Rihm: Orchestral Works
View all works by Rihm in the main appExplore the complete catalog of Orchestral compositions by Rihm. This curated list includes composition years, historical Wikipedia context, and interactive audio to add specific tracks directly to your listening queue.
| Title | Year | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| COLL'ARCO, for violin and orchestra |
This is a list of musical compositions for violin and orchestra. See entries for concerto and violin concerto for a description of related musical forms. |
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| Dis-Kontur, for large orchestra |
Wolfgang Michael Rihm (German: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈʁiːm] ; 13 March 1952 – 27 July 2024) was a German composer of contemporary classical music and an academic teacher based in Karlsruhe. He was an influential post-war European composer, as "one of the most original and independent musical voices" there, composing over 500 works including several operas. The premiere of Rihm's Morphonie for orchestra at the 1974 Donaueschingen Festival won him international recognition. Rihm pursued a freedom of expression, combining avant-garde techniques with emotional individuality. His chamber opera Jakob Lenz was premiered in 1977, exploring the inner conflict of a poet's soul. The premiere of his opera Oedipus at Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1987 was broadcast live and recorded as DVD. When his opera Dionysos was first performed at the Salzburg Festival in 2010, it was voted World Premiere of the Year by Opernwelt. He was commissioned to compose a work for the opening of the Elbphilharmonie, and created the song cycle Reminiszenz which was premiered in 2017. Rihm was professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe from 1985, with students including Rebecca Saunders and Jörg Widmann. He was composer in residence for the BBC, at the Lucerne Festival and the Salzburg Festival. He was honoured as an officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2001 and received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2003. |
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| Doppelgesang, for viola, violin and orchestra |
This is a list of compositions by Wolfgang Rihm. His output numbers more than 500 works. Rihm's compositions were published by Universal Edition. IRCAM has a list of Rihm's works. Rihm was extremely prolific, and much of his music has yet to be commercially recorded. His works include thirteen string quartets, the opera Die Eroberung von Mexico (1987–1991, based on texts by Antonin Artaud), over twenty song cycles, the oratorio Deus Passus (1999–2000, commissioned by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart), Jagden und Formen for chamber orchestra (1995–2001), more than thirty concertos, and a series of interrelated orchestral works bearing the general title Vers une symphonie fleuve ("Towards a river symphony"). He sometimes revised or adapted his finished work. For example, in 1992 he completely rewrote Ins Offene ... for orchestra (1990) and used it as the basis for his piano concerto Sphere (1994). Then he recast the piano part of Sphere to create Nachstudie for solo piano (1994). In 2002, he wrote Sphäre nach Studie (a new version of Nachstudie) for harp, two double basses, piano, and percussion, as well as Sphäre um Sphäre (a new version of Sphere) for two pianos and chamber ensemble. He also experimented with writing musical fragments, for example in his Alexanderlieder (1975–1976, described as a "fragmentary song accompaniment"), cuts and dissolves for orchestra (1976–1977), Bagatelles (1977–1978), Lenz-Fragmente (1980), or more recently Fetzen (Scraps) for string quartet and accordion (1999–2004) |
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| Dritte Musik, for violin and orchestra |
The Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra (also known in English as the SWR Baden-Baden Freiburg Symphony Orchestra and in German as the Sinfonieorchester des Südwestrundfunks) was a German radio orchestra located in the German cities of Baden-Baden and Freiburg. |
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| Dunkles Spiel, for small orchestra |
This is a list of compositions by Wolfgang Rihm. His output numbers more than 500 works. Rihm's compositions were published by Universal Edition. IRCAM has a list of Rihm's works. Rihm was extremely prolific, and much of his music has yet to be commercially recorded. His works include thirteen string quartets, the opera Die Eroberung von Mexico (1987–1991, based on texts by Antonin Artaud), over twenty song cycles, the oratorio Deus Passus (1999–2000, commissioned by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart), Jagden und Formen for chamber orchestra (1995–2001), more than thirty concertos, and a series of interrelated orchestral works bearing the general title Vers une symphonie fleuve ("Towards a river symphony"). He sometimes revised or adapted his finished work. For example, in 1992 he completely rewrote Ins Offene ... for orchestra (1990) and used it as the basis for his piano concerto Sphere (1994). Then he recast the piano part of Sphere to create Nachstudie for solo piano (1994). In 2002, he wrote Sphäre nach Studie (a new version of Nachstudie) for harp, two double basses, piano, and percussion, as well as Sphäre um Sphäre (a new version of Sphere) for two pianos and chamber ensemble. He also experimented with writing musical fragments, for example in his Alexanderlieder (1975–1976, described as a "fragmentary song accompaniment"), cuts and dissolves for orchestra (1976–1977), Bagatelles (1977–1978), Lenz-Fragmente (1980), or more recently Fetzen (Scraps) for string quartet and accordion (1999–2004) |
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| Erscheinung |
Johannes-Ostern (St John Easter) is a sacred oratorio by Sofia Gubaidulina, composed in 2001, continuing her Johannes-Passion (St John Passion) written to commemorate Johann Sebastian Bach in 2000. Gubaidulina compiled her text in Russian for both works mostly from the Gospel of John and the Book of Revelation, and scored them for four soloists, double choir, organ and orchestra. Both works were first performed together at the Michaeliskirche in Hamburg on 16 March 2002 by singers and the orchestra from the Mariinsky Theatre combined with the NDR Chor and NDR Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev. The full title of both pieces is in German Passion und Auferstehung Jesu Christi nach Johannes and in English Passion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ according to St John. The UK premiere was given as part of the 2002 BBC Proms. They were published by Sikorski. |
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| Gesungene Zeit, for violin and orchestra |
This is a list of musical compositions for violin and orchestra. See entries for concerto and violin concerto for a description of related musical forms. |
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| Jagden und Formen, for orchestra |
Jagden und Formen (Hunts and Forms) is an orchestral composition by German composer Wolfgang Rihm. Long considered "a work in progress", it was initially planned in the 90s and completed in 2001, although a revision with extensive changes was published in 2008. |
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| Klangbeschreibung I, for 3 orchestra groups |
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987. |
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| Klangbeschreibung III, for large orchestra |
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1987. |
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| Konzert in einem Satz, for cello and orchestra |
This is a list of musical compositions for cello and orchestra ordered by their authors' surnames. |
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| La musique creuse le ciel, for 2 pianos and large orchestra | ||
| Lichtes Spiel |
Anne-Sophie Mutter (born 29 June 1963) is a German violinist. Born in Rheinfelden, Baden-Württemberg and raised in the nearby town Wehr, Mutter began playing the violin at age five and pursued further studies in Germany and Switzerland. She was supported early in her career by Herbert von Karajan, made her orchestral debut with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1977, and rose to international prominence in the early 1980s. She has since performed as a soloist with leading orchestras worldwide and has recorded more than 50 albums, mostly with the Deutsche Grammophon label, earning four Grammy Awards, two ECHO Klassik awards, two Opus Klassik awards, and a Grand Prix du Disque. Despite her success and fame in the 1980s, Mutter's interpretive style often divides critics. Mutter's repertoire includes traditional classical violin works from the Baroque period to the 20th century, but she is particularly known for performing, recording, and commissioning new works by contemporary composers. As an advocate of contemporary music, she has had several works composed especially for her, by Thomas Adès, Unsuk Chin, Sebastian Currier, Henri Dutilleux, Sofia Gubaidulina, Witold Lutosławski, Norbert Moret, Krzysztof Penderecki, André Previn, Wolfgang Rihm, Jörg Widmann, Max Richter, and John Williams. Over the years, Mutter has repeatedly collaborated with and made recordings with conductors such as Herbert von Karajan, André Previn, Seiji Ozawa, Daniel Barenboim, James Levine, Kurt Masur, Simon Rattle, Manfred Honeck, Alan Gilbert and John Williams, as well as with her longtime recital partner, pianist Lambert Orkis. Mutter has received numerous international awards, including the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize (2008), the Polar Music Prize (2019), the Grand Decoration of Honour of Austria (2007), the Grand Cross Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2009), France's Legion of Honour (2009), Spain's Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts (2016), Romania's Grand Cross National Order of Merit (2017), Poland's Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2018), Japan's Praemium Imperiale (2019), and holds honorary memberships at the Royal Academy of Music (1986) and American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2013). Mutter founded the Association of Friends of the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation e.V. in 1997 and established the Anne-Sophie Mutter Foundation in 2008, both dedicated to supporting young string musicians. She frequently gives benefit concerts and was the president of the German Cancer Aid from 2021 to 2025. |
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| Lichtzwang, for violin and orchestra |
