Austrian conductor and composer (1927?2019)
Michael Gielen
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Urauff%C3%BChrung_der_Oper_%22Ein_Traumspiel%22_von_Komponist_Aribert_Reimann_%28Kiel_35.663%29_%28cropped_to_Michael_Gielen%29.jpg) Gielen in 1965
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Born
| Michael Andreas Gielen
(
1927-07-20
)
20 July 1927
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Died
| 8 March 2019
(2019-03-08)
(aged 91)
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Occupations
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Organizations
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Awards
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Michael Andreas Gielen
(20 July 1927 – 8 March 2019) was an Austrian conductor and composer known for promoting
contemporary music
in opera and concert. Principally active in Europe, his performances are characterized by precision and vivacity, aiding his ability to interpret the complex contemporary music he specialized in.
He first worked in Buenos Aires, where he lived with his family between 1938 and 1950. In Europe, he first worked in Vienna and then in Sweden as the Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the
Royal Swedish Opera
. He conducted notable world premieres such as Gyorgy Ligeti's
Requiem
, Karlheinz Stockhausen's
Carre
, and Bernd Alois Zimmermann's opera
Die Soldaten
and his
Requiem fur einen jungen Dichter
. He directed the
Oper Frankfurt
from 1977 to 1987, installing more contemporary operas, winning stage directors such as
Hans Neuenfels
and
Ruth Berghaus
, and reviving operas such as Schreker's
Die Gezeichneten
. During his era, the company became one of the leading operas.
Gielen was also principal conductor of the
National Orchestra of Belgium
(1969?1973), the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
(1980?1986) and the
Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra
(1986?1999). As a composer, he worked in the tradition of the
Second Viennese School
, often setting modern literature to music. His works were premiered with performers such as
Joan Carroll
,
Siegfried Palm
,
Aloys Kontarsky
and the
LaSalle Quartet
.
Early years
[
edit
]
Gielen was born in
Dresden
to Rose (nee Steuermann) and
Josef Gielen
[
de
]
.
[1]
His father was a theatre and opera director from 1924 at the
Staatstheater Dresden
, who staged the premiere of Kaiser/Weill's
Der Protagonist
at the
Semperoper
in 1926. His mother Rose came from a Jewish family in
Sambor
(then
Austria-Hungary
, now Ukraine). She was an actress who had given up acting when their first child Carola was born, but appeared occasionally, for example as a speaker in the premiere of Arnold Schonberg's
Pierrot lunaire
in Dresden in 1919, rehearsed with her brother
Eduard Steuermann
.
[1]
[2]
[3]
The footballplayer
Zygmunt Steuermann
was their younger brother.
[4]
The boy Michael first attended a reformed school from 1934 until it was closed by the Nazis. Both children were baptized and raised Catholic to counter Nazi indoctrination.
[1]
Clemens Krauss
called Josef Gielen to the
Staatsoper Berlin
in 1936, where Michael attended primary school for a year, and then the Kaiserin-Augusta-Gymnasium.
[1]
When his father's contract was dissolved in 1937,
[1]
he found a position at the Vienna
Burgtheater
. The family followed there in 1938.
[1]
Michael attended a grammar school and took piano lessons. Josef Gielen successfully staged at the
Teatro Colon
in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1938 and 1939, and managed to get immigration papers for his wife and the two children. In 1940, the family left for Argentina, leaving most of their belongings behind.
[1]
Career
[
edit
]
Gielen began his career as a
pianist
in
Buenos Aires
, where he studied with
Erwin Leuchter
[
de
]
.
[1]
As a
repetiteur
at the Teatro Colon at age 20, he played the
basso continuo
to the recitatives, in the style of the time, in a performance of Bach's
St Matthew Passion
conducted by
Wilhelm Furtwangler
.
[5]
In 1949, he gave an early performance of
Arnold Schoenberg
's complete piano works.
[1]
[5]
In this period he also shortly studied
philosophy
.
In 1950, Gielen moved to Vienna where his father had become director of the Burgtheater. Michael Gielen was conductor and repetiteur, who conducted at the
Wiener Staatsoper
from 1954 to 1960,
[1]
assisting conductors such as
Karl Bohm
,
Herbert von Karajan
and
Clemens Krauss
.
[5]
He conducted contemporary music outside the opera house.
[6]
Gielen (right) after the premiere of
Ein Traumspiel
by
Aribert Reimann
(centre), June 1965
His next operatic appointment, from 1960, was at the
Royal Swedish Opera
, where he was
Generalmusikdirektor
(GMD) for the first time, until 1965.
[1]
He conducted a production of Stravinsky's
The Rake's Progress
, which
Ingmar Bergman
staged as a radicalised
Christian Passion
(
radikalisierte christliche Passion
), in the presence of the composer.
[5]
He took to freelance conducting in 1965, including the premiere of
Bernd Alois Zimmermann
's opera
Die Soldaten
in Cologne that year,
[1]
a work that had been deemed to be impossible to perform.
