
Günter Kochan (2 October 1930 – 22 February 2009) was a German composer. He studied with
Boris Blacher
Boris Blacher (30 January 1975) was a German composer and librettist.
Life
Blacher was born when his parents (of German-Estonian and Russian backgrounds) were living within a Russian-speaking community in the Manchurian town of Niuzhuang () (h ...
and was a master student for composition with
Hanns Eisler. From 1967 until his retirement in 1991, he worked as
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
for
musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an Originality, original piece or work of music, either Human voice, vocal or Musical instrument, instrumental, the musical form, structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new pie ...
at the
Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler". He taught
master class
''Master Class'' is a 1995 play by American playwright Terrence McNally, presented as a fictional master class by opera singer Maria Callas near the end of her life, in the 1970s. The play features incidental vocal music by Giuseppe Verdi, Giac ...
es in composition at the Academy of Music and the
Academy of Arts, Berlin
The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany.
The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...
. He was also secretary of the Music Section of the Academy of Arts from 1972 to 1974 and vice-president of the from 1977 to 1982. Kochan is one of eleven laureates to have been awarded the
National Prize of the GDR four times. In addition, he received composition prizes in the US and Eastern Europe. He became internationally known in particular for his Symphonies as well as the
cantata
A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...
''
Die Asche von Birkenau'' (1965) and his Music for Orchestra No. 2 (1987). His versatile
oeuvre included orchestral works,
chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...
, choral works, mass songs and film music and is situated between
socialist realism and
avant-garde
In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
.
Life
Origin and studies
Kochan was born in 1930 into a family of white-collar workers in
Luckau, Lower Lusatia. He received his first piano lessons at the age of seven from the local piano teacher Elfriede Sommer. Due to his musical talent, he attended the in Leipzig from September 1944. His fellow students included his later fellow musicians
Saschko Gawriloff, Eberhard Grünenthal,
Siegfried Kurz and
Siegfried Stöckigt. After the closure of the Musisches Gymnasium in 1945, he moved to the ''Oberschule Luckau'' in his hometown.
In 1946, his piano teacher arranged for him to take the entrance examination to the
Berlin University of the Arts
The Universität der Künste Berlin (UdK; also known in English as the Berlin University of the Arts), situated in Berlin, Germany, is the second largest art school in Europe. It is a public art and design school, and one of the four research uni ...
via the composer and music teacher
Siegfried Borris
Siegfried Borris (born Siegfried Jakob Boris Zuckermann; 4 November 1906 – 23 August 1987) was a German composer, musicologist and music educator. He became a lecturer at the Musikhochschule Berlin in 1929, but his career was interrupted durin ...
. After passing the examination, he waived the Abitur and began studying music in the main subjects
composition
Composition or Compositions may refer to:
Arts and literature
*Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography
* Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...
with (student of
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advo ...
) and
Hermann Wunsch (student of
Franz Schreker
Franz Schreker (originally ''Schrecker''; 23 March 1878 – 21 March 1934) was an Austrian composer, conductor, librettist, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, Schreker developed a style characterized by aesthetic pluralit ...
) and piano with Maria Petersen. The most important compositional influence on him to date was his counterpoint teacher
Boris Blacher
Boris Blacher (30 January 1975) was a German composer and librettist.
Life
Blacher was born when his parents (of German-Estonian and Russian backgrounds) were living within a Russian-speaking community in the Manchurian town of Niuzhuang () (h ...
.
[Dietrich Brennecke: ''Günter Kochan.'' In Dietrich Brennecke, Hannelore Gerlach, Mathias Hansen (ed.): ''Musiker in unserer Zeit. Mitglieder der Sektion Musik der Akademie der Künste der DDR.'' Leipzig 1979, .]
Already during his studies he built up networks with left-wing cultural workers who later supported him. From 1948 to 1951 he worked as a freelancer in the editorial department ''Unser Lied - unser Leben'' of the
Volksmusik
Alpine folk music (; German's ''Volksmusik'' means "people's music" or as a Germanic connotative translation, "folk's music") is the common umbrella designation of a number of related styles of traditional folk music in the Alpine regions of S ...
department of the
Berliner Rundfunk
The Berliner Rundfunk (BERU) was a radio station set in East Germany. The station formerly had a political focus and discussed events in East Berlin. Nowadays, it is a commercial radio station with a classic hits music format with the name "Berli ...
, headed by
Jean Kurt Forest
Jean Kurt Forest (2 April 19093 March 1975) was a German violinist and violist, Kapellmeister and composer. He began his career as concertmaster in film orchestras conducted by Paul Dessau, then played principal viola in Frankfurt and Hamburg. D ...
.
He also directed a
Free German Youth
The Free German Youth (; FDJ) is a youth movement in Germany. Formerly, it was the official youth wing of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.
The organization was meant for young adults, both male a ...
choir.
During this time, his political views also developed. The composer
Andre Asriel, who worked with him in radio, introduced him to
Hanns Eisler in 1949. As a student, he set
Bertolt Brecht
Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
's poem ' to music. After receiving his diploma in 1950, he moved to
East Berlin
East Berlin (; ) was the partially recognised capital city, capital of East Germany (GDR) from 1949 to 1990. From 1945, it was the Allied occupation zones in Germany, Soviet occupation sector of Berlin. The American, British, and French se ...
and, as Eisler's second student, began in composition at the
Academy of Arts, Berlin
The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany.
The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...
