Alfred Lipka (1931 – 12 July 2010) was a German
violist
; german: Bratsche
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, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow
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*Violin family ...
.
Life
Born in
Schreckenstein near
Aussig, Lipka studied
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...
and
viola
; german: Bratsche
, alt=Viola shown from the front and the side
, image=Bratsche.jpg
, caption=
, background=string
, hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71
, hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow
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*Violin family ...
in
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits i ...
and at the conservatories of the
Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt, Weimar
The University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar (in German: Hochschule für Musik Franz Liszt Weimar) is an institution of music in Weimar, Germany.
The Hochschule
Franz Liszt, who spent a great deal of his life in Weimar, encouraged the founding of ...
and the
University of Music and Theatre Leipzig
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig (german: Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig) is a public university in Leipzig (Saxony, Germany). Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn ...
. He won prizes at the international viola competitions in
Markneukirchen
Markneukirchen () is a town in the Vogtlandkreis district, in Saxony, Germany, close to the Czech border. It lies in between the Erzgebirge and the Fichtelgebirge in the Elstergebirge, southeast of Plauen, and northeast of Aš (Czech Republic ...
, Budapest and Geneva.
In 1955, he became
concertmaster
The concertmaster (from the German ''Konzertmeister''), first chair (U.S.) or leader (U.K.) is the principal first violin player in an orchestra (or clarinet in a concert band). After the conductor, the concertmaster is the second-most signifi ...
at the and was then principal violist of the
MDR Sinfonieorchester from 1958 to 1963. He then moved to the
Staatskapelle Berlin
The Staatskapelle Berlin () is a German orchestra and the resident orchestra of the Berlin State Opera, Unter den Linden. The orchestra is one of the oldest in the world. Until the fall of the German Empire in 1918 the orchestra's name was ''Kö ...
as principal violist, where he worked until 1975. In addition, he was for many years a member of the
string quartet of the
Staatsoper Unter den Linden
The (), also known as the Berlin State Opera (german: Staatsoper Berlin), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Prussian king Frederick the Great from ...
, together with
Egon Morbitzer (1st violin), Bernd Müller (2nd violin) and Karl-Heinz Schröter (violoncello).
From 1975 to 2002, he held a professorship at the
Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler"
' (, plural: ') is the generic term in German for institutions of higher education, corresponding to ''universities'' and ''colleges'' in English. The term ''Universität'' (plural: ''Universitäten'') is reserved for institutions with the right to ...
.
Lipka performed as a soloist and
chamber musician in almost all European countries and in Japan and has conducted international
master class
A master class is a class given to students of a particular discipline by an expert of that discipline—usually music, but also science, painting, drama, games, or on any other occasion where skills are being developed.
"Masterclass" is als ...
es in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Great Britain, Finland and Greece.
He has recorded numerous works for his instrument for the disc, both as a soloist and as a chamber musician. He not only favoured classical works, but was also committed to contemporary compositions.
Lipka died in Berlin at age 79.
Recordings (selection)
*
Carl Stamitz
Carl Philipp Stamitz ( cs, Karel Stamic; baptized 8 May 17459 November 1801) was a German composer of partial Czech ancestry. He was the most prominent representative of the second generation of the Mannheim School.
He was the eldest son of Jo ...
, ''Konzert für Viola und Orchester D-Dur''
* Paul Hindemith, ''
Der Schwanendreher
Paul Hindemith's ''Der Schwanendreher'' (literally, "The Swan Turner") is a concerto for viola and orchestra. ''Der Schwanendreher'' occupies a place at the core of the viola concerto repertoire, along with the concertos by Walton and Bartók. It ...
''; with the
MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra
The MDR-Sinfonieorchester (in English, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra) is a German radio orchestra based in Leipzig. It is the radio orchestra of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, the public broadcaster for the German states of Thuringia, Saxony ...
conducted by
Herbert Kegel
Herbert Kegel (29 July 1920 – 20 November 1990) was a German conductor.
Kegel was born in Dresden. He studied conducting with Karl Böhm and composition with Boris Blacher at the Dresden Conservatory from 1935 to 1940. In 1946 he began c ...
– Eterna, 1970
External links
*
*
Alfred Lipkaon Konzertbuero-richter.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lipka, Alfred
German classical violists
Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin
Concertmasters
1931 births
2010 deaths
People from Ústí nad Labem