Volker David Kirchner facts for kids

Volker David Kirchner (born 25 June 1942 – died 4 February 2020) was a German composer and violist. A composer writes music, and a violist plays the viola, which is like a larger violin.

He studied music and composition at several schools. For many years, he played the viola in the Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt. He was also part of the Kehr Trio, a small music group. At the same time, he wrote music for plays at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden.

Kirchner became famous for his operas. Operas are plays where the story is told mostly through singing. Big opera houses in Germany asked him to write these works. His operas often told stories about real people from history, like Savonarola and Gutenberg. He also wrote two symphonies, which are large pieces for an orchestra. He created music for solo instruments, sacred music for churches, and many pieces for small groups of instruments (chamber music). His music was played and recorded all over the world.

A Musician's Journey

Volker David Kirchner was born in Mainz, Germany. He started learning to play the violin from his grandfather. He studied violin and how to compose music from 1956 to 1959.

He continued his studies at other music schools. Famous composers like Bernd Alois Zimmermann influenced him. He also played in jazz bands in Cologne.

After a concert of the Kehr Trio in Tehran in 1965, Farah Diba greets the musicians.

From 1962 to 1964, Kirchner was the main violist in a chamber orchestra. A chamber orchestra is a smaller orchestra. From 1966 to 1988, he played viola for the Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt. He also played in the Kehr Trio, traveling and performing in many countries.

In 1970, he helped start a music group called Ensemble 70. He also wrote music for plays at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden. This experience helped him learn how to write operas, focusing on how words and music work together.

Famous Operas and Concerts

Kirchner became well-known when his first opera, Die Trauung (The Wedding), was performed in 1975. After this, he was asked to write more stage works.

His opera Die fünf Minuten des Isaak Babel (The five minutes of Isaac Babel) was first performed in 1980. It was described as a "scenic Requiem," which is a special kind of musical tribute. Another opera, Gilgamesh, was created for a big event called Expo 2000.

His Violin Concerto was first played in Berlin in 1984. His Requiem Messa di pace was performed in Moscow in 1990. Many famous musicians played his music. These included violinists Ulf Hoelscher and Christian Tetzlaff, and cellists like Yo-Yo Ma.

In 1988, Kirchner became a full-time composer. He moved back to Mainz. In 1992, he was a featured composer at the Rheingau Musik Festival. In 1997, his work Labyrinthos opened a new theater in Mainz.

Volker David Kirchner passed away in Wiesbaden on 4 February 2020, at 77 years old.

What Music Did He Write?

Kirchner wrote many different kinds of music. He composed pieces for solo instruments, string quartets, and other chamber music. He also wrote symphonies and concertos for solo instruments with an orchestra. His biggest works were for the stage, especially operas.

His operas often explored important historical or political ideas. For example, Isaak Babel (1980) showed a person dealing with the Russian Revolution. Savonarola (2011) was about a religious leader from the past. Gutenberg (2012) told the story of Johannes Gutenberg, who invented the printing press.

Kirchner also wrote sacred music, which is music for religious settings. His mass Missa Moguntina (1993) was written especially for the Mainz Cathedral. He wanted the music to sound just right in that big church.

His works were published by Schott, a well-known music publisher.

Operas

• Riten (1971)
• Die Trauung (The Wedding, 1974)
• Die fünf Minuten des Isaak Babel (The five minutes of Isaac Babel, 1977–79)
• Das kalte Herz (The cold heart, 1980)
• Belshazar (1986)
• Erinys (1986–89)
• Inferno d'amore (1992)
• Labyrinthos (1994/95)
• Gilgamesh (2002)
• Ahasver (1998–2000)
• Savonarola (2011)
• Gutenberg (2011–12)

Music for Orchestra

• Choral Variations for 15 solo strings (1967–1968)
• Bildnisse I, II, III (Portraits I, II, III) for orchestra (1981–1991)
• Symphony No. 2 "Mythen" (Myths) (1992)

Concertos

• Nachtstück (Nocturne) for viola and chamber orchestra (1980–1981)
• Schibboleth, Poème Concertante for viola and orchestra (1989)
• Violin Concerto (1981–1982)
• Oboe Concerto (1997–1998)

Chamber Music

Kirchner wrote many pieces for small groups of instruments, including:

• Dybuk for marimba solo (1995)
• Aus dem Buch der Könige (From the Book of Kings), 3 Meditations for cello solo (2000)
• Piano Trio (1979)
• String Quartet [No.1] (1982–1983)
• Mysterion for alto flute, horn, viola d'amore, cello and piano (1985)
• Tre Poemi for horn and piano (1987)
• Und Salomo sprach ... (And Solomon spoke) for cello solo (1987)
• Der blaue Harlekin (Hommage à Picasso) for winds and brass (1981)
• Saitenspiel for violin and cello (1993)
• Gethsemani, Notturno for string sextet (1994)
• Quartet for clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1984)
• Il canto della notte (The Song of the Night) for various instruments (1997–1998)
• Many String Quartets (from No. 2 to No. 16)
• Piano Quartets (No. 1 to No. 4)

Keyboard Music

• Piano Sonata (1985–1986)
• Luces and Sombras (Lights and Shadows), 5 Tangos for piano (1999)
• Con mortuis in lingua mortua, three pieces for organ (2000)
• Nachlese for piano (2010)

Recordings

Some of Kirchner's music has been recorded.

• His mass Missa Moguntina was recorded in 1993.
• A recording called Beyond Time in 2015 included his quartet Exil for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano.
• In 2016, a recording of his vocal chamber music was released. It was titled Media vita in morte sumus (In the midst of life we are in death).

Awards and Honors

Kirchner received many awards for his musical work:

• In 1974, he won a prize for young composers from Rhineland-Palatinate.
• He received the Kunstpreis Rheinland-Pfalz in 1977.
• In 1992, he was given the Gutenberg Plaque of Mainz.
• He was the first person to receive the Rheingau Musikpreis in 1994.
• In 2007, he received the Peter Cornelius Plaque [de], the highest honor from Rhineland-Palatinate.
• In 2014, he was honored for his contributions to music culture.