, which he completed in 1953.
About Eisler, he later remarked:
"He, unlike others, did not want to impose his conception of music on us, but to encourage us in our own development." From 1952 until his death he was married to the pianist Inge Kochan, ''née'' Schulze, with whom he had two children.
Professional beginnings
At the instigation of Rector
Georg Knepler
Georg Knepler (21 December 1906 – 14 January 2003) was an Austrian pianist, Conducting, conductor and musicologist.
Life
Born in Vienna, Knepler was a son of the composer and librettist and nephew of the music publisher and impresario . He ...
, he became a
lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. They may also conduct re ...
in composition and
musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an Originality, original piece or work of music, either Human voice, vocal or Musical instrument, instrumental, the musical form, structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new pie ...
at the
Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler" in 1950 (since 1964 ''Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler"''). This made him one of the younger teachers at the conservatoire, which was founded in 1950, along with Andre Asriel,
Ruth Zechlin,
Werner Scholz and
Dieter Zechlin.
Like other up-and-coming composers, he was put under considerable pressure by the cultural policy of the GDR in the course of the in 1951, to distance himself from the ''Western decadent art establishment'' This circumstance delayed his own development as a composer. He began his career as a composer with the Violin Concerto op. 1 (1952), which received extraordinary praise from musicologists such as Georg Knepler and
Eberhard Rebling as well as the Soviet composer
Anatoly Novikov.
In 1952, together with the music editor
Karl Laux Representative of the
Society for German-Soviet Friendship at the ''Polish Music Festival'' in Warsaw. In 1953 he was part of an official friendship delegation of GDR artists to the
Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. In the same year, the convinced communist joined the
Socialist Unity Party of Germany
The Socialist Unity Party of Germany (, ; SED, ) was the founding and ruling party of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from the country's foundation in 1949 until its dissolution after the Peaceful Revolution in 1989. It was a Mar ...
.
[Bernd-Rainer Barth (ed.): ''Wer war wer in der DDR? '' Berlin 2010.] From 1955 to 1963 he was a candidate for the Central Council of the FDJ.
During the 1950s he wrote quite a few youth and mass songs dedicated to, among other things, the
World Festival of Youth and Students
The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of Students after 1947. History
The festival has been held occasionally since 1947, mainl ...
. His ''Signale der Jugend'' (1951) became an important part of the FDJ's song repertoire.
After the suppression of the
Hungarian Revolution of 1956
The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...
and the lessons learned from the
20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
The 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union () was held during the period 14–25 February 1956. It is known especially for First Secretary Nikita Khrushchev's " Secret Speech", which denounced the personality cult and dictator ...
, he briefly thought of leaving the GDR for the West, but was then changed his mind by cultural officials Georg Knepler and
Nathan Notowicz. He initially adapted himself to the adopted in 1959. In 1971, for example, he still saw the music of the composer
Paul-Heinz Dittrich of the same age as the "
class enemy
The terms enemy of the people and enemy of the nation are designations for the political opponents and the social-class opponents of the power group within a larger social unit, who, thus identified, can be subjected to political repression. ...
". In 1961, he was proposed by the Department of Culture of the Central Committee of the SED for admission to the ''Music Section'' of the ''German Academy of the Arts'', but this was prevented by the composer
Paul Dessau
Paul Dessau (19 December 189428 June 1979) was a German composer and conductor. He collaborated with Bertolt Brecht and composed incidental music for his plays, and several operas based on them.
Biography
Dessau was born in Hamburg into a m ...
. In the same year Kochan undertook a study trip to Cuba and in 1962 became a member of the ''Friendship Committee GDR-Japan'' of the
World Festival of Youth and Students
The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of Students after 1947. History
The festival has been held occasionally since 1947, mainl ...
. At the invitation of the Soviet Composers' Union, he travelled to Moscow in 1964 with the composer Ernst Hermann Meyer. On his cultural-political ambitions Kochan later said:
[Peter Uehling: ]
de/archiv/der-komponist-guenter-kochan-is-after-long-illness-deceased-career-in-accordance,10810590,10622414.html The composer Günter Kochan has died after a long illness.
' In the ''Berliner Zeitung
The ''Berliner Zeitung'' (; ) is a daily newspaper based in Berlin, Germany. Founded in East Germany in 1945, it is the only East German paper to achieve national prominence since Reunification of Germany, reunification. It is published by Berl ...
'', 24 February 2009. "Despite all the difficulties, I always went my way, not out of egotistical intentions to succeed, but to make my specific contribution as a composer, comrade and citizen."
In retrospect, he criticised his work as a film composer for
DEFA
DEFA (''Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft'') was the state-owned film studio of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) throughout the country's existence. Since 2019, DEFA's film heritage has been made accessible and licensable on the PR ...
in the 1950s and 1960s in an interview:
"I had written film scores for DEFA - horrible. I still regret today that I let myself be talked into it. But they were well-paid offers. As a young composer, you want to try your hand in many areas."
Professor in Berlin
From the mid-1960s onwards, he tried to mediate between the old and new generation of composers. In 1967, he was appointed
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music.
