Einem, Gottfried von

▪ 1997

      Austrian composer (b. Jan. 24, 1918, Bern, Switz.—d. July 12, 1996, Oberndürnbach, Austria), created operas and orchestral works that combined the influence of the Romantic composers with the more contemporary styles of jazz and atonality. His best-known works were operas that reflected the dark atmospheres of the stories that inspired them. Einem was educated in Germany and England and in 1938 became a coach at the Berlin State Opera and the Bayreuth (Ger.) Festival. He studied (1941-43) with the composer Boris Blacher, who later wrote the librettos for four of Einem's works. In 1944 Einem enjoyed success with his first stage work, the ballet Prinzessin Turandot, which established his musical credentials and resulted in his appointment as resident composer and music adviser for the Dresden State Opera. Einem's international reputation was assured after the premiere of his first opera, Dantons Tod (Danton's Death), at the Salzburg (Austria) Festival in 1947. Another opera, Der Prozess (The Trial), also premiered (1953) at Salzburg. Based on the Franz Kafka novel, it recalled Einem's experiences with the Nazis when he helped a number of people escape from Germany and was arrested and interrogated by the Gestapo. One of his later operas, Der Besuch der alten Dame (The Visit of the Old Woman), first performed in 1971, was considered by many to be his greatest operatic success. It was based on the Friedrich Dürrenmatt play, and Dürrenmatt wrote the libretto. The 1980 premiere of Einem's opera Jesu Hochzeit caused a scandal with its erotic encounter between Jesus and a female representing Death. Over the years Einem also served in administrative positions for the Salzburg and Vienna festivals and taught composition at the Vienna Academy of Music.

* * *

▪ Austrian composer

born Jan. 24, 1918, Bern, Switz.

died July 12, 1996, Oberdürnbach, Austria

      Austrian composer whose operas and orchestral works combine late-19th-century Romanticism with 20th-century compositional practices such as dissonance and atonality as well as elements of jazz.

      The son of an Austrian military attaché, Einem was educated in Germany and England. He helped several people escape from Nazi Germany, and in 1938 he was arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned for four months. After his release he became a conductor and coach at the Berlin State Opera and the Bayreuth Festival. He studied (1941–43) with the composer Boris Blacher (Blacher, Boris), who later wrote the librettos for four of Einem's operas.

      Einem's first stage work, the ballet Prinzessin Turandot (1944), established his musical credentials. In 1945 he moved to Salzburg, Austria. His first opera, Dantons Tod (Danton's Death), with a text by Blacher based on Georg Büchner (Büchner, Georg)'s play, was produced in 1947 at the Salzburg Festival. The opera Der Prozess (The Trial), a work inspired by Einem's 1938 arrest and by Franz Kafka (Kafka, Franz)'s novel, was first performed in 1953. Einem composed several symphonic works for American orchestras, including the Philadelphia Symphony (1960). His opera Der Besuch der alten Dame (1970; The Visit of the Old Woman), with a libretto by Friedrich Dürrenmatt (Dürrenmatt, Friedrich) based on his play, is considered to be Einem's greatest operatic success. His other works include a piano concerto (1955) and the opera Kabale und Liebe (1975; Cabal and Love), based on Friedrich von Schiller (Schiller, Friedrich von)'s play. Einem's best-known operas reflect the darkness of the stories that inspired them.

* * *