Aribert Reimann (born 4 March 1936) is a German composer, pianist and

accompanist Accompaniment is the musical part which provides the rhythmic and/or harmonic support for the melody or main themes of a song or instrumental piece. There are many different styles and types of accompaniment in different genres and styles of ...

, known especially for his literary operas. His version of Shakespeare's ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...

'', the opera '' Lear'', was written at the suggestion of

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (28 May 1925 – 18 May 2012) was a German lyric baritone and conductor of classical music, one of the most famous Lieder (art song) performers of the post-war period, best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's Lieder, ...

, who sang the title role. His opera ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jason an ...

'' after Grillparzer's play premiered in 2010 at the

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is an opera house and opera company based in Vienna, Austria. The 1,709-seat Renaissance Revival venue was the first major building on the Vienna Ring Road. It was built from 1861 to 1869 following plans by August ...

. He was a professor of contemporary Lied in Hamburg and Berlin. In 2011, he was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize for his life's work.

Life and career

Reimann was born in Berlin. He studied

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography *Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include v ...

, counterpoint and

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

at the Musikhochschule Berlin with

Boris Blacher Boris Blacher (30 January 1975) was a German composer and librettist. Life Blacher was born when his parents (of German-Estonian and Russian backgrounds) were living within a Russian-speaking community in the Manchurian town of Niuzhuang () (h ...

and Ernst Pepping, among others. During his studies, he worked as a repetiteur at the Städtische Oper. His first appearances as a pianist and

were in 1957. In the early 1970s, he became a member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin. He was professor of contemporary Lied at the

Musikhochschule Hamburg A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

from 1974 to 1983, then at Berlin's

Hochschule der Künste The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universit ...

from 1983 to 1998. Besides his work as composer and music teacher, Reimann is co-editor and pianist of the ''Edition'' ''Zeitgenössisches Lied'' (contemporary song) CD series of the record laber

Orfeo Orfeo Classic Schallplatten und Musikfilm GmbH of Munich was a German independent classical record label founded in 1979 by Axel Mehrle and launched in 1980. It has been owned by Naxos since 2015. History The Orfeo music label was registered ...

, edition, together with Axel Bauni. Reimann's reputation as a composer has increased greatly with several great literary operas, including '' Lear'' and '' Das Schloß''. Besides these, he has written chamber music, orchestral works and songs. He has been honoured repeatedly, including the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the

Order of Merit of Berlin The Order of Merit of Berlin (german: Verdienstorden des Landes Berlin) is this highest award of the German State of Berlin. Awarded in the name of the Senate of Berlin, the order had recognized outstanding contributions to the State of Berlin sin ...

. Invited by Walter Fink, he was the seventh composer featured in the annual of the Rheingau Musik Festival in 1997, in songs and chamber music with the Auryn Quartet, playing the piano himself. His commissioned work, ''Cantus for Clarinet and Orchestra'', dedicated to the

clarinetist This article lists notable musicians who have played the clarinet. Classical clarinetists * Laver Bariu * Ernest Ačkun * Luís Afonso * Cristiano Alves * Michel Arrignon * Dimitri Ashkenazy * Kinan Azmeh * Alexander Bader * Carl Baerma ...

and composer

Jörg Widmann Jörg Widmann (born 19 June 1973) is a German composer, conductor and clarinetist. In 2018, Widmann was the third most performed contemporary composer in the world. Formerly a clarinet and composition professor at the University of Music Freibu ...

, was premiered on 13 January 2006, in the WDR's Large Broadcasting Hall in Cologne, Germany, in the presence of the composer, who claims the work was inspired by Claude Debussy's compositions for clarinet. His opera ''

'', after

Franz Grillparzer Franz Seraphicus Grillparzer (15 January 1791 – 21 January 1872) was an Austrian writer who was considered to be the leading Austrian dramatist of the 19th century. His plays were and are frequently performed at the famous Burgtheater in Vien ...

, was premiered at the

in 2010, conducted by Michael Boder, with Marlis Petersen in the title role. In 2011 he was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize "for his life's work".

Awards

Reimann received many awards: * 1962 ''Berliner Kunstpreis für Musik (Junge Generation)'' – Berlin Art Prize for Music (Young Generation) * 1963

Villa Massimo Villa Massimo, short for Deutsche Akademie Rom Villa Massimo ( it, Accademia Tedesca Roma Villa Massimo), is a German cultural institution in Rome, established in 1910 and located in the Villa Massimo. The fellowship of the German Academy in Rom ...

scholarship * 1965 Robert-Schumann-Preis der Stadt Düsseldorf * 1966 Förderungspreis der Stadt Stuttgart * 1985 Großes Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Commander's Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

) * 1985 Braunschweiger Ludwig-Spohr-Preis – Ludwig Spohr Prize of Braunschweig * 1986 Prix de composition musicale de la Fondation Prince Pierre de Monaco – Prize for musical composition, from the Prince Pierre of

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

Foundation * 1987

Bach Prize of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg The Bach Prize of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg has been awarded since 1951, since 1975 every four years. On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, the prize was founded in 1950 by the Senate and the ...

* 1991

Frankfurter Musikpreis The Frankfurter Musikpreis has been awarded since 1982 by the joint foundation of the Musikmesse Frankfurt and the National Association of German Musical Instruments Manufacturers. The aim of this international music award is to highlight "person ...

