Beat Furrer

Beat Furrer (born 6 December 1954) is an Austrian composer and conductor of Swiss birth.

Born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Furrer relocated to Vienna in 1975 to pursue studies with Roman Haubenstock-Ramati (composition) and Otmar Suitner (conducting). 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. Since 1991, he has served as professor of composition at the Graz University of Music and Dramatic Arts.

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.^[1]

Selected works

• a due for viola and piano (1997)
• Aer for piano, clarinet and cello (1991)
• Die Blinden, Chamber Opera in 1 act
• Chiaroscuro Für R.H.R., for orchestra
• Ensemble for 4 clarinets, 2 piano, vibraphone and marimbaphone
• Face de la chaleur for flute, clarinet, piano and orchestra in 4 groups
• Fama Opera in 8 Scenes (2004-2005)
• Für Alfred Schlee for string quartet
• Gaspra for ensemble
• Illuminations for soprano and chamber ensemble
• Madrigal for orchestra
• Narcissus, Opera in 6 Scenes
• Narcissus-Fragment for 2 narrators and 26 players
• Nuun for 2 pianos and ensemble (1996)
• Phasma for solo piano (2002)
• Poemas for mezzo-soprano, guitar, piano and marimba (1984)
• Retour an Dich for violin, cello and piano (1986)
• Risonanze for orchestra in 3 groups
• Schleedoyer I for string quartet
• spur für Klavier und Streichquartett (1998)
• String Quartet No.1 (1984)
• String Quartet No.2
• String Quartet No.3 (2004)
• Studie 2 – a un moment de terre perdue for ensemble
• Studie – Übermalung for large orchestra
• Tiro mis tristes redes for orchestra
• Trio for flute, oboe or saxophone and clarinet
• Ultimi cori for mixed chorus and 3 percussionists
• Voicelessness. The Snow Has No Voice for piano (1986)
• Wie diese Stimmen for 2 cellos
• Wüstenbuch Opera (2010)

Sources

• (French) A biography of Beat Furrer, from IRCAM's website.
• Kennedy, Michael (2006), The Oxford Dictionary of Music, 985 pages, ISBN 0-19-861459-4

References