Wolfgang Michael Rihm (German: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈʁiːm] ; 13 March 1952 – 27 July 2024) was a German composer of contemporary classical music and an academic teacher based in Karlsruhe. He was an influential post-war European composer, as "one of the most original and independent musical voices" there, composing over 500 works including several operas. The premiere of Rihm's Morphonie for orchestra at the 1974 Donaueschingen Festival won him international recognition. Rihm pursued a freedom of expression, combining avant-garde techniques with emotional individuality. His chamber opera Jakob Lenz was premiered in 1977, exploring the inner conflict of a poet's soul. The premiere of his opera Oedipus at Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1987 was broadcast live and recorded as DVD. When his opera Dionysos was first performed at the Salzburg Festival in 2010, it was voted World Premiere of the Year by Opernwelt. He was commissioned to compose a work for the opening of the Elbphilharmonie, and created the song cycle Reminiszenz which was premiered in 2017. Rihm was professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe from 1985, with students including Rebecca Saunders and Jörg Widmann. He was composer in residence for the BBC, at the Lucerne Festival and the Salzburg Festival. He was honoured as an officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2001 and received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2003. |
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| Marsyas, rhapsody for trumpet with percussion and orchestra |
The trumpet repertoire consists of solo literature and orchestral or, more commonly, band parts written for the trumpet. Tracings its origins to 1500 BC, the trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Among the repertoire for the trumpet are the following works: |
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| Morphonie, for string quartet and orchestra |
Wolfgang Michael Rihm (German: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈʁiːm] ; 13 March 1952 – 27 July 2024) was a German composer of contemporary classical music and an academic teacher based in Karlsruhe. He was an influential post-war European composer, as "one of the most original and independent musical voices" there, composing over 500 works including several operas. The premiere of Rihm's Morphonie for orchestra at the 1974 Donaueschingen Festival won him international recognition. Rihm pursued a freedom of expression, combining avant-garde techniques with emotional individuality. His chamber opera Jakob Lenz was premiered in 1977, exploring the inner conflict of a poet's soul. The premiere of his opera Oedipus at Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1987 was broadcast live and recorded as DVD. When his opera Dionysos was first performed at the Salzburg Festival in 2010, it was voted World Premiere of the Year by Opernwelt. He was commissioned to compose a work for the opening of the Elbphilharmonie, and created the song cycle Reminiszenz which was premiered in 2017. Rihm was professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe from 1985, with students including Rebecca Saunders and Jörg Widmann. He was composer in residence for the BBC, at the Lucerne Festival and the Salzburg Festival. He was honoured as an officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2001 and received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2003. |
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| Music for Oboe and Orchestra |
The Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra (also known in English as the SWR Baden-Baden Freiburg Symphony Orchestra and in German as the Sinfonieorchester des Südwestrundfunks) was a German radio orchestra located in the German cities of Baden-Baden and Freiburg. |
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| Musik fur Klarinette und Orchester, "Uber die Linie II" | ||
| Styx und Lethe, for cello and orchestra |
This is a list of compositions by Wolfgang Rihm. His output numbers more than 500 works. Rihm's compositions were published by Universal Edition. IRCAM has a list of Rihm's works. Rihm was extremely prolific, and much of his music has yet to be commercially recorded. His works include thirteen string quartets, the opera Die Eroberung von Mexico (1987–1991, based on texts by Antonin Artaud), over twenty song cycles, the oratorio Deus Passus (1999–2000, commissioned by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart), Jagden und Formen for chamber orchestra (1995–2001), more than thirty concertos, and a series of interrelated orchestral works bearing the general title Vers une symphonie fleuve ("Towards a river symphony"). He sometimes revised or adapted his finished work. For example, in 1992 he completely rewrote Ins Offene ... for orchestra (1990) and used it as the basis for his piano concerto Sphere (1994). Then he recast the piano part of Sphere to create Nachstudie for solo piano (1994). In 2002, he wrote Sphäre nach Studie (a new version of Nachstudie) for harp, two double basses, piano, and percussion, as well as Sphäre um Sphäre (a new version of Sphere) for two pianos and chamber ensemble. He also experimented with writing musical fragments, for example in his Alexanderlieder (1975–1976, described as a "fragmentary song accompaniment"), cuts and dissolves for orchestra (1976–1977), Bagatelles (1977–1978), Lenz-Fragmente (1980), or more recently Fetzen (Scraps) for string quartet and accordion (1999–2004) |
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| Sub-Kontur, for orchestra |
