Andreas Pflüger Composer
ANDREAS PFLÜGER, the son of the painter Carl Pflüger-Gotstein, was born in Basel, Switzerland. He attended the Rudolf Steiner School, the Mathematical-Scientific Gymnasium and the Academy of Music in Basel, where he received his diploma in composition and double bass as a second subject in 1965.
In 1965–1966, a scholarship enabled him to study at the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon. From 1966–1968, he worked with the conductor and composer Igor Markevitch in Madrid and attended composition seminars with Prof. Luis de Pablo on ‘Contemporary Music in the Audiovisual Media’ (La música contemporánea en los medios audiovisuales).
In the 1970s, he took part in the International Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt several times. There he worked on various projects, sometimes together with Karlheinz Stockhausen, Mauricio Kagel, Iannis Xenakis, Rolf Gehlhar and Siegfried Palm, with whom he remained friends until the latter's death. He also completed a postgraduate course with Prof. Rudolf Kelterborn in Basel in the 1970s.
In 1980, he was a guest at the ‘Festival Pirandelliano’ in Agrigento to work with the director Terry D'Alfonso.
In 1982, Andreas Pflüger received the Prix Suisse for the opera La Strega Orsina che non muore mai based on the libretto by Grytzko Mascioni.
In 1988, he was a guest of the Soviet Ministry of Culture for the world premiere of his ballet Catharsis at the Vilnius State Opera in Lithuania.
In 1990, he was an expert at the Geneva International Music Competition and in 1993 at the Markneukirchen International Music Competition.
In 1997, he was invited to give a lecture tour at universities in the United States (UC Berkeley, Dallas, Charleston S.C., NYC, Washington, D.C. and Chicago). The topic was ‘Strolling through 200 years of Swiss music’. In 1998, a lecture tour followed at universities and cultural institutions in Argentina and Paraguay (Universidad de Belgrano & Universidad Cattólica de Buenos Aires, Universidad de Rosario, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Escuelas superiores de Corrientes, Private Hörerschaft in Bahia Blanca and at the Goethe Institute in Asunción, Paraguay) with the topic ‘Paseo por 200 años de música Suiza’.
In 2007, he toured Japan (Tokyo and Naha).
Andreas Pflüger has composed seven operas (Prague State Opera, Silesian National Theatre in Opava, Basel, Geneva / TV production, Kislovodsk/Russia), two ballets (Agora: TV production, Catharsis: Lithuanian National Opera in Vilnius) and numerous symphonic and chamber music works, which have taken him to Argentina,
Brazil, Germany, France, Japan, Israel, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Paraguay, Russia (USSR and Russion Federation) , Sweden, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Ukraine. He composed about 100 film scores for various producers, including a well-known cartoon series.
From the Press
Concerto for Bandoneon, Harpsichord and Orchestra
What a surprise at the penultimate concert of the SOB season! In his double concerto, Andreas Pflüger unites two seemingly incompatible sound worlds: bandoneon and harpsichord. A highly unusual pairing – and yet musically, it makes fascinating sense. Between the sensuous, mellow tone of the bandoneon and the bright, plucked timbre of the harpsichord, a compelling sonic tension emerges. Even in the orchestral tuttis, both solo instruments retain their distinct identities. Pflüger’s work held the audience spellbound – there was not a moment of boredom.
Le Journal du Jura (Biel/Bienne), 17 May 2008
Opera Romulus the Great
The libretto of this opera challenges Andreas Pflüger to a virtuosic display of stylistic diversity. The musical range extends from onomatopoeic cackling in the woodwinds to hollow brass hymns, and even to baroque parodies – for instance, in the portrayal of the young Theoderic. Pflüger masterfully uses the orchestra to shape characters: with tender violin lines for Rea or solemn passages for Romulus. Characteristic of Pflüger is his dense flow of sound, interwoven with sharp accents that strike like axe blows. Even an “instrumental laugh” accompanies the declaration that the Roman Empire is bankrupt. As the empress prepares to flee, the orchestra whispers a gentle melancholy. This music is far from monotonous – and was performed with exceptional color and clarity by Musique des Lumières under the precise direction of Facundo Agudin.
Sigfried Schibli, Basler Zeitung, 2 May 2016
“Pitture” for Violoncello and Orchestra
A richly colored, passionate, and yet transparently structured work: Pitture, composed in 2014 for the young cellist Estelle Revaz and the orchestra Musique des Lumières, is a sonic fresco full of vivid gestures. Each episode follows its own path, yet all are united by the same vibrant breath of energy. Colors and lines collide with precision and clarity, engaging in interaction that captivates the listener.
L'Hebdo (Lausanne), 5 February 2015
“A Dream Play” (Ett Drömspel) for Guitar and String Orchestra
Inspired by August Strindberg’s play of the same name, Pflüger creates in A Dream Play a floating sound world for guitar and string orchestra. The melodies are fleeting, the rhythms open – the conductor at times gives the musicians great interpretive freedom. The guitar is alternately accompanied by high violin notes, pizzicato in the lower strings, or long legato lines. The meter is fluid: sometimes in 4/4, sometimes in 3/4, and sometimes ad libitum, with the musicians left to find their own way. A challenging work, impressively premiered by the KammarensembleN Stockholm under the baton of the composer himself.
Uppsala Nya Tidning, 10 October 2016
String Quartet “Wanderer”
This approximately 25-minute work, commissioned by the Caravaggio Quartet and premiered by the Basel String Quartet, loosely draws upon Schubert’s great Wanderer Fantasy – though it only quotes it indirectly. In this postmodern piece, Pflüger takes a few of Schubert’s motivic kernels, breaks them apart, and develops them across three movements. The result is a skillful transformation of past into present, audibly distancing itself from serialism and the Darmstadt School. It sounds like Schubert – as per the commission brief – but realized with contemporary means. A compelling balance between homage and originality.
Oberbadische Zeitung, 29 January 2019
