Siegfried Kurz (composer)

Siegfried Kurz (born July 18, 1930 in Dresden ) is a German conductor and composer .

Life

His musical career as a trumpeter began shortly. From 1945 he studied composition (with Fidelio F. Finke ), orchestral conducting and trumpet at the Academy for Music and Theater in his hometown . As early as 1949, a year before completing his studies, he was given the direction of drama music at the State Theaters in Dresden . He stayed in this position until 1960, then moved to the Sächsische Staatsoper Dresden , where he began as Kapellmeister, was promoted to Staatskapellmeister in 1964, to General Music Director in 1971 and finally to Executive Musical Director in 1976. In addition, Kurz taught from 1976 at the "Carl Maria von Weber" University of Music in Dresden , since 1979 as a professor.

In 1983 he ended his permanent engagement at the Dresden State Opera, but remained connected to the house as a conductor. From 1984 he was permanent conductor at the German State Opera Berlin . Several important awards were briefly presented, including a. double national award winner of the GDR (1976, 1988). In 2001 , Kurz, who lives in Radebeul - Niederlößnitz , was awarded the art prize of the large district town of Radebeul .

Briefly as a conductor

Especially as the conductor of the State Opera and State Orchestra , Kurz was one of the most important personalities of the Dresden music scene in the second half of the 20th century. He has directed numerous opera performances, some of which have also been released on record. His repertoire was extraordinarily broad: in addition to the German standard repertoire from Mozart to Richard Strauss , it also included works from the Italian and Slavic cultural areas. Kurz was also heavily involved in operas of the 20th century such as Moses and Aron by Arnold Schönberg or Levins Mühle by Udo Zimmermann .

Briefly as a composer

Kurz v. a. Appeared in the 1950s to 1970s; later his duties as a conductor outweighed it. The orchestral works form the focus of his work. At first he wrote in a neoclassical , playful-musical idiom. In addition to Hindemith's influence , echoes of jazz music can also be identified to a limited extent , for example in the trumpet concerto, his most famous work.

In the late 1950s, Kurz strove to intensify musical expression. He leaned closer to Bartók and experimented with the possibilities of twelve-tone music (symphonies). Pure twelve-tone technique, however, seemed too dogmatic to him. His other compositions always include twelve-tone rows, but do not consistently implement the strict guidelines of dodecaphonic design. Kurz treated twelve-tone rows more as a stylistic device, treated them freely and used a free-tonal harmony. Further characteristics of his style are contrapuntal design, powerfully emphasized rhythm, vitality and freshness. His mature works combine serious and thoughtful to exuberant and cheerful passages in the sense of an optimistic attitude.

Works

• Orchestral works
  • Symphony No. 1 op.28 (1958)
  • Symphony No. 2 op.29 (1960)
  • Sinfonia piccola op.24 (1953)
  • Cheerful Prelude for Orchestra (1952)
  • Concert music for orchestra (1953)
  • Dance suite op.25 (1955)
  • Orchestral music op. 30 (1960)
  • Orchestral Variations op.33 (1965)
  • Sonatina for orchestra op.34 (1967)
  • Music for brass, timpani and strings op.36 (1969)
  • Stay on Earth , reflections for orchestra based on Pablo Neruda op.38 (1975)
  • Drama music
• Concerts
  • Piano Concerto op.32 (1964)
  • Divertimento for piano and string orchestra op.15 (1950)
  • Violin Concerto op.26 (1955)
  • Chamber concert for wind quintet and string orchestra op.31 (1961)
  • Concerto for Trumpet and Strings op.23 (1953)
  • Horn Concerto op.37 (1972/73)
• Vocal music
  • Jeff and Andy , Musical (1970)
• Chamber music
  • String Quartet No. 1 op.27 (1957)
  • String Quartet No. 2 op.35 (1968)
  • Sonatina for seven brass instruments op.18 (1952)
  • Wind quintet op.12 (1950)

literature

• Karl Laux (ed.): The musical life in the German Democratic Republic . Leipzig undated
• Peter Hollfelder : The piano music. Hamburg 1999.
• Alain Pâris: Classical Music in the 20th Century. Instrumentalists, singers, conductors, orchestras, choirs . Munich 1997
• Hansjürgen Schaefer: Supplement to LP ETERNA 8 20 938 our new music 35: Siegfried Kurz: Concerto for piano and orchestra op.32, Wolfgang Hohensee : concert piece for piano and orchestra
• Friedbert Streller : Supplement to LP NOVA 8 85 090 Siegfried Kurz: Horn concert, trumpet concert

Web links

• Works by and about Siegfried Kurz in the catalog of the German National Library
• Laudation for the award of the Radebeul Art Prize