Peter Ritzen

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Peter Ritzen (2010)

Peter Ritzen (born January 21, 1956 in Gent ) is a Flemish pianist , composer and conductor .

Life

Ritzen studied piano and chamber music at the former Royal Conservatory in his hometown of Ghent and continued his studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg (1981–1983) with the Russian pianist Tatjana Petrovna Nikolajewa . In 1984 he completed his studies with the “Diplôme Supérieure d'Exécution” for piano at the “ École Normale de Musique de Paris Alfred Cortot ” in Paris.

Ritzen has worked as a concert pianist in Europe , Asia and the United States, in particular as an interpreter of Franz Liszt and Theodor Leschetizky .

In 1991 he founded the Leschetizky Association in Bad Ischl . Together with Margret Tautschnig, Theodor Leschetizky's great-granddaughter, he opened the International Leschetizky Summer Academy at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna that same year . Ritzen heads the Academy Orchestra, which brings together young musicians from the Western and Far Eastern hemispheres.

His preoccupation with Chinese culture is reflected in a series of compositions with reference to China and Chinese tradition. In 2000 and 2004, he was Artistic Director of the Theodor Leschetizky International Piano Competition in Taipei , Taiwan . In 2005 his symphony Heavenly Peace , a work with more than 400 performers, premiered at the National Concert Hall in Taipei.

In 2015 Ritzen became artistic director of the "New Cosmos International Music Festival". The festival combines Far Eastern musicians and culture with the European musical tradition. Since 2016 he has been music director of the New Cosmos Philharmonic in Vienna. The orchestra is often active in summer during the annual New Cosmos Internationales Music Festival in Vienna.

In 2017 his composition Die Wildrose , a symphonic poem for large orchestra, choir, organ and soloists , had its premiere.

In 2018 Peter Ritzen founded the Society of New Cosmos Friends in Vienna (Vienna New Cosmos Society) together with artist friends. He is president of the association that combines the International Leschetizky Academy (1992), New Cosmos International Music Festival (2015) and New Cosmos Philharmonic (2016). The association is a platform that connects East with West in intercultural activities.

In 2019, Peter Ritzen was the director of the first Leschetizky World Congress from October 3rd to 5th, 2019 in Bad Ischl .

honors and awards

Works

piano

  • Chinese Rhapsody No. 1 (1987)
  • Chinese Rhapsody No. 2 Dance of the little happy Buddhas (1989)
  • Chinese Rhapsody No. 3 Chinese Market (1989)
  • Sonata for piano ( Adamant Variations ) (1991)
  • ward Winning Movie Themes : 13 free transcripts on movie themes (1999)
  • 4 transcriptions on Viennese waltzes (Johann Strauss, Franz Lehár, Robert Stolz) (2008)
  • 4 Chinese Folk Song Transcriptions (2009)

Chamber music

  • 3 Spanish songs for soprano and piano (poem by Santiago Rupérez-Durá) (1989)
  • 15 transcriptions of Chinese folk songs for soprano and strings (1998)
  • Piano quintet in F sharp minor (2006)
  • Two songs based on poems by Mark Eyskens for soprano, baritone and piano (2015)
  • Eyskens Lieder: 3 songs for soprano and piano on texts by Mark Eyskens (2016)
  • Pauls Lieder: 5 songs for soprano and piano based on texts by Ilse Pauls (Vienna) (2017)

Piano concerts

  • Concert No. 1 China in the Year of the Dragon . (Paraphrase on the South Chinese Opera: A Fantastic Dream in the Garden ) (1989)
  • The Last Empress (Paraphrase of the Chinese Peking Opera 'Last Empress' (1908)) (1994)
  • Concert for Taiwan (2000)

Orchestral pieces

  • Chinese requiem . Libretto by Santiago Rupérez Durá. (1990-1994)
  • Chinese Violin Rhapsody (1994)
  • Chinese Flute Concerto (1995)
  • Symphonic poem Hua Chiao for soprano and orchestra. Libretto: Santiago Rupérez Durá (1997)
  • Heavenly Peace Symphony . Libretto: Santiago Rupérez Durá (2003)
  • Symphonic consecration poem Finis est infinitus . Libretto: Peter Ritzen (2009)
  • Symphonic consecration poem No. 2 'Die Willdrose' for choir, organ, soloists and orchestra based on poems by Anton van Wilderode .
  • Two orchestral songs: 'Tabor Lessons' & 'The Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Fatima'. For choir, organ, strings and soprano based on poems by Ilse Pauls (Vienna)

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.naxos.com/person/Peter_Ritzen_26301/26301.htm , accessed April 15, 2011
  2. ↑ Peter Ritzen on: leschetizky.com (English)

swell

personal data
SURNAME Ritzen, Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Flemish pianist, composer and conductor
DATE OF BIRTH January 21, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Ghent