Aribert Reimann (, 4 March 1936 – 13 March 2024) was a German composer, pianist, and

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

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

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'', 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, he is best known as a singer of Franz Schubert's ...

, who performed the title role. His opera ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

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

Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera (, ) is a historic 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 ...

. He was a professor of contemporary

Lied In the Western classical music tradition, ( , ; , ; ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German and Dutch, but among English and French speakers, is often used interchangea ...

(art song) 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 on 4 March 1936. His father, , served as choirmaster at

Berlin Cathedral Berlin Cathedral (), also known as the Evangelical Supreme Parish and Collegiate Church, is a monumental Protestant Church in Germany, German Protestant church and dynastic tomb (House of Hohenzollern) at the Lustgarten on the Museum Island ...

; his mother was an oratorio singer and voice teacher. As a boy of age 10, he performed in a production of the school opera ('' Schuloper'') ''

Der Jasager ' (literally ''The Yes Sayer''; also translated as ''The Affirmer'' or ''He Said Yes'') is an opera (specifically a '' Schuloper'' or "school-opera") by Kurt Weill to a German libretto by Bertolt Brecht (after Elisabeth Hauptmann's translation f ...

''. He studied at the Musikhochschule Berlin,

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 ...

and

counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

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, and piano with Otto Rausch. During his studies, he worked as a

répétiteur A (; from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. The feminine form is . Opera In opera, a is the person responsible for coaching singers ...

at the Städtische Oper. His first appearances as a pianist and

were in 1957. He moved to Vienna to study musicology in 1958. Working with singers such as Catherine Gayer,

Brigitte Fassbaender Brigitte Fassbaender (; born 3 July 1939), is a German mezzo-soprano opera singer and a stage director. From 1999 to 2012 she was Theater manager, intendant (managing director) of the Tyrolean State Theatre in Innsbruck, Austria. She holds the ti ...

and

increased his sensibility for the potential of voices. His first work for the stage was a ballet, ''Stoffreste'', to a libretto by

Günter Grass Günter Wilhelm Grass (; 16 October 1927 – 13 April 2015) was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in the Free City of Danzig (now Gda ...

and first performed in 1959. His first opera was in 1965 '' Ein Traumspiel'', to a libretto that Carla Henius based on Strindberg's '' A Dream Play'' in the translation by Peter Weiss; it was premiered on 20 June 1965 at the

Opernhaus Kiel Opernhaus Kiel (Kiel Opera House) is the major venue for opera, ballet, and orchestral performances in Kiel, and home to Theater Kiel. It is a Grade II listed building. History After an architectural competition, the Kiel City Council commis ...

. His fourth opera, '' Lear'' based on Shakespeare's play, was inspired by Fischer-Dieskau who portrayed Lear in the first performance at the

Bavarian State Opera The Bavarian State Opera () is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bavarian State Orchestra. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under El ...

in 1978. The opera became a lasting success with 30 productions as of 2024. His commissioned work, ''Cantus for Clarinet and Orchestra'', dedicated to the clarinetist and composer Jörg Widmann, was premiered on 13 January 2006, in the WDR's Large Broadcasting Hall in Cologne, Germany, in the presence of the composer, who claimed the work was inspired by

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

'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 Burgtheater in Vienna. He ...

, was premiered at the

in 2010, conducted by Michael Boder, with Marlis Petersen in the title role. It was chosen as world premiere of the year by critics. In the early 1970s, Reimann became a member of the

Akademie der Künste The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany. The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...

in Berlin. He was professor of contemporary

at the Musikhochschule Hamburg from 1974 to 1983, then at Berlin's Hochschule der Künste from 1983 to 1998. Reimann was co-editor and pianist of the record label Orfeo's album series (contemporary song). He was honoured repeatedly, including the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Order of Merit of Berlin. Invited by Walter Fink, he was the seventh composer featured in the annual of the

Rheingau Musik Festival The (RMF) is an international summer music festival in Germany, founded in 1987. It is mostly for classical music, but includes other genres. Concerts take place at culturally important locations, such as Eberbach Abbey and Schloss Johannisberg, ...

in 1997, in songs and chamber music with the Auryn Quartet, playing the piano himself. In 2011 Reimann was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize "for his life's work". Reimann was gay and lived in Berlin. Reimann died on 13 March 2024, at the age of 88.

Awards

Reimann received many awards: * 1962 ''Berliner Kunstpreis für Musik (Junge Generation)'' – Berlin Art Prize for Music (Young Generation) * 1963 Villa Massimo scholarship * 1965 Robert-Schumann-Preis der Stadt Düsseldorf * 1966 Förderungspreis der Stadt Stuttgart * 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, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

Foundation * 1987 Bach Prize of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg * 1991 Frankfurter Musikpreis * 1993 Officier de "L'Ordre du Mérite Culturel" de la Principauté de Monaco * 1993 Pour le Mérite for Arts and Sciences, Germany * 1995 Knight Commander's Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

* 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 Art ...

