Hermann Keller (composer)

Hermann Keller (born March 30, 1945 in Zeitz ; died March 26, 2018 in Berlin ) was a German pianist and composer .

biography

Keller studied classical piano and composition at the Weimar University of Music from 1963 to 1968 , but also dealt with improvisation and jazz music . From 1968 to 1971 he was an aspirant of Günter Kochan in Berlin. Since 1971 there has been collaboration with jazz musicians; He has worked in a duo with Manfred Schulze since 1974 , and later founded the Berlin improvisation trio or quartet . This ensemble was one of the most famous free improvisation groups in the GDR and appeared for the first time in West Berlin and at the Moers Festival in the late 1970s . In the 1980s, Keller performed at the Leipzig Jazz Days , but also played in 1985 with Michael Sell and Carin Levine at the first Jazz Days in Weimar . In his current quartet (CD from 2005) the violinist Antje Messerschmidt, the clarinetist Jürgen Kupke and the trumpeter Uli Weber played compositionally structured improvisation music.

Keller also worked from 1974 to 1985 at the “Hanns Eisler” University of Music in Berlin as a lecturer in composition and improvisation. He has released albums with freely improvised music as well as with composed music that leaves room for improvisation. In addition, Keller also wrote fully composed works that are performed regularly. His compositions have been performed at the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig , the Künstlerhaus Boswil , the Musikbiennale Berlin, the Berliner Festwochen , the Klangwerkstatt Mannheim, the MDR Musiksommer , the Ultraschall Festival Berlin and the Rheinsberger Musiktage. The interpreters of his works include the Jena Symphony Orchestra, the Hallische Philharmonie, the Ensemble Modern , the Kammerensemble Neue Musik Berlin, the ensemble mosaik, the modern art sextet, the Collegium Novum Zurich and the Ensemble Chronophonie as well as Heinz Holliger , Steffen Schleiermacher , Ingo Metzmacher and Vinko Globokar . He also worked as a music teacher.

Hermann Keller lived in Berlin.

As a particularly prominent representative of the free music scene of the former GDR according to the Jazz Rough Guide, he explored the relationship between contemporary composed and improvised music.

Catalog raisonné

Solo works

Sonata for piano (1971-1974)
Triad for solo violin (1979)
Snapshots for piano (1980)
little scene for recorder (1980)
Scene for solo flute for transverse flute (1980)
6 piano pieces (1981)
2 scenes for solo clarinet (1981)
6 miniatures for violoncello (1984)
New piano booklet (1984-7)
Scene for solo trombone (1987)
The Origin of Rhythms for Piano (1991-2001)
Capriccio on Confidence for piano (1996-9)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Rudolf Bahro (1998)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Hans-Karsten Raecke (1998)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - anthology (1998-2011)
Light metal. Study for 2 Hi-Hats (1999)
Soul in the water. Scene for a Singing Man for Voice (1999)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Vinko Globokar (1999)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Graciela Paraskevaidis (1999)
"Cotyledons". Schumann Metamorphoses for piano (2000)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Hans-Peter Jannoch (2001)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for György Kurtág (2001)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Juliane Klein (2001)
2nd sonata for piano (2001)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Johann Cilenšek (2002)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Ingeborg Herkomer (2002)
Bosch triptych for prepared grand piano (2003)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Christfried Schmidt (2003)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - Katzer Variations (2004)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Reiner Bredemeyer (2005)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Günter Mayer (2005)
3 pieces for solo violin (2007)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Helmuth Flammer (2007)
3rd sonata for piano (2008)
Toccata, Intermezzo and Fugue for piano (2009)
Words for piano (2010)
Dance around the Golden Calf for piano with accompanying voices ad lib. (2010)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Kurt Dietmar Richter (2011)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Hanns Werner Heister (2011)
Piano pieces for teachers, colleagues and friends - for Ulrich Urban (2011)

Chamber music 2-3 players

Suite for 2 pianists (playable on one grand piano) (1975)

