W.A. Schultz

"Why is your music so old-fashioned?" This is what the famous composer Gyoergy Ligeti asked his student Wolfgang-Andreas Schultz when Schultz's "Temptations of Saint Anton" had its world premiere at the Radio Bremen concert hall eleven years ago. Music critics whistled a similar tune when they tore to shreds the Hamburg-based composer's new piece for two pianos. Schultz, however, gave the score to a friend who lived in the American college town of Iowa City. There it fell into the hands of a pianist couple who studied it before performing it in Iowa, Ohio, and California. At long last, "The Temptations of Saint Anton" made it into Carnegie Hall in New York (October 16). Those who have never heard the name Wolfgang-Andreas Schultz don't have to be ashamed of their ignorance. The 49-year-old composer has never been hailed as a star among German avant-garde composers. His success in America partially reflects different preferences in the American music market, but it could also give a hint where contemporary music is heading. Georg Hirsch attended the performance in New York.

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