Nico Kaufmann
Nico Kaufmann (born June 24, 1916 in Zurich as Klaus Rudolf Kaufmann ; † November 23, 1996 there ) was a Swiss composer and pianist .
Life
Nico Kaufmann was born the son of a doctor in Zurich. His father was also active as a composer and was able to encourage his talented son accordingly. He studied piano and composition at the Zurich Conservatory and graduated with a piano diploma. After briefly being a student of the famous pianist Vladimir Horowitz (the only Horowitz student in his European time), he also received the concert diploma.
Pianist and composer
Kaufmann became arranger and musical director of the Cabaret Cornichon . His achievements as a pianist were soon recognized in the press. The recognition of his music colleagues was not denied to him, after all, he won first prize in the national piano competition in Geneva in 1945 .
After the Second World War, Kaufmann concentrated on composing incidental music, ballet music and also a film music (1960). He also created numerous pieces for piano and chamber orchestra as well as chansons and songs, including a song cycle based on poems by Hermann Hesse . He earned extra income by performing as a popular bar pianist .
Nico Kaufmann's estate is kept in the music collection of the Zurich Central Library. According to his will, an annual scholarship for young Swiss musicians is made out of the assets.
Lea Singer used his autobiographical notes, which were unpublished during his lifetime, as a research basis for her psychological-biographical novel about the artist's relationship life in those times of obsessively concealed homosexuality.
Hidden life
His most important career relationship began in 1937 with the already famous pianist Horowitz, whom he followed to Paris. Kaufmann was not only his pupil, but also the lover. After his father found out about it, Kaufmann had to return to Zurich. Intensive correspondence continued, however, until this was also broken off in 1939 when Horowitz moved to the USA.
In the Cabaret Cornichon, Kaufmann finally met the actor Karl Meier , who introduced him to the gay magazine Der Kreis . At the balls of the club members, Kaufmann, who was known there as Lysis , provided the musical entertainment. He enriched the cabaret programs with his own compositions, such as poems by Heinrich Federer set to music .
Even after the circle was dissolved in 1967, Kaufmann remained a member of organizations of the homophile movement. Most recently he wrote memoirs (unpublished) that also look back on this relatively hidden part of his life.
literature
- Franco Battel: Nico Kaufmann † . In: ak , ISSN 0259-5419 , Volume 13, No. 1 (1997), p. 16.
- Ingrid Bigler-Marschall: Nico Kaufmann . In: Andreas Kotte (Ed.): Theater Lexikon der Schweiz . Volume 2, Chronos, Zurich 2005, ISBN 3-0340-0715-9 , p. 970.
- Barbara Busch: Nico Kaufmann. The discreet Horowitz student . In: Piano News Issue 3 (2001) pp. 34-39
- Lea Singer : The piano student . Novel. Kampa Verlag, Zurich 2019. ISBN 978-3-311-10009-6
- Karl-Heinz Steinle : The circle: members, artists, authors . Verlag rosa Winkel, Berlin 1999. ( Issues of the Schwules Museum No. 2). ISBN 3-86149-093-5 , pp. 37-38
Web links
- Curriculum vitae and list of bequests , Zurich Central Library
- Chapter about Nico Kaufmann on schwulengeschichte.ch
Individual evidence
- ↑ Jan Brachmann: "Sounds of an unlived life" , review in the FAZ on July 16, 2019, accessed on the same date
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Merchant, Nico |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Kaufmann, Klaus Rudolf (maiden name); Lysis (pseudonym) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Swiss composer and pianist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 24, 1916 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Zurich |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 23, 1996 |
| Place of death | Zurich |