Aurora Threnos Iv / Pirkei Tehillim-Flender,Reinha

German composer, musicologist Reinhard David Flender studied piano, composition and musicology in Hamburg, Menster and Jerusalem. He won first prize in piano in the young musicians competition in 1971 and began studying at Hamburg in 1972 and graduated in 1976 at the Academy of Menster -Detmold. He then went to Israel for a stay of four years. He studied composition with Josef Tal and led a research project on the liturgical music of Oriental Jews. In 1981 he obtained a master of arts from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Back in Germany, he spent his Ph.D. in musicology under the direction of Constantin Floros. From 1983 he taught at the Music Academy of Hamburg. In 1991 he won first prize at the International Composition Competition in Vienna for his composition Threnos II. From 1989-1999 he was the artistic director of the Festival of Contemporary Music in Hamburg. In 1987 he was appointed European Director of Peermusic Classical. His principal works include: ALEA JACTA EST for piano solo (1977); PERKUSSIANA for flute, piano, and percussion (1985); PIRKEI TEHILLIM for soprano and orchestra (1989); DUO IN TWO PARTS for violin and piano (1991); TRIO for piano trio (1993); KLAVIERKONZERT (1995); MEIN LIEBER BLAUER REITER - 14 scenic pictures from the life of Else Lasker-Sch++ler for soprano and 14 instruments (1997). Performing Flender's works here are the Belgian string quartet, Quatuor Danel and members of the Orchesterakademie Hamburg under the direction of Elmar Lampson.