Stephan König (musician)

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Stephan König (Photo from October 2018)
Stephan König (September 2018)
Stephan König and Uschi Brüning (September 2018)
Stephan König in concert with Uschi Brüning (Grimma, Gymnasium St. Augustin , September 14, 2018)

Stephan König (born October 4, 1963 in Berlin ) is a German composer , pianist and conductor . He is the musical director of the LeipJAZZig-Orkester and the chamber orchestra artentfaltung and is considered to be one of the leading jazz musicians in Leipzig .

Life

König was born in Berlin in 1963. After six years of music school lessons in Magdeburg , König was a student at the special school for music in Halle / Saale from 1974 to 1980 . In 1980 he began studying at the Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy University of Music in Leipzig , majoring in conducting ( Olaf Koch and Christian Kluttig ), piano (Wolfram Merkel) and composition ( Peter Herrmann ) and graduated in 1986 from all three subjects. He then completed additional studies in composition at the same university until 1988. Since the same year he has been teaching at the university. He currently teaches jazz piano and piano in the field of jazz / popular music .

In 1985 he was a guest harpsichordist at the State Theater Halle in Poland. In 1986 he was a founding member of the Leipzig Jazz Theater, of which he was musical director for two years.

In 1987 the pianist founded the König Trio together with Thomas Moritz (double bass) and Jörg Steffens (drums). After changing line-ups (including with Stephan “Grete” Weiser , Tom Götze , Wolfram Dix , Frank-Endrik Moll ) he currently plays with Thomas Stahr (double bass) and Wieland Götze (drums). The trio performed a. a. at the Vilnius Jazz Festival (1988) and the Sibiu Jazz Festival (1990). In 2010 he founded a jazz quartet, which also includes Reiko Brockelt (saxophone). This covers an area between classical and jazz. In 2018 they played a jazz version of the Christmas Oratorio in the Herkulessaal in Munich. As a duo, König appeared with Fermín Villanueva (violoncello).

In 1995 he was one of the initiators of the gast-art series at the Schauspielhaus Leipzig , which he supervised as artistic director. In 1996 he co-initiated the LeipJAZZig series of events at the Leipzig Nikolaischule. In 1997 he became a board member of the Leipziger Jazzmusiker e. V.

In 1998 he founded the LeipJAZZig-Orkester, which he directs, to which fourteen jazz soloists belong. It worked u. a. at the Leipzig Jazz Days (1999, 2006), the International Jazz Festival Münster (2006), the Nanjing Jazz Festival (2007) and the Jazztage Görlitz (2010). In 2017 it played in the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg. Jürgen Wölfer compared the group with the Vienna Art Orchestra . Bert Noglik describes the LeipJAZZig orchestra as a "cult band".

From 1999 to 2008 he was the artistic director of JazzKosmos e. V. In 2007 the artentfaltung chamber orchestra was brought into being by him and the painter and graphic artist Christl Maria Göthner , of which he is the artistic director. From 2008 to 2014 he was a permanent pianist in the Figaro radio and Figaro reading café on MDR Figaro . In the 2010s he played repeatedly on piano and keyboard with the MDR Symphony Orchestra . He also worked a. a. with Nigel Kennedy , Lyambiko , Florian Poser and the Ensemble Amarcord .

Guest contracts exist with various orchestras and stages. Concert tours have taken him at home and abroad. König was involved in several CD, radio and television productions. His oeuvre includes orchestral, chamber and vocal music, jazz as well as musical theater and drama. He received commissioned works a. a. the Gewandhaus Leipzig , the Leipzig Opera , the Academic Orchestra Leipzig , the Central German broadcast and from the St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig. König was responsible for numerous arrangements, so his version for voice and string quartet of the song cycle The Juliet Letters (by Elvis Costello ) was premiered in 2009 by Ines Agnes Krautwurst and the Leipzig String Quartet .

Three times a year the Augustinian Association of the St. Augustin High School in Grimma organizes the Augustinian concerts , for which Stephan König is responsible for music. In the 32nd episode of the Augustinian Concerts , on September 14, 2018, König performed the Herzenslieder program with Uschi Brüning , which he developed together with the singer.

Hagen Kunze and Peter Korfmacher called König the “Jazz Guru ” of Leipzig.