[5]
He premiered
Aribert Reimann
's opera
Ein Traumspiel
on 20 June 1965 at the
Opernhaus Kiel
.
[1]
[7]
He then had a contract with the
Netherlands Opera
.
[1]
From 1977 to 1987, Gielen was GMD at the
Oper Frankfurt
, where he worked with the dramaturge
Klaus Zehelein
towards more contemporary operas.
[1]
[8]
In 1979, he revived
Franz Schreker
's opera
Die Gezeichneten
there, which had premiered in Frankfurt in 1918.
[9]
During his time in Frankfurt, later called the
Gielen Era
,
[6]
he collaborated with stage directors such as
Hans Neuenfels
for Verdi's
Aida
and
Ruth Berghaus
for Wagner's
Der Ring des Nibelungen
.
[10]
The time was described as the Ara Gielen/Zehelein (Gielen/Zehelein era)
[1]
and made Frankfurt an internationally recognised opera.
[5]
Gielen was also principal conductor of the
Belgian National Orchestra
(1969?73) and the
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
(1980?86).
[6]
[11]
[12]
[13]
He was from 1986 to 1999 the conductor of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg (
Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra
), and made it known as the leading orchestra for premieres, notably at the
Donaueschinger Musiktage
. From 1991, he collaborated in Berlin with the
Staatsoper Unter den Linden
and the
Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester
(now Konzerthausorchester Berlin).
[5]
He demonstrated a mastery of the most complex contemporary scores, and conducted many premieres, including
Helmut Lachenmann
's
Fassade
and
Klangschatten ? mein Saitenspiel
,
Gyorgy Ligeti
's
Requiem
, and
Karlheinz Stockhausen
's
Carre
. He premiered Zimmermann's
Requiem fur einen jungen Dichter
in Dusseldorf in 1969.
[14]
In 1973 he recorded Schonberg's opera
Moses und Aron
, used as a soundtrack for the film
Moses und Aron
.
[6]
In October 2014, Gielen announced his retirement from conducting for health reasons, particularly seriously deteriorated eyesight.
[15]
He died in
Mondsee
, Austria, on 8 March 2019 of pneumonia.
[8]
[16]
[5]
[17]
Recordings
[
edit
]
With the SWR, Gielen recorded various symphonies, including a complete cycle of both
Mahler
and
Beethoven
,
[18]
[19]
as well as select ones by
Brahms
.
[18]
Recordings of later composers include works by
Bruckner
,
Stravinsky
,
[19]
Schoenberg,
Berg
and
Webern
; his recording of
Moses und Aron
is its first commercial stereo recording.
[18]
Among the many works by modern and contemporary composers he recorded were those by
Kagel
, Ligeti,
Nono
,
Zimmermann
and
Rihm
.
[18]
His recordings?and conducting in general?are noted for their relentless precision, exactness and veracity over sentimentality. These characteristics were particularly helpful in performing complex contemporary works.
[18]
[19]
Compositions
[
edit
]
Gielen began to compose in 1946, and kept composing throughout his career as a conductor.
[5]
He was influenced by the tradition of the
Second Viennese School
, and his small oeuvre includes settings of poems by
Hans Arp
,
Paul Claudel
,
Stefan George
, and
Pablo Neruda
.
[1]
His
die glocken sind auf falscher spur
after
Hans Arp
was premiered in 1970 with soprano
Joan Carroll
, cellist
Siegfried Palm
, pianist
Aloys Kontarsky
, Wilhelm Bruck,
Christoph Caskel
and the composer at the
Saarlandischer Rundfunk
festival, "Musik im 20.Jahrhundert"
[20]
[1]
His string quartet
Un vieux souvenir
after
Baudelaire
's
Les Fleurs du mal
, composed from 1983, was premiered in 1985 in
Cincinnati
by the
LaSalle Quartet
.
[1]
His compositions are listed by the Akademie der Kunste:
[21]
- 1946 Violin Sonata
- 1948
Der Einsame
for bass and piano, after
Friedrich Nietzsche
- 1949
Variations
for string quartet
- 1950 Chorale variations on "
Christus der uns selig macht
"
- 1954
Musik 1954
for baritone, strings, piano, timpani and trombone
- 1959
Variationen fur 40 Instrumente
, four poems by
Stefan George
for choir and orchestra
- 1960?1963
Pentaphonie "Un dia sobresale" ? "Ein Tag tritt hervor"
after
Pablo Neruda
- 1967?1969
die glocken sind auf falscher spur. Melodramen und Zwischenspiele nach Gedichten von Hans Arp
- 1971?1974
Mitbestimmungsmodell
for orchestra players and a conductor
- 1976
Einige Schwierigkeiten bei der Uberwindung der Angst
for orchestra
- 1983
Un vieux souvenir
, string quartet
- 1988
Pflicht und Neigung
for winds, percussion and keyboard instruments
- 1989
Ruckblick
for three cellos
- 1991 Sonata for cello solo
- 2001
Klavierstuck in sieben Satzen
for piano
Awards
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
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a
b
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e
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g
h
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j
k
l
m
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p
q
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s
t
u
Maurer Zenck, Claudia (2014).
