Johannes Kalitzke (born 12 February 1959) is a German composer and conductor. After studying in Cologne and at the
IRCAM
IRCAM (French: ''Ircam, '', English: Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music) is a French institute dedicated to the research of music and sound, especially in the fields of avant garde and electro-acoustical art music. It is ...
in Paris, he was chief conductor at the
Musiktheater im Revier
Musiktheater im Revier (MiR) (Music Theatre in the Ruhr) is the venue for performing opera, operetta, musical theatre and ballet in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. It opened on 15 December 1959; it is listed since 1997 as a protected cultural monument.
...
in
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen (, , ; wep, Gelsenkiärken) is the 25th most populous city of Germany and the 11th most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine), it li ...
for several years, then led the ensemble
musikFabrik
The Ensemble Musikfabrik (music factory ensemble) is an ensemble for contemporary classical music located in Cologne. Their official name is Ensemble Musikfabrik Landesensemble NRW e.V. (Ensemble Musikfabrik of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, ...
and composed operas on commissions in Germany and Austria. He has been Professor of Conducting (
Contemporary Music
Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included se ...
) at the Salzburg
Mozarteum
Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Mo ...
from 2015.
Early life
Born in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...
, Kalitzke trained on the piano from 1967 to 1977 with
Jeanette Chéro
Jeanette Chéro, ''née'' ''Christiane Roscher'', (4 April 1927) is a German artist and representative of the literary chanson in Germany.
Life
Born in Dresden, Chéro grew up with classical music and started composing at the age of nine. Her so ...
and studied church music in Cologne from 1974 to 1976. He studied further at the
Musikhochschule Köln from 1978 to 1981, studying piano with
Aloys Kontarsky, conducting with
Wolfgang von der Nahmer Wolfgang von der Nahmer (14 April 1906 in Remscheid – 12 October 1988 in Wuppertal) was a German conductor and university lecturer.
In 1933 he was Kapellmeister at the Mecklenburg State Theatre. Then, in 1953 he was professor of conducting at t ...
, and composition with
York Höller,
and later electronic music with Ulrich Humpert. He focused on electronic music at the
IRCAM
IRCAM (French: ''Ircam, '', English: Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music) is a French institute dedicated to the research of music and sound, especially in the fields of avant garde and electro-acoustical art music. It is ...
in Paris
with
Vinko Globokar
Vinko Globokar (born 7 July 1934) is a French-Slovenian avant-garde composer and trombonist.
Globokar's music uses unconventional and extended techniques, places great emphasis on spontaneity and creativity, and often relies on improvisation. ...
in 1982–83, on a scholarship of the
Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes
The German Academic Scholarship Foundation (German: , or ''Studienstiftung'' for short) is Germany's largest and most prestigious scholarship foundation. According to its statutes, it supports "the university education of young people who, on ac ...
.
Career
From 1984 to 1990, Kalitze was first
Kapellmeister
(, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...
and then chief conductor at the
Musiktheater im Revier
Musiktheater im Revier (MiR) (Music Theatre in the Ruhr) is the venue for performing opera, operetta, musical theatre and ballet in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. It opened on 15 December 1959; it is listed since 1997 as a protected cultural monument.
...
in
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen (, , ; wep, Gelsenkiärken) is the 25th most populous city of Germany and the 11th most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine), it li ...
.
From 1986, he was also the leader of the
Forum für Neue Musik there, succeeding
Carla Henius
Carla Henius (4 May 1919 – 27 December 2002) was a German operatic soprano and mezzo-soprano, voice teacher and librettist. She played a decisive role in promoting recent works by composers such as Arnold Schönberg, Karlheinz Stockhausen and L ...
. From 1991, he was artistic director of the ensemble
musikFabrik
The Ensemble Musikfabrik (music factory ensemble) is an ensemble for contemporary classical music located in Cologne. Their official name is Ensemble Musikfabrik Landesensemble NRW e.V. (Ensemble Musikfabrik of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, ...
. Since 1996, he has taught at the
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 Cou ...
and held master classes at several universities of music, and for
Deutscher Musikrat.
His first opera, ''Bericht über den Tod des Musikers Jack Tiergarten'', premiered at the
Munich Biennale in 1996. On a commission from the state of
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein (; da, Slesvig-Holsten; nds, Sleswig-Holsteen; frr, Slaswik-Holstiinj) is the northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Sc ...
