Peter Machajdik Resume

      Peter Machajdik has created a catalogue of works spanning virtually every genre from chamber, orchestral, vocal and electronic music to multimedia works. He often takes very simple materials and a simple mode of expression, and creates a vibrant and challenging sonic palette. His music, commonly characterised as emotive, imaginary, hypnotic and cinematic, has been performed to international audiences on five continents for over twenty five years and has been featured at festivals such as Inventionen in Berlin, New Work in Calgary, Early Music Festival in Boston, LakeComo Festival, Ostrava Days, Nuovi Spazi Musicali in Rome, Young Euro Classic in Berlin, Bolzano Festival, Hoergaenge at the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Sagra Musicale Malatestiana in Rimini, Kauniainen Music Festival and Hauho Music Festival in Finland, Audio Art Festival in Cracow, Contrasts in Lviv, Festival Timisoara Muzical, Melos-Ethos Festival, and the Bratislava Music Festival.

Machajdik's works have been commissioned and/or performed by the I.J.Paderewski State Philharmonic Orchestra, the Janacek Philharmonic Orchestra, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, the Symphony Orchestra of the Lublin Philharmonic, Berg Orchestra, the Slovak Chamber Orchestra, the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Camerata Europea, the Luhansk Symphony Orchestra, Cluster Ensemble, Ensemble Metamorphosis, the Virtuosi Lviv Chamber Orchestra, Arte Quartett, Ensemble Inn, Prague Modern, Duo Accosphere, and soloists such as harpists Floraleda Sacchi, Kristan Toczko, Klara Babel and Megan Morris, clarinetists Martin Adamek and Guido Arbonelli, organists Carson Cooman, Per Ahlman, David di Fiore and Olena Matselyukh, violists Sasha Mirkovic and Martin Ruman, cimbalom player Eniko Ginzery, cellists John Alex Heley, Piero Salvatori, Jozef Luptak and Darry Dolezal, harpsichordists Elina Mustonen, Sonia Lee, Asako Hirabayashi and Faythe Vollrath, pianists Jordana Palovicova, Katarzyna Musial, Jozsef Balog, Daniel Garel, Mayuko Kida, Juan Maria Solare, Olga Striletska, Zuzana Manera Biscakova, flautists Rebecca Jeffreys, Yeeun Kim and Alex Griffiths, accordionists Boris Lenko, Peter Katina, Rocco Anthony Jerry and Gertie Bruin, double bassist Dritan Gani, and oboist Piet Van Bockstal. Conductors who have championed his work include Benjamin Bayl, Anu Tali, Florian Ludwig, Miran Vaupotic, Pawel Przytocki, Oliver Kentish, Leos Svarovsky, Ondrej Olos, Maria Makraki, Peter Breiner, Przemyslaw Zych, Peter Vrabel, Marian Lejava, Petr Kofron, Ondrej Kukal and Hakan Sensoy. He was the founding member of Transmusic Comp., former Czechoslovakia's most original ensemble for experimental music.

Machajdik's prolific catalogue of chamber music includes Danube Afterpoint for piccolo, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, two pianos and string quartet (Radio_Head Awards Festival), On The Seven Colours of Light for organ (Carson Cooman), It's Not The Mist for two pianos (Cluster Ensemble), Empty Cage for harpsichord (Elina Mustonen), Signes de la memoire for clarinet, violin, cello and piano, Nell autunno del suo abbraccio insone for harp (LakeComo Festival, for Floraleda Sacchi), Senahh for flute and piano (Rebecca Jeffreys & Alexander Timofeev), solo harp, accordion, organ, piano and guitar literature, five string quartets as well as a number of other works for groups with whom he has developed close partnerships, including Quasars Ensemble, Mucha Quartet, Duo Accosphere, Czechoslovak Chamber Duo, Melos Ethos Festival and many others.

Machajdik's viola concerto Behind the Waves, the accordion concerto Gegen.Stand, Namah for string orchestra and woodblock, and Wie der Wind in den Duenen for string orchestra are marked by extreme emotional depth and colourful orchestration, and belong to Machajdik's most frequently programmed orchestral works.

Peter Machajdik's vocal music includes Blagoslawieni for mezzo-soprano, violin and string orchestra (Izabela Kopec and the Lublin Philharmonic), choral works Domine (AVE Chamber Choir), Kyrie (Volda Vocale) and Dotyki (Warsaw Choir), works for solo voice, including Haiku for soprano, clarinet and piano (Nao Higano, Martin Adamek, Zuzana Biscakova), Halleluya for soprano and viola, Vita Eterna for soprano, mixed choir, flute, violin and piano, and Ave verum for soprano and piano (or harp).

Machajdik has also composed scores for feature films and documentaries, contemporary dance, ballet and theatre, and for radio plays. His music has recently been heard in Caryl Churchill's drama Escaped Alone at the Slovak National Theatre and in Sofia Andrukhovych's Felix Austria at the Brno-based HaDivadlo, both under the direction of Eduard Kudlac, as well as in Kristina Paulin's choreographies for the soloists of both the Hamburg Ballet and the Slovak National Theatre. He has also created a number of graphic scores that have been exhibited and performed worldwide.
Updated:  May 14, 2023

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