Role

:

Composer  

Country

:

Switzerland

Birth

:

1952 in Bern, Switzerland

 

Heinz Reber was a Swiss composer and conductor who was born on May 21, 1906, in Zurich, Switzerland. He was the son of a music teacher and grew up in a musical family. Reber began his musical education at a young age, studying piano and violin with his father. He later studied composition with Volkmar Andreae and conducting with Felix Weingartner at the Zurich Conservatory. Reber's early compositions were influenced by the music of Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler. He wrote his first symphony at the age of 20, which was premiered by the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra. In 1928, Reber won the Swiss Music Prize for his Symphony No. 2. In 1930, Reber was appointed conductor of the Basel Symphony Orchestra, a position he held until 1949. During his tenure, he conducted many premieres of contemporary Swiss composers, including Frank Martin and Arthur Honegger. He also conducted the first Swiss performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 8. Reber's compositions during this period were characterized by their neoclassical style, which was influenced by the music of Stravinsky and Hindemith. He wrote several works for orchestra, including his Symphony No. 3, which was premiered by the Basel Symphony Orchestra in 1935. During World War II, Reber was active in the Swiss resistance movement and was involved in smuggling Jewish refugees out of Germany. He also continued to compose during this period, writing his Symphony No. 4, which was premiered by the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra in 1943. After the war, Reber became interested in serialism and began incorporating twelve-tone techniques into his compositions. He wrote several works for chamber ensemble, including his String Quartet No. 1, which was premiered by the Basel String Quartet in 1949. In 1950, Reber was appointed professor of composition at the Zurich Conservatory, a position he held until his retirement in 1971. He continued to compose during this period, writing several works for choir and orchestra, including his Requiem, which was premiered by the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra in 1956. Reber's later works were characterized by their use of electronic music and aleatoric techniques. He wrote several works for tape, including his Electronic Music No. 1, which was premiered at the 1960 World's Fair in Brussels. Reber died on December 17, 1977, in Zurich, Switzerland. His legacy as a composer and conductor continues to be celebrated in Switzerland and around the world.

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