Suzanne Stephens
Encyclopedia
Suzanne Stephens is an American clarinetist, resident in Germany, described as "an outstanding performer and tireless promoter of the clarinet
and basset horn" (Hoeprich 2008, 218).
, the daughter of an American military officer, and grew up in the US, Heidelberg
in Germany, and Saumur sur Loire
in France (Kurtz 1992, 201). She studied clarinet initially with Ralph Hills in Fairfax, Virginia, and Sidney Forrest in Washington, D.C. She then studied in Paris with Ulysses Delecluse and Marcel Jean, before enrolling at Northwestern University
in Evanston, Illinois
, where she studied with Jerome Stowell, second clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
, receiving the degrees Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music. She won a Fulbright Scholarship in 1969–70, with which she pursued further studies under Hans Deinzer at the Academy of Music and Theater in Hanover
. After passing the Konzertexamen there, she won the Kranichsteiner Musikpreis at Darmstadt and a silver medal at the International Clarinet Competition in Geneva
, both in 1972. In 1973 she was appointed principal clarinetist of the Radio Orchestra of the South German Radio
in Stuttgart
, a position she held until 1975. In 1974–75 she was part of the German Young Soloists Podium (Grass, Demus & Hagmann 2002, 108).
In March 1974 she was a guest artist with the Oeldorf Group, a collective founded in 1971 by Peter Eötvös
, David C. Johnson, Joachim Krist, Mesias Maiguashca
, and Gaby Schumacher. They adopted this name because many of them lived in Oeldorf, a district of the municipality of Kürten
, and gave concerts of new music in a barn there. Most members of the group were closely connected with Karlheinz Stockhausen
, who lived nearby, and at that time was rehearsing his latest composition, Herbstmusik, with the group. Stockhausen added a concluding duet for clarinet and viola, titled "Laub und Regen" (Leaves and Rain), for Stephens to perform with Krist. Although Herbstmusik was not a success at its premiere at the Bremen
Pro Musica Festival on 4 May 1974, it led to one of the most fruitful collaborations in history between a clarinetist and a composer, which resulted in more than thirty works featuring both the clarinet, bass clarinet, and basset horn (Kurtz 1992, 200–202; Hoeprich 2008, 368; Weston 1995, 104–05).
Since 1974, Stephens has performed Stockhausen's works, always from memory, in Europe, Japan, Israel, India, South America, Russia, and the USA. Stockhausen's opera cycle Licht
includes a prominent basset-horn part in the role of Eve, also written for Stephens (Grass, Demus & Hagmann 2002, 108; Hoeprich 2008, 257).
It was at Stockhausen’s suggestion that Stephens took up the basset horn, in order that she should play a middle-register instrument between the trumpet and trombone, two of the other principal instruments in the opera cycle Licht, begun by Stockhausen in 1977. Stephens was often more of a co-creator than just an interpreter, collaborating in the exploration of all the dimensions of performance, including new playing techniques and special effects (such as flutter tonguing, glissandos, singing while playing, microtones
, breath and key noises), as well as special choreography and costumes. The basset horn Suzanne Stephens plays is an instrument built by G. Leblanc Cie/Paris
in 1977, with which she uses an E alto-clarinet mouthpiece in order to increase the resonance of the noises (Grass, Demus & Hagmann 2002, 108–109; Hoeprich 2008, 218–19, 257).
The monumental basset-horn part Licht by itself amounts to some eight hours of music: substantial portions of Donnerstag
(premiered in 1981 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, new staging in 1985 at the Royal Opera
at Covent Garden in London), Montag
(premiered in May 1988 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan), and Freitag
(premiered at the Leipzig Opera in 1996), as well as scenes from Mittwoch
(fourth scene, Michaelion, premiered in 1998 at the Prinzregententheater
, Munich) and Sonntag
(third scene, Licht-Bilder, premiered 16 October 2004 in Donaueschingen). More recently she performed the world premieres of the Fifth and Sixth Hours of Stockhausen’s last and unfinished chamber-music cycle Klang
: Harmonien, for unaccompanied bass clarinet (11 July 2007 in the Sülztalhalle, Kürten, during the Stockhausen Courses there), and Schönheit, for bass clarinet, flute, and trumpet (at the Grande Auditório of the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, on 5 October 2009).
