Mike Svoboda

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Michael Svoboda (* 1960 in Guam ) is an American composer and trombonist who lives and works in Switzerland .

Life

Svoboda grew up in Chicago and studied composition and conducting at the University of Illinois . In 1981 he came to Germany because of a composition prize. Here he studied trombone at the Stuttgart University of Music . From 1984 to 1995 he worked as an interpreter with Karlheinz Stockhausen .

Svoboda lives in Switzerland. Here he has been teaching since 2007 as a professor for contemporary chamber music and trombone at the Basel University of Music .

Act

He played Lucifer in Stockhausen's opera cycle Licht in guest appearances at the Royal Opera Covent Garden , La Scala in Milan and other opera houses . In addition, he worked as a trombonist with composers such as Péter Eötvös , Heinz Holliger , Toshio Hosokawa , Helmut Lachenmann , Wolfgang Rihm , Martin Smolka and Frank Zappa and to date has premiered more than four hundred works.

From 1995, Svoboda turned back to composition. He put together the Mike Svoboda's Alphorn Special program from individual pieces . He received orders for full-length programs and a. from the Staatstheater Hannover , the Nationaltheater Mannheim , the Südwestrundfunk and the Württemberg Philharmonic Reutlingen . In the programs 14 attempts to learn to love Wagner and My God Mozart! (both 2002) as well as Clara, Robert and Johannes - Fantasie über ein Romantisches Dreieck (2004) he worked as composer, arranger, trombonist and speaker.

In 2003 he wrote Love Hurts - Carmen Remix for orchestra with a soloist and Reflective Structures for 21 strings and solo drums, 2005 Alias ​​- Mozart is Rossini for string orchestra and solo trombone. In the 2005-06 season, his children's opera Erwin, the natural talent based on a libretto by Manfred Weiss, was performed at the Stuttgart State Opera . In 2007, Der unbelievable Spotz was created , also based on a libretto by Manfred Weiss. At the opening of the Lower Saxony Music Days 2010, Svoboda's Music for Open Spaces for soprano, 8 trombones and around 150 wind instruments was performed with great success. In 2011 the world premiere of his trombone concert Music for Trombone and Orchestra took place at the ECLAT - Festival Neue Musik Stuttgart with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra of the SWR and Mike Svoboda as soloists.

In 2006 Svoboda was composer in residence at the 61st Summer Music Days Hitzacker . It was here that his pieces of space gain - music for an Elbe and 70% , a "jazz nocturne on the subject of water" premiered. In addition, he was artist and / or composer in residence at the Festival Mouvement - Music in the 21st Century of the Saarland Broadcasting Corporation (2007), at the Weingartner Music Days of Young Artists (2008) and at the Chemnitz Opera House (2009/10).

Svoboda performs with his own mike svoboda ensemble (founded in 2005). In addition, he works with various jazz formations (such as the Reduction Quartet by Manfred Kniel ) and with orchestras such as the German Symphony Orchestra Berlin , the orchestras of the Bavarian, West German and South-West German Radio, the Bamberg Symphony , the Ensemble Modern , the Schönberg Ensemble and the Klangforum Wien as well as in duo formations with the accordionist Stefan Hussong and the percussionist Michael Kiedaisch .

On numerous CDs he has recorded works by contemporary composers (in addition to Stockhausen, Zappa, Eötvös and Rihm, compositions by Michael Riessler , Bernd Thewes , Christoph Staude , Iannis Xenakis ) and his own compositions, as well as recordings with various jazz ensembles and duo partners.

Awards

Works (selection)

Stage works

  • The Incredible Spotz - not a fairy tale, but an opera for everyone aged 6 and over (2007) (score)
  • Erwin, the natural talent , opera (2005/07)

Vocal works

  • Da is written for mezzo-soprano and harp after a text fragment by Friedrich Hölderlin (2011) (score)
  • The Books of the Times for three female voices, trombone and percussion based on the text of the same name by Friedrich Hölderlin (2010)
  • Alleluja.Alleluja for two choirs, four female voices and four brass instruments (2008) (score)
  • 20 French Songs for mezzo-soprano, trombone and accordion (2006)
  • Gaining space - music for an Elbaue for brass band, choir and mezzo-soprano solo based on two poems by Rainer Maria Rilke (2006) (score)

