Dietrich Unkrodt (25 August 1934 – 26 June 2006) was a German tubist and

double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar i ...

player. He was employed at the Meiningen Theatre and moved to the

Komische Oper Berlin The Komische Oper Berlin is a German opera company based in Berlin. The company produces opera, operetta and musicals. The opera house is located on Behrenstraße, just a few steps from Unter den Linden. Since 2004, the Komische Oper Berlin, al ...

in 1960, where he remained until 2000.

Life

Born in

Prudnik Prudnik (, szl, Prudnik, Prōmnik, german: Neustadt in Oberschlesien, Neustadt an der Prudnik, la, Prudnicium) is a town in southern Poland, located in the southern part of Opole Voivodeship near the border with the Czech Republic. It is the ...

, Unkrodt was one of the pioneers of solo tuba music in Germany. Joachim Gruner composed a concerto for tuba and orchestra for him, which he premiered in 1978 with the orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin under the direction of Joachim Willert. He performed other solo works as a soloist at home and abroad as well as in radio productions. Together with the pianist and composer

Hannes Zerbe Hannes Zerbe (born 17 December 1941) is a German jazz composer and pianist. Life Zerbe was born in Litzmannstadt. After studying electrical engineering, he studied piano and musical composition at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" and ...

, he devoted himself to

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians duri ...

since 1980 in the duo Zerbe-Unkrodt. He was also a member of the Hannes Zerbe Blechband. Unkrodt taught since 1978 as a professor 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 ...

, seit 2003 auch an der

Universität der Künste Berlin The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research universiti ...

. He was a juror at various national and international competitions. Unkrodt died in

Cottbus Cottbus (; Lower Sorbian: ''Chóśebuz'' ; Polish: Chociebuż) is a university city and the second-largest city in Brandenburg, Germany. Situated around southeast of Berlin, on the River Spree, Cottbus is also a major railway junction with exte ...

at the age of 71. He is buried in the

Dorotheenstadt Cemetery The Dorotheenstadt Cemetery, officially the Cemetery of the Dorotheenstadt and Friedrichswerder Parishes, is a landmarked Protestant burial ground located in the Berlin district of Mitte which dates to the late 18th century. The entrance to the ...

in Berlin-Mitte.

References

External links

* * German classical tubists Jazz tubists Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin Academic staff of the Berlin University of the Arts 1934 births 2006 deaths People from Prudnik {{Germany-musician-stub