Wolfgang Rihm (1952–2024)
Prof. Dr. h. c. Wolfgang Rihm passed away in Ettlingen on the night of 27 July. He was 72 years old. To all those who were close to him personally or professionally, we offer our silent condolences, still in the grip of the sad news.
Anyone who met Wolfgang Rihm in person will retain the memory of his presence. At the Karlsruhe University of Music, where he worked for many years, he leaves a gap that cannot be filled. We have long been aware of the special gift associated with Wolfgang Rihm's decision to resist the cultural lure of larger cities and remain loyal to the city of his birth and his university. While still at school in Karlsruhe, he was encouraged by Eugen Werner Velte and reinforced in his quest for freedom, which guided him throughout his life and kept him away from all dogmas: "The subjects I taught grew out of my questions. There was no 'curriculum'. I got answers or none at all. But what I learnt was to set my own tasks." So it's no wonder that Wolfgang Rihm, Professor of Composition in Karlsruhe since 1985, saw the introduction of Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes with their credit points for achieving predetermined competence goals as a mistake. He always prioritised the joint participation of students and teachers in creative growth processes.
Wolfgang Rihm remains unforgotten as an understanding and humorous, but also relentless artist, colleague and pedagogue, who was always in favour of avoiding convenient musical solutions and out-of-the-way ways of thinking. For this reason alone, he aimed to support all students in their individuality and help them to develop their talent in the best possible way. In his words: "Freedom is always also freedom from conformity to the times". This applies equally to his own work and his resistance to attempts to imitate him. Wolfgang Rihm's points of reference in music, literature, theatre, film and the visual arts, but also in philosophy and theoretical components of various academic disciplines, were more diverse than his published speeches and essays indicate, and in conversation he was also enthusiastic about the catchy, as long as it was able to touch and inspire him.
The Karlsruhe University of Music will also remain grateful to Wolfgang Rihm for everything he initiated in artistic practice and teaching, for his many years of service on the University Council and his impressive commitment to dialogue with society and its cultural institutions. The sadness at his death is mixed with relief that he has now been released from his protracted illness. His works and words, but also the sound of his voice and the memory of his gaze remain close to us.
Prof Dr Matthias Wiegandt, Rector
Prof Roberto Domingos, Vice-Rector
Prof Dr Peter Overbeck, Vice-Rector
Prof Dr Christoph Seibert, Vice-Rector
Daniela Schneider, Chancellor
Karlsruhe, 27 July 2024
Silence to be beaten - Music by Wolfgang Rihm (concert from 23 April 2022 at the Wolfgang Rihm Forum of the Karlsruhe University of Music)
Badische Neueste Nachrichten: Zum Tod von Wolfgang Rihm · Farewell to an exceptional Artist
Süddeutsche Zeitung: Nachruf auf Wolfgang Rihm · Obituary for Wolfgang Rihm
The New York Times: Wolfgang Rihm, Prolific Contemporary Classical Music Composer, Dies at 72
Classical MUSIC UK: Composer Wolfgang Rihm dies aged 72