Piano Quintets

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Quintets


First name: Karl-Erik
Last name: Welin
Dates: 1943-1992
Category: Quintet
Nationality: Swedish
Opus name: Eurytmi (1979)
Publisher: Svensk Musik
Peculiarities: unpublished; copies availble at Svensk musik
Information: Published: June 3, 1992 (The New York Times Published: June 3, 1992 ) Karl-Erik Welin, a Swedish composer, pianist and organist, was found dead at his home on the Spanish island of Mallorca on Sunday, his 58th birthday. Reports in the Swedish press did not list the cause of death. As a performer, Mr. Welin was drawn to music that allowed him to display his flair for drama and to express what seemed to be a love-hate relationship with the keyboard. In 1964, for example, he gave a performance of Theodore E. Liber's "Rendez-vous 1963," which involved destroying the piano. Mr. Welin threw himself into the destruction with such zeal that he injured himself and had to be taken to a hospital. A year later, he presented his own "Essai du Pianiste," a satirical work in which a grand piano is given an elaborate funeral. His chamber work "Esservecchia" (1963) requires a pianist to deliver several strong fist blows to the instrument's keys and strings.