Wolfgang Michael Rihm (German: [ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈʁiːm] ; 13 March 1952 – 27 July 2024) was a German composer of contemporary classical music and an academic teacher based in Karlsruhe. He was an influential post-war European composer, as "one of the most original and independent musical voices" there, composing over 500 works including several operas. The premiere of Rihm's Morphonie for orchestra at the 1974 Donaueschingen Festival won him international recognition. Rihm pursued a freedom of expression, combining avant-garde techniques with emotional individuality. His chamber opera Jakob Lenz was premiered in 1977, exploring the inner conflict of a poet's soul. The premiere of his opera Oedipus at Deutsche Oper Berlin in 1987 was broadcast live and recorded as DVD. When his opera Dionysos was first performed at the Salzburg Festival in 2010, it was voted World Premiere of the Year by Opernwelt. He was commissioned to compose a work for the opening of the Elbphilharmonie, and created the song cycle Reminiszenz which was premiered in 2017. Rihm was professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe from 1985, with students including Rebecca Saunders and Jörg Widmann. He was composer in residence for the BBC, at the Lucerne Festival and the Salzburg Festival. He was honoured as an officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2001 and received the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2003. |
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| Symphony no. 1, op. 3 |
Johannes Brahms (; German: [joˈhanəs ˈbʁaːms] ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, often set within studied yet expressive contrapuntal textures. He adapted the traditional structures and techniques of a wide historical range of earlier composers. His œuvre includes four symphonies, four concertos, a Requiem, much chamber music, and hundreds of folk-song arrangements and Lieder, among other works for symphony orchestra, piano, organ, and choir. Born to a musical family in Hamburg, Brahms began composing and concertizing locally in his youth. He toured Central Europe as a pianist in his adulthood, premiering many of his own works and meeting Franz Liszt in Weimar. Brahms worked with Ede Reményi and Joseph Joachim, seeking Robert Schumann's approval through Joachim. He gained both Robert and Clara Schumann's support and guidance. Brahms stayed with Clara in Düsseldorf, becoming devoted to her amid Robert's insanity and institutionalization. The two remained close, lifelong friends after Robert's death. Brahms never married, perhaps in an effort to focus on his work as a musician and scholar. He was a self-conscious, sometimes severely self-critical composer. Though innovative, his music was considered relatively conservative within the polarized context of the War of the Romantics, an affair in which Brahms regretted his public involvement. His compositions were largely successful, attracting a growing circle of supporters, friends, and musicians. Eduard Hanslick celebrated them polemically as absolute music, and Hans von Bülow even cast Brahms as the successor of Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven, an idea Richard Wagner mocked. Settling in Vienna, Brahms conducted the Singakademie and Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, programming the early and often "serious" music of his personal studies. He considered retiring from composition late in life but continued to write chamber music, especially for Richard Mühlfeld. Brahms's contributions and craftsmanship were admired by his contemporaries like Antonín Dvořák, whose music he enthusiastically supported, and a variety of later composers. Max Reger and Alexander Zemlinsky reconciled Brahms's and Wagner's often contrasted styles. So did Arnold Schoenberg, who emphasized Brahms's "progressive" side. He and Anton Webern were inspired by the intricate structural coherence of Brahms's music, including what Schoenberg termed its developing variation. It remains a staple of the concert repertoire, continuing to influence composers into the 21st century. |
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| Symphony no. 2 |
This is a list of composers who have written symphonies, listed in chronological order by year of birth, alphabetical within year. It includes only composers of significant fame, notability or importance who have Wikipedia articles. For lists of music composers by other classifications, see Lists of composers. |
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| Ungemaltes Bild, for orchestra |
The Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra (also known in English as the SWR Baden-Baden Freiburg Symphony Orchestra and in German as the Sinfonieorchester des Südwestrundfunks) was a German radio orchestra located in the German cities of Baden-Baden and Freiburg. |
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| Vers une Symphonie fleuve III, for orchestra |
The Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (German: Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart des SWR) was a German radio orchestra based in Stuttgart in Germany. |
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| Verwandlung 2, for orchestra |
This is a list of compositions by Wolfgang Rihm. His output numbers more than 500 works. Rihm's compositions were published by Universal Edition. IRCAM has a list of Rihm's works. Rihm was extremely prolific, and much of his music has yet to be commercially recorded. His works include thirteen string quartets, the opera Die Eroberung von Mexico (1987–1991, based on texts by Antonin Artaud), over twenty song cycles, the oratorio Deus Passus (1999–2000, commissioned by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart), Jagden und Formen for chamber orchestra (1995–2001), more than thirty concertos, and a series of interrelated orchestral works bearing the general title Vers une symphonie fleuve ("Towards a river symphony"). He sometimes revised or adapted his finished work. For example, in 1992 he completely rewrote Ins Offene ... for orchestra (1990) and used it as the basis for his piano concerto Sphere (1994). Then he recast the piano part of Sphere to create Nachstudie for solo piano (1994). In 2002, he wrote Sphäre nach Studie (a new version of Nachstudie) for harp, two double basses, piano, and percussion, as well as Sphäre um Sphäre (a new version of Sphere) for two pianos and chamber ensemble. He also experimented with writing musical fragments, for example in his Alexanderlieder (1975–1976, described as a "fragmentary song accompaniment"), cuts and dissolves for orchestra (1976–1977), Bagatelles (1977–1978), Lenz-Fragmente (1980), or more recently Fetzen (Scraps) for string quartet and accordion (1999–2004) |
