Composer
Biography:
Nicholas Brass, Born in Lindau on Lake Constance in 1949, he first studied medicine and private composition with Peter Kiesewetter at the Music Academy in Munich. He completed his medical studies at the Freie Universität Berlin. He also studied composition with Frank Michael Beyer and later privately with Helmut Lachenmann. Between 1978 and 1986 he repeatedly attended the Darmstadt Summer Courses, where he also met Morton Feldman. In 1981, after being invited to the Gaudeamus Muziekweek in the Netherlands, he began publishing his compositions.
Since then, there have been numerous world premieres and first performances at the most important festivals for new music (including the Donaueschingen Music Days, musica viva Munich, Ultrasound Berlin, ECLAT Stuttgart, Klangspuren Schwaz, and the Witten Days for New Chamber Music). In addition to orchestral works such as The garden for four male voices and orchestra (UA 2012 under Peter Eötvös; musica viva) form music for voices like fallacies of hope – german requiem, with text projections from the novel The Aesthetics of Resistance by Peter Weiss for 32 voices (UA 2014, SWR vocal ensemble under Florian Helgath; ECLAT) and chamber music are the focal points of his work. Most recently, Brass has increasingly devoted himself to scenic projects (world premiere of his chamber music theatre summer day based on the drama of the same name by Jon Fosse, at the Munich Biennale 2014). He has also appeared as an author of radio programs and magazine articles.
Nikolaus Brass has received numerous prizes and awards, including the Music Prize of the City of Munich in 2009. He has been a member of the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts since 2014.
Albums:
Figures of Desire – Works for Meantone Tempered Accordion:
Choral and Orchestral Works Vol. 2:
Works for Clarinet and Strings:
Time in the ground – of the growing present:
