Erika Radermacher was born in Eschweiler near Aachen. She studied under Prof. Else Schmitz-Gohr in Cologne and under Prof. Bruno Seidlhofer in Vienna. She was awarded the prize of the German Industry Culture Group, first prize at the summer academy in Salzburg, and a prize at the Beethoven competition in Vienna, a prize from the Dortmund 'Mozartgemeinde', and the Austrian state award in 1963. She has performed in the whole of Europe as a soloist and chamber musician.
Erika Radermacher lives with her husband Urs Peter Schneider in Bern and Biel, teaches at the music conservatory in Bern and, as a soprano trained by Sylvia Gähwiller in Zurich, is a member of the 'Ensemble Neue Horizonte Bern'. As a pianist she has mastered all of the Beethoven sonatas and the complete piano works of Morton Feldman. Only after 1970 did she emerge as a composer. In 1982 she won the BAT Competition for New Chamber Music prize and, together with Schneider in 1983, the music prize of canton Bern.
She has instructed professional piano playing at the 'Hochschule der Künste' (School of Arts, music department) in Bern for the past ten years. More recently she has shown an interest in the alliance between music and (partly esoteric) therapeutic forms. She teaches piano, theory and improvisation in Sofia (Bulgaria).
Work list
Two Children's Pieces (1944-1985)
Instrumentation: for piano
Gruss an Mutti (greetings to mother)(November 1944)
Homage to Anton Webern (Oktober 1985)
Duration: 2' 00" Manuscript
Nicht mehr lange hat Vieles (1970-1984)
Instrumentation: for string quartet
Duration: 6' 00" Manuscript
Ein Strauss Walzer (1979)
Instrumentation: for violin and piano
Duration: 1' 30" Manuscript
Alle Uhren, selbst die trägsten (1981-1983)
Eleven phantasies after E.T.A. Hoffmann
Instrumentation: for two pianists
Duration: 8' 30" Manuscript
Sieben Rosen später (1981)
Lieder after Paul Celan
Instrumentation: for soprano and eight instruments
Texts: Paul Celan
Duration: 21' 00" Manuscript
(Nicht) frei aber (auch nicht) einsam (1982)
Instrumentation: for violin and piano
After the intermezzo from the FAE Sonata by Robert Schumann.
Duration: 5' 00" Manuscript
Chi oder X (1983)
Variations
Instrumentation: for violin and piano
"Du würdest mich nicht suchen, wenn du mich nicht gefunden hättest."("You would not have searched for me had you not found me.") (Pascal)
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Lust (1983)
Instrumentation: for bass clarinet (and speaker ad lib.)
Texts: Anais Nin
After a text from 'Das Delta der Venus' by Anais Nin.
Duration: 5' 00" Manuscript
Sonata (1984)
Homage to Frédérik Chopin
Instrumentation: for cello (also violin) and piano
Duration: 6' 00"-7' 00" Manuscript
Die Moldau (1984)
Instrumentation: for wind quartet, piano ad lib. and electronic tape
Duration: 12' 30" Manuscript
Wer hat dich, du schöner Wald, aufgebaut so hoch da droben? (1984-1985)
Problem 1984 -
Instrumentation: for string orchestra, speaker, stereophonic electronic tape, two slide projectors and tree (with lighting)
Duration: 10' 00"-15' 00" Manuscript
Trio (1985)
"Liebe Gott und tu, was du willst" (Augustinus)
Instrumentation: for violin, violoncello and piano
Duration: 8' 00" Manuscript
String Quartet (1970-1985)
"Nicht mehr lange hat Vieles"
Final four-movement version.
Duration: 13' 30" Manuscript
C(h)oral(l)es (1985)
Instrumentation: for four-handed piano
Duration: 5' 00" Manuscript
Jahreswechsel (1985-1986)
Instrumentation: for flute and percussion
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Piano Quartet (1986)
Duration: 11' 00" Manuscript
Ein apokalyptisches Fragment (1987)
Instrumentation: for flute and two gongs
Ritual after Karoline von Günderode.
Duration: 40' 00" Manuscript
Zehn Betrachtungen (1987)
Instrumentation: for violin and piano (slide projections ad lib.)
