Biography
German composer and conductor, born 18 July 1930 in Dresden, Germany.
Kurz began his musical career as a trumpet player. From 1945 he studied composition (with Fidelio F. Finke), orchestral conducting and trumpet at the Academy of Music and Theatre in his hometown. Already in 1949, one year before his studies were completed, he was handed over the direction of the theater music at the Staatstheater in Dresden. He remained in this position until 1960, then moved to the Saxon State Opera in Dresden, where he began as conductor, was promoted to state conductor in 1964, general music director in 1971 and finally managing musical director in 1976. Kurz also taught at the Carl Maria von Weber Academy of Music in Dresden from 1976 and has been a professor since 1979.
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In 1983 he finished his permanent engagement at the Dresden State Opera, but remained associated with the house as a conductor. From 1984 he was permanent conductor at the Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin. Kurz was awarded several important prizes, including two GDR national prizes (1976, 1988). In 2001, Kurz, who lives in Radebeul-Niederlößnitz, was awarded the art prize of the large district town of Radebeul.
Kurz was one of the most important personalities of Dresden's music scene of the second half of the 20th century, especially as conductor of the State Opera and the Staatskapelle. He has conducted numerous opera performances, some of which have also been released on vinyl. His repertoire was extraordinarily broad: in addition to the German standard repertoire from Mozart to Richard Strauss, it included works from Italian and Slavic cultures. Kurz was also strongly committed to 20th century operas such as Moses and Aron by Arnold Schönberg or Levin's Mühle by Udo Zimmermann.
Kurz appeared as a composer mainly in the 1950s to 1970s; later his obligations as a conductor predominated. The focus of his work is on orchestral works. At first he wrote in a neoclassical, playful-musical idiom. In addition to Hindemith's influence, there are also a limited number of echoes of jazz music, for example in the Trumpet Concerto, probably his best-known work.
Towards the end of the 1950s Kurz sought to intensify musical expression. He leaned more strongly on Bartók and experimented with the possibilities of twelve-tone music (symphonies). Pure twelve-tone technique, however, seemed too dogmatic to him. Although his further compositions repeatedly include twelve-tone rows, they do not consistently implement the strict guidelines of dodecaphonic design. Shortly treated twelve-tone rows rather as stylistic means, dealt with them freely and used a freitonal harmonic. Further characteristics of his style are contrapuntal design, powerfully emphasized rhythm, vitality and freshness. His mature works combine serious and thoughtful to exuberant and cheerful passages in the sense of an optimistic attitude.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.