Photographer: Elisabeth Siska ©
Wagner Wolfram
- Compositions
- General Information
- Education
- Activities
- Performances (Selection)
- Commissions (Selection)
- Awards
- Description of Style
- Press Reviews
- Teacher of (Person)
- Performer of (Composition)
- Contact, Links
Compositions
General Information
Wolfram Wagner was born in 1962 in Vienna. He studied composition in Vienna, London and Frankfurt. He has received several awards and distinctions, including being the winner at the international Anton Bruckner composition competition in Linz in 1997 and the Publicity Prize from Austro Mechana in 1995. In 1993 he was composer in residence at the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, London. He lectured on music theory and composition at the University for Music and the Performing Arts Vienna, was a guest lecturer at universities and conservatories in Paris, Amsterdam and Greensboro, USA. He has composed many works on commission (three operas, three oratories, one ballet, orchestra pieces, choir work, chamber music and songs, among others) for Wiener Musikverein, Wiener Konzerthausgesellschaft, and Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Carinthian Summer, Europäischer Musikmonat Basel, and New Opera Vienna. Performances have been with Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Residence Orchestra The Hague, Ensemble Kontrapunkte, Haydn -Trio Wien, Küchl-Quartett Wien, Artemis Quartett Berlin, Wiener Kammerchor, Wiener Singverein, Christian Altenburger, Ernst Kovacic, Wolfgang Panhofer, Milan Turkovic, etc. Performances and radio broadcasts have taken place in many European countries, including in the USA, South America, India and Japan. He has recorded several CDs (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation Edition Zeitton, etc.). Publishers include: Doblinger, Helbling, NÖ Musiked, apoll edit., edit. contemp art.
Wolfram Wagner, 2006
Education
| Period | Education | Instrument | Teacher | Education Organisation | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1977 - 1985
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1980 - 1987
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composition | ||||
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1984 - 1992
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music education, instrumental music education with flute and piano | ||||
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1985
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diploma | ||||
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1987
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diploma composition | ||||
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1987 - 1989
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guest student of composition | ||||
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1990 - 1992
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post graduate composition | ||||
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1991
|
guest student of composition | ||||
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1992
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diploma in music education, instrumental music education, Master of Arts |
Activities
| Period | Activity | Organisation | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1992 - 1993
|
composer in residence | ||
|
1995
|
teacher | ||
|
2003
|
lecturer for composition and music theory | ||
|
music theory teacher |
Performances (Selection)
| Period | Performance | Composition | Organisation | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1991
|
performance of the third part | |||
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1991
|
Stiftskirche Herzogenburg | |||
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1993
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1995
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European Symposium for Choir Music | |||
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1996
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1996
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1997
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Great choirs of Europe: Copenhagen, The Haag | |||
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1998
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Festival of Central European Culture, Purcell Room | |||
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1999
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Jeunesse tour; performances in Linz, Graz, Zwettl, Innsbruck and in Musikverein Wien | |||
|
1999
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2000
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performances in Berlin (Konzerthaus), Hannover (Expo), Amsterdam (Concertgebow) | |||
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2000
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2000
|
European Broadcasting Union - concert, "Lichter der Nacht" for soprano and string quartet | |||
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2004
|
Bulgarian Days of Austrian Music | |||
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2004
|
guest performance at the Bratislava National Theatre | |||
|
2005
|
Austrian Academy of Sciences Vienna, Festsaal | |||
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2007
|
Warsaw Autumn, Warsaw: portrait concert, performance of various pieces including | |||
|
2008
|
Verdehr Trio | |||
|
2008
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Commissions (Selection)
| Period | Commission | Composition | Commissioner (Organisation) | Commissioner (Person) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1994
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1995
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1996
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1996
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1997
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for Carinthian Summer | |||
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1999
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1999
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2001
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for the WörtherSeeClassic 2002 Festival | |||
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2002
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2002
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2003
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2004
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further compositions on commission for: Haydn-Trio, BMUK, Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Choir, Wiener Konzerthausgesellschaft, Wiener Musikverein, etc. |
Awards
| Period | Award | Composition | Awarding Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1986
|
promotional composition award for "Szene" for orchestra | ||
|
1991
|
Intercollegiate Composers Award: second prize | ||
|
1992
|
composer in residence for the piece "Dances in the Ether" for chamber orchestra | ||
|
1993
|
promotional award for composition | ||
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1993
|
state scholarship for composition | ||
|
1995
|
Publicity Award for composition | ||
|
1996
|
commendation for "Oktett" | ||
|
1999
|
promotional music award 1998 for the piece "concert for two pianos and orchestra" | ||
|
1999
|
second prize (no first prize was awarded) at the Anton Bruckner composition competition for "Messe" | ||
|
2008
|
recognition award for music |
Description of Style
It is my goal to harmonize a highly emotional and formal density. My pieces are often based on strictly formal, tonal, metric, even mathematical concepts, whereas other works are composed very freely. Direct expression is just as important for me as attention to the special sound and technical possibilities of the instruments, which gives some pieces, especially those for soloists, a virtuous character.
Wolfram Wagner, 2006
Press Reviews
1991
New inwardness; clear, straight, and unmistakeable. A music which is self-containing yet is does not close off the audience. (Remark.: Hiob)
Österreichische Musikzeitschrift
4. October 1993
Euphorically dancing rhythms and resourceful deployment of the basic texture. (Remark.: Dance in the Ether, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields)
The Times London
2. July 1995
Honest, clearly understandable, deeply moving music. Music that reverberates, that is magical. A rainbow of sound as a token of freedom. (Remark: Gebete der Welt, Augustinerkirche Wien)
Österreichische Musikzeitschrift (Rainer Hauptmann)
5. July 1996
Strict, full of calm and balance, with sophisticated agglomerations of sound and a distinctive rhythm. (Remark: concert for two pianos and orchestra, Wiener Jeunesse Orchester)
Wiener Zeitung
19. July 1996
Devilishly good music. Wagner confirms having a "dramatic paw": the music depicts the scenes, makes their contents clear, accentuates, is catchy to the ear, is listener and also singer-friendly. (Remark: Wenn der Teufel tanzt, Carinthian Summer)
Kronenzeitung
14. June 1999
Starting contemplatively, the piece then gives way to a catchy, Eisler-like clarity in its treatment of the text with two highlights of powerful motion. (Remark: Der Demiurg - Vokale Elegie, Danube Festival)
Die Presse
10. August 2000
Mathematically constructed, heavenly music set up against impulsive and rhythmically purposeful, earthly sounds. (Remark: Symphonia, Expo Hannover 2000)
Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung
5. December 2004
Wolfram Wagner's songs cast two-word lines in music slightly tuneful and racing at Indy speed. (Remark: lieblose - Liederzyklus, Austrian Cultural Forum Washington)
Washington Post
19. May 2005
Wolfram Wagner's Sonata is an explosion of fast bowing, bright textures, broad dynamics and ear-catching effects. (Remark: sonata for solo violoncello, Austrian Cultural Forum New York)
New York Times
2007
Already the classically slow, lament-like introduction of the nearly half-an-hour-long violin concert of Wagner's demonstrated the technical qualities of the composer, and this prodigiously conventional (literally) piece also has a post-romantic imprint throughout. Phrases of dominant rhythm escalated and sometimes took on film music-like touches. The treatment of the solo instruments concentrates on exhaustively employing its entire range of sound; the composer does not use modern effects but gives the soloist a possibility to express him or herself through cantilevered cadences. (Remark: violin concert)
Teacher of (Person)
Performer of (Composition)
Contact, Links
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