Duration: 18' 00"-20' 00" Manuscript
Herkules (1987)
Instrumentation: for piano and percussion
Duration: variabel Manuscript
Acht Absurditäten (1987)
Instrumentation: for melodica (also voice), three strings and piano
Duration: 4' 00" Manuscript
Concerto grosso (1987-1988)
Instrumentation: for string orchestra (9 soli, 9 tutti)
Duration: 16' 00" Manuscript
Fünf Glücksrufe (New Year) (1990)
Instrumentation: for three trombones and four gongs
No. 1 from 'Die fünf japanischen Jahreszeiten' (The Five Japanese Seasons).
Duration: 5' 00" Manuscript
Elf Lobgesänge auf das Erwachen der Blüten und der Frösche (Lenz) (1989)
Instrumentation: for flute, piano and antique cymbals
N° 2 from 'Die fünf japanischen Jahreszeiten' (The Five Japanese Seasons).
Duration: 11' 00" Manuscript
Sieben Verehrungen der Glühwürmer und der Selbstzufriedenheit (Sommer) (1987)
Instrumentation: for piano solo
No. 3 from 'Die fünf japanischen Jahreszeiten'.
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Fünfzehn Ahnungen der Vergänglichkeit allen Lebens und der Vogelscheuche (Autumn) (1989)
Instrumentation: for horn and piano
No. 4 from 'Die fünf japanischen Jahreszeiten' (The Five Japanese Seasons).
Duration: 15' 00" Manuscript
Einundzwanzig Eisgesänge (Winter) (1988)
Instrumentation: for voice and piano
No. 5 from 'Die fünf japanischen Jahreszeiten'(The Five Japanese Seasons).
Duration: 21' 00" Manuscript
Das Tanzlegendchen (1990)
Short opera
Instrumentation: for soprano, baritone, speaker (m/f), flute, violin, clarinet, viola, violoncello, double-bass, piano and percussion
Texts: Gottfried Keller
Duration: 35' 00" Manuscript
Musenkonzept (1990)
Extract from 'Das Tanzlegendchen'
Instrumentation: for small ensemble
Duration: variabel Manuscript
Dorotheas Blumenkörchen (1990-1991)
Instrumentation: for female speaker and piano quartet
Texts: Gottfried Keller
Duration: 25' 00" Manuscript
Der Himmel gehört uns allen (1991)
Impromptu
Instrumentation: for violin solo
Duration: 3' 00" Manuscript
Trio, Probenlos (1992)
"Der Traum hat offene Augen" (Rose Ausländer)
Instrumentation: for violin, violoncello and piano
Duration: 11' 00"-12' 00" Manuscript
Der Tod des Empedokles (I) (1992-1993)
Instrumentation: for two pianos (early form: for one piano)
After Friedrich Hölderlin.
Duration: Variabel (maximal 60 Minuten) Manuscript
Der Tod des Empedokles (II) (1992-1993)
Instrumentation: for two pianos +/- large orchestra
After Friedrich Hölderlin.
Duration: 20' 00" Manuscript
Depression (1993)
Instrumentation: for piano solo
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Alnair und Algenib (1993)
Instrumentation: for viola piano
Duration: 4' 00" Manuscript
Diotima (1994)
Instrumentation: for oboe solo
After Friedrich Hölderlin.
Duration: 10' 00" Manuscript
Im Vergessenen (1994)
Instrumentation: for 3 sopranos and 5 Tibetan singing bowls
Texts: Haiku-Dichter, Erika Radermacher
Duration: 9' 00" Manuscript
In der Stille (1995)
Instrumentation: for violin, oboe, guiro and piano
Duration: 3' 00" Manuscript
Passacaglia mit Clara, Robert und Johannes (1996)
Instrumentation: for female voice, male voice and 5-8 instruments
Texts: Erika Radermacher
Duration: 6' 00" Manuscript
Impromptu I und II (1996)
Instrumentation: for viola
Duration: 6' 00" Manuscript
Motto: Mondes Untergang (1998)
Haiku
Instrumentation: for voice and large drum
Duration: 2' 00" Manuscript
Zen-Katzen (2008)
Instrumentation: for 9 instruments (fl.bfl.ob.cl/gongs/pf.e-org/vn.vc)
Duration: 9' 00" Manuscript
Anfänglicher Stengel (2013)
Instrumentation: for 3 woodwind instramentalists (ob, ca, bn)