Wolfgang Rihm

Wolfgang Rihm (born 13 March 1952) is a German composer of contemporary classical music and teacher. One of the most influential post-war European composers, alongside Helmut Lachenmann, Rihm is among the leading German composers of his time. A prolific composer, his total output numbers more than 500 works, although he is particularly known for his operas. Associated with the New Simplicity style earlier in his career, his style has since extended to what The Guardian described as a "bewildering variety of styles and sounds".

He is musical director of the Institute of New Music and Media at the University of Music Karlsruhe and has been a composer in residence at the Lucerne Festival and the Salzburg Festival. He was honoured as Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2001. His students include the composers Rebecca Saunders and Jörg Widmann.

Biography
Rihm was born on 13 March 1952, in Karlsruhe. He finished both his school and his studies in music theory and composition at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe with Eugen Werner Velte in 1972, two years before the premiere of his early work Morphonie at the 1974 Donaueschingen Festival launched his career as a prominent figure in the European new music scene. Rihm's early work, combining contemporary techniques with the emotional volatility of Mahler and of Schoenberg's early expressionist period, was regarded by many as a revolt against the avant-garde generation of Boulez, Stockhausen (with whom he studied in 1972–73), and others, and led to a large number of commissions in the following years. From 1973 to 1976 he studied composition with Klaus Huber in Freiburg im Breisgau. Other teachers were Wolfgang Fortner and Humphrey Searle. In the late 1970s and early 1980s his name was associated with the movement called New Simplicity. In 1978 he became an instructor at the Darmstädter Ferienkurse. Since 1985 Rihm has been professor for composition at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe. His work still continues to plough expressionist furrows, though the influence of Luigi Nono, Helmut Lachenmann and Morton Feldman, amongst others, has affected his style significantly.

Rihm is an extremely prolific composer, with hundreds of completed scores, a large portion of which are yet to be commercially recorded. (See the List of the compositions of Wolfgang Rihm, in German, or the IRCAM works list, in French). He does not always regard a finished work the last word on a subject—for example the orchestral work Ins Offene... (1990) was completely rewritten in 1992, and then used as the basis for his piano concerto Sphere (1994), before the piano part of Sphere was recast for the solo piano work Nachstudie (also 1994). (In 2002 Rihm also produced a new version of Nachstudie, Sphäre nach Studie, for harp, two double basses, piano and percussion, and also a new version of Sphere, called Sphäre um Sphäre, for two pianos and chamber ensemble.) Other important works include thirteen string quartets, the operas Die Hamletmaschine (1983–1986, text by Heiner Müller) and Die Eroberung von Mexico (1987–1991, based on texts by Antonin Artaud), over twenty song-cycles, the oratorio Deus Passus (1999–2000) commissioned by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart, the chamber orchestra piece Jagden und Formen (1995–2001), more than thirty concertos and a series of related orchestral works bearing the title Vers une symphonie fleuve. The New York Philharmonic premièred Rihm's 2004 commission Two Other Movements. In 2008 Rihm composed KOLONOS | 2 Fragments by Hölderlin after Sophokles for orchestra and countertenor, premiered in Bad Wildbad with the countertenor Matthias Rexroth.

Invited by Walter Fink, he was the fifth composer featured in the annual Komponistenporträt of the Rheingau Musik Festival in 1995, in two programs of chamber music and Lied, also of Robert Schumann, including his works Fremde Szene I for piano trio, Vier Lieder after poems of Paul Celan, Klavierstück 7, Klavierstück 6, Das Rot, six songs after poems of Karoline von Günderrode, Antlitz for violin and piano, and Fremde Szene III. In 1995 he contributed Communio (Lux aeterna) to the Requiem of Reconciliation. He received an honorary doctorate of the Free University of Berlin in 1998. In 2003 he received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize.

In March 2010 the BBC Symphony Orchestra featured the music of Rihm in one of their 'total immersion' weekends at the Barbican Centre, London. Recordings from this weekend were used for three 'Hear and Now' programmes on BBC Radio 3 dedicated to his work. On 27 July 2010, Rihm's opera Dionysos, based on Nietzsche's late cycle of poems Dionysian-Dithyrambs, had its world premiere at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Ingo Metzmacher, and designed by Jonathan Meese. This performance was voted World Premiere of the Year (Uraufführung des Jahres) for 2010/11 by Opernwelt magazine. He revised his Gegenstück (2006) for bass saxophone, percussion and piano, premiered by Trio Accanto on 16 August 2010 to celebrate the 80th birthday of Walter Fink. Anne-Sophie Mutter premiered his violin concerto Lichtes Spiel (Light Games) in Avery Fisher Hall with the New York Philharmonic on 18 November 2010.