Orchestral works

  • Music for Trombone and Orchestra (2010) (score)
  • Music for Open Spaces for large wind orchestra, 8 trombones and solo voice (2010)
  • Inner Antiphony - Fanfare for Orchestra and two Percussionists (2009) (Score)
  • More Pentatonic Irony for two two-part choirs and orchestra (2009)
  • Love Hurts - Carmen Remix for trombone and orchestra (2003/2010) (score)
  • Reflective Structures for 21 strings and percussion solo (2003)

Chamber music / ensemble works

  • Music for Trombone, Piano and Percussion (2011)
  • Antiphony without Irony for four large brass ensembles and four soloists (2009) (score)
  • Concert Etudes 1-5 for trombone solo (2008)
  • Music for Piccolo solo (2008)
  • Studies on Adorno (sex, drugs and new music) for a vocal soloist, two ensembles and video art (2007) (score)
  • transition / intuition for ensemble (2007)
  • Five Cannon Studies for trombone and accordion (2006) (score)

Texts

  • Mike Svoboda: The trombonist Vinko Globokar . In: Werner Klüppelholz, Sigrid Konrad (Hrsg.): Vinko Globokar: 14 ways to describe a musician. Saarbrücken 2008, pp. 144–151.
  • Mike Svoboda: "Everyone will tell you that I am not a musician". Erik Satie's scientific approach to music or: Freedom lies in limitation . In: New magazine for music. 04/2007, pp. 48-50
  • Mike Svoboda: NUN - An Inside View . In: Helmut Lachenmann - Inward Beauty. ed. by Dan Albertson, Contemporary Music Review 23 (2004), Issue 3/4, pp. 161-164.
  • Mike Svoboda: Interpretation as an illustration of a composition. Karlheinz Stockhausen : "Zodiac - 12 melodies of the zodiac signs" (1975) . In: New magazine for music. 06/2002, pp. 24-27.

literature

  • Barbara Kienscherf: Mike Svoboda . In: Contemporary composers . ed. by Hanns-Werner Heister and Walter-Wolfgang Sparrer, 42nd edition, Munich, August 2010
  • Michael Herrschel: entertainment for adults. Trombonist & Composer: www.mikesvoboda.de . In: Neue Musikzeitung. 11/2002, p. 16
  • Christoph Wagner: The tap dance of the mussel blower . Mike Svoboda in conversation. In: New magazine for music. 06/2001, p. 52/53

CDs (selection)

  • John Cage : Trombone and Piano , Steffen Schleiermacher (piano) and Mike Svoboda (trombone), MDG 613 1510-2
  • Frescobaldi / Cage: Anarchic Harmonies , Stefan Hussong (accordion) and Mike Svoboda (alto and tenor trombones), WERGO 6655 2 2001
  • Erik Satie / Mike Svoboda: Phonométrie , Anne-May Krüger (vocals, barrel organ , toy piano), Stefan Hussong (accordion) and Mike Svoboda (trombone), WERGO 68062
  • Mike Svoboda: do you love wagner? , Wolfgang Fernow (double bass), Scott Roller (violoncello), Michael Kiedaisch (percussion) and Mike Svoboda (trombone, compositions), WERGO 6802 2
  • Karlheinz Stockhausen: Zodiac - 12 melodies of the zodiac signs (1975) , in two realizations: No. 1 for 5 musicians and No. 2 for 5 improvisers, Stefan Hussong (accordion), Michael Riessler (bass clarinet), Wolfgang Fernow (double bass), Scott Roller (violoncello), Michael Kiedaisch (drums) and Mike Svoboda (trombone, music boxes and musical direction), WERGO 6659 2
  • Giacinto Scelsi : Suono Rotondo , Stefano Scodanibbio (double bass), Michael Kiedaisch (percussion) and Mike Svoboda (trombone) - awarded the German Record Critics' Prize , WERGO 6672 2
  • Franz Schubert : Schubertiade Twelve Songs from Winterreise (2002) Artists: Grace Davidson, Michael Kiedaisch, Eberhard Hahn, Wolfgang Fernow, Mike Svoboda

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Svoboda, Mike
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Svoboda, Michael
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American composer and trombonist
DATE OF BIRTH 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH on Guam