"Michael Gielen"
. In Maurer Zenck, Claudia; Petersen, Peter; Fetthauer, Sophie (eds.).
Lexikon verfolgter Musiker und Musikerinnen der NS-Zeit
. Hamburg: Universitat Hamburg
. Retrieved
9 March
2019
.
- ^
Hutton, Mary Ellyn (23 March 2010).
"Michael Gielen in Good Company"
.
musicincincinnati.com
. Retrieved
13 August
2015
.
- ^
Hillebrand, Jorg (15 July 2007).
"Michael Gielen ? "Ich ziehe mich zuruck"
"
(in German).
Deutsche Welle
. Retrieved
13 August
2015
.
- ^
Zmarł wybitny dyrygent. Miał 91 lat
Deutsche Welle
(Polish program), 9 march 2019.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
Brachmann, Jan (9 March 2019).
"Zum Tod von Michael Gielen / Der Vision eines Elysiums verweigerte er sich"
.
Faz.net
(in German).
FAZ
. Retrieved
9 March
2019
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Roth, Wilhelm (20 July 2017).
"Dirigent, der in Frankfurt einst eine Ara begrundete, wird 90 Jahre alt: Unermudlich trieb Michael Gielen die Moderne voran"
.
Frankfurter Neue Presse
(in German)
. Retrieved
20 July
2017
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
Jacobi, Johannes (25 June 1965).
"Ein Traumspiel / Oper (nach Strindberg) von Aribert Reimann Stadttheater in Kiel"
.
Die Zeit
(in German)
. Retrieved
9 March
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Neuhoff, Bernhard (8 March 2019).
"Dirigent und Komponist / Zum Tod von Michael Gielen"
(in German).
BR
. Retrieved
8 March
2019
.
- ^
a
b
Peters, Rainer (2010).
"The Ernst von Siemens Music Prize-Winner Michael Gielen"
. Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung.
Archived
from the original on 6 July 2011
. Retrieved
12 August
2010
.
- ^
Rockwell, John (28 April 1987).
"Opera: Wagner's 'Ring des Nibelungen' in Nigeria"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
17 August
2010
.
- ^
Gelfand, Janelle (7 April 1995).
"Conductor Gielen enjoying his reunion with CSO"
.
The Cincinnati Enquirer
. Cincinnati, Ohio. p. 89
. Retrieved
19 May
2020
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Dietz Krebs, Betty (14 September 1980).
"CSO audiences face director's challenge"
.
Dayton Daily News
. Dayton, Ohio. p. 104
. Retrieved
19 May
2020
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Cooklis, Ray (12 September 1983).
"Michael Gielen Accepts West German Post"
.
The Cincinnati Enquirer
. Cincinnati, Ohio. p. 15
. Retrieved
19 May
2020
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"Requiem fur einen jungen Dichter"
(in German).
Schott
. 15 December 1969
. Retrieved
26 April
2017
.
- ^
"Michael Gielen beendet Dirigenten-Karriere"
.
WDR (Kulturnachrichten)
. 30 October 2014
. Retrieved
26 August
2015
.
- ^
Schreiber, Wolfgang (8 March 2019).
"Tod von Michael Gielen / Die Wahrheitsliebe der Musik"
.
Suddeutsche Zeitung
(in German)
. Retrieved
8 March
2019
.
- ^
Allen, David (14 March 2019).
"Michael Gielen, renowned German conductor, at 91"
.
The Boston Globe
. Boston. p. C8
. Retrieved
19 May
2020
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Schwinger, Wolfram
(2001).
"Gielen, Michael"
.
Grove Music Online
. Revised by
Martin Elste
[
de
]
. Oxford:
Oxford University Press
.
doi
:
10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.11109
.
ISBN
978-1-56159-263-0
.
(subscription or
UK public library membership
required)
- ^
a
b
c
Allen, David (13 March 2019).
"Michael Gielen, Uncompromising German Maestro, Is Dead at 91"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
6 May
2021
.
- ^
"die glocken sind auf falscher spur"
.
Breitkopf & Hartel
. Wiesbaden. 2019
. Retrieved
9 March
2019
.
- ^
a
b
"Michael Gielen"
.
Akademie der Kunste
. Berlin. 2019
. Retrieved
9 March
2019
.
- ^
a
b
c
Boisits, Barbara (2019).
"Gielen, Michael Andreas"
.
Oesterreichisches Musiklexikon
online
. Retrieved
9 March
2019
.
Sources
[
edit
]
Literature
[
edit
]
- Michael Gielen:
Unbedingt Musik. Erinnerungen.
Insel, Frankfurt am Main 2005;
ISBN
3-458-17272-6
.
- Michael Gielen, Paul Fiebig:
Mahler im Gesprach. Die zehn Sinfonien.
Metzler, Stuttgart 2002;
ISBN
3-476-01933-0
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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