* 1993 Officier de "L'Ordre du Mérite Culturel" de la Principauté de Monaco * 1993 Pour le Mérite for Arts and Sciences, Germany * 1995 Großes Verdienstkreuz mit Stern des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany) * 1999 Commandeur de "L'Ordre du Mérite Culturel" de la Principauté de Monaco (Commander of the Order of Cultural Merit of the Principality of Monaco) * 1999 Goldene Nadel der Dramatiker Union * 2002 Preis der Kulturstiftung Dortmund * 2002

Berliner Kunstpreis The ''Berliner Kunstpreis'' (Berlin Art Prize), officially Großer Berliner Kunstpreis, is a prize for the arts by the City of Berlin. It was first awarded in 1948 in several fields of art. Since 1971, it has been awarded by the Academy of Arts ( ...

* 2006

Arnold Schönberg Prize The International Arnold Schönberg Prize was established in 2001, and named after the Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg, on initiative of Kent Nagano, the former principal conductor and musical director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Ber ...

* 2011 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize * 2016 Robert Schumann Prize for Poetry and Music Mainz * 2018 Deutscher Theaterpreis Der Faust (lifetime achievement award)

Works

Stage

*'' Ein Traumspiel'' (libretto by Carla Henius, after Strindberg's ''

A Dream Play ''A Dream Play'' ( sv, Ett drömspel) is a fantasy play in 14 scenes written in 1901 by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. It was published in Swedish in 1902 and first performed in Stockholm on 17 April 1907. It remains one of Strindberg ...

'', translated by

Peter Weiss Peter Ulrich Weiss (8 November 1916 – 10 May 1982) was a German writer, painter, graphic artist, and experimental filmmaker of adopted Swedish nationality. He is particularly known for his plays ''Marat/Sade'' and ''The Investigation'' and hi ...

, premiered on 20 June 1965 at the Opernhaus Kiel *' (libretto by Günter Grass, premiered on 7 October 1970 at the

Deutsche Oper Berlin The Deutsche Oper Berlin is a German opera company located in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin. The resident building is the country's second largest opera house (after Munich's) and also home to the Berlin State Ballet. Since 2004, the D ...

*''

Melusine Mélusine () or Melusina is a figure of European folklore, a female spirit of fresh water in a holy well or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a serpent or fish from the waist down (much like a lamia or a mermaid). She is als ...

'' (after

Yvan Goll Yvan Goll (also: Iwan Goll, Ivan Goll; born Isaac Lang; 29 March 1891 – 27 February 1950) was a French-German poet who was bilingual and wrote in both French and German. He had close ties to both German expressionism and to French surrealism ...

) (1971) *'' Lear'' (after

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''

'') (1978) *'' Die Gespenstersonate'' (after August Strindberg's play ''

The Ghost Sonata ''The Ghost Sonata'' ( sv, Spöksonaten, links=no) is a play in three acts by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg. Written in 1907, it was first produced at Strindberg's Intimate Theatre in Stockholm on 21 January 1908. Since then, it has be ...

'') (1984) *'' Troades'' (after

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...

' ''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' ( grc, Τρῳάδες, translit=Trōiades), also translated as ''The Women of Troy'', and also known by its transliterated Greek title ''Troades'', is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC duri ...

'') (1986) *'' Das Schloß'' (after

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a German-speaking Bohemian novelist and short-story writer, widely regarded as one of the major figures of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of realism and the fantastic. It ...

's '' Das Schloss'') (1992) *'' Bernarda Albas Haus'' (after

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...

's ''

The House of Bernarda Alba ''The House of Bernarda Alba'' ( es, La casa de Bernarda Alba) is a play by the Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. Commentators have often grouped it with ''Blood Wedding'' and ''Yerma'' as a "rural trilogy". Garcia Lorca did not include ...

'') *''

'' (after part 3 of

's ') (2010) *'' L'Invisible'' (after

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count (or Comte) Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in ...

's ''L'Intruse'', ''L'Intérieur'' and ''La Mort de Tintagiles'') (2017)

Orchestral

*''Variations for Orchestra'' *''Nahe Ferne'' (Near Distance) *''Cantus für Klarinette und Orchester'' (Cantus for Clarinet and Orchestra) *''Sieben Fragmente für Orchester in memoriam Robert Schumann'' (Seven Fragments for Orchestra, in memoriam Robert Schumann) (1988) * Violin Concerto (1996)

Vocal music

* ''Zyklus nach Gedichten von Paul Celan für Bariton und Klavier'' ( Cycle based on the

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

of Paul Celan for baritone and

) (1956) * ''Wolkenloses Christfest'' Requiem nach Gedichten von Otfried Büthe, dedicated to

and Siegfried Palm (1974)''Wolkenloses Christfest''
on the Schott Music website *''Nachtstück II für Baryton und Klavier'' (1978) * ''Unrevealed, Lord Byron to Augusta Leigh für Bariton und Streichquartett'' (1981) * Requiem ''für Sopran, Mezzosopran, Bariton, gemischten Chor und Orchester unter Verwendung des lateinischen Requiemtextes und von Versen aus dem Buch Hiob'' (1982) * ''Shine and Dark für Bariton und Klavier'' (left hand) (1989) * ''Entsorgt für Bariton-Solo'' (1989) * ''Eingedunkelt für Alt-Solo'' (Eingedunkelt for Alto Solo) (1992) * ''Fünf Lieder nach Gedichten von Paul Celan für Countertenor und Klavier'' (Five Songs based on the poetry of Paul Celan for countertenor and piano) (1994/2001) *''An Hermann für Tenor und Klavier'' (2008)

References

External links

*
Interview with Aribert Reimann
16 May 1997 {{DEFAULTSORT:Reimann, Aribert 1936 births Living people 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers German opera composers Male opera composers Musicians from Berlin Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin Composers awarded knighthoods Musicians awarded knighthoods Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin German male classical composers 20th-century German composers Ernst von Siemens Music Prize winners 21st-century German composers 20th-century German male musicians 21st-century German male musicians