Joachim Werzlau

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Joachim Werzlau (born August 5, 1913 in Leipzig , † October 23, 2001 in Berlin ) was a German composer . He belonged to the older generation of composers in the GDR .

The young years

As the son of an orchestral musician, he made his first attempts at composition at the age of twelve. His father taught him the violin and the piano himself . Since the family's economic situation prevented them from studying music, Werzlau began working as an apprentice piano maker at the Blüthner company in his hometown. He earned his living as a pianist and composer at various cultural institutions in Leipzig. At the age of 22, he was given the prospect of admission to study music at the Leipzig Conservatory , which he soon lost due to close contacts with left-wing artists. In 1941/1942 he did military service, but was then forced to work in a factory until the end of the war.

After 1945

After the end of the National Socialist rule in Germany, Werzlau worked actively in the Antifa bloc and became a member of the Kulturbund for the democratic renewal of Germany . He composed music for the theater in Leipzig and music for radio plays for the Leipzig station. In addition, Werzlau became director of the musical and literary cabaret Die Rampe (Leipzig). In 1949 he moved to Berlin. In 1949 Joachim Werzlau wrote his most popular mass song Because we are young, the world is so beautiful (text by Gerhard Wolfram ). Between 1949 and 1952 he was a music consultant at the Berliner Rundfunk, for which he also worked as a composer and program designer. During this time he also began to compose children's, pioneer, youth and other mass songs for socialist holiday use. This made him very popular in the GDR. He also worked as a film music composer for DEFA .

Werzlau was a founding member of the East German Association of German Composers and Musicologists and as such has been working as a freelance since 1957. From 1960 to 1964 he was chairman of the Berlin district association of the composers' association and, at the end of the 1980s, chairman of the advisory board of the institution for the protection of performance and reproduction rights in the field of music (AWA). From 1967 to 1981 he was a member of the Berlin city council and in 1969 became a member of the Academy of Arts of the GDR .

In 1963 he wrote his first opera Regine , which premiered at the Hans Otto Theater in Potsdam with moderate success. In 1976 his second opera was premiered, this time with great, resounding success at the Berlin State Opera Unter den Linden : Meister Röckle (libretto by Günther Deicke ). The plot goes back to motifs from the children's book Meister Hans Röckle and Mister Flammfuß by Ilse and Vilmoš Korn . The work was re-enacted in several theaters in the GDR, for example in Weimar, Meiningen and Leipzig. In 1977 Werzlau became a member of the Presidium of the Composers' Association and was honored with the GDR National Prize for the second time in 1981 (first award in 1967). In 1981 Master Röckle was also performed by Natalia Saz at the Moscow Children's Music Theater. In the first half of the 1980s, Joachim Werzlau finally worked on his third opera, Zille Heinrich , following his constant artistic endeavor to process folk-related or folk subjects at a high artistic level.

Works (selection)

  • Our life in the song , cantata for solos, choir and orchestra, text: B. Seeger, 1959
  • Episodes , 5 orchestral pieces, 1962
  • Hans Marchwitza , a symphonic portrait, 1970
  • Olympic Divertimento for large orchestra, 1971
  • The strict Chronos , 13 songs and chants based on Soviet poems, 1977
  • Partita for violin solo, 1978
  • Flag march for large wind orchestra, 1979
  • Sanssouci , orchestral music, 1979
  • Scenes for orchestra, 1979
  • Memories of Heinrich Zille , 4 sketches for piano, 1984
  • Zille Heinrich , Opera, text: H. Kahlau, 1st version 1980–84, 2nd version 1986–88
  • Potato cantata , small memorial for solos, choir and instruments, text: Maria Dresdner, 1986
  • Kontra Lamento for orchestra, revised 1986
  • Aktion Berlin for large wind orchestra, 1986

Film works (selection)

Radio play music

literature

  • Walter Rösler: How was that with the “ramp” back then? In: Ernst Günther, Heinz P. Hofmann, Walter Rösler (eds.): Cassette. An almanac for the stage, podium and ring (=  cassette ). No. 3 . Henschelverlag Art and Society, Berlin 1979, p. 59-63 .
  • J. Werzlau: "Contra Lamento". Reminiscences of a musician, minutes of conversations, personal testimonies as well as a detailed catalog of works and an extensive discography . New Music Publishing House, Berlin 1988.
  • Torsten Musial:  Werzlau, Joachim . In: Who was who in the GDR? 5th edition. Volume 2. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ sky: We introduce: Joachim Werzlau, in: Melodie und Rhythmus (1958) 23 , p. 19

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Werzlau, Joachim
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German composer
DATE OF BIRTH August 5, 1913
PLACE OF BIRTH Leipzig
DATE OF DEATH October 23, 2001
Place of death Berlin