Awards

  • 1976: Diploma (piano solo), Virtuosi per Musica di Pianoforte, Ústí nad Labem (ČSSR)
  • 1977: 1st place piano group A and special price, 8th improvisation competition Weimar
  • 1979: 2nd place piano group B, 10th improvisation competition Weimar
  • 1981: 2nd prize piano group C and special prize, 11th improvisation competition Weimar
  • 1982: 5th place piano group C, 12th improvisation competition Weimar
  • 1983. 1st prize piano group C, 13th improvisation competition Weimar
  • 1987: Prize of the Association of Composers and Musicologists of the GDR , 9th Days of Chanson in Frankfurt / Oder
  • 1992: Prize of the New Music Berlin publishing house , 11th days of chanson in Frankfurt / Oder

Works (selection)

  • Piano Trio (1984)
  • 3 songs based on texts by Johann Christian Günther (1985)
  • Toccata for piano (1985)
  • Ballad for orchestra (1986)
  • Farewell Judas (1986)
  • EXTENSION (1987–1990)
  • Raviolo (1987)
  • Ghost Driver (1987)
  • The Death of Bessie Smith (1988)
  • Marilyn Memories (1992)
  • ALONE TOGETHER (1994). Ballet music
  • SPRINGSWING (1996)
  • BILLIARDS (1996). Musical together with Lothar Bölck . Premiere: May 29, 2001 Leipzig (opening, concert hall of the "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" University of Music and Theater in Leipzig, director: Rüdiger Evers )
  • Concerto for piano and orchestra (1997). Premiere: September 21, 2009 Jena ( Volkshaus Jena , Jenaer Philharmonie , Stephan König (piano), etc., conductor: Hans Rotman)
  • Cycle for jazz orchestra (1998)
  • FROZEN MOMENTS (2000). Concerto for piano and string quartet. Premiere: June 27, 2000 Leipzig (Kuppelhalle at Augustusplatz Leipzig, Stephan König (piano), Leipzig string quartet )
  • SAXOPHONY (2000)
  • quadruple talk (2001)
  • BOUNDLESS MUSIC (2001). Concert for jazz trio and symphony orchestra. Premiere: May 28, 2001 Leipzig (VI. Academic Concert, Great Hall, Gewandhaus , Academic Orchestra Leipzig , Stephan König (piano), Stephan Weiser (double bass), Wolfram Dix ​​(drums), conductor: Horst Förster)
  • Interface (2001)
  • tap it deep (2002)
  • Nothing Factory (2002)
  • 3 winter songs (2003)
  • four flight pictures (2003)
  • SPELLS (2004)
  • Concerto for piano and jazz orchestra (2005)
  • Wind quintet (2005)
  • Amadeus' piano (2006). A musical theater in 2 acts. Libretto: Philipp J. Neumann . Premiere: June 18, 2006 Leipzig (Great Hall, Gewandhaus, Gewandhaus Children's Choir, etc., conducted by Frank-Steffen Elster )
  • Ballad for jazz orchestra (2006)
  • Concerto for piano and chamber orchestra (2007)
  • The Evocation of the Opera (2007). Cantata for mixed choir, children's choir, orchestra and big band. Text: Philipp J. Neumann. Premiere: November 11, 2007 Leipzig (reopening, Leipzig Opera , Leipzig University Choir , Gewandhaus Children's Choir, Children's Choir of the Leipzig Opera, BigBand and Jazz Choir of the Leipzig University of Music and Theater, Leipzig University Orchestra , conductor: Stephan König)
  • nocturnal awaking (2008)
  • Sound Auerbach (2009)
  • 12 Preludes for Piano (2009) - Jazz-inspired sound images. Premiere: March 20, 2010 Leipzig (Mediencampus Leipzig, Stephan König (piano))
  • Rhythmic Contacts (2009)
  • SCHILLER2009 (2009) - Friedrich Schiller on the 250th birthday. WP: November 10, 2009 (Gewandhaus, Martin Petzold (vocals), Ines Agnes Krautwurst (vocals), Sebastian Ude (violin), Henry Schneider (viola), Wolfram Stephan (cello), Thomas Stahr (double bass, bass guitar), Thomas Winkler (Percussion), Stephan König (piano, conductor, video projection))
  • Duo for castanets and piano (2010)
  • Ballad for piano and chamber orchestra (2010)
  • elm & oak (2011)
  • Rhapsody for giant violin and orchestra (2011)
  • Journey to the Moon (2012). Film music for Le Voyage dans la Lune by Georges Méliès (1902). Premiere: June 1, 2012 Leipzig (series one: travel stories, MDR cube , artentfaltung)
  • Flux alabastrum (2013)
  • LUCID DREAMS - Concerto for piano and orchestra (2013). Premiere: March 20, 2014 Leipzig (19th Festival LeipJAZZig, UT Connewitz , LeipJAZZig-Orkester, artentfaltung, Stephan König (conductor, piano))
  • pulsar variations - Concerto for piano and chamber orchestra (2014). Premiere: November 7, 2014 Schönebeck (8th IMPULS Festival for New Music in Saxony-Anhalt, Dr.-Tolberg-Saal, Mitteldeutsche Kammerphilharmonie , Stephan König (piano), conductor: Gerard Oskamp)
  • Perpinoa - Trio for pipa, piano and percussion (2014)
  • Haddock (2015). Choir Cantata for the exile of the Boys Choir in the Prince's School St. Augustin in Grimma to the air raids on Leipzig on December 4, 1943. UA: June 17, 2015 Leipzig ( Leipzig Bach Festival 2015, Thomas Church , Leipzig Cantorey, St. Thomas Boys Choir , Staatskapelle Weimar , conducted by Thomas cantor Georg Christoph Biller )
  • Water pyramids - Hommage à Paul Klee (2015). Quartet for cor anglais, bassoon, viola and guitar (op.206). WP: April 23, 2015 Leipzig ( Museum of Fine Arts in Leipzig, Ensemble Sortisatio )
  • The Winds of Summer (Los vientos del verano) (2015)
  • SOLARIS - a jazz-symphonic poem (2015)
  • At the Ark at eight (2016)
  • Agapanthe - Trio for violin, violoncello and piano (2016)
  • Seven ways to describe the rain (2017)
  • Dreamscapes (2017). Musical dream landscapes for jazz trio and orchestra. WP: January 29, 2018 Leipzig (Gewandhaus, Academic Orchestra Leipzig, Stephan König (piano), Thomas Stahr (double bass), Dominique Ehlert (drums), conductor: Horst Förster)

