Peter Ruzicka (born 3 July 1948) is a German composer and conductor of classical music. He was director of the

Hamburg State Opera The Hamburg State Opera (in German: ) is a German opera company based in Hamburg. Its theatre is near the square of Gänsemarkt. Since 2015, the current ''Intendant'' of the company is Georges Delnon, and the current ''Generalmusikdirektor'' ...

, the Philharmonic Orchestra of Hamburg and the

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 ...

. Ruzicka was managing director and Intendant of the Salzburg Easter Festival and is professor at the

Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg The Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg is one of the larger College or university school of music, universities of music in Germany. It was founded in 1950 as ''Staatliche Hochschule für Musik'' (Public college of music) on the base of t ...

. The list of his compositions includes numerous orchestral and chamber music works as well as the opera "Celan", about the poet

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 ...

, which was premiered in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

in 2001. His opera "Hölderlin" had its premiere at the

Berlin State Opera The Staatsoper Unter den Linden ( State Opera under the Lime Trees), also known as the Berlin State Opera (), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of P ...

in 2008. Ruzicka's third opera "Benjamin", about the philosopher

Walter Benjamin Walter Bendix Schönflies Benjamin ( ; ; 15 July 1892 – 26 September 1940) was a German-Jewish philosopher, cultural critic, media theorist, and essayist. An eclectic thinker who combined elements of German idealism, Jewish mysticism, Western M ...

, was written in 2015/16 for the Hamburg State Opera and premiered in 2018.

Biography

Ruzicka was born in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

. He received his early musical training (piano, oboe and composition) at the Hamburg Conservatory. He studied composition with

Hans Werner Henze Hans Werner Henze (1 July 1926 – 27 October 2012) was a German composer. His large List of compositions by Hans Werner Henze, oeuvre is extremely varied in style, having been influenced by serialism, atonality, Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky, Mu ...

and

Hans Otte Hans Günther Franz Otte (3 December 1926 – 25 December 2007) was a German composer, pianist, radio promoter, and author of many pieces of musical theatre, sound installations, poems, drawings, and art videos. From 1959 to 1984 he served as music ...

. He studied law and musicology in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

and Berlin (interdisciplinary doctoral thesis: ''Die Problematik eines "ewigen Urheberpersönlichkeitsrechts"'', Berlin, 1977). Ruzicka was artistic director of the

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has a ...

from 1979 to 1987 and indendant of the

and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Hamburg from 1988 to 1997. Moreover, he was Artistic Advisor of the

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (, ) is a Dutch symphony orchestra, established in 1888 at the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw (concert hall). It is considered one of the world's leading orchestras. It was known as the Concertgebouw Orchestra u ...

in Amsterdam from 1997 to 1999. In 1999 he was named President of the

Bavarian Theatre Academy Bavarian is the adjective form of the German state of Bavaria, and refers to people of ancestry from Bavaria. Bavarian may also refer to: * Bavarii, a Germanic tribe * Bavarians, a nation and ethnographic group of Germans * Bavarian, Iran, a villag ...

. From 2001 to 2006, Ruzicka took over the Artistic Directorship of the

. Ruzicka served as artistic director of the

Munich Biennale The Munich Biennale () is a contemporary opera and music theatre festival in the city of Munich. The full German name is ''Internationales Festival für neues Musiktheater'', literally: International Festival for New Music Theater. The biennial f ...

between 1996 and 2014. He took over from Hans Werner Henze, and was succeeded by the dual directorship of Manos Tsangaris and Daniel Ott. Ruzicka was managing director and Intendant of the Salzburg Easter Festival from 2015 to 2020. Ruzicka was appointed professor for cultural management at the

in 1990. The composer is member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and of the Free Academy of Arts in Hamburg. Ruzicka's works have been performed by leading international orchestras and ensembles like the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio Munich, German Symphony Orchestra Berlin, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Philharmonia Orchestra London, Orchestre de Paris, Czech Philharmony, Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra Montréal and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Conductors like Gerd Albrecht, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, Christoph Eschenbach, Michael Gielen, Paavo Järvi, Mariss Jansons, Kurt Masur, Antonio Pappano, Giuseppe Sinopoli and

Christian Thielemann Christian Thielemann (born 1 April 1959) is a German conductor. He is Generalmusikdirektor of the Berlin State Opera (''Staatsoper Unter den Linden'') and chief conductor of the Staatskapelle Berlin. Biography and career Born in West Berlin, ...

have performed his works. As a conductor Ruzicka has directed the German Symphony Orchestra in Berlin – recording CD productions of works by

Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

, Pettersson and Schreker – the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the

Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (, BRSO) is a German radio orchestra. Based in Munich, Germany, it is one of the city's four orchestras. The BRSO is one of two full-size symphony orchestras operated under the auspices of Bayerischer Rundf ...

, the NDR Symphony Orchestra Hamburg – recording a cycle of 12 orchestral works by Henze –, and the

Munich Philharmonic The Munich Philharmonic () is a German symphony orchestra located in the city of Munich. It is one of Munich's four principal orchestras, along with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Munich Radio Orchestra and the Bavarian State Orche ...

amongst others. Ruzicka has also conducted three CDs of music by George Enescu for the cpo label.

Works

Ruzicka's works are published by Hans Sikorski.

