Composer and guitarist, born in Frankfurt/Main (Hesse). 1967-1971 he lived in Korea, since 1971 he lives in Berlin.
At the age of 16 years self-taught guitar playing and first attempts to invent music himself. 1984-89 first guitar and composition lessons with Carlo Domeniconi and crucial preparation by a comprehensive musical education by the exceptional musician.
In the following years 1989-1995 further study of composition at the Berlin University of the Arts with Jolyon Brettingham-Smith and diploma.
1994 getting acquainted with the Korean master drummer Kim Duk-Soo; Learn the Janggu game by attending his masterclasses in Berlin. Beginning of extensive studies of original Korean music, especially the shamanistic percussion music, while discovering the unique combination of complexity and extreme musical energy in this music. Researching and testing complex rhythmic structures as the foundation of one's own works.
2001 co-founder of the Ensemble IIIZ + and 2009 of the AsianArt Ensemble. Invitations to festivals such as the “Festival de l'imaginaire” in Paris, the “38, Rugissant” in Grenoble, the Taiwan Festival or the Tokyo Summer Festival both as a performer and as a composer. This is followed by awards such as the “Prize of the German Record Critics 2012” for the first CD of the AsianArt Ensemble and several composition scholarships of the Berlin Kultursenat.
Formation of a personal compositional direction through the experiences of the interpretive work in the two ensembles in the field of tension between the theoretical conception and the reality of human interpretation. Exploring the playability of polymetric rhythm.
From 1999 until today work on the two series “Etudes of new playing techniques for guitar” and “The untempered guitar”. Representing the inner experimental field, it is the source for breaking the tempered mood by using scales with microtonal tone steps or microtonally tuned instruments such as harp, guitar or zithers.
Since 2000 occupation with computer-based sampling technique, testing of polymetric ideas, completely new sound combinations of unknown instruments and also the new moods and scales in the most lifelike way possible.
2008 commissioned by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra for the concert series “Ars Nova” curated by Unsuk Chin and 2009 commissioned by the Tokyo Summer Festival for works for large ensemble. Origin of the two related works “GLUT” and “BENU”, two key works for purely Western instruments, in which both the knowledge from the complex rhythmic structure of Korean music, the Jangguspiel and the sampling technique have merged.
2009 order of the National Orchestra of Korea under the artistic direction of Hwang Byunki for a full-length orchestral work for Korean instruments. Study trip to Korea; sampling of all the orchestra's Korean instruments and creating their own sample library.
By studying the archaic, very original Korean instruments, gaining the realization that dissonance must not be just a matter of harmonizing multiple tones, but that a single tone is already inherently dissonant through inharmonic overtone spectra. Exploring the sharpness, roughness and flexibility of the single tone as a structural element in the overall work.
October 2011 two-time performance of the 80-minute concert piece “Part of Nature” at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul.
2012-2013 Compositions for ensembles consisting of Asian and Western instruments, including “GRAVITY” for Daegum, Sheng, Basskoto and ensemble commissioned by the Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung for the festival SOUNDSCAPE EAST ASIA.
In 2014, it premiered epic musical drama Kassandra for pansori and Korean instruments at the National Gugak Center in Seoul.
2016 Composer in Residence with the National Orchestra of Korea.
2017 artistic director of the festival for contemporary intercultural music TURBULENZEN.
Since February 2014 head of the Department of Composition / New Music at the Academy of Music in Darmstadt (Hesse).
(Rainer Stelle)