Michael Obst (born 30 November 1955) is a German

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and pianist. Michael Obst sw

Life

Obst was born in Frankfurt am Main. He studied music education from 1973 to 1978 in Mainz, and from 1977 to 1982 studied piano with Alfons Kontarsky and

Aloys Kontarsky Aloys (14 May 1931 – 22 August 2017) and Alfons (9 October 1932 – 5 May 2010) Kontarsky were German duo-pianist brothers who were associated with a number of important world premieres of contemporary works. They had an international reputatio ...

at the Hochschule für Musik Köln, where he sat his piano examination in 1982. At the same time, between 1979 and 1986, he studied composition with Hans Ulrich Humpert in the Studio for Elektronic Music of the Hochschule für Musik Köln. From 1981 to 1992 he was the pianist and a founding member of the Ensemble Modern, from 1986 to 1989 he worked as an interpreter with Karlheinz Stockhausen, playing synthesizer in Stockhausen’s operatic cycle

Licht file:Kürten - Waldfriedhof - Stockhausen 01 ies.jpg, 275px, Karlheinz Stockhausens grave with the score to LICHT . ''Licht'' (Light), subtitled "Die sieben Tage der Woche" (The Seven Days of the Week), is a cycle of seven operas composed by Kar ...

. He was invited to the Studios of Ghent (IPEM), Stockholm (EMS), Bourges (Groupe de musique expérimentale de Bourges), Paris ( IRCAM), and Freiburg (

SWF SWF ( ) is an Adobe Flash file format used for multimedia, vector graphics and ActionScript.Open Screen Pr ...

-Heinrich Strobel Stiftung) as well as to the Studio for Electronic Music of the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne. At IRCAM he realized the electronics for his chamber opera ''Solaris'' (to a libretto by Stanisław Lem); the opera received its première at the Munich Biennale in 1996. Since 1997 he has been Professor of Composition at the

Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt ' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right ...

in Weimar. From 2010 to 2013 he was a Guest Professor for Composition at the University of Music and performing Arts in Vienna. In works such as ''Solaris'', Obst adopts a modernist sensibility while at the same time questioning its underlying philosophy.

Selected World Premières and Important Performances

*''10 Years IRCAM'' Paris 1987: "Kristallwelt III" for ensemble on tape, commission IRCAM *''Donaueschinger Musiktage'' 1987: "Kristallwelt III" for ensemble and tape *''Donaueschinger Musiktage'' 1989: "Miroirs" for 6 vocalists, commission SWF *''Donaueschinger Musiktage'' 1995: "Diaphonia" for soloists, orchestra and live-electronics, com. SWF *''World Music Days'' (ISCM) Cologne 1987: "Chansons" for Mezzo-Soprano, 5 instruments, live-electronics and tape, commission WDR *''Holland-Festival'' Amsterdam 1990: "Kristallwelt III" for ensemble and tape *''10 Years Ensemble Modern'', Frankfurt 1990: "Nachtstücke" for 7 instr. + live-el. *''Présence ‘92 -jeunes compositeurs-'' Radio France, Paris: "Fresko" for 5 instruments, commission Radio France *''Musik-Kino'' Philharmonie Cologne 1992: "Dr. Mabuse Part I", music for the silent movie by Fritz Lang for ensemble, commission Philharmonie Cologne *''CineMémoire'', Paris 1993: "Dr. Mabuse Parts I+II", for ensemble and live-electronics, commission

art II Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas. There is no generally agreed definition of what ...

IRCAM/EIC *''Munich Biennale'' 1996: "Solaris" (première), chamber-opera, co-production with IRCAM/Paris and Munich, commission GEMA-Stiftung Munich *''Musik-Triennale'' 1997 Cologne: "Shadow of a Doubt" for solo percussion and ensemble, commission Philharmonie Cologne *''European Cultural City 1999'' – Weimar: "Caroline", opera, commission '' German National Theater Weimar'' *''Le Merveilleuse'' Festival 2003, Cité de la Musique, Paris: "Nosferatu" (Murnau), music for the silent movie for ensemble, commission Ensemble InterContemporain *''Gewandhaus Leipzig'' 2006: "Espaces sonores" (première) for Wind Quintett and Orchestra, commission from the Radio/TV – Orchestra Leipzig (MDR) *''MainFranken Theater Würzburg'' 2010: "Die andere Seite" (Kubin) (première), commission from the

MainFranken Theater Würzburg Mainfranken Theater Würzburg is a theatre in Würzburg, Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most popu ...

* ''Bayerische Theaterakademie'' "August Everding" 2013, "Solaris" Chamber Opera, Stage Direction: Kovalik Balázs * ''Festival cresc...Biennale für moderne Musik'', Frankfurt 2013, "Die Befristeten", concertante radio play after the theatre piece of the same name by Elias Canetti * ''Landestheater Linz'', 17 September 2016, Austrian première "Solaris", MD: Daniel Linton-France, SD: Hermann Schneider * ''Landestheater Linz'', 21 May 2017, Austrian première "Die andere Seite", MD: Dennis Russel Davies, SD: John Dew

Discography

*METAL DROPS ,Inside–metal drop music–Ye–Na–Je, electroacoustic music, CD Wergo WER SM 1043–2 *CRYSTAL WORLD ,Crystal World I–III, electroacoustic music,CD Wergo WER 2011–50 *MICHAEL OBST, Kristallwelt III–Fresko–Nachtstücke, EIC/IRCAM, CD Adès 205832 *Diaphonia, SWF–Sinfonieorchester/Gielen, Donaueschingen 1995, CD col legno WWE 31898 *Fábrica, electroacoustic music, composers of Nordrhein Westfalen (Germany), CD Koch–Schwann 3–5037–3 *Oktett für Bläserensemble, Bläserensemble Sabine Meyer, EMI Records 7243-5-57084-2-7 *Trio No 2 for Violin, Violoncello and Piano,

Abegg Trio The Abegg Trio was a German piano trio. Since its foundation in 1976, it played in the original line-up. In 2017 the ensemble disbanded after its 41st birthday. History The Abegg Trio was founded in 1976 at the Hochschule für Musik und The ...