[Short biography of Günter Kochan at the Akademie der Künste](_blank)
/ref> From 1968, he led a master class for composition at the ''Deutsche Akademie der Künste''.[''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 33 (1983), .] In 1972, he also took over a master class at the Berlin Musikhochschule. In 1973, he received a full professorship in Berlin through the support of Ernst Hermann Meyer, who considered him "the most gifted composer of the middle and younger generations." He was also a frequent lecturer at the ''Gera Summer Courses for Contemporary Music,'' founded in 1974 Among his best-known students today were the composers Udo Zimmermann
Udo Zimmermann (6 October 1943 – 22 October 2021) was a German composer, musicologist, opera director, and conductor. He worked as a professor of composition, founded a centre for contemporary music in Dresden, and was director of the Leipzig ...
, Lothar Voigtländer and Friedrich Schenker.
Verständlichkeit und Mahnung Hanns Eislers Meisterschüler. On the death of the composer Günter Kochan.
' In '' Neue Musikzeitung'' 03/2009. As a composition teacher, he wanted, according to his own statements, "never to impose my conception of music, but to encourage developments". Kochan worked as a lecturer from 1985 and became emeritus after the fall of communism in 1991.
Kochan received the National Prize of the GDR four times, returning the last one, and was a full member of the Academy of Arts, Berlin
The Academy of Arts () is a state arts institution in Berlin, Germany. The task of the Academy is to promote art, as well as to advise and support the states of Germany.
The academy's predecessor organization was founded in 1696 by Elector F ...
(from 1972 ''Academy of the Arts of the German Democratic Republic''; from 1990, ''Academy of the Arts of Berlin'') from 1965 to 1992. There, he served as secretary of the ''Music Section'' from 1972 to 1974, succeeding Kurt Schwaen. In 1972, he met with other cultural officials his musical idol Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded ...
, who was visiting Berlin. In addition, he was active in the central and district boards of the Berlin Composers' Association. From 1977 to 1982, he was vice-president of the Association of Composers and Musicologists of the GDR under its president Ernst Hermann Meyer.
After his first two symphonies and several vocal works, he ventured into opera ' in 1971, the premiere of which was realised under the conductor Heinz Fricke
Heinz Fricke (11 February 1927 – 7 December 2015) was a German conductor. From 1961 to 1992 he held the position of Generalmusikdirektor of the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin. He also worked at Den Norske Opera. In 2010 Fricke announced h ...
and the director Erhard Fischer
Martin Erhard Fischer (10 November 1922 – 20 December 1996) was a German music and theater director.
Career
Born in Radeberg, Fischer studied with in Dresden. His directing debut took place in Radebeul with Mozart's ''Die Entführung aus dem ...
at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden
The Staatsoper Unter den Linden ( State Opera under the Lime Trees), also known as the Berlin State Opera (), is a listed building on Unter den Linden boulevard in the historic center of Berlin, Germany. The opera house was built by order of Pr ...
in Berlin. For the 30th anniversary of the GDR, he composed the political oratorio ''Das Friedensfest oder Die Teilhabe'' (1979). In a 1979 interview with the musicologist Ursula Stürzbecher, he said: ''The problems of composing, the question, in other words, of how to compose, are similar all over the world. It is not a geographical problem, but a question of ideological location.''
After reunification
Kochan supported an open letter from composers to the Composers' Association in November 1989, which self-critically reflected on the organisation's recent work. In the opening words it was stated: ''The composers' association has reacted ..late, hesitantly and tactfully to socio-political challenges in recent years.'' As a consequence, those involved called for the resignation of the line-loyal chairman Wolfgang Lesser.
The Berliner Sinfonie-Orchester was considered his ''house orchestra'', which posthumously premiered his Sixth Symphony, completed from 2003 to 2006, in 2011 under the present name Konzerthausorchester Berlin
The Konzerthausorchester Berlin is a German Orchestra, symphony orchestra based in Berlin. The orchestra is resident at the Konzerthaus Berlin, designed by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The building was destroyed during World War II, and ...
. Kochan's works, however, were hardly ever performed after German unification, Only his chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...
works found a hearing. Since 1992, he lived in seclusion in Hohen Neuendorf
Hohen Neuendorf () is a town in the Oberhavel district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is located north west of Berlin.
Geography
Hohen Neuendorf is situated upon the Havel river (built on the Oder-Havel Canal) and is bordered by the Berlin areas F ...
near Berlin.
Kochan died of a lung condition in 2009 at the Ruppiner Klinikum at the age of 78. Part of his estate is now in the ''Archive for Contemporary Composers'' of the Sächsische Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden.
Importance
Kochan's orchestral works were premiere
A premiere, also spelled première, (from , ) is the debut (first public presentation) of a work, i.e. play, film, dance, musical composition, or even a performer in that work.
History
Raymond F. Betts attributes the introduction of the ...
d by the leading symphony orchestras of the GDR such as the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
The Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden (), or Saxon State Orchestra Dresden, is one of the oldest orchestras in the world, created by order of Maurice, Elector of Saxony in 1548. Under communist East Germany and until 1992 it was called Staatskap ...
and 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 , i.e ...
, the MDR Sinfonieorchester
The MDR-Sinfonieorchester (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 and Saxony ...
, the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has al ...
and the Berlin Symphony Orchestra. He worked with renowned conductors, including Claus Peter Flor, 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 con ...
, Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur (; 18 July 192719 December 2015) was a German Conducting, conductor. Called "one of the last old-style maestros", he directed many of the principal orchestras of his era. He had a long career as the Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewand ...
and Kurt Sanderling
Kurt Sanderling, CBE (; 19 September 1912 – 18 September 2011) was a German conductor.
Early life and career
Sanderling was born in Arys, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire (now Orzysz, Poland) to Jewish parents. His early work at the Deuts ...
