Nicolaus Richter de Vroe

The works of violinist and composer Nicolaus Richter de Vroe (*1955) are regularly performed by the most renowned organizers and festivals of contemporary music. The musician began his studies at the Speciale Muziekschool in Dresden, now the Saxon State School of Music Carl Maria von Weber. After his violin studies at the Tsjaikovski Conservatorium in Moscow, he was active in various chamber music, improvisation and experimental ensembles. In 1980 he became a member of the Staatskapelle Berlin and completed his composition studies with Friedrich Goldmann and Georg Katzer at the Academy of Arts of the DDR. In 1982 he founded the Ensemble für Neue Musik Berlin (Ost), which quickly grew into an important forum for advanced music in the DDR. Since the mid-1980s, Richter de Vroe has been present with performances of his works and as a performer on all ARD radio stations and at international festivals. In 1988 he became a member of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra; a year later he founded the XSEMBLE München - an ensemble characterized by experimental programming and stylistic openness. In 1996 he was co-founder of the Münchener Gesellschaft für Neue Musik, which promotes contemporary music. In addition to his work as a composer and performer, Richter de Vroe has been a regular guest at Goethe Instituten worldwide since 1994, where he gives lectures, portrait concerts and presentations of his work. In 2008 he was admitted to the Saxon Academy of the Arts. Richter de Vroe's violin concerto was composed between 2018 and 2020 as a commission from musica viva of the Bayerischer Rundfunk with the generous support of the Friends of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. The world premiere on this CD by Ilya Gringolts (violin) and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Johannes Kalitzke took place on 28 October 2022 in the Herkulessaal of the Residenz in Munich. - The initial spark for Richter de Vroe's violin concerto was Ilya Gringolts' interpretation of György Ligeti's violin concerto. The concerto begins with a kind of introduction, followed by a first cadenza, which is accompanied as a drone by individual instruments. This is followed by the first nocturne with sounds reminiscent of natural lutes. In the so-called 'main section' "things get heated. There is a real hectic quality with much motorics, alternation and a lot - I would almost say - 'nasty surprises'!" (Richter de Vroe) Avenir for organ, choir and orchestra was also commissioned in 2013/14 by musica viva of the Bayerischer Rundfunk. This CD offers the recording of the world premiere on 6 June 2014 by Wolfgang Mitterer (organ), the choir and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Johannes Kalitzke.