Discography (selection)

  • LeipJAZZig-Orkester Vol. 1/2 [Live from naTo ] ( querstand 2005/2007) with the LeipJAZZig-Orkester (conducted by Stephan König) // Ballad for jazz orchestra, concert for piano and jazz orchestra etc. a.
  • K3 - The three piano concertos (auris-subtilis 2008) with Stephan König (piano, cond.), The Jena Philharmonic , Hans Rotmann (cond.), The artentfaltung chamber orchestra and the LeipJAZZig orchestra // concert for piano and orchestra, concert for Piano and chamber orchestra, concert for piano and jazz orchestra
  • Homage to Paul and Paula (from the original soundtrack by Peter Gotthardt ) [CDs / DVD] ( Buschfunk 2010)
  • 12 Preludes for piano - Jazz-inspired soundscapes op.186 ( Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag 2010)
  • come in ( Timezone 2010) with the nurso-chanson
  • CHANSONetteS with Bach ( Rondeau Production 2012) with Ute Loeck (Chansonette), Georg Christoph Biller (Thomaskantor) and Stephan König (piano)
  • Bach in Jazz (Rondeau Production 2012) with the Stephan König-Trio and Martin Petzold (tenor)
  • Star combo Meißen : Pictures at an exhibition [The Rock Version, Live, CD / DVD] (Buschfunk 2015) with the Leipzig Symphony Orchestra and the State Youth Choir Saxony (headed by Stephan König)
  • Bach Festival Leipzig 2015 - Selected highlights ( Bach Festival Leipzig 2015) with the Leipziger Cantorey, the Thomanerchor Leipzig, the Staatskapelle Weimar and Georg Christoph Biller u. a. // Haddock

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Stephan König , www.hmt-leipzig.de, accessed on March 13, 2018.
  2. ↑ Jazz Forum Vilnius '88 , www.vilniusjazz.lt, accessed on March 13, 2018.
  3. ↑ Oliver Hochkeppel: A lot of beautiful things . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung of January 11, 2018, p. R 20.
  4. ^ Jürgen Wölfer: Jazz in Germany. The encyclopedia. All musicians and record companies from 1920 until today. Hannibal, Höfen 2008, ISBN 978-3-85445-274-4 , p. 209.
  5. ↑ Bert Noglik : LeipJAZZig-Orkester: A different jazz ensemble from Leipzig . In: Jazzzeitung 2006/05, p. 19.
  6. ↑ Oliver Hochkeppel: Lively birth of Jesus . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung of January 8, 2018, p. R 16.
  7. ↑ Caroline Baetge: Krautwurst sings letters to Julia . In: Leipziger Volkszeitung from April 6, 2009, p. 10.
  8. ^ Hagen Kunze : [Review] . In: Leipziger Volkszeitung of May 28, 2001, p. 15.
  9. ↑ Peter Korfmacher: As long as there are such formations… . In: Leipziger Volkszeitung from January 20, 2006, p. 4.
personal data
SURNAME King, Stephan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German composer, pianist, conductor and jazz musician
DATE OF BIRTH 4th October 1963
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin