Composer

The Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra and its new musical director Jörg Widmann bring an intensely impactful work to the Musikfest Berlin: Tutuguri by Wolfgang Rihm. The poème dansé activates a powerful battery of percussion and translates the “fevered pulse” of the eponymous poem by Antonin Artaud – which was inspired by the ritual Tutugúri dances of the indigenous people of northern Mexico, into captivating music.

Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra

Berliner Philharmoniker

The very first concert of the Lucerne Festival Academy under its new Artistic Director, Jörg Widmann, will be loud, wild, and unrestrained. Anyone who is lulled by the subtitle “Poème dansé” to associate Wolfgang Rihm’s Tutuguri with an elegant ballet score in the style of Debussy may be in for quite a shock. With explosive brass eruptions, ominously pulsing rhythms, blood-curdling screams, and a final drum barrage from six percussionists lasting about a half hour, Tutuguri will shake the very foundations of the KKL Luzern. Rihm was inspired in the early 1980s by a poem by the French avant-garde theater visionary Antonin Artaud, who half a century earlier had witnessed a peyote ritual among the Tarahumara, an Indigenous people in Mexico, and transformed the experience into literature. The imagery evokes black suns and scorched earth, naked riders and headless horses, archaic rites and fevered hallucinations. Rihm aimed for “music in its raw state”: a “‘sonic body’ whose twitching and transformation become melody, rhythm, and color.”

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Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO) | Jörg Widmann | Michael Engelhardt

KKL Luzern Concert Hall

Musik für 3 Streicher, a product of the composer’s mid-20s, sets out to encompass the span of human emotions and experience. Ilya Gringolts, Lawrence Power and Nicolas Altstaedt begin their expedition through the string trio repertoire with two movements from Wolfgang Rihm’s monumental work. Their programme also includes the remarkable Ricercari by Roman Haubenatock-Ramati, who escaped Nazi and Stalinist persecution to join General Anders’s Polish Army and survived the Second World War to become editor of new music for Universal Edition in Vienna.

Ilya Gringolts violin; Lawrence Power viola; Nicolas Altstaedt cello

Wigmore Hall

When Franz Schubert wrote his Octet in 1824, he created a new eight-person ensemble that has endured to this day. The Scharoun Ensemble was founded in 1983 for this work and consists primarily of clarinet, bassoon, horn, two violins, viola, cello, and double bass. The members of the Berlin Philharmonic are among the most exciting chamber music ensembles and are constantly expanding their repertoire with new works—as is the case in this concert, dedicated to the 100th birthday of Hans Werner Henze.

Scharoun Ensemble Berlin / Siyabonga Maqungo / Jürgen Ruck

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

Bolzano Bozen - Kammermusik

Laurin Bar

Karlheinz Stockhausen established his world fame as a futuristic musician and political utopian with visionary electronic compositions. Wolfgang Rihm preferred to develop his own sound language with classical instruments, which made him one of the most important voices in contemporary music. Two concerts are dedicated to their teacher-student relationship.

Stations: Rihm & Stockhausen

resonanzraum

Stations: Stockhausen & Rihm

Whether in the 19th or 20th century: The string quartet is the supreme genre of chamber music, and every composer must consider it. Robert Schumann’s quartet cycle op. 41 is a stroke of genius; members of the Berliner Philharmoniker play numbers 1 and 3. Inspired by the quartets of Beethoven and Mendelssohn, Schumann created his own musical cosmos, full of poetry and instrumental song. Our late Composer in Residence Wolfgang Rihm, on the other hand, favours contrasts in his Fourth String Quartet. On the one hand, his work appears brusque, passionate and effervescent; on the other, tender, intimate and poetic.

String quartets by Schumann and Rihm

Berliner Philharmonie

Karlheinz Stockhausen – and Wolfgang Rihm? Was there something? You bet. In the early summer of 1972, Rihm finished school and had a state examination in composition and music theory in his pocket. Rihm was just twenty and his goal was clear: to study composition. And only Stockhausen in Cologne was an option. He replies politely, invites him, but immediately makes his reservations clear in writing. It had to be »clear that you have no other plans for at least two years. Otherwise you’d better go somewhere else or nowhere at all

He is a rising star among conductors: Klaus Mäkelä is just 29 years old, and already chief conductor designate of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw Orchestra. With Richard Strauss’ Alpine Symphony, he will be able to open a magnificent panorama of sound. The work takes us through a day in the mountains, across flowery meadows, through thunderstorms and storms. Wolfgang Rihm also favours lush sounds in Transitus III. “I love the intricate web of orchestral possibilities,” says our Composer in Residence, who died in 2024, “the creation of states, and of transformations.”

Klaus Mäkelä conducts Richard Strauss’ “Alpine Symphony”

The Symposion project takes up the theme of intoxication culture, going back to antiquity. The ancient social practice (cf. Plato’s Symposion) inspired an evening with music of our time, perceived in the slowly changing conditions of collective, relaxed inebriation...

Agrigento 2025 – La Cultura Dell’ Ascolto – Symposion

Teatro dell'Efebo, Agrigento

“It is the best thing I have written in my life”, declared Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1784 of his piano quintet. Many of his most famous works had not yet been written, but the quintet remains a Mozartian jewel, with its melodic beauty and charming dialogues between the instruments. It is no wonder that the young Ludwig van Beethoven was inspired by Mozart’s example to write an equally enchanting quintet. Members of the Berliner Philharmoniker play both works with pianist Kit Armstrong. Contemporary counterpoints are provided in the form of wind quintets by Hans Werner Henze and Wolfgang Rihm.

Philharmonic chamber music Piano quintets by Mozart and Beethoven with Kit Armstrong

The Trio Orelon is praised for its "chamber music intensity and emotionality" (FAZ) and has earned an outstanding reputation since its founding in 2019, which has been expressed in numerous awards, most recently in the award of 1st prize at the ARD Competition 2023. The program is as profoundly brooding as it is rich in sound,encompassing Weinberg's trio composed in 1945 and Dvořák's powerful F minor work, Wolfgang Rihm's third part of his triptych "Fremde Szene", the result of Rihm's engagement with Robert Schumann's work.

4th Chamber Concert

Orangerie Darmstadt

The Philharmonic Octet is characterised by polyphonic dialogue between its individual voices; at the same time, the ensemble represents the distinctive sound of the Berliner Philharmoniker in micro format. The main work of this programme is Beethoven’s early Septet in E flat major – a work which would become one of the composer’s most popular during his lifetime. This music is rapturous and vivid, with moments of profound emotion. Beethoven wrote his First Symphony immediately afterwards, and his mature style is already evident. Also on the programme are Wolfgang Rihm’s Sextet for clarinet, horn and string quartet and arrangements of Schubert's Moments musicaux.

Orchestral chamber music Philharmonic Octet Berlin

Alexander Lonquich is famous not only for his nuanced sound, but also for his original programming. For this programme, he has chosen a wide range of colourful discoveries that convey maximum expressivity in short movements. Alongside Bruckner’s delicate Erinnerung, there are two ebullient piano sonatas by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and these are offset by alternatingly powerful and melancholic works by composer in residence Wolfgang Rihm, who died in July. Little-known Novellettes by Robert Schumann, a master of the expressive piano miniature, also punctuate the evening.

Alexander Lonquich plays Rihm, C. P. E. Bach, Schumann and Bruckner

When Simone Young conducts Bruckner, she prefers to perform the original versions of his symphonies: “Perhaps they are not as perfect as the later versions,” she explains. “But they have a modernity that the later ones lack.” In this concert, she presents the original version of the Second Symphony from 1872, and combines it with Wolfgang Rihm’s one-act opera Das Gehege. This dark and enigmatic piece depicts a woman who, on the eve of German reunification, frees an eagle from captivity, tries to seduce it, and ultimately kills it.

Simone Young conducts Bruckner and Rihm

This recital is given in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Music. Meg Brilleslyper is a student of Robin Rice. 

Meg Brilleslyper, Mezzo-Soprano

Alice Pratt Brown Hall

Schubert's Ninth

Severance Music Center

Join us for an unforgettable evening dedicated to celebrating the 70th birthday of the renowned composer Wolfgang Rihm, a pivotal figure in Germany's music scene since the 1970s. The concert, titled "For Wolfgang Rihm I," is part of the musica viva series, known for its dedication to contemporary music. This special event is scheduled for Tuesday, 8th March 2022, at 8:00 pm, taking place in the majestic Herkulessaal of the Munich Residence.

The evening's program is a testament to Rihm's vast and varied body of work, featuring performances of his "Missa brevis for choir a capella," "Terzinen an den Tod" - four poems by Albert Vigoleis Thelen for baritone and piano, commissioned by musica viva for the 2021/22 season and marking its world premiere, and "Vier Studien zu einem Klarinettenquintett" for clarinet and string quartet composed in 2003.

The concert will showcase the talents of baritone Georg Nigl, pianist Olga Pashchenko, clarinetist Jörg Widmann, and the Bavarian Radio Chorus, alongside soloists from the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks. This event not only celebrates Rihm's contributions to music but also highlights his influence on students and contemporaries, including Jörg Widmann, who will present the quintet studies.

Don't miss this opportunity to immerse yourself in the works of Wolfgang Rihm, performed by some of the most distinguished musicians of our time. For tickets and further information, visit the BRticket-Webshop or contact the ticket hotline.

Date and Time: Tuesday, 8th March 2022, 8:00 pm
Location: Munich Residence, Herkulessaal, Munich
Ticket Information: Available online at shop.br-ticket.de or via the ticket hotline at +49 89 5900 10880

For Wolfgang Rihm I

Munich Residence

Das Ensemble Modern begeht in diesem Jahr sein vierzigjähriges Bestehen. Beim Musikfest Berlin gestaltet es einen Konzertabend mit zwei Vertrauten: Mit dem Komponisten und Dirigenten George Benjamin, mit dem das Ensemble bereits seit vielen Jahren regelmäßig zusammen arbeitet, und mit Wolfgang Rihm, dessen raum- und zeitgreifende Komposition „Jagden und Formen“ es bereits vor 12 Jahren uraufführte. Damals war „Jagden und Formen“ noch eine überschaubare Partitur, die sich über die Jahre zu einer gigantischen Werklandschaft von einer Stunde Dauer entwickelt hat.

Benjamin | Rihm

Philharmonie

His 2024 guest performance in Blaibach was a truly magnificent moment of vocal artistry. We are delighted to welcome Christoph Prégardien, one of the most important lieder interpreters of our time, back to the Konzerthaus. In his program, he interweaves Franz Schubert's famous last cycle with songs by the great composer Wolfgang Rihm, who died in 2024.

Composer

Wolfgang Rihm

Events

Upcoming events

Nov 15, 2026

Christoph Prégardien & Michael Gees · Konzerthaus Blaibach

28 - 29 Jan, 2027

Riccardo Chailly · Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra

Past events

Sep 2, 2026

Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra · Berliner Philharmoniker

Aug 16, 2026

Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO) | Jörg Widmann | Michael Engelhardt · Lucerne Festival

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