Triangle. 8 situations for oboe, violoncello and piano (1980)

Scene for two percussionists (1983)

Scene for trumpet and organ (1985)

New violin book. 19 easy violin duos (1987)

Our March for tenor and piano (1988)

Voice colors for voice and piano (1989)

Trio for recorder, violoncello and harpsichord (1992)

Scene for 1 clarinetist and 1 bass clarinetist (1993)

Scenes for 1 violinist and 1 pianist (1993)

Petrarch on the way into exile for baritone and piano (1996)

Half a century for mezzo-soprano and piano (1996)

Schumann Metamorphoses for violin and piano (1996)

Out of America for violin, clarinet, piano (each with preparations) (2004)

3 pieces for violoncello and piano (2004)

Soul in Water II for voice and trombone (2004)

Jazz workshop 3 pieces for piano, 2 pieces for ensemble (2006-9)

Brief illumination for clarinet, cello, piano (2007)

Brothers for bass clarinet and bassoon (2008)

"DO NOT STUMP!" for clarinet, violoncello, piano (2009)

Terzetto breve for clarinet, violin, piano (2009)

Piano trio for violin, cello, piano (2009)

Trio for oboe, clarinet and bassoon (2011)

Introduction and Scherzo for 2 clarinets (2011)

Screams, but also bright dreams for piano four hands (2014)

Chamber music 4-9 players

Sonata for 2 pianos, organ and percussion (1968)
Ex tempore IV improvisation models for open cast (1971-1976)
Elective affinities. Quartet for flute, viola, piano and percussion (1976)
String Quartet (1982)
Quasi ancora una sonata for wind quintet or wind quintet and piano (1985)
Quartet for clarinet, saxophone, piano, percussion (1987)
It was. It is. Will it be? for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, violoncello, piano (2001)
Quartetto breve for 4 double basses (2002)
Sonata for string trio and piano (2002)
The Disposable Man for flute, clarinet, violin, percussion, piano (2006)
Jazz workshop for 3 pieces for piano, 2 pieces for ensemble (2006-9)
The opening of the Berlin Wall from the perspective of the year 2089 for brass quintet, percussion, speaker (2009)
It could be like that, but also one way or the other for flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon. Violin, viola, cello, double bass (2011)
Durst, völkisch for voice, flute, oboe, alto saxophone, bass clarinet (2014)

ensemble

My friend, why are you coming musical impromptu play (1977)
Bagatelle for 15 solo strings (9 violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, double bass) (1983)
Concerto for 5 wind instruments, 5 strings, piano and percussion (1989)
Concerto for piano and 13 instrumentalists for solo piano, ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, horn, trombone, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, percussion) (2006)
Concert piece for clarinet and ensemble for solo clarinet, ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, electric guitar, accordion, drums, piano, 2 violins, 2 cellos, double bass) (2007)
Chamber Symphony - Conversation without words for ensemble without conductor (flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba, drums, 2 pianos, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass) (2011)

orchestra

Concert piece for piano and orchestra (1970)
Concert for jazz group and string orchestra (1976)
Metamorphoses for orchestra (1976)
Concerto for piano and orchestra for solo piano, large orchestra (3 Fl., 3 Ob., 2 Klar., Bklar., 2 Fg., Kfg., 4 Hr., 3 Trp., 3 Pos., Tb., 4 pk., Beat., Strings: 12-8-6-4) (1980)
In the evening. Trakl-Montage for baritone, orchestra (Picc., 2 Fl., Ob., Englhr., 2 Klar., 2 Fg., 2 Hr., 3 Trp., 3 Pos., Klav., Pk., Schlgz., Strings: 12-5-4-3) (1982)
Snapshots for soloists, orchestra (2 fl., 2 ob., 2 clear., 2 b., 4 h., 2 parts, 3 pos., Strings: 10-8-6-4-3) (1986)
Summer canon for 2 percussionists, orchestra (Picc., 3Fl., 3 Ob., Englhr., 3 Klar., Bklar., 3 Fg., KFg., 4Hr., 4Tp., 3Pos., 2Tb., Pk., Vibr ., Strings: 12-12-10-8-6) (1988)
Tear the invisible chains - prelude for orchestra for orchestra (picc., 2fl., 2ob., 2cl., 2Fg., 4Hr., 2tp., 3Pos., P., Perc., Strings (12-10-8-6 -4) (2013)