.
Alongside Siegfried Matthus, he was one of the most frequently performed composers in the GDR. For example, at the most important festival for contemporary music in the GDR, the MaerzMusik
MaerzMusik is a festival of the Berliner Festspiele and has been held annually since March 2002 at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele and other venues. It is the successor festival to the Musik-Biennale Berlin and is considered one of the most impo ...
, from 1967 to 1989, no composer was presented more often than Günter Kochan. His works were not only performed in the so-called Eastern Bloc (in Cuba, Poland, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union), but also in other Western European countries, including the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom. According to Kochan's statements from the 1970s, his Violin Concerto was played about 40 times, his Second Symphony about 25 times, and the ''Ashes of Birkenau'' was broadcast by a total of seven radio stations.[Ursula Stürzbecher (ED.): ''Komponisten in der DDR. 17 Gespräche.'' Hildesheim 1979, .]
According to the Berlin music journalist Stefan Amzoll, Kochan advanced "since the 1970s among the first German composers of his generation". The Dresden-born musicologist Friedbert Streller
Friedbert Streller (21 December 1931 – 24 December 2017) was a German musicologist and composer.
Life
Born in HohburgMost sources name Hohburg near Wurzen as the place of birth, the German National Library gives Hohnstein. near Wurzen, Strell ...
counted him - as well as authors of music handbooks and feature writers of leading German media - "among the leading composers of the GDR". ''Die Zeit
(, ) is a German national weekly newspaper published in Hamburg in Germany. The newspaper is generally considered to be among the German newspapers of record and is known for its long and extensive articles.
History
The first edition of was ...
''-feuilletonist Heinz Josef Herbort especially counted ''his solo concertos as well as his symphonies ..among the best that the GDR Republic could represent outside'' ''The Ashes of Birkenau'', in turn, is among the first East German compositions to deal with the Holocaust
The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...
. Some of his chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...
works were written for renowned performers such as the Gewandhaus Quartet, pianist Dieter Zechlin and recorder player Markus Zahnhausen.
According to the Leipzig musicologist Werner Wolf
Werner Wolf (15 March 1925 – 23 December 2019) was a German musicologist and music critic. The acknowledged Richard Wagner, Wagner researcher was co-editor of ''Sämtlicher Briefe'' of the composer from 1967 to 1979. He also presented several op ...
, Kochan was "never a marketer of his music". Above all, however, his music was considered politically charged after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Music
Kochan belonged to the middle generation of composers in the GDR, alongside Gerhard Rosenfeld, Siegfried Thiele, Gerhard Tittel, Manfred Schubert, , Hans Jürgen Wenzel and Tilo Medek. But like Ruth Zechlin, unlike the aforementioned, he began composing immediately after the end of the war. He followed traditional form models, but also incorporated twelve-tone series technique. In the music scene of the GDR, Kochan therefore occupied a place between Socialist Realism and musical avant-garde
In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
.
His first valid composition, the First Violin Concerto, is still very tradition-bound and close to Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...
. However, Kochan soon developed a quite independent style, which initially emanated from his models Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith ( ; ; 16 November 189528 December 1963) was a German and American composer, music theorist, teacher, violist and conductor. He founded the Amar Quartet in 1921, touring extensively in Europe. As a composer, he became a major advo ...
and Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók (; ; 25 March 1881 – 26 September 1945) was a Hungarian composer, pianist and ethnomusicologist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century; he and Franz Liszt are regarded as Hunga ...
. He composed in a neoclassical, virtuoso style based on a greatly expanded tonality
Tonality is the arrangement of pitch (music), pitches and / or chord (music), chords of a musical work in a hierarchy of perceived ''relations'', ''stabilities'', ''attractions'', and ''directionality''.
In this hierarchy, the single pitch or ...
. In contrast, he disliked the strict serial orientation propagated at the Darmstädter Ferienkurse
Darmstädter Ferienkurse ("Darmstadt Summer Course") is a regular summer event of contemporary classical music in Darmstadt, Hesse, Germany. It was founded in 1946, under the name "Ferienkurse für Internationale Neue Musik Darmstadt" (Vacation Co ...
s.Werner Wolf
Werner Wolf (15 March 1925 – 23 December 2019) was a German musicologist and music critic. The acknowledged Richard Wagner, Wagner researcher was co-editor of ''Sämtlicher Briefe'' of the composer from 1967 to 1979. He also presented several op ...
:
Schaffen im Dienst des Humanismus. On the death of the great composer Günter Kochan.
' In: ''Neues Deutschland'' of 24 February 2009. Not Boulez
Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 19255 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war contemporary classical music.
Born in Montb ...
, Messiaen
Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...
or Varèse were musically appreciated by Kochan, but the moderate Polish composer Witold Lutosławski
Witold Roman Lutosławski (; 25 January 1913 – 7 February 1994) was a Polish composer and conductor. Among the major composers of 20th-century classical music, he is "generally regarded as the most significant Polish composer since Szymanow ...
, who also received much attention in the GDR.
The Dresden musicologist Dieter Härtwig
Dieter Härtwig (18 July 1934 – 30 December 2022) was a German dramaturge, musicologist and author of numerous writings on Dresden's music history and its personalities.
Biography
Dieter Härtwig was born in Dresden on 18 July 1934.
