HK Gruber

b. 1943

Snapshot

HK Gruber is the composer of the celebrated 'pandemonium' Frankenstein!!, which has received hundreds of performances and broadcasts worldwide * Music refracts Viennese tradition, both classical and popular, through contemporary lens * His works draw on the cabaret style of the Weimar Republic, often combined with irreverent black humour * Much admired for concertos including two violin concertos for Ernst Kovacic, a Cello Concerto for Yo-Yo Ma and a trumpet concerto Aerial for Håkan Hardenberger * Has appeared at many international festivals as featured composer, conductor, chansonnier, and music-theatre performer, including 2006 Lucerne Festival * Recordings on the BIS, Chandos and Largo labels

Works by HK Gruber include:
Frankenstein!! (1977/79) for chansonnier and orchestra or ensemble
Cello Concerto (1989) for cello and ensemble (or small orchestra)
Aerial (1998-99) Concerto for trumpet and orchestra

Looking Ahead: into the open ... for percussion and orchestra, world premiere in Hamburg (14 Jun) with Martin Grubinger and the NDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada, followed by performances in Manchester (6 Dec) and Vienna (25 Apr 2014); new opera based on Horváth's Tales from the Vienna Woods (2014)

New Video: View an interview with HK Gruber talking about his life and music.

"...the nostalgic frisson and the ironic surprise are technical means used by Gruber with absolute authority to create forthright masterpieces." — Sunday Times