Stage

* ''Celan'', Musiktheater in sieben Entwürfen (1998–1999) * ''Hölderlin'', Eine Expedition (2007) * ''Benjamin'', Musiktheater in sieben Stationen (2015–2016)

Orchestra

* ''Metamorphosen über ein Klangfeld von Joseph Haydn'' for Large Orchestra (1990) * ''"... das Gesegnete, das Verfluchte ..."'', 4 Orchestra Sketches (1991) * ''Tallis'' (1993) * ''Nachtstück'' (1997) * ''"... Vorgefühle ..."'' (1998) * ''Nachklang'' (1999) * ''Memorial'' (2001) * ''Affluence'' (2003) * ''"... ins Offene ..."'', Music for 22 Strings (2005–2006) * ''Vorecho'', 8 Rudiments (2005) * ''Maelstrom'' (2007) * ''"...Zurücknehmen..."'' (2009) * Mahler – Bild for orchestra (2010) * "Trans" for chamber ensemble (2010) * Clouds for orchestra and string quartet (2012/13) * "Zwei Übermalungen (Über Unstern, R.W.") (2010–2012)

Concertante

* ''"...den Impuls zum Weitersprechen erst empfinge..."'', Music for Viola and Orchestra (1981) * ''"...Inseln, randlos ..."'' for Violin, Chamber Chorus and Orchestra (1994–1995) * ''Erinnerung'' for Clarinet and Orchestra (2001) * ''...Über die Grenze'' for Cello and Chamber Orchestra (2009) * "Spiral" for horn quartet and orchestra (2013)

Chamber music

* ''... über ein Verschwinden'', String Quartet No.3 (1992) * ''"... sich verlierend"'' for String Quartet and Narrator (1996) * ''Tombeau'' for Flute (Alto Flute, Bass Flute) and String Quartet (2000) * ''Sturz'' for String Quartet (2004) * ''Nachschrift'', 3 Pieces for Cello and Piano (2008) * ''Erinnerung und Vergessen'', String Quartet No.6 with Soprano (2008)

Vocal

* ''Acht Gesänge nach Fragmenten von Nietzsche'' (8 Songs after Fragments of Nietzsche) for Mezzo-Soprano (or Baritone) and Piano (1992) * ''Die Sonne sinkt'', 8 Songs after Fragments of Nietzsche for Baritone (or Mezzo-soprano) and Orchestra (1997–2000) * ''Recherche (-im Innersten)'' for Chorus and Orchestra (1998) * ''Celan Symphonie'' for Baritone, Mezzo-Soprano and Orchestra (2002) * ''"... und möchtet Ihr an mich die Hände legen ..."'', 5 Fragments by Hölderlin for Baritone and Piano (2006–2007)

Piano

* ''Parergon'', 7 Sketches to Hölderlin (2006) * ''Five Scenes for Piano'' (2009)

Honors and awards

* 1969: Prize of the city of

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

* 1970: Composition Prize at the International Composition Competition "Bela Bartók",

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

* 1971: UNESCO prize of the

International Rostrum of Composers The International Rostrum of Composers (IRC) is an annual forum organized by the International Music Council that offers broadcasting representatives the opportunity to exchange and publicize pieces of contemporary classical music. It is funded by c ...

* 1972: Winner of the "International Gaudeamus Composition Competition",

Hilversum Hilversum () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is ...

* 1972: Bach Prize Fellowship of the Free and Hanseatic City of

* 1997: Honorary membership of the

* 2004: Louis Spohr Prize of the City of

Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...

* 2005: Johannes Gutenberg Endowed Professorship at the

University of Mainz The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz () is a public research university in Mainz, Rhineland Palatinate, Germany. It has been named after the printer Johannes Gutenberg since 1946. it had approximately 32,000 students enrolled in around 100 a ...

* 2005: Honorary Membership Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester, Berlin * 2005: Honorary Membership German Music Council, a member of the

International Music Council The International Music Council (IMC) was created in 1949 as UNESCO's advisory body on matters of music. The original request of the foundation of the IMC was under the Director of the UNESCO. It is based at UNESCO's headquarters in Paris, France, ...

* 2006:

Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science and Art" was established by the National C ...

* 2006: Golden Medal of Honour of

Salzburg Salzburg is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020 its population was 156,852. The city lies on the Salzach, Salzach River, near the border with Germany and at the foot of the Austrian Alps, Alps moun ...

* 2006: Gold Coat of Arms Medal of the City of Salzburg * 2006: Silver Medal at the

International Mozarteum Foundation The International Mozarteum Foundation (Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum) was founded in 1880 in Salzburg with its primary concern being the life and work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Closely affiliated with the Mozarteum University Salzburg, it w ...

* 2006: Prize "New Hearing" for successful placement of contemporary music,

* 2007: Chancellor Award of the International Salzburg Association * 2008: Honorary Doctorate of the Academy of Music and Theatre in Hamburg * 2008: Medal of the Free Academy of Arts in Hamburg

References

Sources

External links

* *
Interview with Peter Ruzicka on the music of George Enescu
(in English und auf Deutsch, published 4 April 2022) {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruzicka, Peter 1948 births Living people Musicians from Düsseldorf 20th-century German classical composers 21st-century German classical composers German male classical composers 20th-century German conductors (music) 21st-century German conductors (music) Academy of Fine Arts, Munich Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class International Rostrum of Composers prize-winners Salzburg Festival directors 20th-century German male musicians 21st-century German male musicians Hamburger Konservatorium alumni