After gai ...
described Kochan's works as having a "tendency to playful detachment, to cheerfulness and optimism." After a concert at the Warsaw Autumn
Warsaw Autumn () is the largest international Polish festival of contemporary music. It was established in 1956 by two composers, Tadeusz Baird and Kazimierz Serocki, and officially established by the Head Board of the Polish Composers' Union ...
in 1959, the West German music theorist Diether de la Motte
Diether de la Motte (30 March 1928 – 15 May 2010) was a German musician, composer, music theorist, music critic and academic teacher.
Life
Born in Bonn, de la Motte studied at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold from 1947 to 1950, compositio ...
Kochan's music critically with the "Polish School":
In the 1950s, he became acquainted with the symphonies and string quartets of Shostakovich
Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded ...
and Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...
, which strongly influenced him. His tonal language subsequently became rougher, gruffer and more intense. Kochan gradually broke away from neoclassicism and increasingly incorporated newer compositional techniques among others dodecaphony. He achieved his mature style with compositions such as the cantata '' Die Asche von Birkenau'' (1965) based on a text by Stephan Hermlin, which has Auschwitz
Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...
as its theme, and the 2nd Symphony (1968). A particular trademark of his vital, powerful and expressive music are gritty, impetuous percussion passages.
His works of the following decades are essentially based on the level of these works, despite the expansion of his compositional techniques with aleatoric
Aleatoricism (or aleatorism) is a term for musical compositions and other forms of art resulting from "actions made by chance".
The term was first used "in the context of electro-acoustics and information theory" to describe "a course of sound ...
or serialism
In music, serialism is a method of composition using series of pitches, rhythms, dynamics, timbres or other musical elements. Serialism began primarily with Arnold Schoenberg's twelve-tone technique, though some of his contemporaries were also ...
. He could no longer make friends with the consistent departure from tonal reference patterns and neoclassical tendencies of his student Friedrich Schenker. Kochan himself saw his lessons with Hanns Eisler as immensely important. Especially his attitude towards the relationship between music and social criticism
Social criticism is a form of academic or journalistic criticism focusing on social issues in contemporary society, in respect to perceived injustices and power relations in general.
Social criticism of the Enlightenment
The origin of modern ...
was decisively shaped by Eisler. Thus, Kochan never lost sight of the listener; his music should remain comprehensible despite all modernity.
The cultural journalist Erik Buchheister attributed Kochan's music an "appellative character" with humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...
traits of a Karl Amadeus Hartmann
Karl Amadeus Hartmann (2 August 1905 – 5 December 1963) was a German composer. A major figure of the musical life of post-war Germany, he has been described as the greatest German symphonist of the 20th century.
Life
Born in Munich, the son ...
.
Students
* (Akademie der Künste): Udo Zimmermann
Udo Zimmermann (6 October 1943 – 22 October 2021) was a German composer, musicologist, opera director, and conductor. He worked as a professor of composition, founded a centre for contemporary music in Dresden, and was director of the Leipzig ...
(1968–1970), Nikolai Badinski (1969–1970), Lothar Voigtländer (1970–1973), Jürgen Kies (1981) and Reinhard Wolschina (1982–1984).
* Meisterschüler (Musikhochschule): Wolfgang Stendel (1972–1974), Michael Stöckigt (1973–1979), Frank-Volker Eichhorn (1974–1978) and Karl-Heinz Duschl (1981–1983).
* Other students: Peter Aderhold, , Jürgen Buttkewitz, , , , Helge Jung
General (Sweden), General Helge Victor Jung (23 March 1886 – 3 January 1978) was a Swedish Army officer. Helge Jung had a distinguished military career in the Swedish Army. He began as a volunteer in 1904, graduated from the Military Academy Kar ...
, Margaret J. Kartomi
Margaret Joy Kartomi (née Hutchesson) is an Australian Ethnomusicology, ethnomusicologist who is known especially for her contributions to the study of Asian music. She is an emeritus professor of Monash University in Melbourne. She specialises i ...
, Hermann Keller
Hermann Keller (20 November 1885 – 17 August 1967) was a German Protestant church musician and musicologist.
Life
Born in Stuttgart the son of an architect, he followed his father's profession by also studying architecture in Stuttgart and Mun ...
, , Burkhard Meier, , Friedrich Schenker and Gerhard Tittel.
Awards
* 1950: Kompositionspreis beim in Berlin (together with Andre Asriel für die ''Friedenskantate der Jugend'')
* 1953: Dritter Preis bei den World Festival of Youth and Students
The World Festival of Youth and Students is an international event organized by the World Federation of Democratic Youth (WFDY) and the International Union of Students after 1947. History
The festival has been held occasionally since 1947, mainl ...
in Bucharest, Romania (for his Concerto for Violin and Orchestra)
* 1954: Kompositionspreis beim Deutschlandtreffen der Jugend für Frieden und Völkerfreundschaft in Berlin (für ''In Bamberg, hinter dem Hügel'')
* 1955: Dritter Preis bei den Weltfestspielen der Jugend und Studenten in Warschau, Polen (for ''Gruß an Warschau'')
* 1957: (art prize of the FDJ)
* 1958:
* 1959: National Prize of the German Democratic Republic für Kunst und Literatur, 2. Classe im Kollektiv Störtebeker Festival
The Störtebeker Festival () is an yearly open-air theatre festival in Germany. It is based on stories around the medieval German privateer Klaus Störtebeker and his Victual Brothers, who later turned to pirates.
Founded in 1959, as part of an ...
