Siegfried Matthus
1934–2021, Mallenuppen, East Prussia
"Siegfried Matthus manages to meet prevailing listening habits halfway without falling into compromises or clichés. For a long time Matthus was the most frequently performed contemporary composer in the GDR. He began building a broader base of listeners in the West in the 1970s. Matthus has always devoted a great deal of time to his pedagogical interests. His personal accomplishment in this domain is the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg which he founded in 1991. It has taken him only a few years to turn this summer festival into a highly regarded springboard for 'stars of tomorrow' from all over the world."
Jury, Association of German Critics, 1998Awards
1984 · Honorary citizen of the city of Rheinsberg
1996 · Prize of the Internationale Theaterinstitut Berlin (ITI)
1998 · Prize of the Verband der deutschen Kritiker
2000 · Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1st Class
2013 · Louis Spohr Music Prize, City of Braunschweig
2015 · Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
1996 · Prize of the Internationale Theaterinstitut Berlin (ITI)
1998 · Prize of the Verband der deutschen Kritiker
2000 · Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1st Class
2013 · Louis Spohr Music Prize, City of Braunschweig
2015 · Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Memberships
Since 1969 · Akademie der Künste der DDR
Since 1976 · Akademie der Künste, West Berlin
Since 1978 · Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste, Munich
Since 1976 · Akademie der Künste, West Berlin
Since 1978 · Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste, Munich
Key Positions
Komische Oper Berlin (since 1964)
Kammeroper Rheinsberg (1991–2014)
Akademie der Künste Berlin (Master Class, 1972)
Biography
1934
Born in Mallenuppen, East Prussia, on 13 April
1948–1952
School studies and school-leaving exam in Rheinsberg
1952–1958
Studies at the Deutsche Hochschule für Musik in Berlin; composition studies with Rudolf Wagner-Régeny
1958–1960
Master student of Hanns Eisler at the Akademie der Künste Berlin
since 1960
Free-lance composer
since 1964
Composer and dramaturgical adviser for contemporary music at the Komische Oper in Berlin; collaboration with Walter Felsenstein, Götz Friedrich and Harry Kupfer
1966–1988
Conception and direction of the Kammermusik im Gespräch series at the Komische Oper in Berlin
1969
Member of the Akademie der Künste der DDR
1972
Direction of a master class at the Akademie der Künste; Secretary of the Music Section
1976
Member of the Akademie der Künste, West Berlin
1978
Member of the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste, Munich
1984
Honorary citizen of the city of Rheinsberg
1985
Appointed Professor
1991–2014
Artistic director of the Kammeroper Schloss Rheinsberg
1996
Prize of the Internationale Theaterinstitut Berlin (ITI)
1998
Prize of the Verband der deutschen Kritiker
2000
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, 1st Class
2013
Louis Spohr Music Prize, City of Braunschweig
2015
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
2021
Passed away on 27 August after a long illness in Stolzenhagen, Brandenburg