Biography

© Schott Music - Gaby Gerster

Aribert Reimann was born in Berlin on March 4, 1936 and grew up in a musical family. He commenced working as a “répétiteur” at the Städtische Oper Berlin in 1955 and simultaneously pursued studies in composition and piano at the Berlin Musikhochschule.

One year later, he enrolled in musicology courses at the University of Vienna. Dramatic works as well as Lieder were central to his artistic development. He is renowned for his operas "Lear" (1978, Bavarian State Opera) and "Medea" (2010, Vienna State Opera).

Reimann held a professorship at Hamburg University of Music from 1974, focusing on contemporary song, before being appointed to the same position at Berlin University of the Arts in 1983.

He has been awarded a number of distinctions, including the Großes Verdienstkreuz mit Stern der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Grand Cross of the Order of German Merit) and the Verdienstorden des Landes Berlin (Berlin Order of Merit and has been recognized for his contributions to music with various accolades, such as the 1971 Critics' Prize for Music, the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2011, and the GEMA Musikautor*innenpreis in 2024.

Until his death on 13 March 2024, Aribert Reimann lived in Berlin.