Jukka-Pekka Saraste, a conductor on this album, began his career as a violinist before studying conducting at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Wolfgang Rihm described Friedrich Cerha's music as 'free music enabling freedom itself,' noting that Cerha found internal freedom despite restrictive political and personal surroundings.
Recording & Production
The album features two different orchestras: the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, and the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, each performing pieces commissioned by their respective broadcasters.
Performer Biography
Jukka-Pekka Saraste, a conductor on this album, was the first person to be named Conductor Laureate by the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra at the end of his tenure as Music Director and Chief Conductor.
Cultural Impact
Friedrich Cerha's creation of a performable version of the third act of Alban Berg's opera Lulu, which premiered in Paris in 1979, made a significant 20th-century work fully accessible to the musical world.
Composer Biography
Friedrich Cerha, the composer, engaged in active resistance and deserted twice from the German Wehrmacht during World War II, waiting out the war as a hutkeeper and alpine guide.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Composer Friedrich Cerha's works reflect his constant self-questioning, ranging from early neo-classicist pieces to serialism, large-scale compositions, stage works, and explorations of folk music from around the world.
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