A Swiss composer born November 30, 1924 in Bern, died October 2, 2017 in Perugia (Italy).
A violinist by training, Klaus Huber studied composition at the Zurich Conservatory with Willy Burkhard, then in Berlin with Boris Blacher. Having taught the violin at the Zurich Conservatory (1950-1960), he directed successively the composition classes of the Musikakademie in Basel and of the Musikhochschule in Fribourg-in-Brisgau.
His output, both abundant and varied, includes all genres, from solo music to opera, and inclines, as does his personal itinerary, as much to the spiritual as to a political and social commitment (Ausgespannt...,1972; Ohne Grenze und Rand…, 1977). The composer has drawn on a large number of texts, from biblical and medieval mystical writings (The Apocalypse of Saint John for his oratorio Inwendig…voller Figur, 1971) to contemporary works of the Resistance via philosophical works (Alfred Jarry for his opera Im Paradies oder der Alte vom Berge, 1975). Between tradition and modernity, he is interested in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (Cantiones de Circulo gyrante, 1985), uses early instruments (the viola d’amore in Plainte, à la mémoire de Luigi Nono, 1990) and frequently quotes other music, notably by Johann Sebastian Bach (Litania instrumentalis, 1957). A guest composer in residences the world over, Klaus Huber has received many prizes and awards, including the Ernst von Siemens Prize in 2009.