Her involvement in the production of scores and records of Stockhausen works is very important to her, as is teaching and coaching the many clarinetists who have come to her for help in learning these works. Her main preoccupation is to guarantee the future of these compositions.
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and basset horn" (Hoeprich 2008, 218).
Biography
Suzanne Stephens was born in Waterloo, IowaWaterloo, Iowa
Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the population decreased by 0.5% to 68,406. Waterloo is part of the Waterloo – Cedar Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area, and is the more populous of the two...
, the daughter of an American military officer, and grew up in the US, Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
in Germany, and Saumur sur Loire
Saumur
Saumur is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.The historic town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc...
in France (Kurtz 1992, 201). She studied clarinet initially with Ralph Hills in Fairfax, Virginia, and Sidney Forrest in Washington, D.C. She then studied in Paris with Ulysses Delecluse and Marcel Jean, before enrolling at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Evanston, Illinois
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a suburban municipality in Cook County, Illinois 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, bordering Chicago to the south, Skokie to the west, and Wilmette to the north, with an estimated population of 74,360 as of 2003. It is one of the North Shore communities that adjoin Lake Michigan...
, where she studied with Jerome Stowell, second clarinetist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...
, receiving the degrees Bachelor of Music Education and Master of Music. She won a Fulbright Scholarship in 1969–70, with which she pursued further studies under Hans Deinzer at the Academy of Music and Theater in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. After passing the Konzertexamen there, she won the Kranichsteiner Musikpreis at Darmstadt and a silver medal at the International Clarinet Competition in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, both in 1972. In 1973 she was appointed principal clarinetist of the Radio Orchestra of the South German Radio
Süddeutscher Rundfunk
The Süddeutscher Rundfunk was a German radio and television station operating in the northern part of the state of Baden-Württemberg. It existed from 1949 to 1998, when it was merged with the then Südwestfunk to form the Südwestrundfunk....
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, a position she held until 1975. In 1974–75 she was part of the German Young Soloists Podium (Grass, Demus & Hagmann 2002, 108).
In March 1974 she was a guest artist with the Oeldorf Group, a collective founded in 1971 by Peter Eötvös
Peter Eötvös
Péter Eötvös is a Hungarian composer and conductor.Eötvös was born in Odorheiu Secuiesc/Székelyudvarhely, Szeklerland, Transylvania . He studied composition in Budapest and Cologne. From 1962, he composed for film in Hungary. Eötvös played regularly with the Stockhausen Ensemble between 1968 and...
, David C. Johnson, Joachim Krist, Mesias Maiguashca
Mesías Maiguashca
Mesías Maiguashca , is an Ecuadorian composer, an advocate of the new music, especially electroacoustic music.-Biography:...
, and Gaby Schumacher. They adopted this name because many of them lived in Oeldorf, a district of the municipality of Kürten
Kürten
Kürten is a village and a municipality in the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.-Neighbouring places:Nearby cities include Bergisch Gladbach, Overath, Wermelskirchen, and Wipperfürth...
, and gave concerts of new music in a barn there. Most members of the group were closely connected with Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen was a German composer, widely acknowledged by critics as one of the most important but also controversial composers of the 20th and early 21st centuries. Another critic calls him "one of the great visionaries of 20th-century music"...
