Friedrich Cerha: Analysen - Essays - Reflexionen

Friedrich Cerha (born 1926) is not only one of the most outstanding, internationally best-known and most often performed Austrian composers, but also conductor, violinist, teacher, researcher, painter, observer of nature, etc. As a result of this fascinating but complex personality, up to now, the few attempts to get a classification of Cerhas personality were uncomplete and failed to get a far-reaching, understanding of his music. Therefore, in the last years, it was realized that only exact research would improve the scientific situationas far as Cerhas personality and his Euvre are concerned. As a starting point for this scientific aim, a symposium was dedicated to Cerha which took place at February 26.-28.2.2004 at the Konzerthaus Vienna. Lectures of international experts, an interview with the composer himself, a round-table discussion with former students, performers and friends as well as two performances of chamber music were grouped around the premiere of Cerhas latest composition, the "Requiem" for soli, choir and orchestra which was performed by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Slowakian Philharmonic Choir under the direction of Bertrand de Billy. The intention of this event was to encourage further discussions about the music of this internationally acclaimed Austrian composer. As a result of the big success of the symposium, the publisher Rombach (Freiburg, Germany) decided to publish a book "Friedrich Cerha: Analyses - Essays - Reflexions", based on the lectures of the symposium. The first part of the book is dedicated to Cerhas operas which are crucial to his musical thinking. In this papers, formal analyses and aesthetical or historical reflexions are brought together. In the second part there are following some papers about Cerhas chamber music, in which the multifarious feelings of the artist in the world today are transformed into a specific processual thinking, about his perspective of tradition, the "Viennese" aspects in his works, about his work on Old Music and further aspects. And, last but not least, his friend and colleague Kurt Schwertsik has dedicated a short and humoristic essay to Cerha, concerning the beginnings of the famous ensemble "die reihe". As a consequence of this book, the publisher and the editor are intensely hoping that the scientific approach to Cerha and to new music in general can receive new impulses.