Gruppe Neue Musik Hanns Eisler
The group New Music Hanns Eisler was the most significant representative for New Music in the GDR and in addition to the ensemble intercontemporain and Ensemble Modern is one of the most renowned chamber music ensembles in Europe. It was decisively shaped 1970-1993 by the composer and trombonist Friedrich Schenker and oboist Burkhard Glaetzner. Musical home was the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra. More than 250 world premieres document the concert activity of the group from Leipzig. She was among other winners of the Art Prize of the GDR and the Schneider-Schott Music Prize Mainz.
History
The group New Music Hanns Eisler was founded on the initiative of the oboe Burkhard Glaetzner and composer and trombonist Friedrich Schenker in December 1970 in Leipzig. At the founding lineup included six other members of the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Leipzig and the Gewandhaus Orchestra.
The ensemble was founded in a time in which the cultural-political style of Socialist Realism in the GDR was predominant. Friedrich Schenker described the politician Gerhard Müller in a letter written in 1973, most of the targets of the ensemble as follows:
" The group- new music Hanns Eisler ' was written for the purpose of promoting contemporary music of the GDR. Based on the name Eisler, whose work is a model and incentive for our composers, created an instrument with which to try the composer, experiment, discuss with listeners or among themselves, or even permanent, can imagine Successful. In second place then performances are some of the works Eisler and those of exemplary or debatable compositions from the socialist countries, or humanistic, bourgeois modernity. The group- new music Hanns Eisler ', the task has found new listeners to win, especially from the younger generation. "
Patron of the group was the influential composer Hanns Eisler, a representative of the school of Arnold Schoenberg. Friedrich Schenker explained the choice of the name with " a symbol of progressive, constructive thinking music of the group, the expression of a critical attitude towards the stupidity in music. "
As of 1990, the demand subsided after the repertoire of the group. Sannemüller praised the work of the group in 1992 with the words: " Mission accomplished ." They broke up in 1993 after a concert at the Berlin Music Biennial.
Occupation
Besides Burkhard Glaetzner (oboe ) and Friedrich Schenker (trombone) belonged to the group initially Axel Schmidt ( English horn ), Marion Fritzsch (violin), Ernő Klepoch (viola ), Wolfgang Weber (cello ), Dieter Zahn ( bass), Gerhard Erber ( piano) and Werner Legutke (drums ) to. Ernő Klepoch and his successor Hans- Christian Bartel (viola), Marion Fritzsch and Werner Legutke left the group in the 1970s and by Matthias Sannemüller (viola / violin) and Gerd Schenker (drums) were replaced. The main cast was the result of eight instruments.
The ensemble played both in very uniform formation as a soloist. In addition, the musicians performed in specialized occupations such as the Chamber Trio Aulos ( since 1968 ), consisting of oboe, cello and piano, and the Leipzig Consort ( since 1982), which was composed of viola, English horn, guitar and bass on. The latter was also the guitarist Roland room. All the musicians were recognized specialists in their field and were partly international recognition. Optionally, the group collaborated with soprano Roswitha Trexler. Was conducting the ensemble regularly by Max Pommer, Friedrich Goldmann and Christian Münch.
Repertoire
The core repertoire of the group New Music Hanns Eisler included compositions of the Second Viennese School ( Schoenberg, Webern and Eisler ) and Stefan Wolpe, Charles Ives and Paul Dessau. In addition, they brought works by internationally successful composers to GDR premiere among other things, John Cage's Piano Concerto, Edison Denisov's chorale variations, Lejaren Fantasmagoria Hiller, Dieter Schnebel glossolalia, Kazimierz Serocki spiral, Karlheinz Stockhausen's cycle, Iannis Xenakis 's Nomos Alpha, Isang Yun's Piri and Bernd Alois Zimmermann's Inter communicationÉ.
