Beat Furrer

Beat Furrer (born 6 December 1954) is a Swiss-born Austrian composer and conductor.

Born in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Furrer relocated to Vienna in 1975 to pursue studies with Roman Haubenstock-Ramati (composition) and Otmar Suitner (conducting) at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.

In 1985 he co-founded what is now one of Europe's leading contemporary music ensembles, Klangforum Wien, which he still conducts.

Since 1989, Furrer's main projects have been operatic.

Critics, however, have characterized Furrer's music theatre as dryly abstract rather than sensuous.

He has served as professor of composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz since 1991.

Since 1991, he has served as professor of composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz.

Furrer is co-founder and chairman of "impuls", an International Ensemble and Composers Academy for Contemporary Music.

From 1999 on, Furrer's works have been published by Bärenreiter in Kassel.

Recent awards and honors include the Music Prize of the City of Vienna in 2003 and the Golden Lion, for the monodrama "FAMA", at the 2006 Venice Biennale.

The 25th anniversary of the Klangforum Wien was celebrated in 2010 at the Wittener Tage für neue Kammermusik with the premiere of his Xenos-Szenen for eight voices and ensemble.

In 2014 he was awarded with Grand Austrian State Prize.

Similarly, critic Manuel Brug called La Bianca Notte (2015) brainy, lacking emotion and dramatic life.

He was awarded the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in 2018.

He is the recipient of the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize 2018.

Thus, for instance, Furrer's music theatre Violetter Schnee (2018/19) was described as monotonous or, in the words of critic Matthias Siehler, a "routine doomsday": "The more Furrer invokes the global climate catastrophe and failure of communication, the more his music sounds like mere paper."