Beat Furrer
Beat Furrer is a Swiss-born Austrian composer and conductor. He has served as professor of composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz since 1991. He was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2018.
Biography
Born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Furrer relocated to Vienna in 1975 to pursue studies with Roman Haubenstock-Ramati and Otmar Suitner at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. In 1985 he co-founded what is now one of Europe's leading contemporary music ensembles, Klangforum Wien, which he still conducts. Recent awards and honors include the Music Prize of the City of Vienna in 2003 and the Golden Lion, for the monodrama "FAMA", at the 2006 Venice Biennale. In 2014 he was awarded with Grand Austrian State Prize. He is the recipient of the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize 2018. Since 1991, he has served as professor of composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. Furrer is co-founder and chairman of "impuls", an International Ensemble and Composers Academy for Contemporary Music.The 25th anniversary of the Klangforum Wien was celebrated in 2010 at the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik with the premiere of his Xenos-Szenen for eight voices and ensemble.
Works
Since 1989, Furrer's main projects have been operatic. Critics, however, have characterized Furrer's music theatre as dryly abstract rather than sensuous. Thus, for instance, Furrer's music theatre Violetter Schnee was described as monotonous or, in the words of critic Matthias Siehler, a "routine doomsday": "The more Furrer invokes the global climate catastrophe and failure of communication, the more his music sounds like mere paper." Similarly, critic Manuel Brug called La Bianca Notte brainy, lacking emotion and dramatic life. From 1999 on, Furrer's works have been published by Bärenreiter in Kassel.Orchestra
Tiro mis tristes redes, for orchestra Dort ist das Meer, for choir und orchestra Chiaroscuro – For R.H.R., for orchestra Risonanze, for orchestra in 3 groups Studie – Übermalung, for orchestra Face de la Chaleur, for flute and orchestra Madrigal, for orchestra Nuun, Concert for 2 pianos and orchestra andere stimmen, for violin and orchestra canti notturni, for two sopranos and orchestra PHAOS, for orchestra Konzert, for piano and orchestra Apon, for orchestra and spoken voice strane costellazioni, for orchestra passaggio, for choir and orchestra Zwei Studien, for chamber orchestra nero su nero, for orchestra Tableaux I-IV, for orchestra Lichtung, for orchestraEnsemble
Ensemble, for 4 clarinets, 2 pianos, vibraphone and marimbaphone Sinfonia per archi, for string orchestra Illuminations, for soprano and chamber ensemble In der Stille des Hauses wohnt ein Ton, for chamber ensemble Gaspra, for ensemble à un moment de terre perdue, for ensemble Narcissus-Fragment, for 26 musicians and two voices Narcissus-Suite Still, for ensemble Ein Lied, das über das Ende des Liedes hinaus ein anderes Ende finden wollte, for ensemble Invocation III, for soprano and ensemble recitativo, for voice and ensemble Konzert, for piano and ensemble lotófagos II, for two sopranos and ensemble based on texts by Händl Klaus and Antonio Machadoantichesis, for 14 strings Xenos I, for ensemble Xenos II, for ensemble and voice based on a text by Händl Klaus Xenos III, for two percussionists and strings Linea dell’orizzonte, for ensemble La bianca notte, for soprano, baritone and Ensemble based on texts by Dino Campana und Sibilla Aleramo Canti della tenebra, for mezzo-soprano und ensemble based on a text by Dino CampanaChamber
Irgendwo. Fern, for two pianos Poemas, for mezzo-soprano, guitar, piano and marimba- String Quartet No. 1
- Duo for two cellos
- Trio for flute, oboe or saxophone and clarinet Music for Mallets, for xylophone, marimba and vibraphone Retour an Dich, for violin, violoncello and piano ... y una canción desesperada, for three Guitars Stimmen, for two violoncelli Epilog, for three violoncelli Epilog, version for contrabass clarinet, two violoncelli, percussion and voice
- String Quartet No. 2 Aer, for piano, clarinet and violoncello Für Alfred Schlee, for string quartet … cold and calm and moving, for flute, harp, violin, viola and violoncello Lied, for violin and piano Time Out 1, for flute, harp and strings Quartett, for four percussion players Time Out 2, for flute, harp and strings presto con fuoco, for flute and piano a due, for viola and piano spur, for piano and string quartet
- Aria for soprano and six instruments based on a text by Günter Eich auf tönernen füssen, for voice and flute based on a text by Friederike Mayröcker Sei Venuta di Marzo, for string quartet and vocal quartet
- String Quartet No. 3 APOKLISIS, for two bass clarinets Invocation VI, for soprano and flute FAMA VI, for voice and contrabass flute lotófagos I, for soprano und double bass fragmentos de un libro futuro, for soprano and guitar quartet ... ferner Gesang..., for clarinet and string trioIra – Arca, for bass flute and double bass Canti della tenebra, for mezzo-soprano and piano based on texts by Dino Campana spazio immergente, for soprano and trombone
- Clarinet Quintet