, TACET Records 174

Television Productions

*DR MABUSE, DER SPIELER Ensemble InterContemporain – Ann Manson, ZDF-ARTE 1996 *SOLARIS Biennale München-Xsemble München – Musical Director: Peter Rundel Stage Director: Anja Sündermann, Bayerischer Rundfunk 1996

Compositions

Stage works

Other works

* 1980/81 ''Metal Drop Music'', quadraphonic electronic music * 1980/83 Piano Piece no. 3 for piano solo * 1981 ''Resonanzen 1'' for violoncello solo * 1981/88 ''Traumlandschaften'' for 2 pianos * 1981/82 ''Inside'', quadrophonic electronic music * 1982 ''YE-NA-JE'' stereophonic electronic music * 1983 ''Visioni di Medea'', quadrophonic electronic music * 1983–85 ''Crystal World I'', quadrophonic electronic music * 1984 ''Crystal World II'' (Chorale), quadrophonic electronic music * 1985/86 ''Crystal World III'', quadrophonic electronic music * 1985/86 ''Crystal World III'' for ensemble and tape * 1987 ''Chansons'' for mezzo-soprano, 5 instruments, live-electronics, and tape * 1987 ''Ende Gut'', quadrophonic electronic music * 1989 ''Poèmes'' for percussion solo and tape * 1989 ''Miroirs'' for 6 vocalists * 1990 ''Dr. Mabuse Der Spieler Part I: Der große Spieler'' for ensemble and live-electronics (film music for the restored complete version of the silent film "

Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler ''Dr. Mabuse the Gambler'' (german: Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler) is the first film in the Dr. Mabuse series about the character Doctor Mabuse who featured in the novels of Norbert Jacques. It was directed by Fritz Lang and released in 1922. The film ...

" by Fritz Lang) * 1990–92 ''Poèmes, "d'après des images en blanc et noir"'' for orchestra * 1990 ''Nachtstücke'' for 7 instruments and live-electronics * 1991 ''Fresko'' for 5 instruments * 1991 ''Nuances'' for flute and percussion * 1992–93 ''Dr. Mabuse Der Spieler Part II: Inferno'' for ensemble and live-electronics (film music for the restored complete version of the silent film "

" by Fritz Lang) * 1993–94 ''Diaphonia'' for soloists, orchestra and live-electronics * 1994 ''Fábrica I'', stereophonic electronic music * 1995 ''Fábrica II'' for 4 percussionists and tape * 1996 ''Journey's End'', quadrophonic electronic music * 1997 ''Shadow (...of a Doubt)'', for percussion and ensemble * 1998 ''Traces'' for oboe solo * 1998 ''Suite'' for bass clarinet, accordion and double bass * 1998 Octet for Winds * 1998/99 Piano Piece no. 5 for piano solo * 1998/99 ''Reflections'' for accordion solo * 2000 ''The Wind'' for violin, French horn and tape * 2000 ''Images'' for violin solo * 2000 ''Six Sketches'' for French horn solo * 2001 Piano Trio no. 1 * 2001 ''Transit'', for orchestra * 2002 ''Nosferatu'', (music for the classic silent film by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau) * 2003/04 ''Espaces Sonores'', 8-track electronic music * 2004–05 ''Espaces sonores'', for wind quintet and orchestra * 2006 ''Arcus'' for string quartet and electronic music * 2006 Piano Trio no. 2 * 2009 ''Trois Rêves'' for ensemble * 2009 ''Four Little Pieces'' for B-flat clarinet * 2013 ''Die Befristeten'', concertante radio play for speakers and ensemble after the theatre piece of the same name by Elias Canetti (text adaptation by Ursula Ruppel) * 2013–14 ''Variazioni'' for two trumpets and two ensembles * 2014 ''Te Deum'' for six-part mixed choir * 2016 ''Noctuelles'' for 11 instruments

Writings by Michael Obst (selection)

*De nouveau critère pour apprécier la musique electroacoustique in: Esthétique et Musique Electroacoustique, Paris 1996, pp. 71–76 *Neue Musik (-festival)? in: Festschrift 75 Jahre Donaueschinger Musiktage, Donaueschingen 1996, pp. 77–80 *Fábrica – analyse structurelle in: Analyse en Musique Electroacoustique, Bourges 1997, pp. 155–159 *Projection du son prise comme élément compositionnel, La fonction de l'électronique en direct dans mon opéra *Solaris in: Composition/Diffusion en Musique Electroacoustique, Bourges 1998, pp. 142–150 *La musique – pourquoi? in: Musique Electroacoustique: expérience et prospective, Bourges 1999, pp. 116–117

References

External links

*
Michael Obst's official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Obst, Michael 1955 births Living people German classical composers 20th-century classical composers 21st-century classical composers Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln alumni German male classical composers 20th-century German composers 21st-century German composers Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar 20th-century German male musicians 21st-century German male musicians