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Mauricio Kagel

Mauricio Kagel (born Buenos Aires, December 24, 1931) is an Argentine composer who has lived in Cologne, Germany since 1957. He is most famous for his interest in developing the theatrical side of musical performance.

Kagel studied music, history of literature, and philosophy at the University of Buenos Aires.

Many of his pieces give specific theatrical instructions to the performers, such as to adopt certain facial expressions while playing, to make their stage entrances in a particular way, to physically interact with other performers and so on. His work has often been compared to the Theatre of the Absurd.

Staatstheater (1971) is probably the piece that most clearly shows his absurdist tendency. This work is described as a "ballet for non-dancers", though in many ways is more like an opera, and the devices it used as musical instruments include chamber pots and even enema equipment. As the work progresses, the piece itself, and opera and ballet in general, becomes its own subject matter. Similar is the radio play Ein Aufnahmezustand (1969) which is about the incidents surrounding the recording of a radio play.

Kagel has also made films, with Ludwig van (1970) being one of the best known. In it, a reproduction of Beethoven's composing studio is seen, as part of a fictive visit of the Beethoven House in Bonn. Everything in it is papered with sheet music of Beethoven's pieces. The soundtrack of the film is a piano playing the music as it appears in each shot. Because the music has been wrapped around curves and edges, it is somewhat distorted, but recognisably Beethovenian motifs can still be heard. In other parts, the film contains parodies of radio or TV broadcasts connected with the "Beethoven Year 1770". Kagel later turned the film into a piece of sheet music itself which could be performed in a concert without the film - the score consists of close-ups of various areas of the studio, which are to be interpreted by the performing pianist.

Kagel has also written a large number of more conventional, "pure" pieces, including orchestral music, chamber music, and film scores. Many of these also make references to music of the past.

Other pieces include Con Voce [with voice], where a masked trio silently mimes playing instruments.

From 1960 he has taught at the International Summer School at Darmstadt.

He has taught at the State University of New York at Buffalo from 1964 to 1965 as Slee Professor of music theory and at the Berlin Film and Television Academy as a visiting lecturer. He has served as director of courses for new music in Gothenburg and Cologne. He was professor for new music theatre at the Cologne Conservatory from 1974 to 1997.

Among his students have been Maria de Alvear, Carola Bauckholt and Juan Maria Solare.

• Mauricio Kagel site by Björn Heile
• Kagel Biography by BBC Radio 3 programme Cut and Splice
• Mauricio Kagel at UbuWeb Film presents various Kagel films, including a 36 minute excerpt from Ludwig Van, available for free download.
• Kagel's Acustica at the Avant Garde Project has FLAC files made from a high-quality LP transcription available for free download.
• Edition Peters: Mauricio Kagel October 1998
• Interview: There Will Always Be Questions Enough Mauricio Kagel in conversation with Max Nyffeler
• UbuWeb: Mauricio Kagel featuring Der Schall (1968) and ACUSTICA for experimental sound-producers and loud-speakers