LPs

Beatings / Refractions : Improvisations on a prepared grand piano: Ex tempore VI and invocation, Ex tempore I, Beatings / Refractions, Ex tempore VII. Edition RZ 1987 (RZ10001)
Triangle for oboe, violoncello and piano, two elegies based on texts by Georg Trakl, Quasi Ancora Una Sonata (Almost Another Sonata) . VEB Deutsche Schallplatten - NOVA 1989 (NOVA 885 285)
Six piano pieces . On: Bettina Otto, piano and harpsichord, plays Finke, Keller, Münch, Voigtländer, Weiss, Katzer. VEB Deutsche Schallplatten 1990 (Nova 8 85 287)

CDs

Ex tempore VI . Keller-Schulze workshop orchestra. On: Music in Germany 1950 - 2000 "Spielformen der Improvisation" RCA Red Seal 2005
Extempore I for piano, beatings / refractions for piano. On: Music in Germany 1950 - 2000 / German Music Council. RCA red seal 2006
A farewell for a jazz ensemble . On: Music in Germany 1950 - 2000 "New Music in Jazz". RCA red seal 2008
Hermann Keller - Schumann Metamorphoses and Piano Sonatas : Keimblätter, Schumann Metamorphoses, 2nd sonata for piano, 3rd sonata for piano. Neos 2010 (NEOS11041)
Hermann Keller - Second Piano Concerto and Chamber Music : Concerto for piano and 13 instruments, sonata for string trio and piano, scene for solo trombone, scenes for 1 violinist and 1 pianist. Neos 2010 (NEOS11040)
Hermann Keller: Solo, Duo and Trio Improvisations . NEOS 2013 (NEOS11313)
Hermann Keller - Quartets : Elective Affinities, Quartet. WERGO 1995 (WER 6291-2)
Concerto for piano and orchestra . On: Music in Germany 1950-2000 "Concerts: Mass and Individual" RCA Red Seal
Hermann Keller Quartet: Not Without Water / Hermann Keller: Solo piano 29 pieces . Jazz Workshop 2010 (jw 091)

Radio play music

1981: Joachim Priewe : Heinrich Vogeler - Director: Barbara Plensat (radio play - Broadcasting of the GDR )

Fonts

New music theory . Neumünster (von Bockel Verlag) 2014, ISBN 978-3-932696-97-8 ( Appendix to New Music Theory . Neumünster 2015, ISBN 978-3-95675-004-5 )

literature

Bert Noglik , Heinz-Jürgen Lindner: Jazz in conversation . Verlag Neue Musik Berlin, 3rd edition 1980

Ian Carr , Digby Fairweather , Brian Priestley : Rough Guide Jazz. The ultimate guide to jazz music. 1700 artists and bands from the beginning until today. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 1999, ISBN 3-476-01584-X .

Short biography for: Keller, Hermann . In: Who was who in the GDR? 5th edition. Volume 1. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4 .

Antje Messerschmidt u. a. (Ed.): Hermann Keller. As foreign to the mainstream as the fetter is to the bird , Neumünster: von Bockel 2019, ISBN 978-3-95675-025-0

Web links

Individual evidence

^ Edition Juliane Klein: Current. Retrieved March 28, 2018 .

personal data
SURNAME	Keller, Hermann
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	German composer and pianist
DATE OF BIRTH	March 30, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH	Time
DATE OF DEATH	March 26, 2018
Place of death	Berlin

[1] Edition Juliane Klein: Current. Retrieved March 28, 2018 .