Biography

1) Moscow - till 1990
Maria Koval, daughter of the composer Marian Koval, graduated from the Moscow Conservatoire P.J.Chaykovsky, in her native city.
In Russia Maria Koval has given about 150 concerts (Russian Republics, so far as the Far East, Ukrain, Moldavia, Asian Republics) as composer and performer of her own music.
It has also performed as a soloist Mozart’s concerto N° 28 for piano and symphony orchestra in Ulyanovsk.
During this period she composed the following :
- 2 symphonies
- a ballet ‘The Little Mermaid’ after H.Ch. Andersen
- a piano concerto
- a violin concerto
- a concertino for saxophone and string orchestra
- chamber music
- vocal music from russian poetry
- music for children
- theatrical musics :
1) ‘An Infanta’s Birthday’ after O.Wilde (partition for a large symphony orchestra)
2) ‘Petersburg’ after A.Belij
3) ‘An Invitation for Father’s Christmas’ after N. Obramtseva

2) Hamburg, Germany - from 1990 to 1997
During this period Maria Koval spent two years in the computer class at ‘ Musikhochschule’, discussing her music with Alfred Schnittke and was awarded a grant by the Hamburg City Culture Ministry.
In Germany she gave concerts in Hamburg, Lüneburg, Munich, Ulm, Bonn, Düsseldorf, Bremen.
She toured as composer and performer of her own music from March 28 to April 15 1993 in the USA :
New-York City, Chicago, Saint – Louis, Cincinnati and Trenton (Festival of Microtonal Music).
She collaborated with the following musicians :
- Hermann Kretzschmar, pianist within the Ensemble ‘Modern’ (Frankfurt), for whom she composed several piano pièces.
- Uwe Dierksen, trombonist within the Ensemble ‘Modern’(Frankfurt), for whom she composed a sonata for trombone and piano. She accompanied him on piano in a concert for Radio Bremen.
- Jürgen Grözinger, percussionist, for whom she was ordered to compose two pieces :
‘Unwritten letters’ (percussions, cello and piano), ‘A Request’ (flute,2 oboes, bassoon and percussions) for the Russian Music Festival in Ulm (which included compositions by Schnittke, Gubaydulina and Denisov among others).
- Stefan Schmidt – Pritz, violonist of the ‘Hamburger Symphoniker’ orchestra.
During her sojourn in Germany, she has also composed theatrical musics:
‘Dance of the Dead’ after A. Strindberg
‘The Ivanov’s Christmas Tree’ after A. Vvedenski
‘Vassa Zheleznova’ after M.Gorki

3) Since May 1997
Maria Koval has lived in Paris where she has composed on the order :
a viola concerto (ordered for Yuri Bashmet)
‘In project…’ a piece for symphony orchestra (ordered for Auditorium Saint-Germain) a saxophone concerto (ordered for Daniel Kientzy)
‘Tête - à - ok II’ for 8 instruments (ordered for Ensemble ‘Musiques Nouvelles’, Brussels)
‘Tête -à - ok III’ for 8 celli (ordered for Amsterdam)
‘Les Rayrures’, a trio for flute, viola and double-bass (ordered for Ensemble ‘Calliopée’, Paris)
‘Charred logs’ for soprano saxophone, viola and piano (ordered for Daniel Kientzy for Rumania)
‘Filoche’ for saxophone (s) and electronics (ordered for ‘Meta Duo’, Paris) String quartet (ordered for Gent, Belgium)
‘Two People. The lonely”- piece for violin solo (ordered for Vestfold International Festival, Norway, 2010) music for children (for Editions ‘Combre’, Paris, and Editions ‘Armiane’, Versailles)
In 2009 she has been awarded the Jacques Durand Prise.
At this moment Maria Koval is composing an opera for which she has written the libretto.

4) Music composed since 1991
symphonies N° 3 and 4
a symphony suite ‘The Little Mermaid’
a piano concerto
a violin concerto
a viola concerto
‘In project…’ for symphony orchestra
a tenor saxophone concerto and ensemble of 13 musicians
‘Tresse’ for 12 instruments
‘Tête-à-ok’ for 8 musicians
‘Tête-à-ok II’ for 8 instruments
‘Tête-à-ok III’ for 8 celli
‘ARequest’ for flute, 2 oboes, bassoon and percussions
Quintet with piano
String quartet
String trio
‘Six pieces’ for violin, cello and piano
‘Neverheless’ for violin and cello
‘Beanpod’ for violin and double-bass
“Two people. The Lonely’ for violin solo
For violin and piano :
‘Moderato’
‘Meditation’
Sonata
Scherzo
For viola and piano :
‘Six pieces’
‘Brown Feathers’
‘Seven miniatures’
-‘Five bagatelles’ for viola and guitar
For viola solo :
‘ Zum Geburstag’
‘Videnia’ (version for cello solo)
For cello and piano :
Sonata
‘The Peg’
For double-bass solo :
‘Five crumbs’
‘Wandering’
‘Les Rayures’ for flute, viola and double-bass
Trio for flute, viola and harp
Trio for flute, guitar and double-bass
‘Unwritten letters’ for cello, piano and percussions
‘Attempt for outsider’ for saxophone(s), cello and percussions
‘Charred logs’ for soprano saxophone, viola and piano
‘Filoche’ for saxophone(s) and electronics
‘Duo’ for accordeon and piano
‘Le picot’ for clarinet and cello
‘Duo’ for trombone and harp
Sonata for trombone and piano
For piano :
Sonata, op. 27
Sonata ‘For Gwénola’, op. 73
‘Thirteen variations and four refrains’
‘Fantasmozartie’
‘Five conversations’
Three pieces ‘The Ghosts’, op. 20
‘Three pieces’, op. 32
‘Impromptu’ for piano and a hair brush
‘For six glasses, a ruler, a pencil and a spirit’
Vocal cycles :
‘Incidences’ after D. Kharms (in English)
‘The Smoked Herring’ after french poetry (in French)
‘Eight poetries’ after A. Achmatova and N. Gumiliov (in Russian)
theatrical musics
music for children