Musicatlas
News for Schwertsik
- Inaugural meeting of the first Joseph Marx Society
[posted 3 May 2006]On April 1st, 2006, the inaugural meeting of the first Joseph Marx Society in history took place in Vienna. Berkant Haydin, the author of the website (http://www.joseph.marx.org/) who had registered the society at the Austrian authorities in March, founded the Joseph Marx Society with Austria's leading composers and music officials: Friedrich Cerha — who has completed and orchestrated Alban Berg's opera "Lulu" — with his wife Gertraud, the celebrated composer Kurt Schwertsik, the influential Austrian music critic and Marx pupil Peter Vujica, Haide Tenner (President of the Vienna RSO), Eric Marinitsch (Promotion and Marketing Director of Universal Edition), Heinz Prammer (European Cultural Services) and Robert Hanzlik (a renowned music researcher).
Music
Among his most important works you should mention "Irdische Klaenge", a ‘meta-symphony’ consisting of five separate works composed 1980-1992, viz. (i) ‘Irdische Klaenge’, Symphony in two movements, op. 37 (1980),(ii) Funf Naturstuecke, op. 45 for orchestra (1984), (iii) Mit den Reisenstiefeln, op. 60 (1991), (iv) Uluru, op. 64, (v) Timpani Concerto, op. 54 (1887-88). The premiere of Liebestraume for ensemble (1962) caused a uproar at Darmstadt because of its tonality and caused a break with Stockhausen, who was formerly his teacher.
Life
Forty years ago, Kurt Schwertsik co-founded "die reihe" (see HK Gruber). Since then the ensemble has been faithfully performing and establishing modern music.
Although it is somewhat difficult to pigeon-hole his work, it is obvious that Kurt Schwertsik is one of Austria’s most outstanding composers, and he is also highly regarded for his role in demonstrating new aspects of modern music in a traditional music setting.
Kurt Schwertsik’s most popular works are the "Starckdeutsche Lieder und Tänze", the Violin Concerto, the "Wiener Chronik" and his "Sinfonia Sinfonietta", which was performed by the RSO, Vienna in the Cultural Capital City, Thessalonika, in 1997.