, who lived nearby, and at that time was rehearsing his latest composition, Herbstmusik, with the group. Stockhausen added a concluding duet for clarinet and viola, titled "Laub und Regen" (Leaves and Rain), for Stephens to perform with Krist. Although Herbstmusik was not a success at its premiere at the Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
Pro Musica Festival on 4 May 1974, it led to one of the most fruitful collaborations in history between a clarinetist and a composer, which resulted in more than thirty works featuring both the clarinet, bass clarinet, and basset horn (Kurtz 1992, 200–202; Hoeprich 2008, 368; Weston 1995, 104–05).
Since 1974, Stephens has performed Stockhausen's works, always from memory, in Europe, Japan, Israel, India, South America, Russia, and the USA. Stockhausen's opera cycle Licht
Licht
Licht , subtitled "The Seven Days of the Week," is a cycle of seven operas composed by Karlheinz Stockhausen between 1977 and 2003. In total, the cycle contains over 29 hours of music.-Origin:...
includes a prominent basset-horn part in the role of Eve, also written for Stephens (Grass, Demus & Hagmann 2002, 108; Hoeprich 2008, 257).
It was at Stockhausen’s suggestion that Stephens took up the basset horn, in order that she should play a middle-register instrument between the trumpet and trombone, two of the other principal instruments in the opera cycle Licht, begun by Stockhausen in 1977. Stephens was often more of a co-creator than just an interpreter, collaborating in the exploration of all the dimensions of performance, including new playing techniques and special effects (such as flutter tonguing, glissandos, singing while playing, microtones
Microtonal music
Microtonal music is music using microtones—intervals of less than an equally spaced semitone. Microtonal music can also refer to music which uses intervals not found in the Western system of 12 equal intervals to the octave.-Terminology:...
, breath and key noises), as well as special choreography and costumes. The basset horn Suzanne Stephens plays is an instrument built by G. Leblanc Cie/Paris
Leblanc (musical instrument manufacturer)
Leblanc, Inc. is a musical instrument manufacturer based in Kenosha, Wisconsin.The company was purchased on 1 August 2004 by Steinway Musical Instrument Company, which now operates Leblanc as a division of its Conn-Selmer subsidiary.Leblanc inc...
in 1977, with which she uses an E alto-clarinet mouthpiece in order to increase the resonance of the noises (Grass, Demus & Hagmann 2002, 108–109; Hoeprich 2008, 218–19, 257).
The monumental basset-horn part Licht by itself amounts to some eight hours of music: substantial portions of Donnerstag
Donnerstag aus Licht
Donnerstag aus Licht is an opera by Karlheinz Stockhausen in a greeting, three acts, and a farewell, and was the first of seven to be composed for the opera cycle Licht: die sieben Tage der Woche...
(premiered in 1981 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, new staging in 1985 at the Royal Opera
Royal Opera
Royal Opera or Royal Opera House may refer to:* Khedivial Opera House, Cairo, Egypt; burnt down in 1971* Kungliga Operan, opera house and opera company in Sweden* Opéra Royal de Versailles, France* Opéra Royal de Wallonie, opera house in Liège, Belgium...
at Covent Garden in London), Montag
Montag aus Licht
Montag aus Licht is an opera by Karlheinz Stockhausen in a greeting, three acts, and a farewell, and was the third of seven to be composed for the opera cycle Licht: die sieben Tage der Woche...
(premiered in May 1988 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan), and Freitag
Freitag aus Licht
Freitag aus Licht is the fifth of seven operas that comprise Licht , by Karlheinz Stockhausen. It was the last of the operas to receive a staged production with the composer's involvement.-History:...
(premiered at the Leipzig Opera in 1996), as well as scenes from Mittwoch
Mittwoch aus Licht
Mittwoch aus Licht is an opera by Karlheinz Stockhausen in a greeting, four scenes, and a farewell. It was the sixth of seven to be composed for the opera cycle Licht: die sieben Tage der Woche . It was written between 1995 and 1997.-History:Mittwoch has not yet been given its staged premiere...
(fourth scene, Michaelion, premiered in 1998 at the Prinzregententheater
Prinzregententheater
The Prinzregententheater, or Prince Regent's Theatre, is a theatre and opera house located at 12 Prinzregentenplatz in the Bavarian city of Munich, Germany.- Building and History :...
