Mauricio Kagel

by J. Neal Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Kagel proved to be one of the most versatile, creative and witty composers to come of age in the second half of the 20th century. He studied piano, theory, violoncello, organ, singing, and conducting, and was self-taught as a composer. Kagel also studied philosophy and literature extensively during his college years, and his career eventually included film and drama. His early career found Kagel filling positions that drew upon all of these interests. He took a position in Colón as conductor of the Chamber Opera and Theater, also conducting new-music concerts in the late '50s. The 1960s found Kagel in the United States, where he undertook a lecture tour and taught briefly at the University of Buffalo. He then returned to Europe, where he filled Stockhausen's shoes as the director of the Institute of New Music at the Rheinsiche Musikschule. He was also a presence at the West German Radio electronic music studio, and produced several of his own films and plays. One can find in Kagel's output elements ranging from serialism to expressionism to musique concrete to Dada to aleatoria. Many of his works also employ musical collage techniques, such as his "Music for Renaissance Instruments" and the music for the film Ludwig Van. The influence of Satie and Cage can be seen in "Der Schall" and "Unter Strom," two chamber pieces which call for a variety of archaic, invented, or "nonmusical" instruments. Again, however, these sounds are not thrown together with reckless abandon; as Kagel himself stated, "An essential aspect of my work is strict composition with elements which are not themselves pure."