Universal Edition - Friedrich Cerha

Friedrich Cerha
*17.02.1926

Future Performances

Neun Präludien
02.08.2013, Salzburg (A)
Étoile
03.08.2013, Salzburg (A)
Les Adieux (Elegie)
18.08.2013, Luzern (CH)
1. Keintate
11.09.2013, Bonn (D)
Paraphrase über den Anfang der 9. Symphonie von Beethoven
12.09.2013, Schwaz (A)

News

  • Friedrich Cerha
    An interview with Gertraud and Friedrich Cerha
    An interview with Gertraud and Friedrich Cerha
    An interview with Friedrich Cerha, who will be awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in Munich o [...]
  • Carta Blanca a Friedrich Cerha
    Carta Blanca a Friedrich Cerha
    Friedrich Cerha has “carte blanche” at the Orquesta Nacional de España between 2 and 12 April 2 [...]
  • Happy Birthday Friedrich Cerha
    [...]
    Happy Birthday Friedrich Cerha
  • Friedrich Cerha (c) Wiener Konzerthaus
    Friedrich Cerha: Ernst von Siemens Awards Ceremony
    Friedrich Cerha: Ernst von Siemens Awards Ceremony
    The Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation honours Friedrich Cerha with the Ernst von Siemens Music Priz [...]
  • Ersnt von Siemens Music Prize
    Friedrich Cerha receives the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize
    Friedrich Cerha receives the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize
    Friedrich Cerha is the recipient of the 2012 international Ernst von Siemens Music Prize. We are esp [...]
  • Aspekte Festival 2012
    Aspekte Festival 2012
    Aspekte Festival 2012
    The Aspekte Festival in Salzburg celebrates its 35th anniversary this year (9–13 May). [...]
  • Friedrich Cerha
    Cerha: New work for seven voices
    Cerha: New work for seven voices
    On 11 February Friedrich Cerha’s latest work, 2 Szenen (2 scenes) for seven voices, will receive i [...]
  • Friedrich Cerha
    Friedrich Cerha: Like a Tragicomedy
    Friedrich Cerha: Like a Tragicomedy
    On 20 November Friedrich Cerha’s Like a Tragicomedy will receive its Austrian premiere during the [...]
  • Friedrich Cerha
    Cerha: New piano piece
    Cerha: New piano piece
    On 29 Oct the new piano piece For Marino by Friedrich Cerha will recieve its world première during [...]
  • Friedrich Cerha
    Cerha: New work in Leipzig
    Cerha: New work in Leipzig
    Friedrich Cerha's new work Paraphrase über den Anfang der 9. Symphonie von Beethoven will be given [...]
  • Friedrich Cerha
    A new production of Cerha’s opera Baal
    A new production of Cerha’s opera Baal
    Friedrich Cerha’s opera Baal opens in a new production at the Neue Oper in Vienna [...]
  • Salzburger Festspiele
    Salzburg Festival 2011
    Salzburg Festival 2011
    Gustav Mahler, whose anniversaries have been the centre of attention all this year, is also the high [...]
  • Friedrich Cerha (c) Konzerthaus
    Cerha: New work for oboe, cello and piano
    Cerha: New work for oboe, cello and piano
    On 11 June the world première of Friedrich Cerha’s Four Paraphrases for oboe, cello and piano wil [...]
  • Friedrich Cerha
    Friedrich Cerha celebrates his 85th birthday
    Friedrich Cerha celebrates his 85th birthday
    On 17 February 2011 Cerha celebrates his 85th birthday, and a number of events are paying tribute to [...]
  • Friedrich Cerha
    Friedrich Cerha: World première in Manchester
    Friedrich Cerha: World première in Manchester
    Friedrich Cerha's Viennese Kaleidoscope will be given its world première on 19 Oct at the Royal Nor [...]
  • Friedrich Cerha © Konzerthaus Wien
    Salzburg Music Prize 2011
    Salzburg Music Prize 2011
    The 2011 Salzburg Music Prize will be awarded to Friedrich Cerha. The award, with its prize money of [...]

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Friedrich Cerha

The Composer

Catalogue of works

Download a PDF file of the catalogue

1926 – Born in Vienna on 17 February.

1933 – Violin instruction with Anton Pejhovsky.

1935 – First attempts at composition.

1936 – Attends the Realgymnasium in Vienna's 17th district.

1939 – Instruction in counterpoint and harmony.

1943 – Drafted as Luftwaffe support personnel and sent to Achau near Vienna.

1944 – Entrance into the German military; training at an officers' academy in Denmark.

1945 – Desertion during a transport to Germany; contact to the Danish and German resistance efforts; travel by foot to Tirol. Works there as cabin keeper and mountain guide. Return to Vienna in November.

1946 – [...]

About the Music

Read an extensive interview with Friedrich Cerha.

Video language: German (with English subtitles)

His Works
After the end of World War 2, Cerha focused on concertizing and teaching the then dominant neo-classicism (his Divertimento of 1948 represents homage to Stravinsky). Later, he took as starting points the works of Anton Webern, and from 1956 serial techniques of the avantgarde, developing his own style with such pieces as Relazioni fragili, Espressioni fondamentali, Intersecazioni. With works such as Mouvements, Fasce and his Spiegel cycle (1960-61) he created his own language of sound free from traditional schemata. Despite apparent similarities with works written at [...]

10 of 95 Works

Adaxl-Suite | for piano 1987
Aderngeflecht | after poems by Emil Breisach | for baritone and orchestra 2006
Les Adieux (Elegie) | for ensemble | new version 2007 2005
Arbeitsbericht | zur Herstellung des 3. Aktes der Oper Lulu von Alban Berg
Baal | Bühnenwerk in 2 Teilen 1980
Baal | Bühnenwerk in 2 Teilen | reduced version 1980
Baal-Gesänge | for baritone and orchestra 1981
9 Bagatellen | for string trio 2008
Berceuse céleste | for orchestra 2006
"bevor es zu spät ist..." | for tenor and orchestra 1997