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| Verwandlung 3, for orchestra |
This is a list of compositions by Wolfgang Rihm. His output numbers more than 500 works. Rihm's compositions were published by Universal Edition. IRCAM has a list of Rihm's works. Rihm was extremely prolific, and much of his music has yet to be commercially recorded. His works include thirteen string quartets, the opera Die Eroberung von Mexico (1987–1991, based on texts by Antonin Artaud), over twenty song cycles, the oratorio Deus Passus (1999–2000, commissioned by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart), Jagden und Formen for chamber orchestra (1995–2001), more than thirty concertos, and a series of interrelated orchestral works bearing the general title Vers une symphonie fleuve ("Towards a river symphony"). He sometimes revised or adapted his finished work. For example, in 1992 he completely rewrote Ins Offene ... for orchestra (1990) and used it as the basis for his piano concerto Sphere (1994). Then he recast the piano part of Sphere to create Nachstudie for solo piano (1994). In 2002, he wrote Sphäre nach Studie (a new version of Nachstudie) for harp, two double basses, piano, and percussion, as well as Sphäre um Sphäre (a new version of Sphere) for two pianos and chamber ensemble. He also experimented with writing musical fragments, for example in his Alexanderlieder (1975–1976, described as a "fragmentary song accompaniment"), cuts and dissolves for orchestra (1976–1977), Bagatelles (1977–1978), Lenz-Fragmente (1980), or more recently Fetzen (Scraps) for string quartet and accordion (1999–2004) |
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| Verwandlung 4, for orchestra |
This is a list of compositions by Wolfgang Rihm. His output numbers more than 500 works. Rihm's compositions were published by Universal Edition. IRCAM has a list of Rihm's works. Rihm was extremely prolific, and much of his music has yet to be commercially recorded. His works include thirteen string quartets, the opera Die Eroberung von Mexico (1987–1991, based on texts by Antonin Artaud), over twenty song cycles, the oratorio Deus Passus (1999–2000, commissioned by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart), Jagden und Formen for chamber orchestra (1995–2001), more than thirty concertos, and a series of interrelated orchestral works bearing the general title Vers une symphonie fleuve ("Towards a river symphony"). He sometimes revised or adapted his finished work. For example, in 1992 he completely rewrote Ins Offene ... for orchestra (1990) and used it as the basis for his piano concerto Sphere (1994). Then he recast the piano part of Sphere to create Nachstudie for solo piano (1994). In 2002, he wrote Sphäre nach Studie (a new version of Nachstudie) for harp, two double basses, piano, and percussion, as well as Sphäre um Sphäre (a new version of Sphere) for two pianos and chamber ensemble. He also experimented with writing musical fragments, for example in his Alexanderlieder (1975–1976, described as a "fragmentary song accompaniment"), cuts and dissolves for orchestra (1976–1977), Bagatelles (1977–1978), Lenz-Fragmente (1980), or more recently Fetzen (Scraps) for string quartet and accordion (1999–2004) |
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| Verwandlung, for orchestra |
This is a list of compositions by Wolfgang Rihm. His output numbers more than 500 works. Rihm's compositions were published by Universal Edition. IRCAM has a list of Rihm's works. Rihm was extremely prolific, and much of his music has yet to be commercially recorded. His works include thirteen string quartets, the opera Die Eroberung von Mexico (1987–1991, based on texts by Antonin Artaud), over twenty song cycles, the oratorio Deus Passus (1999–2000, commissioned by the Internationale Bachakademie Stuttgart), Jagden und Formen for chamber orchestra (1995–2001), more than thirty concertos, and a series of interrelated orchestral works bearing the general title Vers une symphonie fleuve ("Towards a river symphony"). He sometimes revised or adapted his finished work. For example, in 1992 he completely rewrote Ins Offene ... for orchestra (1990) and used it as the basis for his piano concerto Sphere (1994). Then he recast the piano part of Sphere to create Nachstudie for solo piano (1994). In 2002, he wrote Sphäre nach Studie (a new version of Nachstudie) for harp, two double basses, piano, and percussion, as well as Sphäre um Sphäre (a new version of Sphere) for two pianos and chamber ensemble. He also experimented with writing musical fragments, for example in his Alexanderlieder (1975–1976, described as a "fragmentary song accompaniment"), cuts and dissolves for orchestra (1976–1977), Bagatelles (1977–1978), Lenz-Fragmente (1980), or more recently Fetzen (Scraps) for string quartet and accordion (1999–2004) |