Biography:

Rolf Riehm (15 June 1937 – 3 January 2026) was a German composer who wrote stage and orchestral works as well as music for ensembles and solo instruments. He began as an oboist and music teacher and was later a professor of music theory at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main for several years. His opera Sirenen was premiered at the Oper Frankfurt in 2014.

Life

Born on 15 June 1937 in Saarbrücken,[1] Riehm first studied school music in Frankfurt am Main and from 1958 composition with Wolfgang Fortner in Freiburg im Breisgau.[2] Afterwards he worked as a solo oboist, playing Ungebräuchliches at the Darmstädter Ferienkurse in 1966, for example.[3] Riehm co-founded the Frankfurter Vereinigung für Musik in 1964.[3] After a brief period as a school teacher, he became a lecturer at the Rheinische Musikschule [de] in Cologne in 1968. He was also a member of the Gruppe 8 Köln [de], an association of Cologne composers, from 1968 to 1972, and is counted as a composer of the Cologne School.[4]

In 1968 he received the award Premio Marzotto [de] and a scholarship from the Villa Massimo.[3][4] From 1974 to 2000 Riehm was a professor for composition and music theory at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main.[5] From 1976 to 1981 he was a member of the Sogenanntes Linksradikales Blasorchester, a political wind band for which he also wrote arrangements.[6] He did concert tours, lectures and workshops in Central and South America, Sweden and Japan. In 1992 he received the Kunstpreis des Saarlandes [de] and in 2002 the Hindemith Prize of the City of Hanau.[7]

Since 2010 he was a member of the Academy of Arts, Berlin.[3] His opera Sirenen had its premiere at the Oper Frankfurt in 2014.[8] The same year, his writings were published under the title Texte.[9]

On 27 November 2018, the Ensemble Modern held a Porträt Rolf Riehm as a Werkstattkonzert (workshop concert) in the series Happy New Ears at the Oper Frankfurt. The composer was interviewed by Klaus Zehelein, and music was performed by soprano Sarah Maria Sun [de] and members of the Ensemble, including Lenz in Moskau and Adieu, sirènes.[10]

Riehm died on 3 January 2026, at the age of 88.[7][11][12]

Works

Riehm’s compositions deal with philosophical reflection, history, myths, fairy tales, memories, and arguments in the natural sciences. They have combined elements both sublime and trivial and include socio-political findings as well as personal ingredients.[5] His opera Sirenen, subtitled Bilder des Begehrens und des Vernichtens (Sirens, images of desire and destruction), includes text elements not only from Homer’s Odyssey but also by Karoline von Günderrode, Giovanni Pascoli and Isabelle Erhardt, illuminating various aspects of the myth.[13]

His works have been published by Ricordi, including:[3][4][14]

Credits: