(c) Nafez Rerhuf

Johannes Kalitzke

Conductor | Composer

GENERAL MANAGEMENT

Mag. Stefan Fragner
Senior Artist Manager
+43 660 300 2897
fragner@rbartists.at

Helena Telen 
Assistant Artist Manager 
+43 660 300 2899 
telen@rbartists.at 

Biography

Born in Cologne, Johannes Kalitzke studied church music, piano (Aloys Kontarsky), conducting (Wolfgang von der Nahmer), composition (York Höller) and later electronic music (Hans Ulrich Humpert). He received a scholarship from Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes for studying at IRCAM in Paris, where his teacher was Vinko Globokar.

In 1984 he had his first engagement as conductor at Musiktheater im Revierin Gelsenkirchen, where he subsequently worked as Kapellmeister and later as principal conductor until 1990. He is co-founder of musikFabrik NRW and became its artistic director and principal conductor in 1991.

Johannes Kalitzke appears worldwide as conductor and composer and is a regular guest of ensembles like Klangforum Wien, Collegium Novum, Ensemble Modern as well as numerous Symphony Orchestras such as NDR Hamburg, BBC London, SWR Stuttgart, MDR Leipzig, HR Frankfurt, BR Munich, DSO Berlin and RSO Wien. In addition, he has conducted opera projects at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Stuttgart Opera, Komische Oper Berlin, Wiener Festwochen, Münchner Biennale, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Theater an der Wien, Theater Basel and Salzburger Festspiele.Tours in Russia, Japan and America as well as numerous CD-recordings complete his extensive activity as a performer of classical and contemporary music.

As a composer Kalitzke worked for Donaueschinger Musiktage, Ultraschall Musikfestival Berlin, Wittener Tage für Neue Musik and several radio orchestras. In addition, the Augsburg Philharmonic commissioned a silent film orchestra music for the film Die Weber (1927) in 2011.…

Born in Cologne, Johannes Kalitzke studied church music, piano (Aloys Kontarsky), conducting (Wolfgang von der Nahmer), composition (York Höller) and later electronic music (Hans Ulrich Humpert). He received a scholarship from Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes for studying at IRCAM in Paris, where his teacher was Vinko Globokar.

In 1984 he had his first engagement as conductor at Musiktheater im Revierin Gelsenkirchen, where he subsequently worked as Kapellmeister and later as principal conductor until 1990. He is co-founder of musikFabrik NRW and became its artistic director and principal conductor in 1991.

Johannes Kalitzke appears worldwide as conductor and composer and is a regular guest of ensembles like Klangforum Wien, Collegium Novum, Ensemble Modern as well as numerous Symphony Orchestras such as NDR Hamburg, BBC London, SWR Stuttgart, MDR Leipzig, HR Frankfurt, BR Munich, DSO Berlin and RSO Wien. In addition, he has conducted opera projects at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Stuttgart Opera, Komische Oper Berlin, Wiener Festwochen, Münchner Biennale, Nationaltheater Mannheim, Theater an der Wien, Theater Basel and Salzburger Festspiele.Tours in Russia, Japan and America as well as numerous CD-recordings complete his extensive activity as a performer of classical and contemporary music.

As a composer Kalitzke worked for Donaueschinger Musiktage, Ultraschall Musikfestival Berlin, Wittener Tage für Neue Musik and several radio orchestras. In addition, the Augsburg Philharmonic commissioned a silent film orchestra music for the film Die Weber (1927) in 2011. Kalitzke’s first opera Bericht über den Tod des Musikers Jack Tiergarten was performed at Münchner Biennale 1996. His second opera Molière oder die Henker des Komödianten, was comissioned by the federal state of Schleswig-Holstein, his third opera Inferno, based on a play by Peter Weiss was premiered at Theater Bremen. In 2010 Kalitzke received a commission for an opera based on Witold Gombrowicz’ novel Die Besessenen by Theater an der Wien. In February 2016 his latest opera Pym, based on the novel by Edgard Allan Poe, was premiered at Theater Heidelberg.

Kalitzke’s numerous teaching activities include seminars at Folkwanghochschule Essen and Hannover, at Darmstädter Ferienkurse and for the Deutscher Musikrat, as well as conducting classes at Sommerakademie Salzburg, Reina-Sofía Musikhochschule Madrid and Musikhochschule Zürich. In 2015 he was appointed Professor at Hochschule Mozarteum Salzburg.
Johannes Kalitzke has received many prizes and awards including "Bernd-Alois-Zimmermann-Preis" from the city of Cologne and a scholarship for Villa Massimo in 2003. Since 2009 he is member of the Academy of Arts in Berlin and since 2015 also member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts.

Current Projects lead him to Deutsche Oper Berlin, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Symphonieorchester des Bayrischen Rundfunks and the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra. Furthermore, he continues to focus on orchestral music for Expressionist silent film, among others as commission for the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik and the Carinthian Summer

(c) Johannes Kalitzke

The whole is meticulously rehearsed and realised. Patrizia Ciofi and Dietrich Henschel as the lovers, and Noa Frenkel and Terry Wey as their inner voices, sing with astonishing precision and commitment, also bringing a lithe physicality to their roles. The four-member Ensemble Nikel delivers instrumental virtuosity from the sides of the auditorium, the Vokalensemble performs with focused clarity, and the SWR Experimentalstudio creates magical live electronics that transform the auditorium into a hallucinatory auditory experience. Johannes Kalitzke conducts with sensitivity and rigour.

