Thomas Larcher is an Austrian composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 and pianist

Pianist

A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...

.

Education, work as a pianist

Thomas Larcher completed his studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts, Vienna under Heinz Medjimorec and Elisabeth Leonskaja

Elisabeth Leonskaja

Elisabeth Leonskaja is a noted Georgian pianist and teacher. She was born on November 23, 1945 to a Russian family living in Tbilisi, then the capital of the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic....

 (piano), and Erich Urbanner

Erich Urbanner

Erich Urbanner is an Austrian composer and teacher.-Biography:Urbanner studied from 1955 to 1961 at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, in the composition classes of Karl Schiske and Hanns Jelinek, as well as studying piano with Grete Hinterhofer and conducting with Hans Swarowsky...

 (composition). He became well-known as a pianist whilst at university, focusing particularly in the area of contemporary music.

Larcher has performed under conductors such as Claudio Abbado

Claudio Abbado

Claudio Abbado, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI , is an Italian conductor. He has served as music director of the La Scala opera house in Milan, principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, principal guest conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, music director of the Vienna State Opera,...

, Pierre Boulez

Pierre Boulez

Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...

, Dennis Russell Davies

Dennis Russell Davies

Dennis Russell Davies is an American conductor and pianist. He studied piano and conducting at the Juilliard School where he received his doctorate...

 and Franz Welser-Möst

Franz Welser-Möst

Franz Welser-Möst is an Austrian conductor who is currently the music director for the Cleveland Orchestra and the Vienna State Opera.- Biography :...

, and worked closely with composers such as Heinz Holliger

Heinz Holliger

Heinz Holliger Heinz Holliger Heinz Holliger (born 21 May 1939 is a Swiss oboist, composer and conductor.-Biography:He was born in Langenthal, Switzerland, and began his musical education at the conservatories of Bern and Basel. He studied composition with Sándor Veress and Pierre Boulez...

, Olga Neuwirth

Olga Neuwirth

Olga Neuwirth is an Austrian composer.As a child at the age of seven, Neuwirth began lessons on trumpet. She later studied composition in Vienna at the Vienna Academy of Music and Performing Arts under Erich Urbanner, while studying at the Electroacoustic Institute...

 and Isabel Mundry

Isabel Mundry

-Biography:Isabel Mundry was born in Schlüchtern in 1963 and studied composition at the Hochschule der Künste and electronic music, musicology and history at the Berlin Technische Universität. From 1991 to 1994 she taught at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin and furthered her studies in Frankfurt...

. He is also active in the sphere of music festivals: he founded the “Sound Traces/Klangspuren” festival (which he ran from 1993 to 2004) and the “Music in the Giant/Musik im Riesen” festival, which he has been running since 2004.

Work as a composer

For some years now, Larcher has dedicated himself primarily to composing and is today considered one of the leading composers of contemporary classical music in Austria. His early works (including “Naunz”, “Cold Farmer” and “Kraken”) are scored almost exclusively for piano and chamber orchestra. In recent years, his oeuvre has also encompassed, alongside chamber music (String Quartets 2 and 3, “My Illness is the Medicine I Need”), more compositions for orchestra and ensemble, as well as works for soloist and orchestra (e.g. “Böse Zellen”, “Die Nacht der Verlorenen”).

Larcher has written numerous compositions for internationally renowned soloists and ensembles such as the London Sinfonietta

London Sinfonietta

The London Sinfonietta is an English chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London. The ensemble specialises in contemporary music and works across a wide range of genres, performing modern classics alongside world premieres, and includes music by electronica artists as well as folk and...

, the Artemis Quartet, Heinrich Schiff

Heinrich Schiff

Heinrich Schiff is an Austrian cellist and conductor. He studied cello with Tobias Kühne and André Navarra and made his solo debut in Vienna and London in 1971...

, Matthias Goerne

Matthias Goerne

Matthias Goerne is a German baritone.Born in Weimar, he studied with Hans-Joachim Beyer, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf....

, Till Fellner

Till Fellner

- Biography :Pianist Till Fellner was born in Vienna and studied at the Konservatorium der Stadt Wien with Helene Sedo-Stadler, and subsequently with Alfred Brendel, Meira Farkas, Oleg Maisenberg and Claus-Christian Schuster. He won first prize in the Clara Haskil International Piano Competition...

, the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Vienna and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. He has been commissioned by the Lucerne Festival

Lucerne Festival

- History :The festival was founded in 1938 with a series of concerts in the gardens of Wagner's villa conducted by Arturo Toscanini, who had formed an orchestra with members of different orchestras and soloists for the concert...

, London’s Southbank Centre and Wigmore Hall

Wigmore Hall

Wigmore Hall is a leading international recital venue that specialises in hosting performances of chamber music and is best known for classical recitals of piano, song and instrumental music. It is located at 36 Wigmore Street, London, UK and was built to provide London with a venue that was both...

, and the Zaterdagsmatinee in Amsterdam.

Selected works

Thomas Larcher's works are published by Schott Music

Schott Music

Schott Music is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe and is currently the second oldest music publishing house. The company headquarters of Schott Music was founded by Bernhard Schott in Mainz, Germany in 1770.Established in...

.

Orchestral works

• Red and Green for big orchestra (2010)

Orchestral works with solo instrument

• Still for viola and chamber orchestra (2002, revised 2004)
• Hier, heute (Here, Today) for violoncello, orchestra and CD (2005)
• Böse Zellen for piano and orchestra (2006, revised 2007)
• Concerto for violin and orchestra (2008–2009)
• Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra (2011)

Ensemble works

• Nocturne – Insomnia (2008)

Chamber music

• Cold Farmer, String Quartet No. 1 (1990)
• Kraken for violin, cello and piano (1994–1997)
• Vier Seiten for cello (1997)
• IXXU, String Quartet No. 2 (1998–2004)
• Mumien (Mummies) for cello and piano (2001)
• Fasern for clarinet, cello and piano (2006)
• Madhares, String Quartet No. 3 (2006–2007)
• Sonata for violoncello (2007)

Piano

• Klavierstück 1986 (Piano Piece 1986)
• Naunz (1989)
• Noodivihik (1992)
• Antennen-Requiem für H. (Antennae Requiem for H.) (1999)
• Smart Dust (2005)
• What Becomes/Was wird (2009)
• Poems, 12 pieces for pianists and other children (2009)

Vocal

• My Illness Is the Medicine I Need for soprano, violin, cello and piano (2002)
• Heute (Today) for soprano and orchestra (2005–2006)
• Böhmen liegt am Meer for baritone, clarinet, violin, cello and piano (2008)
• Die Nacht der Verlorenen for baritone and ensemble (2008)

Selected discography

CDs with music by Thomas Larcher

• Naunz (ECM, 2001)
• IXXU (ECM, 2006)

CDs with Thomas Larcher as interpreter

• Arnold Schönberg, Franz Schubert: Piano Pieces/Klavierstücke (ECM, 1999)

Awards

• Choc du Monde de la Musique
• German Record Critics Award, Quarterly Critics’ Choice 4/2006
• Editor’s Choice (Gramophone (magazine))

External links

• Thomas Larcher’s official homepage
• Thomas Larcher at ECM
• Thomas Larcher at Schott Music (England) (Schott Music
  Schott Music
  Schott Music is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe and is currently the second oldest music publishing house. The company headquarters of Schott Music was founded by Bernhard Schott in Mainz, Germany in 1770.Established in...
  
  )
• Management: Cathy Nelson