The Austrian Composer Dirk D’Ase has established a remarkable international reputation mainly based on his opera and orchestral works. His most important compositions include 6 Operas, 4 Solo Concertos, Orchestral Songs, 1 Symphony, Orchestral- and Chamber Music. Next season the Munich Radio Orchestra will perform his “Okavango Raincolors” conducted by Ulf Schirmer. At the moment D’Ase works on his 7th opera commissioned by the Neue Oper Wien.
In the Year 2008 a CD with three Solo Concertos, performed by Sylvain Cambreling / Klanforum Wien, Ulf Schirmer / Wiener Concert Verein and Peter Burwik / ensemble XX. jahrhundert with recordings from the Vienna Musikverein and Vienna Konzerthaus was released by the Austrian Broadcast (ORF) and VMS Musical Treasures. 2008 the Bregenz Festival dedicated a portrait concert to the composer, which also will be released on CD. He has been named Composer in Residence at the Musikverein Vienna, Composer Of The Year at Brussels Opera "La Monnaie" (Gerard Mortier), Composer in Residence for the Flanders Festival and the Vienna Academy of Music. For his Cello Concerto, which has been performed at the Bregenz Festival, he was granted the scholarship of the Vienna Symphonic Orchestra. In the same season his opera Einstein in America was premiered at the Opera House Ulm (Germany) as the highlight of the commemorative celebrations to mark the 125th anniversary of Albert Einstein's birth. For the famous Wiener Mozartjahr 2006 Dirk D'Ase wrote his sixth full-length Opera "Joseph Herzog".
D’Ases music was performed among others by Munich Radio Orchestra, Klangforum Vienna, Radio Symphony Orchestra Bratislava, Hugo Wolf Quartet and Ensemble Kontrapunkte and was commissioned by Vienna Musikverein (Clarinet Concerto, Silbermond, Feuerfluss…), Vienna Konzerthaus (Burning Day), Bregenz Festival (Trio D'Or), Neue Oper Wien (Brecht Orchestra Songs, Opera “ARREST”), Vienna Concert-Verein (Feuerlicht...Nachtschatten, Cello concerto), Brussels Opera (Ottetto), Klangforum Vienna (Violin Concerto), City of Ulm - Germany (Opera “EINSTEIN in America”), Hugo Wolf Quartet (2nd String Quartet), Flanders Festival (Accordion Concerto, Footprints, Homage a Scott Joplin), Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Vienna (Das wahre Sängerleben), Vienna Operntheater (1st Symphony), Danel String Quartet - France (1st String Quartet), Festival Antwerp'93, Cultural Capital of Europe (Opera “RED RUBBER”).
Dirk D'Ase studied composition with Luciano Berio, Friedrich Cerha and Krzysztof Penderecki. He travelled extensively in the southern part of Africa and subsequently wrote a thesis on South-East African traditional music. His travels and research in Africa have deeply influenced his approach to composition.
Composer in Residence / Composer Portraits
* Bregenz Festival 2008 (Composer Portrait)
* Vienna Concert-Verein as "Composer in Residence"
at the Vienna Musikverein 2003/04
* Vienna Academy of Music 2002/03 (Composer In Residence)
* Brussels Opera (Dir. Gerard Mortier) 1990/91 (Composer Of The Year)
* Brussels Opera 1991 (Composer Portrait)
* Flanders Festival 1988/91 (Composer In Residence)
* Vienna Urania 1987 (Composer Portrait)
Operas
* Joseph Herzog (2004/2006), libretto: Robert Schindel
Commissioned by the Wiener Mozartjahr 2006
* Einstein in Amerika (2001/2003), libretto: Gustav Ernst
Commissioned by the City of Ulm,
for the 125th anniversary of Albert Einstein's birth
* Arrest (1999/2000), libretto: Pavel Landovsky
Commissioned by the Neue Oper Wien
* Azrael (1998), libretto: Dirk D'Ase und Silke Hassler
Commissioned by NetZZeit, Wien
* Diary of Ronald Hansen (1996), libretto: Hugo Claus
Commissioned by Transparant, Antwerp
* Red Rubber (1992/1993), libretto: Alexander Styermark
Commissioned by the Cultural Capitol of Europ, Antwerp'93
Commissions (excerpt)
* Vienna Musikverein (Silberfluss, Feuermond... / Clarinet Concerto)
* Vienna Konzerthaus (Burning Day)
* Bregenz Festival (Trio d’Or)
* Neue Oper Wien (Brecht Orchestra Songs / Opera: ARREST)
* Vienna Concert-Verein (Feuerlicht...Nachtschatten / Cello Concerto)
* Brussels Opera (Ottetto)
* Klangforum Vienna (Violin Concerto)
* City of Ulm (Opera: Einstein in Amerika)
* Hugo Wolf Quartet (2.String Quartet)
* Flanders Festival (Footprints / Hommage a Scott Joplin)
* Arnold Schoenberg Choir, Vienna (Das wahre Sängerleben)
* Quatuor Danel, France (1.String Quartet)
* Antwerp'93, Cultural Capitol of Europe (Opera: Red Rubber)
CD Appearances
* Cello Concerto, Violin Concerto and Accordion Concerto (ORF 2008)
* Die Leidenschaften des Don Juan (Wien 2008)
* Einstein in Amerika, Franklins Brandrede (Ulmer Theater 2006)
* Arrest, Opera in one act (Neue Oper Wien 2001)
* States of Mind, Music for Mallets and Flute (Pierrot Lunaire Ensemble
Vienna 2000)
Literature
Musizieren, Lieben – und Maulhalten!
Albert Einsteins Beziehungen zur Musik, Schwabe AG Basel, 2006 Arnold Jacobshagen, Montage – Zyklus – Klangsymbol. Einstein–Kompositionen von Paul Dessau, Philip Glass und Dirk D'Ase
Dirk D'Ase und sein musikdramatisches Werk
mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der Uraufführung "Einstein, Spuren des Lichts" (Bruno Berger Gorski, Philologisch-Kulturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät der Universität Wien 2007)
Red Rubber / Ein Opernprojekt von der Idee bis zur Uraufführung
(Brigitte Pinter, Institut für Musiksoziologie, Musikhochschule Wien 1993)
African Adventures / Die Musik Süd-Ost Afrikas in einer Dokumentation und einer musikalischen Formanalyse anhand von 17 Musikbeispielen
(Dirk D'Ase, Institut für Volksmusikforschung, Musikhochschule Wien 1989) |
