Boris Blacher (30 January 1975) was a German composer and

librettist A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major ...

Life

Blacher was born when his parents (of German-Estonian and Russian backgrounds) were living within a Russian-speaking community in the

Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...

n town of Niuzhuang () (hence the use of the

Julian calendar The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...

on his birth record). He spent his first years in China and in the Asian parts of Russia, and in 1919, he eventually came to live in

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

. In 1922 he went to Berlin where he began to study first architecture, mathematics, and then music at the Berlin Hochschule fuer Musik. He found work arranging popular and film music. Two years later, he turned to music and studied composition with Friedrich Koch. His career was interrupted by

National Socialism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was frequ ...

. He was accused of writing degenerate music and lost his teaching post at the Dresden Conservatory. His career resumed after 1945, and he later became president of the

Academy of Arts, Berlin 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 ...

, and is today regarded as one of the most influential music figures of his time. His students include Aribert Reimann,

Isang Yun Isang Yun, or Yun I-sang (; 17 September 1917 – 3 November 1995), was a Korean-born composer who made his later career in West Germany. Early life and education Yun was born in Sancheong (Sansei), Korea under Japanese rule, Korea in 1917, ...

, Maki Ishii, Fritz Geißler, Giselher Klebe, Heimo Erbse, Richard Aaker Trythall, Klaus Huber, Francis Burt, Gottfried von Einem, Kalevi Aho and Richard Wernick. Blacher was married to the pianist . They had four children including the German actress Tatjana Blacher and the international violinist Kolja Blacher. He died in Berlin in 1975, aged 72. He was buried in an '' Ehrengrab'' in the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf, Berlin.

Works

List of works: *1915-17: ''Visions fugitives'', Op. 22 (arranged 1935) *1929: ''Habemeajaja'',

chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a Chamber music, chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas ...

, premiered 1987 *1929: ''Jazz-Koloraturen'', Op. 1 for coloratura soprano, alto saxophone and bassoon. *1930: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11 *1931: String Trio - Three Studies on Jewish folksongs *1931: ''Fünf Sinnsprüche Omars des Zeltmachers'', Op. 3 for mezzo-soprano and piano *1931: Konzert-Ouvertüre *1931: Two Toccatas for piano *1932: ''Kleine Marschmusik'', Op. 2 for orchestra *1933: Orchester-Capriccio über ein Volkslied, Op. 4 for orchestra *1934: ''Alla Marcia'' for orchestra *1935: ''Divertimento'' for string orchestra *1935: Etüde for string quartet *1935: ''Fest im Süden'', Op. 6 Danse-drama in one act by Ellen Petz *1935: ''Fest im Süden'' - Suite for orchestra *1936: Divertimento for wind orchestra, Op. 7 *1937: Concertante Musik, Op. 10 for orchestra *1938: Symphony, Op. 12 *1938: Dance Scenes ''La Vie'', ballet in one act *1938: Rondo for orchestra *1939: ''Harlekindae'', Op. 13 ballet in one act with prologue and epilogue by Jens Keith *1940: ''Fürstin Tarakanowa (Princess Tarakanova)'', Op. 19 opera in three acts *1940: ''Fürstin Tarakanowa'', Op. 19a - Suite for orchestra *1940: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 16 *1940: Flute Sonata, Op. 15 *1940: Concerto for String Orchestra, Op. 20 *1940: ''Hamlet''; Symphonic Poem, Op. 17 for orchestra *1940: Two Sonatinas, Op. 14 for piano *1940-41: Cello Sonata *1941: Violin Sonata, Op. 18 *1942: Sonatina for Piano Four Hands *1942: ''Der Großinquisitor (The Grand Inquisitor)'', Op.21 - Oratorio after Dostoyevsky by Leo Borchard *1943: Three Pieces for piano, Op. 23 *1943: ''Romeo und Julia'', Op. 22 chamber opera, premiered

