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Timeline
18 events▣ Album 12✦ Award 3◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1† Death 1
1930s
1980s
1990s
· Debut release
Debut release: Schubert’s Winterreise: A Composed Interpretation
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography891 words · 4 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1351356302
Biography
Johannes Wolfgang Zender (22 November 1936 – 22 October 2019) was a German conductor and composer. He was the chief conductor of several opera houses, and his compositions, many of them vocal music, have been performed at international festivals.
As a conductor, he worked at the Theater Freiburg, Theater Bonn, Opernhaus Kiel and Hamburg State Opera, and led the radio orchestra Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern. He taught at the Musikhochschule Frankfurt. His opera Stephen Climax premiered in 1986 at the Oper Frankfurt, and his third opera, Chief Joseph, premiered in 2005 at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.
Career
Born in Wiesbaden, Zender attended the Maifestspiele at age 13, listening to concerts conducted by Carl Schuricht, Karl Böhm and Günter Wand, among others. He took piano lessons and learned to play the organ. From 1949, he went each year to the Darmstädter Ferienkurse, where he got to know trends in new music by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Olivier Messiaen and John Cage. He studied piano, conducting, and composition (the latter with Wolfgang Fortner) at the Hochschule für Musik Frankfurt and the Hochschule für Musik Freiburg from 1956 to 1959. He was trained as a concert pianist by Edith Picht-Axenfeld.
From 1959 to 1963 Zender was Kapellmeister of the Theater Freiburg, then principal conductor at the Theater Bonn from 1964 to 1968. In 1964–65 he attended the Second Cologne Courses for New Music at the Rheinische Musikhochschule, under the artistic direction of Stockhausen. In 1968 he was called to Kiel, where he was Generalmusikdirektor (GMD) of the Opernhaus Kiel until 1972. From 1971, he also was principal conductor of the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Saarbrücken. In 1984, Zender became head of the Hamburg State Opera and GMD of the orchestra there. From 1987 to 1990, he was chief conductor of the Chamber Orchestra of Radio Netherlands in Hilversum. From 1999 to 2011, he was the permanent guest conductor and a member of the artistic board of the SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg, now part of the SWR Symphonieorchester.
Zender's opera Stephen Climax, with his own libretto based on James Joyce and Hugo Ball, was premiered on 15 June 1986 at the Oper Frankfurt, staged by Alfred Kirchner and conducted by Peter Hirsch. His third opera, Chief Joseph, based on Chief Joseph, was premiered in June 2005 at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden, staged by Peter Mussbach and conducted by Johannes Kalitzke.
From 1988 until 2000, Zender taught composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt. Among his students was Isabel Mundry. Invited by Walter Fink, he was in 2011 the 21st composer featured in the annual Komponistenporträt of the Rheingau Musik Festival. Music in a chamber concert included denn wiederkommen (Hölderlin lesen III) for string quartet and speaking voice (1991) and Mnemosyne (Hölderlin lesen IV) for female voice, string quartet, and tape (2000), performed by Salome Kammer and the Athena Quartet. A symphony concert was given by the SWR Vokalensemble and SWR Symphonieorchester conducted by Emilio Pomàrico, including Schubert-Chöre, featuring Zender's adaptations of four Schubert choral works with orchestral rather than the original piano accompaniment, written in the 1980s.
Zender died on 22 October 2019 in Meersburg, Germany.
