Friedrich Cerha

Friedrich Cerha (born 17 February 1926) is an Austrian composer and conductor.

Biography

Cerha was born in Vienna.

He received his education at the Viennese Music Academy (violin, composition, musician drawing) and at the University of Vienna (music sciences, German culture and language, philosophy). In 1958 he, together with Kurt Schwertsik, created the ensemble "die reihe", which was an important instrument for the spreading of contemporary music in Austria. Apart from his compositions, Cerha widely earned a reputation as an interpreter of the works of Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg and Anton Webern; his affinity for the works of the second Viennese school culminated in the completion of Alban Berg's opera Lulu by finishing the instrumentation of the 3rd act and filling the gaps in the score (premiered by Pierre Boulez in Paris, 1979).

In April 2006, Friedrich Cerha joined the Joseph Marx Society. With a group of contemporaries such as Kurt Schwertsik and Peter Vujica, he was also involved in the establishment of this society. This special commitment for Joseph Marx, who has represented the tonal music of Austria as an influential composer, teacher and critic, underscores Cerha's renown as an undogmatic artist who supports every kind of significant musical rediscovery regardless of its reference to tonality or modernism.