* 2006 Arnold Schönberg Prize * 2011 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize * 2016

Robert Schumann Prize for Poetry and Music The Robert Schumann Prize for Poetry and Music () Mainz is a classical music prize named after Robert Schumann, awarded biennially since 2012. The prize money is €15,000 (2012–2016: €25,000), donated by the Strecker Foundation, Mainz. The pr ...

Mainz * 2018 Deutscher Theaterpreis Der Faust (lifetime achievement award)

Works

Reimann's reputation as a composer rests on his literary operas, including '' Lear'' and '' Das Schloß'', and song cycles. He also wrote

chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...

, orchestral works and songs. His works were published by Schott.

Stage

*'' Ein Traumspiel'' after Strindberg's '' A Dream Play'' *' libretto by

, 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 ...

*''

Melusine Mélusine () or Melusine or Melusina is a figure of European folklore, a nixie (folklore), female spirit of fresh water in a holy well or river. She is usually depicted as a woman who is a Serpent symbolism, serpent or Fish in culture, fish fr ...

'' after Yvan Goll's play (1971) *'' Lear'' after Shakespeare's ''

'' (1978) *'' Die Gespenstersonate'' after August Strindberg's play '' The Ghost Sonata'' (1984) *'' Troades'' after Euripides' ''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' (, lit. "The Female Trojans") is a tragedy by the Ancient Greece, Greek playwright Euripides, produced in 415 BCE. Also translated as ''The Women of Troy,'' or as its transliterated Greek title ''Troades, The Trojan Women'' ...

''(1986) *'' Das Schloß'' after Kafka's '' Das Schloss'' (1992) *'' Bernarda Albas Haus'' after Lorca's ''

The House of Bernarda Alba ''The House of Bernarda Alba'' () is a play (theatre), play by the Spain, Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. Commentators have often grouped it with ''Blood Wedding (play), Blood Wedding'' and ''Yerma'' as the Rural Trilogy. García Lorc ...

'' *''

'' (after part 3 of Grillparzer's ') (2010) *'' L'Invisible'' (after

Maurice Maeterlinck Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count/Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the 1911 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 Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

) (1988) * Violin Concerto (1996)

Vocal music

* ''Zyklus nach Gedichten von Paul Celan für Bariton und Klavier'' (

Song cycle A song cycle () is a group, or cycle (music), cycle, of individually complete Art song, songs designed to be performed in sequence, as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rarely a combinat ...

based on the poetry of

Paul Celan Paul Celan (; ; born Paul Antschel; 23 November 1920 – c. 20 April 1970) was a German-speaking Romanian poet, Holocaust survivor, and literary translation, literary translator. He adopted his pen name (an anagram of the Romanian spelling Ancel ...

for

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

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

and Siegfried Palm (1974)''Wolkenloses Christfest''
on the

Schott Music Schott Music () is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe, and is the second-oldest music publisher after Breitkopf & Härtel. The company headquarters of Schott Music were foun ...

website *''Nachtstück II für Baryton und Klavier'' (1978) * ''Unrevealed, Lord Byron to Augusta Leigh für Bariton und Streichquartett'' (1981) * Requiem for soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, mixed choir and orchestry, using the Latin Requiem and verses from the

Book of Job The Book of Job (), or simply Job, is a book found in the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Poetic Books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. The language of the Book of Job, combining post-Babylonia ...

(1982) * ''Shine and Dark'' for baritone and piano left hand (1989) * ''Entsorgt'' for baritone solo (1989) * ''Eingedunkelt'' for alto solo (1992) * ''Fünf Lieder nach Gedichten von Paul Celan für Countertenor und Klavier'' (Five songs based on poetry by Celan for

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a ...

and piano) (1994/2001) *''An Hermann'' for tenor and piano (2008)

References

External links

* * * Bruce Duffie
Interview with Aribert Reimann
16 May 1997 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reimann, Aribert 1936 births 2024 deaths 20th-century German classical composers 20th-century German male musicians 21st-century German classical composers 21st-century German male musicians Composers awarded knighthoods Ernst von Siemens Music Prize winners German opera composers Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German male opera composers Berlin University of the Arts alumni University of Vienna alumni Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin Musicians awarded knighthoods Musicians from Berlin German LGBTQ composers LGBTQ classical composers 20th-century German LGBTQ people 21st-century German LGBTQ people Recipients of the Order of Merit of Berlin Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)