Johannes Maria Staud (*1974)
Johannes Maria Staud draws much of his inspiration from literature and the visual arts. Reflections on philosophical questions, social processes and political events also influence his compositions.
In doing so, his artfully constructed works follow a consistent dramaturgy.
The Lucerne Festival, where Johannes Maria Staud was composer-in-residence in 2014, presented several world and Swiss premieres, which are exemplary of the thematic diversity of his works: the violin concerto Oskar (Towards a Brighter Hue II), written for Midori, further develops the solo piece Towards a Brighter Hue, which took its inspiration from a sculpture by the English artist David Nash. The opera Die Antilope analyses the behaviour of society and the individual with a libretto by Durs Grünbein who also provided the text for Der Riss durch den Tag. The monodrama for Bruno Ganz, which received its world premiere in 2011 and could be seen again in 2014 in Lucerne, refers to Grünbein’s native Dresden and tells of social indifference, ignorance and their effects. The complete version of Zimt. Ein Diptychon für Bruno Schulz was premiered in Lucerne, a piece for which Johannes Maria Staud intensively studied the works of the Jewish writer and illustrator Bruno Schulz. The first part of this orchestral diptych, On Comparative Meteorology, was premiered in its original version in 2009 by the Cleveland Orchestra under Franz Welser-Möst and in the revised version in 2010 by the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra under Peter Eötvös; the second part, Contrebande (On Comparative Meteorology II) , was commissioned by Pierre Boulez for the Ensemble Modern, which gave the world premiere in 2010 under Peter Eötvös.
Johannes Maria Staud’s 2015/16 season begins at the Festival Musica in Strasbourg with the world premiere of Auf die Stimme der weißen Kreide (Specter I-III) , a large instrumental work for the Ensemble Modern. A week later, Specter of the Gardenia oder Der Tag wird kommen will open the steirischer herbst. The theatrical evening came about through a collaboration with Josef Winkler and will be performed by the Ensemble Modern under Emilio Pomàrico in a staging by Sofia Simitz. In October, the musikprotokoll im steirischen herbst will also present the world premiere of a new work for the ensemble recherche. The world premiere of Wasserzeichen for the Trio Catch is due in September at the Philharmonie Cologne. As an ECHO Rising Star, the young ensemble will perform the piece on a tour organised by the European Concert Hall Organisation, which will include Amsterdam, Brussels, Hamburg, Vienna, London and Porto among others. In May 2016, the Ensemble Intercontemporain will premiere the second part of Par ici – Par là at the ACHT BRÜCKEN festival in Cologne, presenting the complete ensemble diptych for the first time.
In 2015/16, Johannes Maria Staud will also return to the university where he began his compositional career: he will stand in for his former teacher Michael Jarrell for one year as professor of composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.
Click here to get the current composer's brochure.
1974
Born in Innsbruck
1994-2001
Studies of composition with Michael Jarrell, musicology and philosophy in Vienna, later composition with Hanspeter Kyburz in Berlin
2000
First Prize of the composition award "Hans Eisler", Berlin
2001
"Erste Bank" Composition Prize
2003
First Prize of the "International Rostrum of Composers" for composers under 30 years of age
2004
Advancement Award of the Ernst-von-Siemens Music Foundation
2005
World première of Apeiron by Berlin Philharmonic, cond. Sir Simon Rattle
2006
World première of Segue for violoncello and orchestra by Heinrich Schiff with Vienna Philharmonic (cond. Daniel Barenboim) at Salzburg Festival
2009
Paul Hindemith Award of the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival
2011
Capell-Compositeur at the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, there world première of Tondo by the Staatskapelle Dresden, cond. Christoph Eschenbach
2012
World première of Maniai by the Symphony Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio, cond. Mariss Jansons
2014
Composer-in-residence at the Lucerne Festival, there world première of the opera Die Antilope
2015/16
Substitution professor for composition at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Vienna
2016
Award of the City of Innsbruck for his Oeuvre
since 2018
Professor of Composition at the Mozarteum in Salzburg
Writings by Johannes Maria Staud
Die Musik in Wunden legen. Der Tiroler Komponist Johannes Maria Staud wurde gestern Donnerstag mit dem Preis für künstlerisches Schaffen der Stadt Innsbruck geehrt. Ein Gespräch über Musik, Demokratie und Kritik in bewegten Zeiten (mit Ivona Jelcic), in: Trioler Tageszeitung vom 22. November 2016