(together with Kurt Barthel and für die Störtebeker-Ballade)
* 1959: Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic
The Art Prize of the German Democratic Republic (German: ''Kunstpreis der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik'') was an East German state award bestowed on individuals for contributions in various fields of art.
History
The Art Prize was annually a ...
* 1960: Ehrenzeichen des World Federation of Democratic Youth
The world is the totality of entities, the whole of reality, or everything that exists. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the world as unique, while others talk of a "plu ...
* 1964: National Prize of the GDR for Art and Literature, 3rd Class
* 1965: ''Sonnentor über Achat und Amethyst'', Composition Prize of the ''Vereinigung für künstlerische Beziehungen Amerikas'' (ARCA) in Montevideo, Uruguay
* 1966: for Music
* 1973:
* 1974: Patriotic Order of Merit
The Patriotic Order of Merit (German: ''Vaterländischer Verdienstorden'', or VVO) was a national award granted annually in the German Democratic Republic (GDR). It was founded in 1954 and was awarded to individuals and institutions for outstanding ...
in Silver
* 1975: Art Prize of the FDGB for Music
* 1978: Erster Kompositionspreis beim ''Third International Tuba-Euphonium Symposium-Workshop'' of the International Tuba-Euphonium Association (ITEA) an der University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
in Los Angeles, US (for ''Sieben Miniaturen'')
* 1979: Nationalpreis der DDR für Kunst und Literatur, 1. Klasse (In Würdigung seines kompositorischen Schaffens)
* 1982: Art Prize of the Society for German–Soviet Friendship
* 1987: Nationalpreis der DDR für Kunst und Literatur, 1. Klasse[Dietrich Herfurth: ''Der Nationalpreis der DDR.'' Berlin 2006, .] (In Würdigung seines kompositorischen Schaffens)
Publications
* ''Geht in die Betriebe!'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft
''Musik und Gesellschaft'' was a music magazine in the German Democratic Republic. It was published monthly from 1951 to 1990 in East Berlin by .
History
The journal was published from the first issue in March 1951 onwards by Ernst Hermann Mey ...
,'' 1 (1951), .
* ''Diskussion mit Hörern.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 13 (1963), .
* ''Mitgestalter der großen Sache.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 19 (1969), . ( Ulrich Dibelius (ed.): ''Neue Musik im geteilten Deutschland.'' Volume 2: ''Dokumente aus den sechziger Jahren.'' Henschel, Berlin 1995, , )
* ''Nicht die Technik ist das Entscheidende.'' In ''Beiträge zur Musikwissenschaft,'' 4 (1976), . (Ulrich Dibelius (ED.): ''Neue Musik im geteilten Deutschland.'' Volume 3: ''Dokumente aus den siebziger Jahren.'' Henschel, Berlin 1997, , )
Recordings
* Seven Miniatures for Four Tubas, Jim Self (tuba), Summit Records, 1995.
* ''Music in the GDR Vol. 1: Music for Orchestra No. 2.'' Konzerthausorchester Berlin
The Konzerthausorchester Berlin is a German Orchestra, symphony orchestra based in Berlin. The orchestra is resident at the Konzerthaus Berlin, designed by the architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. The building was destroyed during World War II, and ...
, Kurt Sanderling
Kurt Sanderling, CBE (; 19 September 1912 – 18 September 2011) was a German conductor.
Early life and career
Sanderling was born in Arys, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire (now Orzysz, Poland) to Jewish parents. His early work at the Deuts ...
(cond.). Edel Berlin Classics, 1995.
* ''Music in the GDR Vol. 2: The Ashes of Birkenau.'' Annelies Burmeister
Annelies Burmeister (25 November 1928 in Ludwigslust – 16 June 1988 in Berlin) was a German contralto and actress.
Burmeister studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Weimar. She was a member of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and made sever ...
(contralto), Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin
The Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra (''Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin'') is a German symphony orchestra based in Berlin. In Berlin, the orchestra gives concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin and at the Berliner Philharmonie. The orchestra has al ...
, Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur (; 18 July 192719 December 2015) was a German Conducting, conductor. Called "one of the last old-style maestros", he directed many of the principal orchestras of his era. He had a long career as the Kapellmeister of the Leipzig Gewand ...
(cond.), 1967. Edel Berlin Classics, 1995.
* ''Contemporaries East - Orchestral Works: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra op. 16.'' Dieter Zechlin (piano), MDR Sinfonieorchester
The MDR-Sinfonieorchester (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 and Saxony ...
, 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 con ...
(cond.), 1959; Violin Concerto, Egon Morbitzer (violin), 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 , i.e ...
, Friedrich Goldmann (cond.), 1982; Symphony No. 5, Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Claus Peter Flor (cond.), 1987; Hastedt, 1997.
* Symphonies: Symphony No. 4. Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Claus Peter Flor (cond.), 1987, Edel Berlin Classics, 2000.
* '' - Symphonic Music: Symphony No. 5.'' Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Claus Peter Flor (cond.). RCA Red Seal/BMG Classics, 2000.
* ''Music in Germany - Music for Film and Television: Italian Capriccio.'' Estradenorchester des Deutschlandsenders, Werner Krumbein (cond.). RCA Red Seal/BMG Classics, 2001.
* ''New Music for Recorder,'' Vol. 7: Music for alto recorder and harpsichord. Markus Bartholomé (alto recorder), Andreas Skouras (harpsichord). Cadenza/Bayer Records, 2002.
