GENERAL MANAGEMENT
Born in Cologne, Johannes Kalitzke studied church music, piano (Aloys Kontarsky), conducting (Wolfgang von der Nahmer), composition (York Höller) and electronic music (Hans Ulrich Humpert). He received a scholarship from Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes for studying at IRCAM in Paris, with Vinko Globokar.
In 1984 he had his first engagement as conductor at Musiktheater im Revier in 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 Elbphilharmonieor-chester, BBC London, SWR Symphonieorchester, MDR Leipzig, HR Frankfurt, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, DSO and RSB Berlin and RSO Wien. In addition, he has conducted opera projects at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin, Staatstheater Stuttgart, 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 contempo-rary music.
As a composer Kalitzke received commissions from Donaueschinger Musiktage, Ultraschall Berlin, Wittener Tage für Neue Musik, Musica Viva and numerous radio orchestras. In addition, the Augsburg…
Born in Cologne, Johannes Kalitzke studied church music, piano (Aloys Kontarsky), conducting (Wolfgang von der Nahmer), composition (York Höller) and electronic music (Hans Ulrich Humpert). He received a scholarship from Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes for studying at IRCAM in Paris, with Vinko Globokar.
In 1984 he had his first engagement as conductor at Musiktheater im Revier in 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 Elbphilharmonieor-chester, BBC London, SWR Symphonieorchester, MDR Leipzig, HR Frankfurt, Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, DSO and RSB Berlin and RSO Wien. In addition, he has conducted opera projects at Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Komische Oper Berlin, Staatstheater Stuttgart, 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 contempo-rary music.
As a composer Kalitzke received commissions from Donaueschinger Musiktage, Ultraschall Berlin, Wittener Tage für Neue Musik, Musica Viva and numerous radio orchestras. In addition, the Augsburg Philharmonic commissioned orches-tral music for the silent film Die Weber (1927) in 2011. Kalitzke’s first opera Bericht über den Tod des Musikers Jack Tiergarten was performed at Münchner Biennale 1996, followed by Molière oder die Henker des Komödianten in Schleswig Holstein, Inferno (based on a play by Peter Weiss) at Theater Bremen, an opera based on Witold Gom-browicz’ novel Die Besessenen at Theater an der Wien in 2010, Pym (based on the novel by Edgard Allan Poe) at Theater Heidelberg in 2016, and most recently by Kapitän Nemos Bibliothek for the Festivals in Schwetzingen and Bregenz in 2022.
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, Raina-Sofía Musikhochschule Madrid and Musikhochschule Zürich. In 2015 he was appointed Professor at the
Mozarteum Salzburg.
Johannes Kalitzke has received many prizes and awards including Bernd-Alois-Zimmermann-Preis from the city of Co-logne and a scholarship for Villa Massimo in 2003. He has been a member of the Academy of Arts in Berlin since 2009 and Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts since 2015.
Recent and upcoming projects lead him to the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Opera Ballet Vlaan-deren, Theater Dortmund (György Kurtág’s Fin de Partie), and Sofia Philharmonic. Furthermore, he continues to focus on orchestral music for Expressionist silent film, like recently Hoffmanns Erzählungen for Max Neufeld’s film with the Konzerthausorchester Berlin.
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.
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 Kreis: Intermezzo – 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'