Compositions
Many of Zender's works were published by Breitkopf & Härtel. The published works are held by the German National Library, including:
Canto I–VI for various forces
I: for choir, flute, piano, strings and percussion (1965)
II: for soprano, choir and orchestra on a text by Ezra Pound (1967)
III: for soprano, tenor, baritone, ten instruments and live-electronics on texts by Cervantes (1968)
IV: for 16 voices and 16 instruments (1969/72)
V: for voices with optional percussion (1972/74)
VI: for bass-baritone, a capella mixed choir, and optional tape (1988)
3 Rondels nach Mallarmé (3 Rondels after Mallarmé) for alto, flute and viola (1966); words by Stéphane Mallarmé
Modelle for variable forces (1971–73)
Zeitströme for orchestra (1974)
Elemente, tape montage for two loudspeaker groups (1976)
Hölderlin lesen I for string quartet with sprechstimme (1979); words by Friedrich Hölderlin
Hölderlin lesen II for sprechstimme, viola, and live-electronics (1987); words by Friedrich Hölderlin
"denn wiederkommen" (Hölderlin lesen III) for string quartet and sprechstimme (1991)
Mnemosyne (Hölderlin lesen IV) for female voice, string quartet, and tape (2000)
Fünf Haiku (LO-SHU IV) for flute and strings (1982)
Dialog mit Haydn for two pianos and three orchestral groups (1982)
Stephen Climax, opera (1979–84, premiered in 1986)
Don Quijote de la Mancha, opera (1989–91, premiered in 1993; new version 1994, premiered in 1999)
Schuberts "Winterreise" — Eine komponierte Interpretation for tenor and small orchestra (1993)
Shir Hashirim—Lied der Lieder (Canto VIII), oratorio for soli, choir, orchestra, and live-electronics (1992/96, complete première in 1998)
Schumann-Fantasie for large orchestra (1997)
Chief Joseph, on the life of Chief Joseph, musical theatre in three acts (premiered in 2005)
Writings
Zender, Hans. 2004. Die Sinne denken. Texte zur Musik 1975-2003. Edited by Jörn Peter Hiekel. Wiesbaden: Breitkopf & Härtel. ISBN 3-7651-0364-0 (a nearly complete edition of Zender's writings)
———.1999. "A Road Map for Orpheus?" In Theory into Practice: Composition, Performance, and the Listening Experience. Collected writings of the Orpheus Institute 2. Edited by Peter Dejans. Leuven: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. ISBN 90-6186-994-3
———. 1991. Happy New Ears. Das Abenteuer, Musik zu hören. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder. ISBN 3-451-04049-2
———. 1998. Wir steigen niemals in denselben Fluß. Wie Musikhören sich wandelt. Second edition. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder. ISBN 3-451-04511-7
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 17 | 76.4th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 12 | 83.4th |
| Studio albums | 12 | 92.8th |
| Awards recorded | 4 | 96.3th |
| Timeline events | 18 | 93th |
| Recording span (years) | 24 | 53.9th |
| Genres | 2 | 74th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (12 release groups · 12 studio albums)
Albums · 12
Schubert’s Winterreise: A Composed Interpretation
1995 · studio album
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Tracklist · 24 tracks · 50:47
