Wolfgang Rihm
composer
The Berliner Philharmoniker and Wolfgang Rihm had a close artistic partnership. Works by the composer, who was the Philharmoniker’s Composer in Residence for the first time in the 1997/98 season and is again in 2024/25, are frequently featured in the orchestra’s programmes.
Born in 1952, Wolfgang Rihm was professor of composition at the University of Music in Karlsruhe. His compositions cover almost all genres of instrumental and vocal music. “I want to move and be moved”, Rihm said at a young age about subjective expression. The energy and sensuousness of his works are directly moving – and they have a language all of their own. Most recently, the orchestra presented [IN-SCHRIFT 2], commissioned by the Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation and specially conceived for the Philharmonie’s main auditorium, plus [Gruß-Moment 2], also created for the Philharmoniker as part of the [Tapas] series. Chamber music groups within the orchestra, such as the 12 Cellists, have also been presented with pieces by Rihm. The composer dedicated his Horn Concerto, written in 2013/14, to principal horn player Stefan Dohr. Wolfgang Rihm died on 27 July 2024.