Awards

 * 1978 Kranichstein Music Prize
 * 1978 Reinhold Schneider Prize of the City of Freiburg
 * 1981 Beethoven Prize of the City of Bonn
 * 1986 Rolf Liebermann Prize for his opera The Hamlet Machine
 * 1997 Musical Composition Prize from The Prince Pierre Foundation
 * 1998 Jacob Burckhardt Prize from the Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Foundation
 * 2000 Bach Prize of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
 * 2001 Royal Philharmonic Society Award for the work Hunts and Forms (Jagden und Formen)
 * 2001 Officer of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs
 * 2003 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize
 * 2004 Medal of Merit from the State of Baden-Württemberg
 * 2012 Pour le Mérite
 * 2014 Grand Cross of Merit with Star of the Federal Republic of Germany
 * 2014 Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art
 * 2014 Robert Schumann Prize for Poetry and Music
 * 2017 European Church Music Prize
 * 2018 Foundation Prize of the Ecumenical Foundation for the Bible and Culture
 * 2019 German Music Authors' Prize (Lifetime achievement)

Honorary doctorates

 * 1998 Free University of Berlin

Memberships

 * 1983 Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste
 * 1986 Academy of Arts, Berlin
 * 1996 Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung, Darmstadt
 * 2000 Freie Akademie der Künste Hamburg
 * European Academy of Sciences and Arts

Stage works

 * Faust und Yorick, a chamber opera (1976)
 * Jakob Lenz, a chamber opera in one act, based on the 1836 novel of the same name by Georg Büchner (1977–1978)
 * Tutuguri, a ballet ("Poème dansé)", after Antonin Artaud (1980)
 * Die Hamletmaschine, a music theater piece in five parts, based on the play by Heiner Muller (1983–1986)
 * Oedipus, a music theater piece in two acts, based on Sophocles' Oedipus Rex (1986–1987)
 * Die Eroberung von Mexico, an opera in four acts, based on Antonin Artaud's "La conquête du Mexique" (1987–1991)
 * Séraphin, after Antonin Artaud (1993–1994)
 * Dionysos, an opera fantasy, based on the Dionysian Dithyrambs by Nietzsche (2009–2010)

Orchestral works

 * Form / 2 Formen (second state)
 * Gejagte Form (first version)
 * Gejagte Form (second version)
 * IN-SCHRIFT (1995)
 * Ernster Gesang (1996)
 * Jagden und Formen
 * Jagden und Formen (state 2008)
 * Symphony No. 1, Op. 3
 * Symphony No. 2 (first and last movement)
 * Sub-Kontur for large orchestra
 * Vers une symphonie fleuve I–IV
 * IN-SCHRIFT 2 (2013)
 * Dunkles Spiel, for small orchestra
 * Schwarzer und roter Tanz, a fragment from "Tutuguri", for orchestra

Concertante

 * Violin
 * Lichtzwang
 * Gesungene Zeit
 * Lichtes Spiel
 * COLL'ARCO
 * Viola
 * Concerto for Viola and Orchestra
 * Concerto for Viola and Orchestra No. 2
 * Violoncello
 * Konzert in einem Satz
 * Monodram
 * Styx und Lethe
 * Concerto en Sol (2018)
 * String quartet
 * "CONCERTO"
 * Clarinet
 * Musik für Klarinette und Orchester
 * Oboe
 * Musik für Oboe und Orchester
 * Bassoon
 * Psalmus
 * Trumpet
 * Gebild
 * Marsyas, Rhapsodie für Trompete mit Schlagzeug und Orchester
 * Trombone
 * Canzona per sonare
 * Piano
 * Piano Concerto (1969)
 * Sphere
 * Sotto voce, a Notturno for piano and small orchestra
 * Sotto voce 2, a Capriccio for piano and small orchestra
 * Piano Concerto No. 2 (2014)
 * Harp
 * Die Stücke des Sängers
 * Organ
 * Unbenannt IV
 * Mixed instruments
 * Erster Doppelgesang, for viola, cello and orchestra
 * Zweiter Doppelgesang, for clarinet, cello, and orchestra
 * Dritter Doppelgesang, for clarinet, viola, and orchestra

Chamber works

 * Chiffre-Zyklus
 * Chiffre I (1982)
 * Nach-Schrift (eine Chriffre) (1982/2004)
 * Silence to be beaten (Chiffre II) (1983)
 * Chiffre III (1983)
 * Chiffre IV (1983/84)
 * Chiffre V (1984)
 * Bild (eine Chiffre) (1984)
 * Chiffre VI (1984)
 * Chiffre VII (1985)
 * Chiffre VIII (1985/88)

String quartet

 * Grave
 * Quartettstudie
 * String Quartet No. 1
 * String Quartet No. 2
 * String Quartet No. 3
 * String Quartet No. 4
 * String Quartet No. 5
 * String Quartet No. 6
 * String Quartet No. 7
 * String Quartet No. 8
 * String Quartet No. 9
 * String Quartet No. 10
 * String Quartet No. 11
 * String Quartet No. 12
 * String Quartet No. 13
 * Fetzen (Shreds) 1-8, for string quartet and accordion