Disc 11Schubert’s Winterreise: Gute Nacht9:492Schubert’s Winterreise: Die Wetterfahne2:113Schubert’s Winterreise: Gefrorne Tränen2:114Schubert’s Winterreise: Erstarrung4:095Schubert’s Winterreise: Der Lindenbaum4:076Schubert’s Winterreise: Wasserflut3:307Schubert’s Winterreise: Auf dem Flusse4:028Schubert’s Winterreise: Rückblick2:189Schubert’s Winterreise: Irrlicht2:4710Schubert’s Winterreise: Rast3:0711Schubert’s Winterreise: Frühlingstraum3:4512Schubert’s Winterreise: Einsamkeit3:5113Schubert’s Winterreise: Die Post5:00Disc 21Schubert’s Winterreise: Der greise Kopf2Schubert’s Winterreise: Die Krähe3Schubert’s Winterreise: Letzte Hoffnung4Schubert’s Winterreise: Im Dorfe5Schubert’s Winterreise: Der stürmische Morgen6Schubert’s Winterreise: Täuschung7Schubert’s Winterreise: Der Wegweiser8Schubert’s Winterreise: Das Wirtshaus9Schubert’s Winterreise: Mut!10Schubert’s Winterreise: Die Nebensonnen11Schubert’s Winterreise: Der Leiermann1997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 1:09:56
1Symphony no. 6 in A minor “Tragic”: I. Allegro energico, ma non troppo. Heftig, aber markig17:352Symphony no. 6 in A minor “Tragic”: II. Scherzo: Wuchtig12:133Symphony no. 6 in A minor “Tragic”: III. Andante moderato12:514Symphony no. 6 in A minor “Tragic”: IV. Finale: Allegro moderato - Allegro moderato27:171997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 1:18:38
1Symphony no. 7 in E minor: I. Langsam (Adagio) - Allegro con fuoco22:042Symphony no. 7 in E minor: II. Nachtmusik. Allegro moderato14:463Symphony no. 7 in E minor: III. Scherzo. Schattenhaft10:384Symphony no. 7 in E minor: IV. Nachtmusik. Andante amoroso12:555Symphony no. 7 in E minor: V. Rondo. Finale18:15Symphonies 1 & 6 / Violin Concerto
1997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 12 tracks · 1:51:24
Disc 11Symphony no. 1 in C major, op. 21: Adagio molto - Allegro con brio9:012Symphony no. 1 in C major, op. 21: Andante cantabile con moto8:193Symphony no. 1 in C major, op. 21: Menuetto - Trio: Allegro molto e vivace3:274Symphony no. 1 in C major, op. 21: Adagio - Allegro molto e vivace5:235Symphony no. 6 in F major, op. 68 »Pastorale«: I. Erwachen heiterer Gefuhle bei der Ankunft auf dem Lande: Allegro ma non troppo8:536Symphony no. 6 in F major, op. 68 »Pastorale«: II. Szene am Bach: Andante molto mosso12:487Symphony no. 6 in F major, op. 68 »Pastorale«: III. Lustiges Zusammensein der Landleute: Allegro5:198Symphony no. 6 in F major, op. 68 »Pastorale«: IV. Gewitter, Sturm: Allegro3:499Symphony no. 6 in F major, op. 68 »Pastorale«: V. Hirtengesang - Frohe und dankbare Gefuhle nach dem Sturm: Allegretto9:36Disc 21Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61: Allegro ma non troppo25:212Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61: Larghetto9:293Violin Concerto in D major, op. 61: Rondo9:59Symphony no. 9 / Des Knaben Wunderhorn
1997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 15 tracks · 1:57:47
Disc 11Symphony no. 9 in D major: I. Andante comodo25:132Symphony no. 9 in D major: II. Im Tempo eines gemächlichen Ländlers. Etwas täppisch und sehr derb14:553Symphony no. 9 in D major: III. Rondo. Burleske - Allegro assai. Sehr trotzig12:444Symphony no. 9 in D major: IV. Adagio. Sehr langsam und noch zurückhaltend19:48Disc 21Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Revelge6:262Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Rheinlegendchen3:123Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Der Tambourg’sell5:584Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Wer hat dies Liedel erdacht2:065Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Der Schildwache Nachtlied5:496Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Lob des hohen Verstandes2:327Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt3:508Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Das irdische Leben2:489Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Trost im Unglück2:0810Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Wo die schönen Trompeten blasen6:2011Des Knaben Wunderhorn: Lied des Verfolgten im Turm3:581998 · studio album