01.03.2024

Johannes Kalitzke conducts premiere of "Fin de partie“ in Dortmund
Show more

12.06.2023

Raab & Böhm Artists among Opus Klassik nominees
Show more

12.11.2019

Johannes Kalitzke conducts world premiere at Deutsche Oper Berlin
Show more

15.02.2019

Preorder now: Johannes Kalitzke with David Fennessy's new CD "Panopticon"
Show more

20.01.2017

Dennis Russell Davies and Johannes Kalitzke at the Ultraschall-Festival
Show more

Repertoire

Since 1999 all works by Johannes Kalitzke have been published at Boosey & Hawkes / Bote & Bock, Berlin

Story Teller
for cello and orchestra (2015-2016)

Premiere Haus des Rundfunks, Großer Sendesaal, Berlin, 18.01.2017
28’

Schatten
Soundtrack for the silent movie by Arthur Robison (1923) (2015-2016)
for mixed ensemble (2 or more instruments)

Premiere Ruhrgymnasium, Witten, 23.04.2016
85’

Pym (opera)
Libretto by Christoph Klimke based on "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket“ by Edgar Allan Poe, with additional texts by Walter Benjamin and Fernando Pessoa (German) (2014)

Premiere Theater, Marguerre-Saal, Heidelberg, 18.02.2016
100’

Angels Burnout Graffiti
for ensemble (2012)

Premiere Cologne, 13.12.2012
24’

Die Weber
Music for the silent film of the same name by  Friedrich Zelnik (1927) (2011)
for chamber orchestra (or small orchestra)

Premiere Augsburg, 24.06.2012
90’

Figuren am Horizont
for solo violin and six instrumentalists (2011)

Premiere Salzburg, 09.05.2012
27'

Monumente im Halbdunkel
graffiti for orchestra (2010)

Premiere Stuttgart, 2010
25'

Die Besessenen
Opera in 4 acts (2008/09)
Text: Christoph Klimke based on the novel of the same name by Witold Gombrowicz

Premiere Wien, 2010
130'

-inn Stufender sonderung
Metamorphosis for four male voices [2 T, 2 B] and accodion (2008)
Based on texts from the Prinzhorn Heidelberg Collection

Premiere Witten, 2008
20'

Ortswechsel
Hidden object game for live video, film and ensemble (2007)
Music by Johannes Kalitzke
Script and direction by Edgar Reitz
Text: Menna Baines

Premiere Donaueschingen, 2007
40'
 

Concertante version 2008:
Fremdes Bild mit Türstehern for instruments [fl, ob, cl, bcl, asax, bn, tpt, trbn, hn, tuba, 2 percussion, elec-gtr, pft, harp, vln, vla, 2 vlc, 2db, sound recording and soprano
Text: Menna Baines.

Premiere Frankfurt 2009
40’

Wanderers Fall
Ten songs for baritone and ensemble (2005)
Text: Walter Raffeiner

I. [without title]
II. Lento
III. Allegretto
IV. [without title]
V. … von pedantischer Besessenheit
VI. [without title]
VII. Mesto e tranquillo
VIII. [without title]
IX. [without title]
X. [without title]

Premiere Graz, 2005
20’

Inferno
Opera based on the play with the same name by Peter Weiss (2004)
Text: Johannes Kalitzke based on Peter Weiss

I. Erster Kreis: 1. Uhrwerk – 2. Spirale – 3. Aria alla Scala – 4. Boogie – 5. Aria del ponte – 6. Marcia funebre – 7. Valse – 8.Ragtime – 9. Aria del ponte (II)   – 10. Menuett
II. Zweiter KreisIntermezzo – 1.Toccata – 2. Der Song vom Glück – 3. Minos-Mechanik – 4. Pietà – 5. Rezitativ – Kerker – 6. Hoquetus – 7. Litanei; III. Dritter Kreis: 1. Intermezzo – 2. Schatten– 3. Labyrinth – 4. Spirale – 5. Epilog
Premiere Bremen, 2005
100’

memoria
for nine spatially separated instrumentalists (2003)
[2 tpt., 2 trbn, perc., Acc (aplified), chitarrone (amplified), E-guitar, glass harmonica (respectively. keyboard), Sampler] and live-electronics

Premiere Cologne, 2003
15’

»…   mit gänzlich fremder ähnlichkeit   …«
for solo organ (2002)
I. Flügel und Schatten
II. Umarmungen
III. Spiegelkampf.
Premiere Nürnberg, 2003
15’

Vier Toteninseln (eine Überfahrt mit J. Brahms)
For orchestra with two soloists [piano and baritone] (2002)
Texts: Buch Kohelet, Lord Byron, Cesare Pavese, Hans Arp

I. Verwacklungen
II. Trauermusik
III. Mühle
IV. Schleier
Premiere Berlin, 2004
27’

Wind Stille Zeit
For mixed choir [2 S, 2 A, 2 T, 2 B], brass ensemble [hn, 2 tpt. trbn, tuba, timp, perc] and live electronics (2001)
Texts: Buch Kohelet, Francesco Petrarca, Paul Celan

I. Gefesselt
II. Atemlos
III. Umschlungen
IV.Die Mühle
V. Verklingt
Premiere Köln, 2001
26’

Six Covered Settings
For string quartet (1999/2000)

I. Torso
II. Studie zu einer Kreuzigung
III. Calvary
IV. Reliquaire
V. Fleurs du Mal
VI. Blindensturz
Premiere Witten, 2000
23'