Essays on the music of
Wolfgang Rihm

by Albrecht Moritz

Stockhausen pages
Maxwell Davies pages
Richard Barrett pages

Wolfgang Rihm (born 1952) is one of the most prominent composers of his generation. I have always loved the sheer visceral impact and excitement of Rihm’s music, the tension that it harbors, and the density and complexity of much of it. The large diversity of style in his works is attractive, while they always bear his personality. A lot of his music is clearly subjective, yet in many of his works the expression is more abstract. Either way, often the sounds and textures are immediately gripping.


© Albrecht Moritz 2011

String Quartet No. 3 (1976)

Tutuguri (1980-82)

Klangbeschreibung (1987)

Jadgen & Formen (1995/2001)

External links:

Wolfgang Rihm: the musical omnivore

Wikipedia article on the composer