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

1950 *1943: Drei Psalmen for baritone & piano (Psalms 142, 141 & 121). Arranged for chamber ensemble in 1966 by Beyer *1943: Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 14/1 *1943: Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 14/2 *1944: String Quartet No. 3, Op. 32 *1944: ''Vier Chöre'' on texts by Francois Villon *1945: Partita for strings & 6 percussion, Op. 24a *1945: Concerto for Jazz Orchestra *1946: ''Chiarina'', Op. 33 - ballet in one act by Paul Strecker *1946: ', Op. 24b radio opera *1946: Divertimento for trumpet, trombone and piano, Op. 31 *1946: ''Die Flut (The Tide)'', Chamber opera in one act (text by Heinz von Cramer) *1947: Piano Concerto No. 1. Op. 28 *1947: Orchestral Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Op.26 *1947: '' (The Night Swallow)'', Op. 27 Zeitoper in one act *1947: Four Songs, Op. 25 for soprano and piano. Text by Friedrich Wolf *1948: Violin Concerto, Op 29 *1949: ''Hamlet'', Op. 35 - ballet in a prologue and three scenes after Shakespeare by Tatjana Gsovsky *1949: ''Hamlet'' - Suite for orchestra *1949/52: '' Preußisches Märchen (A Prussian Fairytale) '', ballet-opera in six scenes *1950: ''Ornamente, Sieben Studien über variable Metren"'', Op. 37 for piano *1950: ''Lysistrata'', Op. 34 ballet in three scenes after

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

*1950: ''Lysistrata'' - Suite, Op. 34a from ballet for orchestra *1950: Concerto for Clarinet, Bassoon, Horn, Trumpet and Harp, Op. 36. *1951: Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 39 *1951: Divertimento for four woodwinds, Op. 38 *1951: ''Epitaph: In memory of

Franz Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of Litera ...

,'' (String Quartet No. 4), Op. 41 *1951: Sonata for solo violin, Op. 40 *1951: Dialog for flute, violin, piano and string orchestra *1951: Nebel, for voice and piano *1952: Piano Concerto No. 2 (in variable metres), Op. 42 *1953: Orchester-Ornament, Op. 44 *1953: ''Studie im Pianissimo'', Op. 45 for orchestra *1953/57: ', Op. 43

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

opera in one act *1954: Two Inventions, Op. 46 for orchestra *1954: Viola Concerto, Op. 48 *1954: ''Francesca da Rimini'', Op. 47 - fragment from Dante's ''Divina Commedia'', for soprano and solo violin *1955: ''Der Mohr von Venedig'', Op. 50 - ballet in 6 scenes and an epilogue after Shakespeare by Erika Hanka *1955: ''Träume vom Tod und vom Leben'', Op. 49 - Cantata after a poem by

Hans Arp Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (; ; 16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist. Early life Arp was born Hans Peter Wilhelm Ar ...

for tenor, choir and orchestra *1956: Orchester-Fantasie, Op. 51 *1956: ''Hommage à Mozart'' - Metamorphoses on a group of Mozart themes, for orchestra *1957: ''Music for Cleveland'', Op. 53 for orchestra *1957: ''Two Poems'', Op. 55 for jazz quartet *1957/64 ''Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird'', Op. 54 for soprano and string quartet (or piano) *1958: Aprèslude, Op. 57 for voice and piano *1958: Songs of the Sea Pirate O'Rourke'', Op. 56 for solo voices and orchestra *1958: Requiem, Op. 58 *1959: ''Musica giocosa'', Op. 59 for orchestra *1960: ''Rosamunde Floris'', Op. 60 - opera (libretto by Gerhart von Westerman, based on the play by Georg Kaiser) *1961: ''Jüdische Chronik (A Jewish Chronicle)'', for chorus and orchestra *1961: Variations on a theme of Muzio Clementi, Op. 61 for piano and orchestra *1962: ''Five Negro Spirituals'', for mezzo-soprano and ensemble *1962: Multiple Raumperperspektiven: piano and electronics *1963: ''Perpetuum Mobile'' for solo violin *1963: Konzertstück for wind quintet and strings *1963: ''Demeter'', ballet in four scenes by Yvonne Georgi *1963: ''Demeter'' - Suite for orchestra *1963: Drei Chansons aus Shakespeare's Romeo und Juliet for voice and Piano. *1963: Fanfare for the Opening of the Philharmonie erlin*1964: Cello Concerto, premiered by Siegfried Palm *1964: ''Zwischenfälle bei einer Notlandung (Incidents after a Crash-landing)'', electronic opera *1964: ''Skalen 2:3:4'', electronic *1964/67: Four Studies for harpsichord *1965: ''Elektronische Impulse'', electronic *1965: Octet for clarinet, bassoon, horn and strings *1965: ''Tristan'', ballet in seven scenes by Tatjana Gsovsky *1966: ''Tristan'' - Suite for orchestra *1966: ''Virtuose Musik'' for solo violin, 10 winds, timpani, percussion and harp *1966: ''Plus Minus One'' for string quartet and jazz ensemble *1967: ''Spiel mit (mir)'', for 2 violins and recorder *1967: ''Ungereimtes, nach Kinderreimen komponiert'' for baritone/mezzo-soprano and piano *1967: String Quartet No. 5 ''Variationen über einen divergierenden c-moll-Dreiklang'' *1968: ''Ariadne'', duodrama for two speakers and electronics *1968: ''Collage'' for orchestra *1969: ''Anacaona'', six poems by

