Daniel Hensel

Daniel Hensel (born 17 April 1978 in Buedingen) is a German composer, VJ, musicologist and music theorist. He is noted as a composer of expressive works of all musical genre's whose works can be dedicated to ″a thread of a tradition leading from Schubert via Mahler to Hensel´s teacher Schedl in presence.[...]“ ^[1] His style contains all kind's of material, such as traditional tonal or harmonic as well as noise and electronic material.^[2] His works are published by Musikverlag Doblinger in Vienna.^[3]

Life and work

Hensel is a descendant from a family of musicians of light and rock music.^[4] His maternal family lives in the city of Buedingen since 1594.^[5] Hensel began his studies of composition in 1995 as a student^[6] of the Austrian composer Gerhard Schedl at Dr. Hoch's Konservatorium. From 1999 on he studied composition with Heinz Winbeck in Würzburg, and later with Manfred Trojahn in Düsseldorf ^[6] where he graduated with distinction. Post graduate studies with Michael Obst followed at the Hochschule für Musik "Franz Liszt", Weimar. He concluded his studies in musical composition in Heinz Winbeck's masterclass. In 2009 Hensel began to study musicology with Peter Ackermann and wrote a dissertation on the music of Gerhard Schedl.^[7] Hensel obtained his doctorate with "magna cum laude" on 13 July 2011.^[8]

Hensel's music was played by artists such as Carin Levine ^[9] and Markus Bellheim, the Ensemble Modern, the Staatsorchester Stuttgart and conductors such as Manfred Honeck. Several pieces were composed on behalf of festivals such as the A•DEvantgarde-Festival, young-euro.classic or Kasseler Musiktage or institutions such as the Carl Orff Center Munich or Staatstheater Stuttgart and broadcast by several German radio stations.^[10]

In 2007, his piece "Refexions for orchestra" was the official German musical-contribution for the handover of the EU-council presidency from Germany to Portugal. The piece was played by the young sound forum of central Europe and was conducted by Sebastian Weigle. In 2008 Manfred Honeck^[11] conducted Hensels "Chant of consecrated life" op. 18 as an "ouverture" to the 2. Symphony of Gustav Mahler. In 2009 Hensel´s arrangements of the 45th Symphony by Joseph Haydn and the 8th Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven were played by the Young Euro Classic-China-Festivalorchestra and conducted by Muhai Tang in various Chinese^[12] cities like Shangai and Tianjin.^[13] His string sixtet "Klaerchen´s Song" op.20 had its W.P. by the Ensemble Modern under Jonathan Stockhammer and was played again by the Austrian ensemble lux in the Arnold Schönberg Center Vienna in December 2010.^[14]

In 2011 he started to work with the German author and filmmaker Edgar Reitz.^[15] Since 2012 he also composes elektro-acoustic music.

In the same year his dissertation concerning the music of Gerhard Schedl ^[16] was published and in 2012 he edited Emanuel Aloys Förster´s basso continuo school including Karl Weigl´s biography on Förster.^[17]

Hensel is a member of the German composers association, the Austrian composers association, the Austrian society of contemporary music,^[18] the association of musicology, the assoziation of music theory^[19] and the GEMA.

Since 2013 Hensel is also performing visual arts combined with his electronic pieces.^[20]

Works

Op.16 Reflexions for orchestra composed for the Festival: Europe, the blue star. 2222\433\Timp\Hrp\ Strings 10\8\6\4\2 Junges Klangforum Mitte Europa, Sebastian Weigle

Op.17 Concerto for piano and orchestra 2222\2\2\2\1\Timp\2Perc.\Hf\Cel\ Strings 10\8\6\4\2 WP.:06.10.08 08:00 p.m., Hochschule fuer Musik Wuerzburg

Op.18 "Chant of consecrated life", for big orchestra, on behalf of the state opera Stuttgart, dedicated to Prof. Heinz Winbeck, WP.: 12.07.08, Stuttgart, Liederhalle, state orchestra of Stuttgart, Manfred Honeck, Conductor

Op.19 "The Young Maidservant" after poems by Georg Trakl, for Flute, Clarinet and Stringquartet WP.:02.07.10 Francfort and 02.09.10 Darmstadt, Germany, by ensemble Darmstadt, Marko Zdralek

Op.20 Stringsextet "Klärchen´s Song", dedicated to Mr. Dr. Dieter Rexroth, W.P. 11.07.09, Alte Brüderkirche Kassel, by Ensemble Modern and Jonathan Stockhammer available at Musikverlag Doblinger, Vienna

Op.21 "Echoes and chants from the interior", dedicated to Rafal Zambrzycki-Payne

Op.22 Fleur du mal, a dramatic aria for Tenor and big orchestra, dedicated to maestro Manfred Honeck

Op.23 "Cardillac-Suite", music for the silent movie "Cardillac-Suite" for Edgar Reitz´ ″Cardillac-Suite“, for Cl\Kl\Hrn\Trp\3Perc\Hrp\Cel\2Vl\2Vla\2Vcl\Cb

Op.24, No.1: Study No.1, Music for Computers, realized with the software Csound.

Op.24, No.2: Study No.2, Music for Computers, realized with the software Csound.

Op.25 "Duo for Violin and Violocello", "Selfdestruction and swan song", WP: 04.19.2013, Alte Schmiede Vienna, by Marianna Oczkowska and Tomasz Skweres, availlable at Musikverlag Doblinger, Wien-München

Movies

Study No.1 sonic Visualization of op.24 No.1

Study No.1 picturization as a videoanimation of op.24. No.1

Study No.2 picturization as a videoanimation of op.24. No.2

Publications

• Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. Epigone oder Originalgenie, verquere Erscheinung oder großer Komponist?, Stuttgart: ibidem 2011, ISBN 978-3-8382-0178-8 (German)

• Von der Einheit in der Vielfalt oder der Lust am Subjektiven: Die Musik Gerhard Schedls, dargestellt an seiner Instrumentalmusik, Stuttgart: ibidem 2011, ISBN 978-3-8382-0278-5 (German)

• Anleitung zum General-Bass (1805), einschließlich der Biographie: Karl Weigl: Emanuel Aloys Förster (1913), Hensel, Daniel (Ed.), Stuttgart ibidem 2012, ISBN 978-3-8382-0378-2 (German)

References

External links

• Literature by and about Daniel Hensel in the German National Library catalogue
• Hensel's personal website (English)
• Hensel Musikverlag Doblinger (German)
• Hensel, Daniel German composers association (German)
• Hensel in music information center Austria (English)
• Hensel's curriculum vitae at young sound forum of central europe (English)

• Daniel Hensel Klassika (German)