Szymon Laks

about

Simon (Szymon) Laks (1 November 1901 – 11 December 1983) was a Polish composer and violinist, who became head of the prisoners' orchestra at Birkenau-Auschwitz. Simon Laks was born in Warsaw on 1 November 1901. He was born a Russian citizen. He studied mathematics in Vilnius and Warsaw. In 1921, he entered the Conservatoire of Warsaw, the capital of the newly independent Poland. He became a Polish citizen. In 1924, the Warsaw Philharmonic played one of his works in public for the first time. It was the symphonic poem, Farys (now lost). He left Poland for Vienna in 1926. He worked providing piano accompaniment for silent films. He then returned to Paris where he continued his musical studies until 1929 at the Conservatoire National. At that time, he spoke Polish, Russian, French, German, and English. He became one of the founder members of the Association for Young Polish Musicians in Paris, founded at the end of 1926 with his help. Many of Laks' works were written for Parisian concerts at this time: his quintet for wind instruments (lost), his second string quartet (lost) and his sonata for cello and piano. In Paris, Simon Laks met Tadeusz Makowski. In the 1930s, he formed a fruitful artistic collaboration with the singer Tola Korian. He wrote songs for her in Polish and French, as well as many songs she had written herself. Simon Laks composed neo-classical music. In 1941, Simon Laks, a Jew, was arrested by the German authorities and interned in the camp at Pithiviers, cl

top songs

albums

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Voices of Defiance

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Simon Laks: Complete Works for Voice and Piano

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Simon Laks: Werke für Klavier

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Jezusek (Arr. for Piano by Holger Groschopp) [Remastered 2024]

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Laks: String Quartets Nos. 3-5

Laks & Jarnach: Orchestra Works

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Laks: Chamber Works

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In Between

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Jezusek (remastered)

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Laks: Divertimento, Wind Concertino, Passacaille, String Quartet No. 4, Piano Quintet & Sonatina

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Chopin, Laks & Szymanowski: Cello Sonatas

Laks: L'Hirondelle inattendue

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