The composer Wolfgang Rihm, who has died aged 72 of cancer, epitomised many of the challenges faced by German composers of his generation. Older figures, most famously Karlheinz Stockhausen, had addressed the problem of the nation’s Nazi heritage by attempting to start again from scratch (the position often called Stunde Null). In contrast, many younger composers, such as Rihm, felt an obligation to reincorporate aspects of the musical past: an aim that led some to be stifled in their creativity.
Rihm, though, was from an early age, not only confident about his own compositional voice, but also able to sustain an abundant output. By the time of his death, he had written more than 500 works; a documentary film about his efforts to continue composing despite illness (he had been diagnosed with cancer in 2017) was made in 2020.