* ''Music in Germany - solo singing with orchestra: The Ashes of Birkenau.'' Annelies Burmeister (alto), Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Wolf-Dieter Hauschild (cond.). 1975; RCA Red Seal/BMG Classics, 2006.
* '' Musik der Zeit 30 - Werke II: Die Asche von Birkenau.'' Annelies Burmeister (contralto), Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Herbert Kegel (cond.), 1975; Sonata for Viola and Piano, Alfred Lipka (viola), Dieter Zechlin (piano), 1988; Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Günter Glaß (violin), Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, Adolf Fritz Guhl (cond. ), 1976; Music for Orchestra No. 2, Robert-Schumann-Philharmonie Chemnitz, Dieter-Gerhardt Worm (cond.), 1989. Hastedt, 2007.
Further reading
Complete work
* ''Günter Kochan.'' In Akademie der Künste der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (ed.): ''Handbook 1982-1986.'' Henschel Verlag, Berlin 1988, pp. 137 ff.
* Bernd-Rainer Barth
Bernd-Rainer Barth (born East Berlin 1957) is a German historian of the modern period.
Life
The son of an East German diplomat, Barth spent a large part of his early life in Hungary, studying between 1977 and 1983 at the Eötvös Loránd Universit ...
Kochan, Günter
In '' 5. edition. Volume 1. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, .
* ''Günter Kochan.'' In Klaus Börner: ''Handbuch der Klavierliteratur zu vier Händen an einem Instrument.'' Atlantis Musikbuch-Verlag, Zurich/Mainz 2005, , .
* Dietrich Brennecke: ''Günter Kochan.'' In Dietrich Brennecke, Hannelore Gerlach, Mathias Hansen (ed.): ''Musicians in our time. Members of the Music Section of the Academy of Arts of the GDR.'' Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1979, pp. 151 ff.
* ''Kochan, Günter.'' In Wilhelm Buschkötter, Hansjürgen Schaefer: ''Handbuch der internationalen Konzertliteratur. Instrumental and vocal music anual of international concert literature'' 2nd revised and expanded edition. de Gruyter
Walter de Gruyter GmbH, known as De Gruyter (), is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature.
History
The roots of the company go back to 1749 when Frederick the Great granted the Königliche Realschule in Be ...
, Berlin/New York 1996, , pp. 476 f.
* ''Kochan, Günter.'' In Carl Dahlhaus
Carl Dahlhaus (10 June 1928 – 13 March 1989) was a German musicologist who was among the leading postwar musicologists of the mid to late 20th-century. #Selected bibliography, A prolific scholar, he had broad interests though his research foc ...
, Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht
Hans Heinrich Eggebrecht (5 January 1919 – 30 August 1999) was a German musicologist and professor of historical musicology at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität in Freiburg.
Life
Eggebrecht was born in Dresden. His father was a Protestant mini ...
, Kurt Oehl (ed.): ''Brockhaus-Riemann Music Encyclopaedia.'' CD-ROM. Directmedia Publishing, Berlin 2004, , .
* ''Kochan, Günter.'' In , Walter Habel (ed.): '' The German Who's Who 2000/2001.'' 39. edition. Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck 2000, , .
* Annette Thein: ''Kochan, Günter.'' In Ludwig Finscher
Ludwig Finscher (14 March 193030 June 2020) was a German musicologist. He was a professor of music history at the University of Heidelberg from 1981 to 1995 and editor of the encyclopedia '' Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart''. He is respect ...
(ed.): ''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart
''Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart'' (''MGG''; "Music in the Past and Present") is a German music encyclopedia. It is among the world's most comprehensive encyclopedias of music history and musicology, on account of its scope, content, wealth ...
'' (MGG). Volume 2. Bärenreiter
Bärenreiter (Bärenreiter-Verlag) is a German classical music publishing house based in Kassel. The firm was founded by Karl Vötterle (1903–1975) in Augsburg in 1923, and moved to Kassel in 1927, where it still has its headquarters; it ...
, Kassel mong others1996, .
* ''Günter Kochan.'' In Peter Hollfelder: ''Geschichte der Klaviermusik.'' vol. 1. Noetzel, Wilhelmshaven 1989, , .
* Hans-Joachim Kynaß: ''Günter Kochan.'' Association of German Composers and Musicologists, Music Information Centre, Berlin 1967.
* ''Günter Kochan.'' In Sigrid Neef (with Hermann Neef): ''Deutsche Oper im 20. Jahrhundert. DDR 1949-1989.'' Lang, Berlin 1992, , .
* ''Günter Kochan.'' In (ed.): ''Concert Book. Piano Music A-Z.'' Deutscher Verlag für Musik, Leipzig 1988, .
* ''Günter Kochan.'' In Association of Composers and Musicologists of the GDR (ed.): ''Composers and Musicologists of the German Democratic Republic. Short biographies and lists of works.'' Verlag Neue Musik, Berlin 1959, pp. 97 ff.
Essays and individual studies
* Traude Ebert-Obermeier: ''Orchestervariationen von Günter Kochan.'' In Heinz Alfred Brockhaus (ed): ''Sammelbände zur Musikgeschichte der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik.'' Volume 4, Berlin 1975, .
* Hannelore Gerlach: ''Fünf Sätze für Streichorchester von Günter Kochan.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 1972, issue22, .
* Hannelore Gerlach: ''Die Analyse. Mendelssohn-Variationen für Klavier und Orchester.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 24 (1974), .
