Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini (born 1971) is a Swiss composer whose operas have been performed at leading European opera houses.

Career

Born in

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

, he studied there German studies and Italian studies. He changed to studying composition with

Rudolf Kelterborn Rudolf Kelterborn (3 September 1931 – 24 March 2021) was a Switzerland, Swiss musician and composer. Life Born in Basel, Kelterborn studied in Basel, Detmold, Salzburg, and Zürich, among other places, with the composers Walther Geiser, Willy ...

at the Musikhochschule Basel, which he continued with

Wolfgang Rihm Wolfgang Rihm (; 13 March 1952 – 27 July 2024) was a German composer of contemporary classical music and an academic teacher based in Karlsruhe. He was an influential post-war European composer, as "one of the most original and independent mus ...

in Karlsruhe. In 1999/2000, he studied one semester at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

. He has worked as a composer, and in the beginning also as a music teacher. His works have been performed at major festivals such as the

Salzburg Easter Festival The Salzburg Easter Festival (, sometimes OFS) is a classical music and opera festival held every year over the extended week before Easter (Holy Week) in Salzburg, Austria since 1967. It was created by the conductor Herbert von Karajan, and for ...

Lucerne Festival Lucerne Festival is one of the leading international festivals in the world of classical music and presents a series of classical music festivals based in Lucerne, Switzerland. Founded in 1938 by Ernest Ansermet and Walter Schulthess, it curr ...

and

Darmstädter Ferienkurse Darmstädter Ferienkurse ("Darmstadt Summer Course") is a regular summer event of contemporary classical music in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. It was founded in 1946, under the name "Ferienkurse für Internationale Neue Musik Darmstadt" (Vacation Co ...

. They have been played by ensembles such as

Kammerorchester Basel The chamber orchestra Kammerorchester Basel was founded in Basel, Switzerland, in 1984. In the tradition of Paul Sacher's ''Basler Kammerorchester'', its focus is on both early music and contemporary classical music. The orchestra plays regularly ...

, , Ensemble Contrechamps, Ensemble intercontemporain and . He composed in 2008 ''Siegel'' for the

Basel Sinfonietta The Basel Sinfonietta is a Swiss orchestra, based in Basel. History The Basel Sinfonietta was founded in 1980, as a self-governing ensemble, by a group of young musicians with a focus on contemporary classical music. The orchestra has presented m ...

, who premiered it with

Claudia Barainsky Claudia Barainsky (born 30 September 1965) is a German operatic soprano. She has performed internationally, and won awards for her roles in contemporary operas such as Bernd Alois Zimmermann's ''Die Soldaten'' and Aribert Reimann's ''Medea''. Ca ...

, conducted by

Peter Hirsch Peter Hirsch may refer to: * Peter Hirsch (metallurgist) (born 1925), British metallurgist * Peter Hirsch (microbiologist) (born 1928), German microbiologist * Peter Hirsch (conductor) (born 1956), German conductor * Peter Hirsch (ice hockey) (b ...

. The ensemble premiered in 2012 his ''Viaggiatori'', composed for the centenary of the Basler Bach-Chor. He was in 2004/05 composer in residence at the

Witten/Herdecke University Witten/Herdecke University is a private, state-recognized, nonprofit university in Witten, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was the first German private institution of higher education to receive accreditation as a "Universität", a status ...

. In 2006, his opera ' premiered at the

Theater Erfurt The Theater Erfurt is a German municipal theatre located in Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia. The main stage is in a building in the Brühlervorstadt, completed in 2003. The theatre offers musical theatre and concerts, played by the Philharmonisc ...

. A CD with songs was published by the label Guild Music. In 2012, his opera ''

Der Sandmann "The Sandman" ( German: ''Der Sandmann'') is a short story by . It was the first in an 1817 book of stories titled ''Die Nachtstücke'' (''The Night Pieces''). Plot summary The story is told by a narrator who claims to have known Lothar. It beg ...

'' on a libretto by premiered at the

Theater Basel Theater Basel is the municipal theatre of the city of Basel, Switzerland, which is home to the city's opera and ballet companies. The theatre also presents plays and musicals in addition to operas and operettas. Because the theatre does not h ...

which had commissioned the opera, staged by

Christof Loy Christof Loy (born 5 December 1962) is a German stage director especially for opera, whose work received several awards. A freelance director, he has staged operas from Baroque to premieres of new works at major European opera houses and festivals ...

. The production was shown at the

Frankfurt Opera The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt. Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Schreker's '' Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, '' Fennimore und Gerda'' by Fre ...

in 2016, as the first in Germany. His opera ''Edward II.'' premiered in February 2017 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 ...

, conducted by

Thomas Søndergård Thomas Søndergård (born 4 October 1969 in Holstebro, Denmark) is a Danish conductor and percussionist. Biography Søndergård studied percussion at the Royal Danish Academy of Music from 1989 to 1992, where his teachers included Gert Mortense ...

and staged again by Loy. Scartazzini received several awards, including the of the Goethe Foundation Basel (Johann-Wolfgang-von-Goethe-Stiftung), and the study prize (''Förderpreis'') of the

Ernst von Siemens Music Prize The Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (short: Siemens Music Prize, ) is an annual music prize given by the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste (Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts) on behalf of the (Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation), established ...

in 2000.

Works (selection)

*2006: ', opera *2008: ''Siegel'' for soprano and orchestra *2011: ''Viaggiatori'' for soloists, choir and orchestra *2016: ''

'', opera *2017: ''Edward II'', opera''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'
Deutsche Oper Berlin's disjointed, one-dimensional Edward II – Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini's opera about the English monarch is dense and derivative

References

External links

* * * *
Andrea Lorenzo Scartazzini / ''Der Sandmann'' – Oper in 10 Szenen
musiques-suisses.ch *Sound recordings of works of the composer from the archives of

SRG SSR The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (; ; ; ; SRG SSR) is the Swiss public broadcasting association, founded in 1931, the holding company of 24 radio and television channels. Headquartered in Bern, the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation is a non-pro ...

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Scartazzini, Andrea Lorenzo Swiss classical composers Swiss opera composers Swiss male composers 1971 births Living people