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Tracklist · 3 tracks · 1:03:07
1Fanal = Signal18:012Daydreams = Tagträume (7 Sound Poems = Klanggedichte For Piano Trio): Moderately Fast, With Veiled Expression / Lively And Thoroughly Rough / Very Still, Almost Dreamy / Very Lively And Wild / Not Too Quiet, Delicately Expressive / Very Agile In Tempo And Expression / Rather Slow, In The Tempo Of Schubert's "Der Leiermann"15:383Pensées = Reflections (Second Piano Concerto)29:28Schuberts "Winterreise": eine komponierte Interpretation
1999 · studio album
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Tracklist · 24 tracks · 1:33:45
Disc 11Schuberts "Winterreise": Gute Nacht10:102Schuberts "Winterreise": Die Wetterfahne2:163Schuberts "Winterreise": Gefrorne Tränen2:084Schuberts "Winterreise": Erstarrung3:535Schuberts "Winterreise": Der Lindenbaum4:496Schuberts "Winterreise": Wasserflut4:007Schuberts "Winterreise": Auf dem Flusse4:338Schuberts "Winterreise": Rückblick2:129Schuberts "Winterreise": Irrlicht3:1910Schuberts "Winterreise": Rast3:4411Schuberts "Winterreise": Frühlingstraum3:4812Schuberts "Winterreise": Einsamkeit4:0713Schuberts "Winterreise": Die Post5:2514Schuberts "Winterreise": Der greise Kopf2:5015Schuberts "Winterreise": Die Krähe1:3616Schuberts "Winterreise": Letzte Hoffnung2:30Disc 21Schuberts "Winterreise": Im Dorfe3:242Schuberts "Winterreise": Der stürmische Morgen1:213Schuberts "Winterreise": Täuschung2:524Schuberts "Winterreise": Der Wegweiser4:135Schuberts "Winterreise": Das Wirtshaus4:476Schuberts "Winterreise": Mut3:127Schuberts "Winterreise": Die Nebensonnen4:578Schuberts "Winterreise": Der Leiermann7:39Music to Hear / Litanei / Muji no kyō / Fūrin no kyō
2001 · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 1:14:32
1Music to Hear17:272Litanei18:083Muji no kyō17:124Fūrin no kyō21:45The Complete Symphonies nos. 1-8
2004 · studio album
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Tracklist · 30 tracks · 4:14:30
Disc 11Symphony No. 1 in D major D. 82: I. Adagio - Allegro vivace9:402Symphony No. 1 in D major D. 82: II. Andante8:123Symphony No. 1 in D major D. 82: III. Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio5:204Symphony No. 1 in D major D. 82: IV. Allegro vivace6:425Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major: D. 125: I. Largo - Allegro vivace10:186Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major: D. 125: II. Andante - Variationen I - V8:137Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major: D. 125: III. Menuetto. Allegro vivace - Trio3:178Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major: D. 125: IV. Presto vivace6:27Disc 21Symphony no. 3 in D major D. 200: I. Adagio maestoso - Allegro con brio9:272Symphony no. 3 in D major D. 200: II. Allegretto4:293Symphony no. 3 in D major D. 200: III. Menuetto. vivace - Trio3:514Symphony no. 3 in D major D. 200: IV. Presto Vivace7:095Symphony no.4 in C minor D. 417 "Tragic": I. Adagio molto - Allegro vivace9:326Symphony no.4 in C minor D. 417 "Tragic": II. Andante9:347Symphony no.4 in C minor D. 417 "Tragic": III. Menuetto. Allegro vivace - Trio3:588Symphony no.4 in C minor D. 417 "Tragic": IV. Allegro11:50Disc 31Symphony no. 5 in B-flat major, D. 485: I. Allegro7:182Symphony no. 5 in B-flat major, D. 485: II. Andante con moto10:203Symphony no. 5 in B-flat major, D. 485: III. Menuetto. Allegro molto - Trio5:204Symphony no. 5 in B-flat major, D. 485: IV. Allegro vivace6:075Symphony no. 6 in C major, D. 589: I. Adagio - Allegro10:076Symphony no. 6 in C major, D. 589: II. Andante6:327Symphony no. 6 in C major, D. 