Lasker-Schüler,
Mascha Kaléko,
Erich Fried,
Novalis, and the Bible, for soprano, alto, baritone, speaker, mixed chorus, piano, organ, harpsichord, celesta, 3 percussion •
Deutschland ein Wintermärchen, for chorus, speaker, soloist, piano, and percussion ensemble Among his numerous works, Schidlowsky also wrote three operas: •
Die Menschen, opera in four acts, libretto by the composer, after
Walter Hasenclever •
Der Dybbuk, opera in three acts, libretto by the composer, after
S. Ansky •
Before Breakfast, opera in one act, libretto by the composer, after
Eugene O'Neill == References ==