Peter Horton

This article is about the singer Peter Horton. For the actor of the same name, see Peter Horton (actor) .

Peter Horton - press photo 2015

Peter Horton (formerly Peter Horten , born September 19, 1941 in Feldsberg , Reichsgau Niederdonau as Peter Müller  ) is an Austrian guitarist , composer , singer and author .

Life

Cabaret in the old building of
the Irsee Monastery , 2008

Peter Horton was born as Peter Müller in Feldsberg (today: Valtice , Czech Republic ), 70 kilometers north of Vienna . His single mother moved with his three siblings to Vienna in the chaos of the war, where he received his first piano lessons in 1948. He continued his musical education with the Vienna Boys' Choir , with whom he toured the whole world and also performed on stage under Herbert von Karajan . In 1951 he appeared with them for the first time in a public concert. He learned piano and clarinet in Vienna, including at the Vienna Conservatory. At 16 he formed the band Six Aces . At 18 he had his first stage performance as a singer in the Viennese scene with jazz legend Fatty George (Fatty's Saloon) and the cabaret-center Marietta by Gerhard Bronner . At 19 he joined the Flamingos as a bassist and at 23 he began to study singing in Stuttgart.

This was followed by recitals with repertoire from Franz Schubert to Carl Loewe and Richard Strauss . In addition, first recordings with the Erwin Lehn orchestra at Süddeutscher Rundfunk . His first single record was released in 1965. He sang in 1967 in the world's first beat opera, Robinson 2000, at the Berlin Theater des Westens and then began his career as an entertainer and guitarist. He toured the US with his one-man show, performed in Japan, Brazil and Chile. Peter Horton didn't start studying guitar until he was 28. Through his pianistic musical experience, he was able to transfer his harmonic and rhythmic knowledge to the guitar, which eventually became his main instrument. Since its inception, it has released around 65 albums and singles.

In 1967 Peter Horton - at that time still under the name Peter Horten - represented Austria at the Eurovision Song Contest entitled Why there are a hundred thousand stars . With only two points, he landed on a shared 14th place among 17 participants. In addition, he tried his luck twice in the German preliminary decision for the competition: in 1972 he failed in the preliminary round as seventh place with When will the morning come, in 1975 he reached eleventh place among 15 participants with At the foot of the ladder .

From 1978 to 1984 he played in the Duo Guitarissimo with Siegfried Schwab . In 1985 he founded the Duo Symphonic Fingers with the German-Bulgarian pianist and singer Slava Kantcheff , with whom he had been married for nine years since 1986 (until 1995). He married her again in 2016. In addition to numerous television appearances, the duo played around 2000 concerts. Peter Horton has appeared as a guest soloist in productions by world stars such as Plácido Domingo , Peter Schreier and Art Van Damme . He played on stage with opera stars from the Metropolitan Opera New York, La Scala in Milan, the Vienna State Opera and the Bolshoi Theater and presented artists of all genres as a television host. With his series Café in Takt ( ARD ), Hortons Kleine Nachtmusik ( ZDF ) and Horton's Bistro (ZDF) he wrote a piece of cultural German television history.

In 1982 the Hamburg University of Music hired him as a lecturer. Peter Horton also gave seminars for school musicians.

Peter Horton published his first book with aphorisms, satire, poetry and meditation The Other String in 1978. So far, nine more have followed. Including plums in the apple sky with short stories and aphorisms in 2001. The second string and winter whispers appeared in 2004 (audio music book with Christmas stories ). Three CDs of meditative music for guitar and synthesizer also enrich Peter Horton's musical palette. In 2007 the artist returned to his roots. On his CD "Wild Gardens" you can hear his unmistakable voice again.

Sigi Schwab and Peter Horton have been working together with drummer Andreas Keller and bassist Thomas Müller under the band name Guitarissimo XL since 2011 . Peter Horton is also on tour as a symphonic trio with Andreas Keller and Slava Kantcheff .

