René Clemencic (27 February 1928 – 8 March 2022) was an Austrian composer, conductor, harpsichordist, clavichordist and recorder player.

Biography

Born in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, Clemencic was educated at the

Vienna University The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

and studied further in France, Netherlands and

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

. He was director of the Capella Musica Antiqua and of the Drama Musicum in Vienna. In 1958 he founded Musica Antiqua (known after 1959 as Ensemble Musica Antiqua) to perform

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...

period instruments In the historically informed performance movement, musicians perform classical music using restored or replicated versions of the instruments for which it was originally written. Often performances by such musicians are said to be "on authentic ...

. Later, in 1968, he founded the Clemencic Consort. Clemencic died on 8 March 2022, at the age of 94.

Compositions

* ''Meraviglia'' 1969John Mansfield Thomson Recorder profiles 1972 p77 "Rene Clemencic also specialises in contemporary music and at Warsaw in 1969 performed his own work Meraviglia ('Wonder'). ... 'In my own compositions I want to rediscover music as something actual, something born at this moment," * ''

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

'' Film music for the film by

Ariane Mnouchkine Ariane Mnouchkine (; born 3 March 1939) is a French stage director. She founded the Parisian avant-garde stage ensemble '' Théâtre du Soleil'' in 1964. She wrote and directed ''1789'' (1974) and ''Molière'' (1978), and directed ''La Nuit Mira ...

(1978) * ''Missa Mundi'' mass in Latin, for five voices and orchestra (1981) * ''Unus Mundus'' (1986) * ''Drachenkampf'' ballet (1987) * ''Kabbala'' Oratorio in Hebrew (1992) * ''Der Berg'' chamber opera (1993) * ''Apokalypsis''

Oratorio An oratorio () is a musical composition with dramatic or narrative text for choir, soloists and orchestra or other ensemble. Similar to opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an instrumental ensemble, various distinguisha ...

on the Greek text of the

Revelation of John The Book of Revelation, also known as the Book of the Apocalypse or the Apocalypse of John, is the final book of the New Testament, and therefore the final book of the Christian Bible. Written in Greek, its title is derived from the first w ...

(1996) * ''Stabat Mater'' - (2001) * ''Monduntergang'' - Operelle for sirene Operntheater (2007) * ''Nachts unter der steinernen Brücke'' - chamber opera for sirene Operntheater (2009) * ''Harun und Dschafar'' - chamber opera for sirene Operntheater (2011) * ''Gilgamesch'' - Oratorio in German for sirene Operntheater (2015)

Selected recordings

* ''

Carmina Burana ''Carmina Burana'' (, Latin for "Songs from Benediktbeuern" 'Buria'' in Latin is a manuscript of 254 poems and dramatic texts mostly from the 11th or 12th century, although some are from the 13th century. The pieces are mostly bawdy, irreveren ...

'', 5 LPs Harmonia Mundi France (HM B385) (LP1: HM335 (rec. 1974 / rel. 1975), LP2: HM336 (rec. 1974 / rel. 1975), LP3: HM337 (rec. 1975 / rel. 1976), LP4: HM338 (rec. 1976 / rel. 1976), LP5: HM339 (rec. 1977 / rel. 1978)) / 3CDs Harmonia Mundi France, 1990 (190336.38)

References

External links

* *
Webpage
1928 births 2022 deaths Austrian male composers Austrian composers Austrian musicologists Austrian classical musicians Austrian conductors (music) Austrian classical organists University of Vienna alumni Oehms Classics artists Musicians from Vienna {{Austria-composer-stub