(b. 19 May 1963, Dortmund).
German composer of mostly orchestral and chamber works that have been performed in Asia, Europe and North America.
Mr. Birkenkötter studied composition with Nicolaus A. Huber and piano with Detlef Kraus and Catherine Vickers at the Folkwang Universität der Künste in Essen from 1982–89. He then studied composition with Helmut Lachenmann at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Stuttgart from 1990–94.
Among his honours are residencies at the Künstlerhof Schreyahn (1989–90, on a fellowship from the state of Lower Saxony) and the Villa Massimo in Rome (1994–95), as well as First Prize in the competition of the Internationale Gaudeamus Muziekweek in Amsterdam (1992) and the Schneider-Schott-Musikpreis Mainz (1994). His music has been performed in Australia, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, South Korea, Switzerland, and the USA.
He taught music theory at the Musikschule in Dortmund from 1990–2002 and taught composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt am Main in 2002–03. He taught as a visiting professor of composition at Hansei University in Gunpo and directed a masterclass in composition at Yonsei University in Seoul, both in 2005–06. He has taught as Professor für Komposition at the Hochschule für Künste Bremen since 2011.
His publisher is Breitkopf & Härtel.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
ORCHESTRAL:
...zur Nähe – voran, large orchestra (80 players), 1987–88
Klänge Schatten, small orchestra (16 players), 1989–90
Halt!, small orchestra (16 players), 1995
gekippte Genauigkeiten, piano obbligato, large orchestra (63 players), 1995–96
Vier Stücke, small orchestra (16 players), 1996
gekoppelt – getrennt, 2 pianos, 4 violins (around hall), large orchestra (75 players), fixed media, 1997
Tripelkonzert, saxophone, piano, percussion, small orchestra (13 players; around hall), large orchestra (69 players), 2001–03
Schumann ist der Dichter, large orchestra (66 players), 2004
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Solo für Violoncello, cello, 1986
...kaum einen Hauch, clarinet, cello, piano, 1988
Vier Stücke für Akkordeon, accordion, 1989
Entwurf einer Landschaft, 5 percussion, 1990–92
Wiederholte Annäherung, clarinet (+ bass clarinet), trombone, cello, piano, 1992–93
Spiel/Abbruch, oboe, trombone, cello, piano, accordion, 2 percussion, fixed media, 1993–94
getrennt – untrennbar, flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, cello, piano, 1998
ins weite..., alto flute (+ piccolo), bass clarinet, percussion, 1998
in nomine..., flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, 1999
Schwebende Form, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, 1999
Streichtrio, violin, viola, cello, 1999–2000
Drei Sätze und Coda, baritone saxophone (+ soprano saxophone), piano, percussion, 2000–01
paysage neuf, percussion, 2001
Die entzweite Denkmusik..., 4 percussion, 2005–06
with keys... Vier Stücke, 2 pianos, ensemble (flute [+ piccolo], oboe, 2 clarinets [2nd + bass clarinet], bassoon [+ contrabassoon], French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, 2 violins, viola, 2 cellos, double bass, 2 percussion), 2008–09
BlackBox ... (-untrennbar?), accordion, ensemble, 2009
Widerschein 'Die entzweite Denkmusik...' II, flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, bassoon, harp, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass, piano, percussion, 2011
CHORAL:
Sieben Stücke nach Gedichten von Friedrich Hölderlin und Paul Celan (texts by Friedrich Hölderlin, Paul Celan), 10 mixed voices, flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, 1994–95
Départ (text by Arthur Rimbaud), 4 mixed voices, 2000
Départ – zweiter Versuch über Rimbaud (text by Arthur Rimbaud), 6 mixed voices, trombone, percussion, 2002–03
Ins Offene Kontrapunkte zu J. S. Bachs Weihnachtsoratorium, 2 boy sopranos, soprano, 2 boy altos, alto, tenor, bass, 12 mixed voices, mixed chorus, trombone, accordion, percussion, Baroque orchestra (2 flutes, 4 oboes [3rd, 4th + oboe da caccia], bassoon, 2 corni da caccia, 3 D-trumpets, archlute, theorbo, timpani, 8 violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos, double bass), 2007
VOCAL:
Vorgespräch über Fragment, soprano, piano, 1997
PIANO:
Schwebung und Strenge, 1991
DISCOGRAPHY
ins weite... musikFabrik (BMG/RCA)
paysage neuf; Schwebung und Strenge; Solo für Violoncello; Vier Stücke für Akkordeon. Matthias Lorenz, cello; Hwa-Kyung Yim, piano; Teodoro Anzellotti, accordion; Thomas Oesterdiekhoff, percussion (Cavalli Records: CCD 247)
Schwebung und Strenge. Hwa-Kyung Yim, piano (col legno: WWE 20055)
gekoppelt – getrennt. Sven-Thomas Kiebler, Hwa-Kyung Yim, pianos; Bernhard Kontarsky/Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks (col legno: WWE 20082)
...kaum einen Hauch. Ensemble SIC (Disque van d'œuvre: 9508)
Drei Sätze und Coda. Trio Accanto (Edition Zeitklang: ez-31029)
in nomine... ensemble recherche (Kairos: 0012442KAI)
Sieben Stücke nach Gedichten von Friedrich Hölderlin und Paul Celan. Manfred Schreier/Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, Ensemble Varianti (Koch International Classics: KIC-CD-3-5037-4)
...kaum einen Hauch. Ensemble SIC (Semantic: 860)
Spiel/Abbruch; Wiederholte Annäherung; ...zur Nähe – voran. Quartett Avance; Johannes Kalitzke/musikFabrik; Dennis Russell Davies/WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln (WERGO: 6536 2)
getrennt – untrennbar. Ives Ensemble (Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik 1998, documentation CD)
Départ – zweiter Versuch über Rimbaud. Uwe Dierksen, trombone; Dirk Rothbrust, percussion; Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart (Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik 2003, documentation CD)