* Wolfgang Hiller: ''Günter Kochan zum 50. Geburtstag.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 30 (1980) 10, .
* Udo Klement
Udo Fritz Peter Klement (born 12 January 1936) is a German musicologist and music critic.
Life
Klement, non-denominational, was born in 1936 in Dresden as the son of a gear cutter and an agricultural worker and saleswoman. He attended the Dresdn ...
: ''Oratorium „Das Friedensfest oder die Teilhabe“ von Günter Kochan''. In: ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 31 (1981), .
* Eberhard Kneipel: ''Die Sinfonik Kochans. Anmerkungen zum sozialistischen Realismus im Musikschaffen der DDR.'' In ''Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift der Friedrich-Schiller-Unlversitat Jena,'' 23 (1974), .
* Hans-Peter Müller: ''Revision mit Konsequenz (die 2 Fassungen der Sinfonie mit Chor)''. In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 16 (1966), .
* Hans-Peter Müller: ''Die Asche von Birkenau zu Günter Kochans neuer Solo-Kantate.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 16 (1966), .
* Hans-Peter Müller: ''„… die Zeit, die wir begannen einzuleiten“. Betrachtungen zum Schaffen Günter Kochans und zu seiner III. Sinfonie.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 24 (1974), .
* Eberhard Rebling: ''Das Violinkonzert von Günter Kochan.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 3 (1953), .
* Lutz Riechelmann: ''Musik zu einer neuen Form des Volkstheaters Rügenfestspiele.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 9 (1959), pp. 541 ff.
* Hansjürgen Schaefer: ''Konzert für Klavier und Orchester op. 16 von Günter Kochan.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 9 (1959), .
* Hansjürgen Schaefer: ''Reichtum der Gedanken und Empfindungen. Bemerkungen zu Günter Kochans Sinfonietta 1960.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 12 (1962), .
* Hansjürgen Schaefer: ''Vergangenes im Heute bewältigt (Günter Kochans erste Oper).'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 21 (1971), .
* Hansjürgen Schaefer: ''Mit Ernsthaftigkeit und Konfliktbewußtsein. Günter Kochan: Sinfonie Nr. 5''. In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 38 (1988), .
* Frank Schneider: ''Günter Kochan – II. Sinfonie (Analyse).'' In Heinz Alfred Brockhaus (ed.): ''Sammelbände zur Musikgeschichte der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik.'' Volume 1. Berlin 1969, pp. 180 ff.
* Friedbert Streller
Friedbert Streller (21 December 1931 – 24 December 2017) was a German musicologist and composer.
Life
Born in HohburgMost sources name Hohburg near Wurzen as the place of birth, the German National Library gives Hohnstein. near Wurzen, Strell ...
: ''Günter Kochan (1930–2009). Komponist.'' In ''Mitteldeutsches Jahrbuch,'' 16 (2009), .
* Werner Wolf
Werner Wolf (15 March 1925 – 23 December 2019) was a German musicologist and music critic. The acknowledged Richard Wagner, Wagner researcher was co-editor of ''Sämtlicher Briefe'' of the composer from 1967 to 1979. He also presented several op ...
: ''Großartiges "Konzert für Orchester" by Günter Kochan.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 13 (1963), .
* Werner Wolf: ''Sinfonie für großes Orchester mit Chor.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 14 (1964), .
Interviews and conversations
* ''Das Publikum und die Neue Musik. Interview mit Günter Kochan uszug'' In Gisela Rüß (ed.): ''Dokumente zur Kunst-, Literatur- und Kulturpolitik der SED. 1971–1974.'' Seewald, Stuttgart 1976, , .
* ''Verschiedene Beiträge (Interviews).'' In ''Arbeitsheft der Akademie der Künste der DDR Forum: Musik in der DDR.'' Komponisten-Werkstatt, Berlin 1973, issue 13, pp. 13 f., 19 ff., 119, 142 f.
* ''Hanns Eisler – Leitbild heutiger Komponistengenerationen. Gespräch mit Günter Kochan.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 1986, issue 36, .
* ''Aus Gesprächen mit Günter Kochan.'' In ''Sinn und Form,'' 1985, issue 37, .
* ''Werkstattgespräch mit Günter Kochan. Zum 20. Jahrestag der DDR.'' In ''Musik und Gesellschaft,'' 1969, Heft 19, .
* ''Günter Kochan im Gespräch mit Ursula Stürzbecher''. In Ursula Stürzbecher: ''Komponisten in der DDR. 17 Gespräche.'' Gerstenberg, Hildesheim 1979, , .
References
External links
*
*
Günter Kochan
im Archiv Zeitgenössischer Komponisten der Sächsischen Landesbibliothek – Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden
Literatur über Günter Kochan
in the ''Bibliography of Music Literature
The Bibliography of Music Literature (BMS or BMS online, ) is an international bibliography of literature on music. It considers all kind of music and includes both current and older literature. Since 1968, the BMS editorial staff has also been wo ...
''
Günter Kochan
in der MusicSack-Datenbank
*
Günter Kochan on Filmportal
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kochan, Gunter
20th-century German classical composers
Holocaust commemoration
German opera composers
German film score composers
German music arrangers
Academic staff of the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin
Recipients of the Patriotic Order of Merit in silver
Socialist Unity Party of Germany members
1930 births
2009 deaths
People from Luckau
Berlin University of the Arts alumni