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George (Joseph) Fiala. Composer, pianist, organist, producer, b Kiev, Ukraine, 31 Mar 1922, naturalized Canadian 1955; D MUS musicology (Akademische Hochschule fur Musik, Berlin) 1945. Both his parents were pianists, and he began studying the piano at seven. In 1934 he took piano lessons from K. Mikhailoff and began learning theory and composition. A mazurka he composed was selected in 1935 for a collection of pieces by children published in Moscow. At the Tchaikovsky Cons in Kiev he studied 1939-41 under the Ukrainian composers Groudine, Lev Revutsky, Boris Liatoshynsky, and Andrew Olkhovsky. He was able to exchange ideas with Prokofiev, Shostakovitch, and Khatchaturian when they conducted their works in Kiev, and these meetings influenced his artistic development.
Fiala's activities were interrupted by the German occupation during World War II. He went to Berlin where under difficult circumstances he continued his studies in composition with Hansmaria Dombrowski, a pupil of Pfitzner, and took courses in conducting with Wilhelm Furtwangler. His doctoral thesis dealt with the problems of symphonic composition in Soviet Russia.
When the war ended Fiala settled in Belgium and studied with the composer Leon Jongen, director of the Brussels Cons. A scholarship from the Vatican in 1946 enabled him to concentrate exclusively on composition for three years. He produced about 40 works, including his Symphony No. 2 and his Piano Concerto No. 3. During his years in Belgium he took part as a composer, pianist, and conductor in the Seminaire des arts directed by Andre Souris in Brussels and thus came into contact with the new Parisian school represented mainly by Boulez, Nigg, and Leibowitz.
Fiala emigrated to Canada in 1949 and settled in Montreal where he has remained except for 1959-60 which he spent in Sydney, Australia. In addition to his activities as composer, pianist, organist, and teacher, he also produced programs 1967-87 for the Russian section of RCI.
Fiala has composed over 200 works of which about 15 have been published.
Fiala has been attracted to the large forms - the symphony, the concerto, the sonata. Trained primarily in the traditional school, he adhered to the tonal system until the early 1960s. By his own admission he succeeded at that time in 'reconciling his method of composition with the principles of serialism'. This double allegiance was to characterize his subsequent output. His works have a logical structure, and the more recent use a language that is often dissonant. The melodic line, although frequently angular, is lyrical and expressive, and the rhythms are always interesting. The instrumental writing is colourful, with rich contrasts. But on the aesthetic plane Fiala's work follows a traditional pattern. Above all he seeks to be himself, which may explain in part his refusal to commit himself to the more adventurous paths of contemporary writing.
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