Alfred Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of ...

for mixed chorus a cappella about the Indian Queen Anacaona *1969: '' 200 000 Taler'', opera after

Sholem Aleichem Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich (; May 13, 1916), better known under his pen name Sholem Aleichem (Yiddish language, Yiddish and , also spelled in Yiddish orthography#Reform and standardization, Soviet Yiddish, ; Russian language, Russian and ), ...

's story "Dos groijse Gewins"; premiered 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 ...

"200000-Taler-Mißverständnis"
by Heinz Josef Herbort, ''

Die Zeit (, ) is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles. History The first edition of was ...

'', 3 October 1969 *1969: Vier Ornamente for violin and piano ad lib. *1970: ''Musik für Osaka'', electronic *1970: Concerto for piccolo trumpet and string orchestra *1970: Piano Trio *1971: Clarinet Concerto *1972: ''Blues, Espagnola und Rumba philharmonica'', for 12 solo cellos *1972: ''Stars and Strings'', for jazz ensemble and strings *1972: Duo for flute and piano *1972: Sonata for two cellos and 11 instruments ad libitum *1973: ''Variationen über eine Tonleiter'' for solo violin *1973: '' Yvonne, Prinzessin von Burgund'', opera in 4 acts. Libretto based on the play by

Witold Gombrowicz Witold Marian Gombrowicz (August 4, 1904 – July 24, 1969) was a Polish writer and playwright. His works are characterised by deep psychological analysis, a certain sense of paradox and absurd, anti-nationalism, anti-nationalist flavor. In 1937, ...

*1973: ''For Seven = 3(6+x)'' for soprano and jazz ensemble *1973: Vokalisen for chorus a cappella *1973-74: Quintet for flute, oboe, violin, viola and cello *1974: 24 Preludes for Piano *1974: Poem for large orchestra (1974), dedicated to Tatjana Gsovsky *1974: Variationen über ein Thema von Tschaikowsky ("Rokoko-Variationen"), for cello and piano *1974: ''Pentagramm'' for 16 strings *1974: Poème for orchestra *1974: Prelude and Concert Aria for mezzo-soprano and orchestra *1975: ''Das Geheimnis des entwendeten Briefes (The Secret of the Stolen Letter)'', chamber opera *1975: Fragment for string quartet Blacher wrote the libretto for Gottfried von Einem's operas '' Dantons Tod'' (1947) and '' Der Prozeß'' (1953).

References

External links

Boris Blacher
page on

Boosey & Hawkes Boosey & Hawkes is a British Music publisher (sheet music), music publisher, purported to be the largest specialist classical music publisher in the world. Until 2003, it was also a major manufacturer of brass instrument, brass, string instru ...

website
Boris Blacher
A Centenary Sketch by Dr David C F Wright {{DEFAULTSORT:Blacher, Boris 1903 births 1975 deaths 20th-century German classical composers 20th-century German male musicians 20th-century German male writers 20th-century German dramatists and playwrights German male classical composers German opera librettists German male dramatists and playwrights German people of Estonian descent German ballet composers Jazz-influenced classical composers Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Carl Maria von Weber Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany People from Yingkou People of Baltic German descent Burials at the Waldfriedhof Zehlendorf Soviet emigrants to Germany Expatriates from the Russian Empire in China