Lang, Bernhard

Born in 1957 in Linz, Austria, he finished high school and piano studies at the Anton Bruckner Conservatoire in Linz and moved to Graz to study jazz piano, arranging and classical piano, as well as philosophy and German philology. Between 1977 and 1981 he worked with various jazzbands, including the Erich Zann Septet. After graduating from his piano studies, he began studying composition with Polish composer Andrzej Dobrowolski, who introduced him to the techniques of new music. He also studied counterpoint with Hermann Markus Pressl who introduced him to the work of Josef Matthias Hauer. In Graz, he met Gösta Neuwirth who was to become one of his main influences and who instructed him in composition for many years outside of the university setting. Georg Friedrich Haas introduced him to microtonal music and in 1988, commissioned a quartertone work for the Musikprotokoll festival. 

Since 1988 he has been teaching music theory, harmony and counterpoint at the University of Music and Dramatic Arts in Graz, where he has been professor of composition since 2003. In 1998 he was a guest lecturer at the Peter Weibels Media Class at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. In 2006 he was featured artist of the Wien Modern Festival in Vienna. At the Institute for Electronic Music in Graz, he developed the Loop Generator and the Visual Loop Generator with Winfried Ritsch and Thomas Musil. Since 2003 he has cooperated with various choreographers, including Xavier Le Roy, Christine Gaigg and Willi Dorner. He has also authored sound installations, including Schwarze Bänder at the 2005 Musica Viva. 

His works have been performed at the Steirische Herbst Festival, Moscow Alternativa, Moscow Modern, Biennale Hannover, Tage Absoluter Musik Allentsteig I and II, Klangarten I and IV, Resistance Fluctuation Los Angeles, Summer Courses in Darmstadt, Salzburg Festival, Wien Modern, Donaueschingen, Witten and many others. 

His main interest since 1999 is music theatre, derived from his interpretation of the ideas of difference/repetition: Theatre of Repetitions (2003), I Hate Mozart (2006), and The Old Man from the Mountain (2007). He also performs live as an improviser both solo and in duos. He currently lives in Vienna. 

Selected works (from 2008): DW 20: con complicatione, Hermetica I for boys’ choir (2008), Monadologie IV for three percussionists (2008), Monadology V: Seven Last Words of Hasan for piano (2008), Monadology VI: IN NOMINE for flute, clarinet, string trio and percussion (2008), Monadology VII: Kammersinfonie for chamber orchestra (2009), Monadology VIII: Robotika II for big band (2009), Monadology IX for string quartet (2010), Hermetica II and III for mixed choir (2010), Standards–Project Preview: MyFunnyV for bass clarinet and tape (2010), Monadology X: alla turca for pianist (2010), Monadology XI: for Anton ‒Chamber Symphony no. 2 (2010), Monadology XII for trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, accordion, piano, double bass and two percussions (2010), DW 21: ...and we just keep on pretending... for flute and percussion (2010), DW 22: Winterlicht for bass flute and double bass (2010), TablesAreTurned for gramophone and amplified ensemble after a song by the band Amon Düül (2010), Monadology XIII: The Saucy Maid for two quartertone-tuned orchestra groups after Bruckner’s Symphony no. 1 (2011), Monadology XIVa: Puccini–Variationen, Butterfly–Overtüre (2011), Monadology XIVb: Puccini–Variationen, Im weiten Weltall fühlt sich der Yankee heimisch (2011), Monadology XVI: Solfeggio for flute (2011), Monadology XVII: SheWAsOne for flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, horn, trumpet, synthesizer and percussion (2011), Hermetica IV: O Dolorosa Gioia for double choir and two quartertonally tuned organs (2011), Hermetica V: Fremde Sprachen for seven voices and bass clarinet (2011), Schrift 5 für Stimme Solo for voice to words by Christian Loidl (2011), Monadology XX: ...for Franz I for piano trio, after Schubert’s Piano Trio op. 100 (2012), Monadologie XXI: ...for Franz II for flute, cello, quartertone accordion after Schubert’s Piano Trio op. 99 (2012), Monadologie XXII: SolEtude for Re’ by PurcelLang for contratenor (2012), Der Reigen, music theatre for fivevoices and 23 instruments (2012), Songbook 2 for baritone and piano to words by Dieter Sperl and Christian Loidl (2013), Songbook 3 for soprano and piano to words from the West– Eastern Diwan (2013), Monadologie XXIV: The Stoned Guest, miniopera for three voices, flute, clarinet, cello, accordion and percussion (2013), Monadologie XXV: 10 Paintings for large orchestra after painting by Lisa Abbott–Canfield (2013), Monadologie XXVI: ...for Pauline and Conrad for two violins tuned a quartertone apart after Paganini and Bach (2013), Monadologie XXVII: Brahms–Variationen for clarinet, cello and piano (2013), DW 23 – ...Loops for Dr. X for clarinets, violin and cello with pickups, electric guitar, keyboard and laptop (2013), DW 24 – ...Loops for Al Jourgensen for saxophone and ensemble (2013), DW 23b –...Loops for Dr. X for clarinets, electric flute, cello with pickup, electric guitar, keyboard, laptop and double bass (2014), Der Golem, music theatre for large orchestra, choir and voices after Gustav Meyrinck (2014), Monadologie XXXII: The Cold Trip I–II for instruments and voices after Schubert’s Winterreise (2014), Monadologie XXX: Hammer for fortepiano after Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata (2014), Monadologie XXIX: London in the Rain for flute, recorder, harp and harpsichord (2014), DW25 – ...more loops for U. for double bass (2014), Intermezzo Nr. 1–3 for piano (2015), Monadologie XXXI: For Franz III for zither and string quintet after Schubert’s Quintet in C major (2015), Monadologie XXVIII: Seven Two for string quintet, harp and guitar after Beethoven’s Symphony no. 7 (2015), Sisyphos–Fragmente, seven pieces for large choir after Homer (2015), ParZeFool–Der Tumbe or, music theatre for voices, choir, ensemble and two jazz musicians, after Wagner’s Parsifal (2016), DW23c for bass clarinet, bass oboe, violin, cello, sampler, synthesizer, piano and electric guitar (2016), DW27 – Loops for Gerry for saxophone and piano (2016), DW28 – Loops for Davis for bass clarinet, sampler and orchestra (2016), DW29 – Loops for Paweł Szymański for two accordions (2017).