Axel Ruoff, born in Stuttgart in 1957, studied composition, music theory, and piano in Stuttgart, Kassel, and Helsinki, and later pursued further musical training in Tokyo.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Axel Ruoff believes that music should speak for itself, communicating what words cannot, and that music needing translation to be understood has "missed the mark."
Compositional Technique
In "Happy Birthday. Variationen und Fuga grottesca," Axel Ruoff uses character variations and a fugue, subtly alluding to composers like Mozart, Johann Strauss Jr., Hindemith, Prokofiev, and Beethoven.
Compositional Technique
A recurring two-note motif with an ascending and descending semitone acts as a unifying element throughout Axel Ruoff's song-cycle In Hora Mortis, appearing in every song.
Performer Biography
Jan Lehtola, the organist on this recording, is an international virtuoso who has given over 160 world and regional premieres and has recorded more than fifty commercial albums.
Recording & Production
This album is the fifth and final installment in the complete recording of Axel Ruoff's organ music, focusing on previously unpresented aspects of his compositional output.
Composition History
Axel Ruoff composed "Happy Birthday. Variationen und Fuga grottesca" for organ as a birthday gift for his publisher, Friedemann Strube, joining a tradition of humorous stylistic parodies.
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