Nikolaus Schapfl

Nikolaus Schapfl (2004)

Nikolaus Schapfl (born August 21, 1963 in Munich ) is a German composer .

Life

At the age of seven, Nikolaus Schapfl received music lessons for the first time, initially for the accordion, from 14 also for the piano. At the age of 14 he began with his first "serious" compositions. At 18 he appeared as a soloist for the first time, in Walter Leigh's piano concerto in the Stadttheater Fürth, and worked as a pianist in the silent film cinema. He began studying civil engineering at the Technical University of Munich in 1983, which he successfully completed in 1988. He practiced this profession for three and a half years. In 1985 he took composition lessons from Johann-Peter Gampl . From 1989 to 1992 he received lessons in music theory , composition and composition with Dieter Buwen at the "Meistersinger Conservatory Nuremberg". In 1992 he began studying composition at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, with Wolfgang Sauseng and Christian Ofenbauer, and with Diether de la Motte at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, studying harmony and counterpoint with Franz Zaunschirm , and music history with Siegfried Mauser . In 1996 Schapfl graduated with distinction in Salzburg.

From 1995 to 2001 he worked with August Everding on the libretto for an opera version of The Little Prince and from 1998 with Regine Koch from the Bavarian Theater Academy . In 1997 the "Shanghai Symphony Orchestra" was invited to Shanghai for the world premiere of the orchestral suite The Little Prince, with support from the German Music Council . In 1998 Schapfl received an invitation to the "Ohio Light Opera", Cleveland ( Ohio ), to present the opera The Little Prince (English version of The Little Prince ). In the same year the CD songs without words 1–7 for violin and piano was recorded together with Vladimir Tsypin (principal violinist of the New York Philharmonic). In 2002 he composed the music for the movie Der Templer , which received an award at the Hof Film Festival.

The best-known work by Nikolaus Schapfl is the first setting of The Little Prince authorized by “Editions Gallimard” and the community of heirs of Antoine de Saint-Exupérys (concert premiere in Salzburg 2003, title role: Yvonne Moules). On March 25, 2006, the opera The Little Prince was staged for the first time in the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe , to which the heirs of Saint-Exupéry traveled especially, under the direction of Ulrich Wagner and in the production of Peer Boysen (title role: Robert Crowe). In addition to European countries, his works were also performed in North America and Asia. Schapfl set poems by Paul Celan , Else Lasker-Schüler and composed orchestral , chamber music and film music .

Teaching commitments

• 1996 and 1997 lecturer in composition at the International Theodor Leschetizky Summer Academy organized by the Belgian pianist Peter Ritzen at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna .
• 1996 at the International Masterclasses for Singing and Lied Composition in Oettingen 1996
• 1996–2004 at the “University of Redlands - Salzburg”, lecturer in composition

Promotions - Prizes

• 1983 Christopherus Medal from Bavaria
• 1995 Award of the Bavarian Music Fund
• 1997 Funded by the Vienna Federal Chancellery
• 1997 Funded by the German Music Council
• 1997 Funding from the State of Salzburg
• 2002 Eastman Prize of the Hof Film Festival for "The Templar"
• 2003 Funded by the Salzburg International Association
• 2003 Funded by the German-Austrian Society Stuttgart

Works

Theoretical work

• 1995: About "Octandre" by Edgar Varèse
• 1996: Faded Photos - About the piano cycle by the American composer Daniel Brewbaker
• 1996: "The sound language of Alexander Skriabin", diploma thesis

Catalog of works (selection)

• The Little Prince, opera in two acts after Antoine de Saint-Exupéry for large orchestra, choir and solos (Sikorski)
• Songs without words 1–7, for violin and piano (Premiere 1999 Museum Freising)
• The three brothers for mixed choir, based on a Russian fairy tale
• Sonata for piano (premiere 1993, Kleiner Saal im Gasteig)
• Cry-X, electronic music, UA Alte Schmiede, Vienna, 1997
• Arlecchino, music for expressive dance in four scenes (WP 1994, Santander UIMP)
• Orchestral suite "The Little Prince" (premiered May 1997 Shanghai)
• String Quartet N ° 2, WP 2002 Gaudeamus Quartet
• "Orpheus - Symphonic poem for piano solo" 2007, 71 min
• Concert for piano and orchestra, premier October 4th, 2008, Salzburg
• "The Nightingale" for violin, piano and tape, 13 min. - Premiere 2009, Irina Rusu
• "Caravaggio elements" for string orchestra - premiered in 2011 by the chamber philharmonic orchestra dacapo Munich, 2013 by the composer at the Grafenegg Festival with the Lower Austrian Tonkünstler Orchestra as part of the workshop "Ink still wet"
• Piano quintet in three movements (Allegro, Moderato, Allegro con moto), 21 min, WP 2014 at Goldegg Castle, Salzburg Province, by the Mozarte Quintet, Salzburg
• "I give you my hand" (music video 2015) - A message of peace, hope and unity from the children of Salzburg to the world - Johanna Mucha (solo singing), Salzburg choir boys and girls udLv Helmut Zeilner, Nikolaus Schapfl (text & Music) at the piano, film by Lothar J. Riedl , duration 03:43 min: sec
• Oratorio "Brigitte" for mixed choir, solos, vocal ensemble and piano "About the martyr Brigitte Irrgang", music & libretto (libretto accompanied by Peter Irrgang, Brigitte's brother), 2 acts, total duration 1h 45 min. World premiere August 11, 2017 Loitz (Vorpommern), August 12, 2017 in Greifswald , August 13, 2017 in Berlin by the Permoník choir from Karviná , Czech Republic ; Live broadcast of the world premiere in EWTN , DVD.

Web links

• Homepage of Nikolaus Schapfl