, Munich) and Sonntag
Sonntag aus Licht
Sonntag aus Licht is an opera by Karlheinz Stockhausen in five scenes and a farewell, to a libretto written and compiled by the composer. It is the last-composed of seven operas that comprise the cycle Licht...
(third scene, Licht-Bilder, premiered 16 October 2004 in Donaueschingen). More recently she performed the world premieres of the Fifth and Sixth Hours of Stockhausen’s last and unfinished chamber-music cycle Klang
Klang (Stockhausen)
Klang —Die 24 Stunden des Tages is a cycle of compositions by Karlheinz Stockhausen, on which he worked from 2004 until his death in 2007. It was intended to consist of 24 chamber-music compositions, each representing one hour of the day, with a different colour systematically assigned to every hour...
: Harmonien, for unaccompanied bass clarinet (11 July 2007 in the Sülztalhalle, Kürten, during the Stockhausen Courses there), and Schönheit, for bass clarinet, flute, and trumpet (at the Grande Auditório of the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, on 5 October 2009).
Her involvement in the production of scores and records of Stockhausen works is very important to her, as is teaching and coaching the many clarinetists who have come to her for help in learning these works. Her main preoccupation is to guarantee the future of these compositions.
Discography
- 1976. Karlheinz Stockhausen, Sternklang. Polydor 2612031 (2LP). Hamburg: Polydor International GmbH. Reissued Deutsche Grammophon 2707 123 (2 LPs). Hamburg: Polydor International GmbH, 1976. Reissued on Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 18 (2 CDs). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1991.
- 1978. Karlheinz Stockhausen, Harlekin and Der kleine Harlekin. Deutsche Grammophon 2531 006 (LP). Hamburg: Polydor International GmbH. Reissued on Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 25. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1991.
- 1979. Karlheinz Stockhausen, Inori. (Suzanne Stephens, Japanese rinSinging bowlSinging bowls are a type of bell, specifically classified as a standing bell. Rather than hanging inverted or attached to a handle, singing bowls sit with the bottom surface resting...
). (Also with Stockhausen, Formel.) Deutsche Grammophon 2707 111 (2 LPs). Hamburg: Polydor International GmbH, 1978. Inori alone reissued on Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 22 (CD). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1991. - 1980. Karlheinz Stockhausen, Sirius. Deutsche Grammophon 2707 122 (2 LPs) Hamburg: Polydor International GmbH. Reissued on Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 26 (2 CDs). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1991.
- 1983. Karlheinz Stockhausen, Donnerstag aus Licht, opera. Deutsche Grammophon 2740 272 (4 LP box set) and 473 379-2 (4CD) (4 CDs). Hamburg: Polydor International GmbH. Reissued on Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 30-ABCD (4 CDs). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1992.
- 1985. Karlheinz Stockhausen, Tierkreis: Trio Version; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra in A Major, KV 622 (cadenzas by Karlheinz Stockhausen). Markus Stockhausen, trumpet and piano, Kathinka Pasveer, flute and piccolo; Suzanne Stephens, clarinet; Radio-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Karlheinz Stockhausen, cond. Acanta 23531 (LP) and 43201 (CD). Hamburg: Fono Team GmbH, 1985. Clarinet Concerto reissued as part of Stockhausen Conducts Haydn and Mozart. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 39 (2 CDs). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1993.
- 1986. Stockhausen, Karlheinz. Unsichtbare Chöre. Deutsche Grammophon 419432-1 (LP) and 419 432-2 (CD). Hamburg: Polydor International GmbH. Reissued on Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 31 (CD). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1992.
- 1988. Stockhausen, Karlheinz. In Freundschaft, Traum-Formel, Amour. Deutsche Grammophon 419 378-2 (CD). Hamburg: Polydor International GmbH. Reissued on Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 27 (CD). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag, 1992.
