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René Clemencic

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

René Clemencic was an Austrian composer, conductor, harpsichordist, clavichordist and recorder player. He was born on 27 February 1928 in Vienna and died on 8 March 2022, at the age of ninety-four. He studied at the University of Vienna and then in France, the Netherlands and West Germany. He led the Capella Musica Antiqua and the Drama Musicum in Vienna.

Music and breakthrough

In 1958 he founded Musica Antiqua, from 1959 the Ensemble Musica Antiqua, to perform early music on period instruments. In 1968 came the Clemencic Consort. With that ensemble he recorded a great deal of medieval and Renaissance music, such as Troubadores in 1986, Carmina Burana in 1990 and Danses de la Renaissance in 1992. His 1976 album René Clemencic et ses flûtes presents him as a recorder player.

Influence

As a composer he wrote, among other things, Missa Mundi from 1981, the ballet Drachenkampf from 1987, the oratorio Kabbala from 1992, the oratorio Apokalypsis from 1996 and the chamber plays for the sirene Operntheater, such as Nachts unter der steinernen Brücke in 2009 and the oratorio Gilgamesch in 2015. He also wrote the film music for Ariane Mnouchkine's Molière from 1978. In this way he linked old sounds with new compositions. He is among the pioneers of the movement that brought early music back to life for a large audience.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to his recording of Carmina Burana, which takes the medieval songs as its starting point. Notice the sound of the instruments, which is different from that of a symphony orchestra.

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists