Charlotte Schmitt

"There must be no victors, not even in the arts …" – This was the credo Dieter Schnebel shared with artists like John Cage and remained faithful to his whole life. The arts and the world, music and everyday life – these were no contrasts to him. With compositions like "Ki-No", "visible music" and "anschläge – ausschläge" he created a new open concept of work which left boundaries in space and time behind and saw the composer as creative trigger, not as completer of the work. As Schnebel understood the performance situation as a truly democratic event, he brought street noise into the concert hall. Even in key works, like the vocal work "Ekstasis" or the opera "Majakowskis Tod – Totentanz", he consequently denied aesthetic dogmatism any influence.

On March 14th Schnbel would have turned 90.

Released by WERGO:
Missa. Dahlemer Messe (WER 62182)
Choralvorspiele I/II / Atemzüge (WER 62872)
Orchestra (WER 66742)
Movimento (WER 73522)
Maulwerke (MV 8045)
Andante con moto. An portrait (MV 8125)

Gerhard Rühm, writer, composer and visual artist, was co-founder of the Vienna Group.

His audio productions are outstanding examples of the new audio play and of the acoustic arts and have won numerous prizes. Since 1978, Rühm has been a member of the Free Academy of Arts, Hamburg.

WERGO congratulates on its 90th birthday on February 12th.

Published by WERGO:
Wald. Ein deutsches Requiem / Ophelia and the Words / Kleine Geschichte der Zivilisation (WER 63062)
Gebet (CD: Riverrun, WER 63072)
James Joyce, Marcel Duchamp, Erik Satie: An Alphabet (WER 63102)

 

“For me, it is vital to move and inspire individuals through music, listen to them and reflect on their problems.”

The composer and viola player Volker David Kirchner who was born in Mainz devoted himself to this artistic statement throughout his life.

Thirteen music dramatic works form the core of his comprehensive compositional output, including “Gilgamesch” which was premiered within the framework of the EXPO Hannover in 2000, but he has also composed two symphonies and a wealth of other compositions for orchestra, string orchestra and solo concertos. Kirchner’s catalogue of works additionally displays an opulent collection of vocal compositions, among them larger-scale pieces such as the “Missa Moguntina” composed for the city of Mainz.
Kirchner was however especially devoted to chamber music, enriching the repertoire with numerous works in a variety of formations, chiefly in classical genres including string quartets, piano trios and solo instruments with piano accompaniment.

Kirchner died in Wiesbaden on 4 February at the age of 77 following a brief serious illness.

Published by WERGO:
Bildnisse I / Der blaue Harlekin / Trio / Nachtstück (WER 61032)
Missa Moguntina (WER 62622)
Sinfonie „Totentanz“ / Requiem „Messa di Pace“ (WER 62062)

Enno Poppe is one of today's most sought-after composers in the world. His very clear personal style is characterized by virtuoso, delicate sound developments, glissandoing sounds. He knows how to revive especially outdated elements, such as synthesizer sounds on his latest CD release 'Rundfunk', in an entirely fresh and novel way. Until 2022, WERGO will release a whole CD series of his music.

On 30 December 2019, this exceptional artist turned 50, and we wish him many happy returns of the day.

Released by WERGO:
Rundfunk (WER 73882)
Holz / Knochen / Öl (WER 65642)
Scherben (WER 68622)

It is with great regret that we learned of the death of the opera singer and conductor Peter Schreier.

Schreier was renowned throughout the world as a Mozart singer but also for his performances of Bach's oratorios and passions, and his interpretation of lieder by Schubert and Schumann has no equal. His repertoire, however, also covers works from the 19th and 20th centuries (e.g. by Wolf, Prokofiev, Killmayer). He died in Dresden on 25 December 2019.

Published by Wergo:
Killmayer: Hölderlin-Lieder (WER 62452)

The EDA CD " Poland Abroad Vol. 7" with compositions by Ignatz Waghalter, Ignace Strasfogel and Karol Rathaus has been awarded the Quarterly German Record Critics’ Award, List of Best Recordings 4/2019, category "Chamber Music".

Having regarded Germany as their artistic and intellectual home at the beginning of the 20th century, these three Jewish composers from Poland were driven into exile by the National Socialists: Ignatz Waghalter, Ignace Strasfogel and Karol Rathaus. Although they survived the holocaust, they could not continue on their career or could only do it under arduous conditions. Whereas Waghalter prefers the tonal, late Romantic-Impressionist idiom – though in a very personal and imaginative way –, Strasfogel and Rathaus are close to the Second Viennese School. The passion of the Polish String Quartet for the brilliantly composed and very rewarding works by the three composers is clearly noticeable. The ensemble captivates the audience with an impressively homogeneous sound and structural clarity. A real find! (For the jury: Elisabeth Richter)

Poland Abroad Vol. 7 – String Quartets 2
Sring quartets by Ignatz Waghalter, Ignace Strasfogel and Karol Rathaus
Interpreters: Polish String Quartet Berlin
EDA 43