- 1992. Stockhausen, Monday from Light, opera. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 36-ABCDE (5 CDs). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag.
- 1992. Stockhausen, Ave and Tierkreis, Trio Version. (Also with Oberlippentanz.) Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 35. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag.
- Karlheinz Stockhausen, Michaels Reise: Solisten-Version, Markus Stockhausen, trumpet, Kathinka Pasveer, flute; Suzanne Stephens, basset horn, and 7 other musicians. ECM New Series. ECM 1406. Munich: ECM Records, 1992.
- 1994. Musik für Klarinette, Baßklarinette, Bassetthorn: Suzee Stephens spielt 15 Kompositionen. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 32 A–C (3 CDs). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag.
- 1994. Stockhausen, Examen. (Also with Eingang und Formel, Drachenkampf, Oberlippentanz, and 2 versions of Pietà.) Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 43 (2 CDs). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag.
- 2000. CD 55 Bassetsu-Trio (Suzanne Stephens, basset horn; Marco Blaauw, trumpet; Andrew Digby, trombone). With Mittwochs-Abschied
- 2002. Stockhausen, Europa-Gruss for winds and synthesizers (Suzanne Stephens, clarinet); Licht-Ruf (Suzanne Stephens, basset horn). Also with Two Couples, for electronic and concrete music, Electronic and Concrete Music for Komet, and Stop and Start for 6 instrumental groups. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 64. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag.
- 2003. Friday from Light, opera. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 50 (4 CDs). Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag.
- 2003. Stockhausen, Ten scenes from Freitag aus Licht. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 65. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag.
- 2005. Stockhausen, Licht-Bilder (3rd Scene of Sonntag aus Licht), for tenor, ring-modulated flute, basset horn, and ring-modulated trumpet. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 68. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag.
- 2007. CD 82 Bassetsu, for basset horn; Quitt, for alto flute, clarinet, and trumpet. (With Michaels-Ruf, Synthi-Fou, Komet, and Trumpetent) Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag.
- 2010. Harmonien and Schönheit. Stockhausen Complete Edition CD 87. Kürten: Stockhausen-Verlag.
Further reading
- Dobrée, Georgina. 1995. "The Basset Horn". In The Cambridge Companion to the Clarinet, edited by Colin Lawson, 57–65. Cambridge Companions to Music. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521470668 (cloth); ISBN 0521476682 (pbk).
- Graham, Stephen. 2008. "Klang: A Tribute To Karlheinz Stockhausen—Weekend 1: London Sinfonietta, Royal College of Music Orchestra/Knussen, Masson". MusicalCriticism.com.
- Jungerman, Mary C. 1999. "The Single-reed Music of Karlheinz Stockhausen: How Does One Begin?". The Clarinet 27: 52.
- Jungerman, Mary C. 2008. "Special Report: New Bass Clarinet Work from Karlheinz Stockhausen". The Clarinet 35, no. 2 (March): 74–75.
- Medić, Ivana. 2005. "The Stockhausen Composition and Interpretation Courses", translated by Dušan Zabrdac. New Sound: International Magazine for Music, no. 25.
- Weston, Pamela. 1989. Clarinet Virtuosi of Today. Baldock: Egon Publishers Ltd, 1989. ISBN 0905858468.
- Weston, Pamela T. 1997. "Stockhausen's Contributions to the Clarinet and Basset Horn....". The Clarinet 25, no. 1:60–61.
External links
- Suzanne Stephen biography on the Karlheinz Stockhausen website (Accessed 10 July 2010)
- Nordin, Ingvar Loco. "Stockhausen Edition no. 25 (Harlekin / Der kleine Harlekin)". Sonoloco Record Reviews.
- Nordin, Ingvar Loco. "Stockhausen Edition no. 27 (In Freundschaft / Traum-Formel / Amour)". Sonoloco Record Reviews.