Herbert Blendinger

In May 2021, one year after his death, a double-CD was released with 10 of his chamber-works, played by the ALEA Ensemble : string quartets No. 1-4, Fantasy in G and Trio in G for piano trio, Suite in B for string trio, Piano quartet, Duo Concertante for violin and piano, Three pieces for violoncello and piano. This double-CD (ALEA-06/21 or STB 21/05 resp.) is available at www.alea.at . The CD-edition of the "Steirischen Tonkünstlerbund" contains further Blendinger-works on app.45 CDs.

Blendinger's works were performed by the Bayerisches Staatsorchester and Wolfgang Sawallisch, his concerto for string quartet and orchestra in 1976, the cantata Media in vita (In the Midst of Life) in 1980 and Divertimento concertante in 1985. His cantatas Mich ruft zuweilen eine Stille (Sometimes a silence calls me), op. 58 (1992), and Allein den Betern kann es noch gelingen (It can only be achieved by those who pray) (1995) were premiered in the cathedral of Graz and the Heilandskirche, Graz. The ALEA Ensemble performed his string quartets internationally in Munich, Rome and New York. The ensemble, in piano trio formation, performed his Drei Stücke for cello and piano (1955), Duo concertante for violin and piano (2003) and Fantasie in G for piano trio (1992) at the Musik-Forum München, Studio für neue Musik, along with piano trios by Gerhard Präsent, Graham Waterhouse (Bei Nacht) and Iván Erőd. The concert was broadcast by the Bayerischer Rundfunk on 19 August 2011 in its series past midnight "Concerto bavarese" (Bavarian concert).

His clarinet concerto and Media in Vita were combined on a CD in 2006. Clarinetist Hans Schöneberger played the concerto in 1999 with the Münchener Kammerorchester, conducted by Peter Gülke, at the Allerheiligen Hofkirche in Munich. Soprano Helen Donath and bass Hermann Becht were the soloists in the cantata, performed by the Bayerisches Staatsorchester, conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch.

Born in Ansbach, Blendinger studied viola and composition with Willy Horwath and Max Gebhard at the conservatory in Nuremberg, then from 1961 to 1963 at the Musikhochschule München with Georg Schmid and Franz Xaver Lehner. As a composer, he was inspired also by Paul Hindemith.

He worked from 1961 as principal viola player of the Rheinisches Kammerorchester in Cologne. He was also a member of the Bamberger Symphoniker and the Bayerisches Staatsorchester. He played chamber music with the Bamberger Klavierquartett and the Sinnhoffer-Quartett, among others. Blendinger taught at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich and the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg. From 1981 until his retirement in 1988 he was professor for viola at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Graz. Blendinger was a member of the board of the Styrian Tone Arts Association.

Herbert Blendinger (3 January 1936 - 15 May 2020) was an Austrian composer and viola player of German origin.