Heinrich Sutermeister facts for kids
Heinrich Sutermeister (born in Feuerthalen, Switzerland on August 12, 1910 – died in Vaux-sur-Morges, Switzerland on March 16, 1995) was a famous Swiss composer. He wrote many different kinds of music, including operas, ballets, and concertos.
When he was young, he studied music at a big school in Munich, Germany. There, a very famous German composer named Carl Orff was his teacher. Carl Orff's music had a strong influence on Heinrich Sutermeister's own style. After his studies, he went back to Switzerland and worked as a composer for the rest of his life.
His most important musical works are the operas Romeo und Julia and Die Schwarze Witwe (which means The Black Widow). Romeo und Julia was first performed in Dresden in 1940. A well-known conductor named Karl Böhm led the orchestra for this first show. Later, Sutermeister also created operas for radio and television, which was quite new and exciting at the time.
Famous Musical Works
Heinrich Sutermeister wrote many different types of music. Here are some of his well-known pieces:
- Max und Moritz: This was a ballet, which is a story told through dance and music. It was based on a popular German children's story by Wilhelm Busch.
- Die schwarze Spinne (The Black Spider): This was a special kind of opera made for radio, called a 'Funkoper'. It came out in 1936.
- Romeo und Julia: An opera based on the famous play by William Shakespeare. It was first performed in 1940.
- Die Zauberinsel (The Magic Island): Another opera based on a play by Shakespeare, created in 1942.
- 1. Piano Concerto: A concerto is a piece of music for a solo instrument (like a piano) and an orchestra. This one was written in 1943.
- Niobe: A 'Monodram', which is a dramatic piece for one performer, from 1946.
- Capriccio for unaccompanied Clarinet in A: A lively piece for a clarinet without any other instruments, from 1946.
- Raskolnikoff: An opera based on a novel by Fyodor Dostoevsky, from 1948.
- Die Alpen (The Alps): A musical fantasy that used Swiss folk songs, from 1948.
- Der rote Stiefel (The Red Boot): Another opera, from 1951.
- 2. Piano Concerto: His second concerto for piano and orchestra, from 1953.
- Missa da Requiem: A type of religious music, from 1953.
- 1. Cello Concerto: His first concerto for the cello and orchestra, written between 1954 and 1955.
- Titus Feuerfuchs oder Die Liebe, Tücke und Perücke (Titus Feuerfuchs or Love, Malice, and the Wig): An opera from 1958.
- 3. Piano Concerto: His third concerto for piano and orchestra, from 1961 to 1962.
- Das Gespenst von Canterville (The Canterville Ghost): A play with music made for television, based on a story by Oscar Wilde. It was created between 1962 and 1963.
- Poème funèbre - En mémoire de Paul Hindemith: A sad poem for a string orchestra, written in memory of another composer, Paul Hindemith, in 1965.
- Omnia ad Unum: A cantata, which is a piece of music for voices and instruments, from 1965 to 1966.
- Madame Bovary: An opera based on a famous novel by Gustave Flaubert, from 1967.
- 2. Cello Concerto: His second concerto for cello and orchestra, from 1971.
- Te Deum: Another type of religious music, from 1975.
- Clarinet Concerto: A concerto for the clarinet and orchestra, from 1975 to 1976.
- Consolatio philosophiae: A 'Scène dramatique' (dramatic scene) from 1979.
See also
In Spanish: Heinrich Sutermeister para niños