, he composed his second opera, ''Molière oder die Henker der Komödianten'', which premiered in
Bremen
Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the Germany, German States of Germany, state Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie H ...
in 1998, as did his opera ''Inferno'' in 2004. In 2007, Kalitzke received a commission from
Theater an der Wien
The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served pri ...
to compose ''Die Besessenen'' after
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-nationalist flavor. In 1937 he published his fi ...
, which premiered on 19 February 2010.
His fifth opera, ''Pym'', based on
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...
's novel ''
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
''The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket'' (1838) is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The work relates the tale of the young Arthur Gordon Pym, who stows away aboard a whaling ship called the ''Grampus' ...
'', premiered in
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
in May 2016.
The story is told by nine male singers and by dancers, while a quartet with also female voices performs from behind the scene.
''Online Musik Magazin'' wrote that Kalitzke's score "could be a musical representation of the world of
Hieronymus Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on o ...
."
Kalitzke has been a professor of conducting contemporary music at the
Mozarteum
Mozarteum University Salzburg (German: ''Universität Mozarteum Salzburg'') is one of three affiliated but separate (it is actually a state university) entities under the “Mozarteum” moniker in Salzburg municipality; the International Mo ...
in
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Austro-Bavarian) is the fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the Roman settlement of ''Iuvavum''. Salzburg was founded ...
from 2015.
Awards
* 1990 of Cologne
* 2003
Villa Massimo Fellowship
* 2009 Member of the
Academy of the Arts, Berlin
The Academy of Arts (german: Akademie der Künste) 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 fou ...
* 2015 Member of the
Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts
Compositions
Kalitzke's works are held by the
German National Library
The German National Library (DNB; german: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to colle ...
:
* ''Spiegelbild'' (1979)
* ''De Profundis'' (1980/86)
* ''Macchina d’autunno'' (1982)
* ''Berceuse intégrale pour Hieronymus Bosch'' (1982/83)
* ''Trio Infernal'' (1985)
* ''Rotationsetüde'' (1985/86)
* ''Die Hundertjahrfeier der Nacht'' (1986)
* ''Jardins Paradoxaux'' (1986)
* ''Das Labyrinth der Lieder'' (1987)
* ''Tübingen, Jänner'' (1988)
* ''Nachtschleife'' (1989)
* ''Bis zum äußersten Tor'', Kafka-Komplex for solo voices, viola, piano and ''Zuspiel'' (1989–2006)
* ''Salto, Trapez, Ikarus'' (1990)
* ''Bericht über den Tod des Musikers Jack Tiergarten'' (1991)
* ''Hände im Spiegel'' (1992/93)
* ''Die Rückseite der Tage'' (1994)
* ''Moliere oder die Henker der Komödianten'' (1994–97)
* ''Chasse Royale'' (1995)
* ''Circus Frenzy'' (1995)
* ''Cruxification I'' (1997)
* ''Schuberts Traum – Stilleben mit Inferno nach einem Tagebuchtext von Franz Schubert, für Stimmen und Ensemble'' (Schubert's Dream – Still life with inferno after a diary text by Franz Schubert, for voices and ensemble, 1999)
* ''Six Covered Settings'' (1999/2000)
* ''Vier Toteninseln'' (2002/03)
* ''memoria'' (2003)
* ''Inferno'', musical stage work after the play 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 ...
(2004)
* ''Ortswechsel'' (2007)
* ''Die Besessenen'', opera (2009, premiered in 2010)
* ''Figuren am Horizont'', for violin solo and six instrumentalists
* ''Die Weber'', music to the silent film by
Friedrich Zelnik (1927) for chamber orchestra (2011/12)
* ''Angels Burnout Graffiti'' for ensemble (2012)
* ''Pym'' (2013/2015), opera (premiered in 2016)
References
External links
*
Werke von Johannes KalitzkeEdition Gravis
The Living Composers Project
*
Johannes Kalitzke / Born 12 February 1959 BBC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalitzke, Johannes
20th-century classical composers
21st-century classical composers
Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln alumni
Academic staff of Mozarteum University Salzburg
Members of the Academy of Arts, Berlin
Musicians from Cologne
1959 births
Living people
20th-century German composers
21st-century German composers