Friedrich Cerha 1926 - 2023
With the passing of Friedrich Cerha today, Klangforum Wien loses a most significant companion, patron and inspirer. His meticulous attention to detail and complete dedication to tonal beauty will remain unforgettable, and will continue to have a grip on even the most inhospitable territories of New Music. Cerha was and remains a fundamental pillar for the playing culture of Klangforum Wien. The ensemble's founder Beat Furrer: "From the sparse words of our conversations, I have always been able to perceive a great, authoritative and enthusiastic artistic personality."
"Our Ensemble owes Cerha a formative, intensive engagement with the Second Viennese School that is unparalleled and plays a significant role in the distinctiveness and artistic DNA of what we do. Friedrich Cerha is part of our family," says ensemble spokesman Benedikt Leitner.
For Klangforum Wien, Friedrich Cerha was more than just an outstanding composer, knowledgeable conductor and one of its first honorary members. Peter Paul Kainrath, artistic director of the ensemble: "Friedrich Cerha was a visionary pioneering spirit of free discovery until old age. With his politically differentiated but always pointed attitudes, he reminded us again and again that music has to work at the epicenter of a humanistically oriented society.
Vienna, February 14, 2023
Photo: Manu Theobald