Stefan Hakenberg
Encyclopedia
Born in Wuppertal
, Germany
, composer Stefan Hakenberg now resides in Juneau, Alaska
. Reviewers have praised his music as "highly original," "dramatic and memorable," "creating strong musical expressions in a densely contrapuntal style." The integration of players of non-western classical background has particularly shaped Hakenberg's creative thought. His work is an ongoing reflection on musical styles of today that he finds along an international career path that has taken him from Cologne
in the 80s to Boston
in the 90s to Seoul
at the turn of the millennium.
Stefan Hakenberg counts Hans Werner Henze
, Bernard Rands
, Mario Davidovsky
and Oliver Knussen
amongst his teachers. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik Köln
and received his Ph.D.
from Harvard University
.
Stefan Hakenberg together with his wife, kayagum player Jocelyn Clark, founded the Alaskan contemporary music organization "CrossSound," which won an ASCAP-Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming, and received an NEA Creativity Grant for a program including Hakenberg's pansori “Klanott and the Land Otter People.”
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, composer Stefan Hakenberg now resides in Juneau, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. Reviewers have praised his music as "highly original," "dramatic and memorable," "creating strong musical expressions in a densely contrapuntal style." The integration of players of non-western classical background has particularly shaped Hakenberg's creative thought. His work is an ongoing reflection on musical styles of today that he finds along an international career path that has taken him from Cologne
Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
in the 80s to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in the 90s to Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
at the turn of the millennium.
Stefan Hakenberg counts Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze
Hans Werner Henze is a German composer of prodigious output best known for "his consistent cultivation of music for the theatre throughout his life"...
, Bernard Rands
Bernard Rands
Bernard Rands is a composer of contemporary classical music.Rands studied music and English literature at the University of Wales, Bangor, and composition with Pierre Boulez and Bruno Maderna in Darmstadt, Germany, and with Luigi Dallapiccola and Luciano Berio in Milan, Italy.He held residencies...
, Mario Davidovsky
Mario Davidovsky
Mario Davidovsky is an Argentine-American composer. Born in Argentina, he emigrated in 1960 to the US, where he lives today...
and Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen
Oliver Knussen CBE is a British composer and conductor.-Biography:Oliver Knussen was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, Stuart Knussen, was principal double bass of the London Symphony Orchestra. Oliver Knussen studied composition with John Lambert, between 1963 and 1969 and also received...
amongst his teachers. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik Köln
Hochschule für Musik Köln
The Cologne University of Music is a music college in Cologne, and Germany's largest academy of music.-History:The academy was founded by Ferdinand Hiller in 1850 as Conservatorium der Musik in Coeln...
and received his Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Stefan Hakenberg together with his wife, kayagum player Jocelyn Clark, founded the Alaskan contemporary music organization "CrossSound," which won an ASCAP-Chamber Music America Award for Adventurous Programming, and received an NEA Creativity Grant for a program including Hakenberg's pansori “Klanott and the Land Otter People.”
Works
- Klanott and the Land Otter People a Southeast Alaskan p'ansori, in a prologue and five scenes after a story by Brett Dillingham, text by Chan Eung Park for P'ansori-singer, 3 violins, clarinet, bass clarinet, horn, drum and ZhengGuzhengThe guzheng or "gu zheng", also called zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18-23 or more strings and movable bridges....
(2005) - Ein Gesang der Loreley for violin, alto flute and clarinet (in A) - (2004)
- It Lightens, It Brightens . . . for bass recorder, kayagûm, bass-kotoKoto (musical instrument)The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
and cello (2003) - Der Nachmittag eines Gärtners for erhuErhuThe erhu is a two-stringed bowed musical instrument, more specifically a spike fiddle, which may also be called a "southern fiddle", and sometimes known in the Western world as the "Chinese violin" or a "Chinese two-stringed fiddle". It is used as a solo instrument as well as in small ensembles...
, cello, recorder, accordion, kayagûm and marimba (2002) - Small Craft for flute, violin, viola and euphoniumEuphoniumThe euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
(2001) - Wild Landscape and Underbrush for wind quintet (2000)
- Sir Donald for cello, kayagûm, and changgu (1999)
- Three Zithers and a Pair of Scissors five montages for KotoKoto (musical instrument)The koto is a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument, similar to the Chinese guzheng, the Mongolian yatga, the Korean gayageum and the Vietnamese đàn tranh. The koto is the national instrument of Japan. Koto are about length, and made from kiri wood...
, Kayagûm, changgu and zhengGuzhengThe guzheng or "gu zheng", also called zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18-23 or more strings and movable bridges....
(1998) - Bug Snatches Spider for violin, viola, cello, contrabass, flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, horn, percussion, and piano (1997)
- Cube for bass clarinet, drums and cello (1996)
- Drei Stücke for brass quintet (1994)
- Emergence for bass clarinet and percussion (1993)
Recordings
- 2008: S. Hakenberg: The Egg Musher - S. Taglietti: Memoirs of Elagabalus El Cimarrón Ensemble VDM Records
External links
- Composer's website, accessed 9 February 2010
- Boston Modern Orchestra Project biographical page, accessed 9 February 2010
- El Cimarron Ensemble page on Hakenberg's: The Egg Musher CD, accessed 9 February 2010
- El Cimarron Ensemble page Video clips of Hakenberg's: The Egg Musher, accessed 9 February 2010