Friedrich Cerha, born in Vienna in 1926, is a composer, conductor, professor and writer on music. He is also a national institution in Austria. For over half a century, his name has been synonymous in his native country with contemporary music. It has also been synonymous with the endeavour to keep tradition alive while striving for the renewal of the art of composition. As an Austrian, Friedrich Cerha is also a representative of those of his compatriots who – in a tragic phase of history – took the only honest path by actively fighting against fascism.

Mr Cerha is a quiet, reserved man (with a wonderful sense of humour and a remarkable talent as a public speaker, if the occasion arises) who turns into a fighter when he feels he has to stand up for new music. With comrades such as the composer Kurt Schwertsik (and later also H.K. Gruber) as well as his wife Gertraud, he founded the ensemble die reihe in 1958 to create a forum for contemporary music. He did not have an easy job of it in the late 50s but never lost his determination and courage, allying himself with other international figures – like György Ligeti and Pierre Boulez – who owe numerous performances of their works to the conductor Friedrich Cerha.

As director of die reihe, Cerha never pushed his own compositions into the foreground, but he was, from the very beginning, a hard worker at his desk and produced pieces which have acquired a music historical significance. In fact, some of them count as milestones in the history of music after World War II. For instance, his cycle of seven orchestral compositions, Spiegel (“Mirror”) which was only premièred ten years after the double bar-line had been drawn (composed in 1960/61, the first performance took place in 1972) is such a milestone. It is however in no way just a historic document: recent performances of the complete cycle in Berlin, Dresden, Vienna and Bregenz have demonstrated how alive this music continues to be today, with a tremendous impact (even a physical one) on listeners.

His oeuvre encompasses all genres in a variety of styles. His music theatre works, such as Der Rattenfänger (The Pied Piper), Baal, Der Riese von Steinberg (The Giant of Steinberg) provide cogent proof that contemporary opera can convey an important message with regard to society and human nature.

Cerha has also written racy Viennese music with a genuinely individual sense of humour (such as the two Keintaten, settings of words by Ernst Kein.). He is fully at home in the world of Viennese tunes and he is perhaps the first one to have paved their way to the concert hall.

The realm flanked by the operas and the Keintaten is occupied by an impressive body of orchestral, ensemble and chamber works, they, too, in a wide variety of styles, from the avant-garde to concert music that speaks directly to an uninitiated audience. The genres cover straight orchestral pieces, concertos, works for solo voice and orchestra, chamber music for different combinations of instruments, such as four string quartets, a string sextet and a piano trio.

Friedrich Cerha’s music historical significance is also ensured by his completion of the third act of Alban Berg’s Lulu. Since the first performance in  Paris in 1979 (conducted by Pierre Boulez, directed by Patrice Chéreau, with sets Richard Peduzzi and Teresa Stratas in the title role), the three-act version has been seen in innumerable productions – a sine qua non for any composition to become an integral part of the repertoire. Cerha has written a detailed report on his approach to the material Berg left unfinished, published by Universal Edition.

The composer’s readiness to express himself in words is an important aid for his publisher, with authentic programme notes on each work. In addition, Cerha’s collected essays are available in print.

One of the chapters is devoted to music education, through the eyes of the composition professor Friedrich Cerha, whose pupils include not only Heinz Fischer, the President of the Republic of Austria (he attended Cerha’s classes at secondary school) but also Georg Friedrich Haas, one of the major Austrian composers of the middle generation.

Cerha celebrated his 84th birthday on 17 February 2010 – rather, his birthday was celebrated in Austria, with many concerts marking the event. More importantly, work in his studio continues unabated, his oeuvre grows further and although he keeps reiterating that he has stopped conducting, he still returns to the podium once in a while. The national institution is as active as ever.