TV Shows

• Café in Takt (ARD 1978–1984)
• Horton's Little Night Music (ZDF 1986–1989)
• Horton's Bistro (ZDF 1990–1991)
• Springboard ( SDR 1990–1991)

Discography

Solo works (excerpt)

Vinyl LP / CD albums

• Between Heaven and Earth (vinyl LP 1970), also under the name Peter Horton
• Intercontinental (vinyl LP 1971 flap cover)
• Horton's Tales (vinyl LP 1972)
• Somehow it always works (vinyl LP 1974, Polydor)
• As long as you are not at home in yourself (vinyl LP 1975)
• Songbook (vinyl double LP 1976, opposite the CD also: Caroline, Das Fenster zum Hof, In the valley of the blue water, Fridolin the bull )
• Songbook (CD album - missing on the CD compared to the Thu LP: see above)
• A man walks on the asphalt (vinyl LP 1976, Polydor)
• Live - Schmunzellieder from Vienna (vinyl LP 1977, Polydort)
• Songs that are like falcons (vinyl LP 1978, flip cover)
• Will your soul sing with you (vinyl LP 1979, flip cover, nature)
• Forty years of life. Song cycle (vinyl LP 1981, Nature)
• Live - Who Never Makes Others a Fire (Vinyl LP 1983)
• Come Closer (Vinyl LP 1984 Rockchanson)
• Guitarero (vinyl LP 1985 with Toots Thielemans and Kuno Schmid )
• In December of the millennium (CD album 1995, corresponds to CD Poet & Poesie - Meine Lieder)
• Poet & Poesie - Meine Lieder (CD album 1997, corresponds to CD In December of the Millennium)
• Oceans Inside / Meditative music for guitar and synth. (CD album 2001)
• Wild Silence / Meditative music for guitar and synth. (CD album 2001)
• Loving Hands / Meditative music for guitar and synth. (CD album 2001)
• Wild Gardens (CD album 2007)
• Personalissimo (CD album 2011)
• Winter Whispers (CD album 2011)
• Electrola, that's music (3 CD box 2020)

Vinyl singles / CD singles

• This can't happen to us / Don't pass (vinyl single 1968)
• The card dippler blues / Who stole the Eiffel Tower? (Vinyl single 1972, from the ZDF series Der Kommissar )
• It's our world / sunshine (vinyl single 1972)
• Come to the Arbor / Girl with the Green Eyes (vinyl single 1973)
• I can do what I want / Everything in good time (vinyl single 1974)
• When you have nothing but love / At the foot of the ladder (1975 vinyl single)
• As long as you are not at home in yourself / How often did I leave as a stranger (vinyl single 1975)
• I was looking for wild roses / Since we were separated ... (vinyl single 1976)
• He - Ho - Ho - A - He / Bla - Bla - Bla (CD single?)
• The window to the courtyard / You have the key (vinyl single?)
• What happens / A girl with a rascal look (vinyl single?)

More (excerpt)

With Sigi Schwab

• Guitarissimo (vinyl LP 1978, Nature), including by Horton:
  • Bhagavan
  • Toccata for a Wild Old Lady
  • Cosmic Guitarman
• Guitarissimo (CD album 1980)
• Guitarissimo - Confianca (vinyl LP 1980, Nature)
• Guitarissimo (CD album 1988 = compilation of 2 LPs 1978, 1980)
• Guitarissimo XL (CD album 2014, released by Solo Musica)

With Slava Kantcheff

• Rock on Wood (vinyl LP 1985)
• Albatros - Sounding Tales (vinyl LP 1988)
• Albatros - sounding stories (CD album 1988)
• Poeme Musical (CD album 1991)
• Rock on Wood (CD album 1992, corresponds to LP 1985)
• Live - Symphonic Fingers (CD album 1995)
• Loving Hands (CD album 1997 Meditative Music)
• Rhapsody of Virtuosity (CD album 2000 = compilation)

Web links

• Literature by and about Peter Horton in the catalog of the German National Library
• Homepage of Peter Horton

literature

• Peter Horton, Peter Päffgen: ... Serious is the protective cover of cheerfulness. Interview with Peter Horton. In: Guitar & Laute 7, 1985, issue 1, pp. 8-13.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Die Zeit, issue 41 1978, article Fixed stars for consumers
2. ↑ Bunte of January 9, 2020, page 44.
3. ↑ TV series information portal, p. 14969
4. ↑ TV series information portal p. 13184
5. ↑ TV series information portal, p. 14518
6. ↑ Peter Horton: Mein Weg  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ↑ discogs.com: Peter Horton - Between Heaven and Earth
8. ↑ discogs.com: Peter Horton - Peter Horton