Vocal works

 * Voice and orchestra
 * Fünf Abgesangsszenen
 * Drei späte Gedichte von Heiner Müller
 * Ernster Gesang mit Lied
 * Frau / Stimme
 * Hölderlin-Fragmente
 * Lenz-Fragmente
 * Penthesilea Monolog
 * Rilke: Vier Gedichte

Voice and piano

 * Gesänge, Op. 1 (1968–71)
 * "Untergang" (Georg Trakl)
 * "Geistliche Dämmerung" (Trakl)
 * "Hälfte des Lebens" (Friedrich Hölderlin)
 * "Hochsommerbann" (Oskar Loerke)
 * "Abend" (August Stramm)
 * "Patrouille" (Stramm)
 * "Kriegsgrab" (Stramm)
 * "Sturmangriff" (Stramm)
 * "Lied" (Stefan George)
 * "Frühling" (Franz Büchler)
 * "Verzweifelt" (Stramm)
 * "Robespierre" (Georg Heym)
 * "Vorfrühling" (Reiner Maria Rilke)
 * Vier Gedichte aus "Atemwende" (Paul Celan) (1973)
 * Alexanderlieder (1975/76) for Mezzo-soprano, Baritone & 2 Pianos. (Ernst Herbeck)
 * Hölderlin-Fragmente (1976/77) piano version
 * Neue Alexanderlieder (1979) (Herbeck) for baritone
 * Lenz-Fragmente (1980) for tenor
 * Wölfli-Liederbuch (1980/81) bass-baritone & piano, with optional episodes for 2 bass drums (orch. version 1982)
 * Das Rot (Karoline von Gunderrode) (1990)
 * Vier Gedichte von Peter Härtling (1993)
 * Drei Gedichte von Monique Thoné (1997)
 * Apokryph (1997) (deathbed words attributed to Georg Büchner)
 * Nebendraußen (1998) (Hermann Lenz)
 * Ende der Handschrift. Elf späte Gedichte von Heiner Müller (1999)
 * Rilke: 4 Gedichte (2000)
 * Sechs Gedichte von Friedrich Nietzsche (2001)
 * Lavant-Gesänge (2000–01). Fünf Gedichte von Christine Lavant
 * Brentano-Phantasie (2002) (Clemens Brentano)
 * Eins und doppelt (2004). Fünf Lieder aus dem Zwielicht, für Bariton und Klavier.
 * Abendempfindung (Arnim)
 * Gingo biloba (Goethe)
 * Dämmrung senkte sich von oben (Goethe)
 * Ausgang (Fontane)
 * Worte sind der Seele Bild (Goethe)
 * Drei Hölderlin-Gedichte (2004)
 * Abbitte
 * Hälfte des Lebens
 * An Zimmern
 * 2 Sprüche (2005) (Friedrich Schiller)
 * Heine zu "Seraphine" (2006). Sieben Gedichte von Heinrich Heine
 * Goethe-Lieder (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 30'), 2004–07
 * 1) An Zelter
 * 2) Gingo biloba
 * 3) Dämerung senkte sich von oben
 * 4) Worte sind der Seele Bild
 * 5) Phänomen
 * 6) Selige Sehnsucht
 * 7) Parabase
 * 8) Lebensgenuss
 * 9) Höchste Gunst
 * 10) Heut und ewig
 * 11) Aus "Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahren"
 * 12) Willst du dir ein gut Leben zimmern
 * 13) An Zelter
 * Wortlos (2007)
 * Vier Späte Gedichte von Friedrich Rückert baritone, 2008
 * Zwei Gedichte von Joseph Eichendorff (2009)
 * Zwei kleine Lieder (Eduard Mörike, 2009)
 * Auf dem See for tenor (or high baritone) and piano'' (Conrad Ferdinand Meyer)

Choral works

 * Choir a cappella
 * Sieben Passions-Texte
 * Choir with orchestra or ensemble
 * Dies, an oratorio for four soloists, two speakers, mixed choir, speaking choir, children's choir, organ and orchestra
 * Deus Passus, a passion for five soloists, choir, and orchestra
 * Astralis
 * Et Lux, for vocal quartet and string quartet
 * Vigilia
 * Symphony No. 3, for soprano, baritone, choir, and orchestra
 * Départ, for mixed choir, speaking choir, and 22 instrumentalists
 * Requiem-Strophen (2017)

Solo instruments

 * Grat (violoncello)
 * Über die Linie (violoncello)
 * Über die Linie VII (violin)

Piano solo

 * Auf einem anderen Blatt
 * Brahmsliebewalzer
 * Klavierstücke nos. 1–7 1970–80
 * Ländler 1979
 * Nachstudie
 * Zwiesprache 1999

Organ solo

 * Drei Fantasien