Aribert Reimann (German pronunciation:['aʁiːbɛʁt'ʁaɪman], 4 March 1936 – 13 March 2024) was a German composer, pianist, and
accompanist, known especially for his literary operas. His version of Shakespeare's King Lear, the opera Lear, was written at the suggestion of
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, who performed the title role. His opera Medea after Grillparzer's play premiered in 2010 at the
Vienna State Opera. He was a professor of contemporary
Lied (art song) in Hamburg and Berlin. In 2011, he was awarded the
Ernst von Siemens Music Prize for his life's work.
Working with singers such as
Catherine Gayer,
Brigitte Fassbaender and
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau increased his sensibility for the potential of voices.[1][3] His first work for the stage was a ballet, Stoffreste, to a libretto by
Günter Grass and first performed in 1959. His first opera was in 1965 Ein Traumspiel,[1] to a libretto that
Carla Henius based on Strindberg's A Dream Play in the translation by
Peter Weiss; it was premiered on 20 June 1965 at the
Opernhaus Kiel.[1] His fourth opera, Lear based on
Shakespeare's play, was inspired by Fischer-Dieskau who portrayed Lear in the first performance at the
Bavarian State Opera in 1978.[1][4] The opera became a lasting success with 30 productions as of 2024.[1] His commissioned work, Cantus for Clarinet and Orchestra, dedicated to the clarinetist and composer
Jörg Widmann, was premiered on 13 January 2006, in the
WDR's Large Broadcasting Hall in Cologne, Germany, in the presence of the composer, who claimed the work was inspired by
Claude Debussy's compositions for clarinet. His opera Medea, after
Franz Grillparzer, was premiered at the
Vienna State Opera in 2010, conducted by
Michael Boder, with
Marlis Petersen in the title role.[3][5] It was chosen as world premiere of the year by critics.[2]
In the early 1970s, Reimann became a member of the
Akademie der Künste in Berlin. He was professor of contemporary
Lied at the
Musikhochschule Hamburg from 1974 to 1983, then at Berlin's Hochschule der Künste from 1983 to 1998.[2][3] Reimann was co-editor and pianist of the record label
Orfeo's album series Edition zeitgenössisches Lied (contemporary song).[6]
1995 Großes Verdienstkreuz mit Stern des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Knight Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany)
1999 Commandeur de "L'Ordre du Mérite Culturel" de la Principauté de Monaco (Commander of the Order of Cultural Merit of the Principality of Monaco)
Reimann's reputation as a composer rests on his literary operas, including Lear and Das Schloß, and song cycles. He also wrote
chamber music, orchestral works and songs.[1][4] His works were published by
Schott.[4]
Luigi Bellingardi, Alcune riflessioni sulla »Gespenstersonate« di Aribert Reimann, in: Sabine Ehrmann-Herfort/Markus Engelhardt (eds.), »Vanitatis fuga, Aeternitatis amor«. Wolfgang Witzenmann zum 65. Geburtstag, »Analecta Musicologica«, vol. 36, Laaber (Laaber) 2005, pp. 689–695.
Wolfgang Burde, Aribert Reimann, Mainz (Schott) 2005.
Albert Gier, Zurück zu Shakespeare! Claus H. Hennebergs Lear-Libretto für Aribert Reimann und seine englische Übersetzung von Desmond Clayton, in: Herbert Schneider/Rainer Schmusch (eds.), Librettoübersetzung: Interkulturalität im europäischen Musiktheater, Hildesheimn (Olms) 2009, »Musikwissenschaftliche Publikationen«, vol. 32), pp. 329–349.
Kii-Ming Lo, Unsichtbarer Herrscher über ein gehorsames Volk. Aribert Reimanns Oper »Das Schloß« nach Franz Kafka, in: Peter Csobádi,
Gernot Gruber, Ulrich Müller et al. (eds.), »Weine, weine, du armes Volk!« – Das verführte und betrogene Volk auf der Bühne, »Kongreßbericht Salzburg 1994«, Anif/Salzburg (Müller-Speiser) 1995, pp. 663–674.
Jürgen Maehder, Aribert Reimanns »Nachtstück« – Studien zu musikalischer Struktur und Sprachvertonung, in: Aurora (»Jahrbuch der Eichendorff-Gesellschaft«) 36/1976, p. 107-121.
Jürgen Maehder, Aribert Reimanns »Lear« – Anmerkungen zu einigen Strukturproblemen der Literaturoper, program book for the world premiere at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, München (Bayerische Staatsoper) 1978, pp. 61–73.
Jürgen Maehder, Anmerkungen zu einigen Strukturproblemen der Literaturoper, in: Klaus Schultz (ed.), Aribert Reimanns »Lear«. Weg einer neuen Oper, München (dtv) 1984, pp. 79–89.
Jürgen Maehder, Aribert Reimann and Paul Celan: The Setting of Hermetic Poetry in the Contemporary German Lied, in: Claus Reschke/Howard Pollack (eds.), German Literature and Music. An Aesthetic Fusion: 1890–1989, »Houston German Studies«, vol. 8, München (Fink) 1992, pp. 263–292.
Jürgen Maehder, Étude sur le théâtre musical d'Aribert Reimann – de »Lear« à »La sonate des spectres«, programme de salle pour l'Opéra National du Rhin, Strasbourg (TNOR) 1998, pp. 27–45.
Jürgen Maehder, Untersuchungen zum Musiktheater Aribert Reimanns. Musikalische Dramaturgie in »Lear« und »Die Gespenstersonate«, in: Jürgen Kühnel/Ulrich Müller/Oswald Panagl (eds.), Musiktheater der Gegenwart. Text und Komposition, Rezeption und Kanonbildung, Anif/Salzburg (Müller-Speiser) 2008, p. 342–373.
Jürgen Maehder, Aribert Reimann et Paul Celan. La mise en musique de la poésie hermétique dans le lied allemand contemporain, in: Antoine Bonnet/ Frédéric Marteau (eds.), Paul Celan, la poésie, la musique. »Avec une clé changeante«, Paris (Hermann) 2015, p. 351–372.
Klaus Schultz (ed.), Aribert Reimanns »Lear«. Weg einer neuen Oper, München (dtv) 1984.
Anselm Weyer: Günter Grass und die Musik (= »Kölner Studien zur Literaturwissenschaft«, vol. 16). Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main u. a. 2007,
ISBN978-3-631-55593-4 (Zugleich: Köln, Universität, Dissertation, 2005).
Sigrid Wiesmann (ed.), Für und Wider die Literaturoper, »Thurnauer Schriften zum Musiktheater«, vol. 6, Laaber (Laaber) 1982.