More than 250 new works by over 70 composers created specifically for the ensemble. He was responsible the premieres of works by major composers such as Edison Denisov Trio, Nicolaus A. Huber Demijour, Friedrich Goldmann's Concerto for Trombone and 3 instrumental groups, Luca Lombardi line, Krzysztof Meyer interludio drammatico, Max E. Keller configurations, Wolfgang Rihm's cold and Iannis Xenakis 's Alax. Luigi Nono designed at the request of the group project Kolomb. Also, they did in 1985 Walter Zimmermann's game work for soprano, saxophone and three ensembles of star trek ( on texts by Wilhelm Heinrich Wackenroder and Novalis ) with the Ensemble Modern and the Ensemble Köln under Ernest Bour premiered.
The group New Music Hanns Eisler was important organ performance of the middle generation of composers of the GDR. This expertise includes: Friedrich Schenker, Reiner Brede Meyer, Paul -Heinz Dittrich, Georg Katzer, Günter Neubert and Christfried Schmidt. The ensemble commissions awarded in addition to the younger generation of composers, among other things to Juro Mětšk, Judge Nicholas de Vroe and Helmut Zapf. The musicians had thereby a significant influence on the compositional style of these composers.
External perception
The delineation of socialist realism was anything but easy. Already after the first concert of the ensemble, it almost came to a head. It works by Wilfried Jentzsch, René Leibowitz and Friedrich Schenker were premiered. The cultural functionary Erhard Ragwitz accused the ensemble late bourgeois Music: " After enough here late bourgeois dust kicked up, I would say that the name Hanns Eisler is used for the group as a fig leaf to pay homage to late middle-class musical ideals. I would like to state that there is no way to Bitterfeld. "
The travel activity of the ensemble on the one hand helped to spread the music of the East and the West, and was on the other hand, the condition that the ensemble remained ( to the procurement of new notes) connected to the development of the West. The ensemble sought to " performances outside the government diktat ". It also played regularly at the Leipzig Town Hall concerts and was invited to known international music festivals such as the Styrian Autumn, the Warsaw Autumn, the Donaueschingen Music Days and the Witten Days for New Chamber Music.
For the 20th anniversary of the WDR wrote music editor Wilfried Brennecke: " [ ... ] as the best cultural ambassadors of their country [ ... ], with effect far beyond the two German states also [ ... ] You were ahead of your time with your programs have represented the information requested by you at the best DDR composers new pieces, with your excellent interpretations [ ... ] her best Saxon - German tradition in artisanal perfection of your reproductions, in the sovereignty of your designs, the commitment of your programs [ ... ] ". The DLF music editor Frank fighters led in 2000: "The Eisler group from Leipzig in the GDR was a kind of East German, Ensemble Modern ' - at least as concerned the performance level of contemporary works and the initiation of new repertoire. "
Aftermath
After 30 years of collaboration, the members of the group founded New Music Hanns Eisler (together with the pianist Steffen Schleiermacher and other music creators ) 1990 the still existing progressive platform Forum of Contemporary Music in Leipzig. Burkhard Glaetzner, Axel Schmidt and Wolfgang Weber took professorships at colleges of music and dedicated themselves after the turn largely of pedagogy. 1999, to mark the 75th anniversary of the MDR Symphony Orchestra to make a comeback in Berlin, Dessau, Dresden and Leipzig.
Matthias Sannemüller established in 1992, the ensemble Sortisatio. Furthermore, especially cultivates the Ensemble Avantgarde to Steffen Schleiermacher, a pupil of Friedrich Schenker, following the tradition of the group New Music Hanns Eisler, contemporary music in Leipzig.
Awards
- Art Prize of the GDR ( 1980)
- Art Prize of the City of Leipzig (1986 )
- Badge of Honour of the Union of Composers and Musicologists of the GDR in Gold ( 1988)
- Artists Prize of the Berlin Music Biennial (1989 )
- Schneider-Schott Music Prize Mainz ( 1991)
- Bestseller by the German Record Critics' Award (1996 )
Filmography
Discography (selection)
Several recordings were made 1950-2000 of the German Music Council for the CD documentation music in Germany.
WERGO following CDs have been released:
- Steffen Schleiermacher: Ceremony
- Helmut Zapf: harmony II
- Judge Nicholas de Vroe: Off white lists
- Reiner Brede Meyer: Septet 80 / All nine ( PdSK )
- Jörg Herchet: Compositions
- Friedrich Schenker: The Celebration of Peace