589: III. Scherzo. Presto - Più lento6:388Symphony no. 6 in C major, D. 589: IV. Allegro moderato9:14Disc 41Symphony no. 8 in B minor, D. 759 "Unfinished": I. Allegro moderato14:082Symphony no. 8 in B minor, D. 759 "Unfinished": II. Andante con moto11:433Symphony no. 9 in C major, D. 944 "The Great": I. Andante - Allegro ma non troppo12:514Symphony no. 9 in C major, D. 944 "The Great": II. Andante con moto14:265Symphony no. 9 in C major, D. 944 "The Great": III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace - Trio10:176Symphony no. 9 in C major, D. 944 "The Great": IV. Finale. Allegro vivace11:302006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 16 tracks · 1:07:31
1Schumann-Phantasie: Praludium3:442Schumann-Phantasie: I. Ruinen (after Schumann: Fantasy In C Major, Op. 17: I. Durchaus Phantastisch Und Leidenschaftlich Vorgetragen)13:153Schumann-Phantasie: Interludium I2:124Schumann-Phantasie: II. Triumphbogen (after Schumann: Fantasy In C Major, Op. 17: II. Massig. Durchaus Energisch)8:455Schumann-Phantasie: Interludium II3:126Schumann-Phantasie: III. Sternennacht (after Schumann: Fantasy In C Major, Op. 17: III. Langsam Getragen. Durchweg Leise Zu Halten)13:477Bardo: Solo I1:598Bardo: Tutti I1:429Bardo: Solo II2:0110Bardo: Tutti II2:4611Bardo: Solo III2:1512Bardo: Tutti III2:1513Bardo: Solo IV2:3514Bardo: Tutti IV1:4315Bardo: Solo V2:3216Bardo: Tutti V2:482018 · studio album
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Tracklist · 24 tracks · 1:24:03
1Schuberts Winterreise: Gute Nacht9:112Schuberts Winterreise: Die Wetterfahne2:023Schuberts Winterreise: Gefrorne Tränen2:064Schuberts Winterreise: Erstarrung3:315Schuberts Winterreise: Der Lindenbaum4:136Schuberts Winterreise: Wasserflut3:417Schuberts Winterreise: Auf dem Flusse3:558Schuberts Winterreise: Rückblick1:599Schuberts Winterreise: Irrlicht3:1510Schuberts Winterreise: Rast3:1611Schuberts Winterreise: Frühlingstraum3:3712Schuberts Winterreise: Einsamkeit4:1213Schuberts Winterreise: Die Post4:2814Schuberts Winterreise: Der greise Kopf2:3215Schuberts Winterreise: Die Krähe1:4516Schuberts Winterreise: Letzte Hoffnung2:0217Schuberts Winterreise: Im Dorfe3:1318Schuberts Winterreise: Der stürmische Morgen1:2119Schuberts Winterreise: Täuschung3:0620Schuberts Winterreise: Der Wegweiser3:4021Schuberts Winterreise: Das Wirtshaus3:5522Schuberts Winterreise: Mut3:0923Schuberts Winterreise: Die Nebensonnen3:3924Schuberts Winterreise: Der Leiermann6:15Schubert’s Winterreise: A Composed Interpretation
2025 · studio album
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Tracklist · 24 tracks
Disc 11Schubert’s Winterreise: Gute Nacht (Good Night)2Schubert’s Winterreise: Die Wetterfahne (The Weathervane)3Schubert’s Winterreise: Gefrorne Tränen (Frozen Tears)4Schubert’s Winterreise: Erstarrung (Frozen Stiff)5Schubert’s Winterreise: Der Lindenbaum (The Linden Tree)6Schubert’s Winterreise: Wasserflut (Flood)7Schubert’s Winterreise: Auf dem Flusse (On the River)8Schubert’s Winterreise: Rückblick (Backward Glance)9Schubert’s Winterreise: Irrlicht (Will-o’-the-Wisp)10Schubert’s Winterreise: Rast (Rest)11Schubert’s Winterreise: Frühlingstraum (Dream of Spring)Disc 21Schubert’s Winterreise: Einsamkeit (Loneliness)2Schubert’s Winterreise: Die Post (The Post)3Schubert’s Winterreise: Der greise Kopf (The Old Man’s Head)4Schubert’s Winterreise: Die Krähe (The Crow)5Schubert’s Winterreise: Letzte Hoffnung (Last Hope)6Schubert’s Winterreise: Im Dorfe (In the Village)7Schubert’s Winterreise: Der stürmische Morgen (The Stormy Morning)8Schubert’s Winterreise: Täuschung (Delusion)9Schubert’s Winterreise: Der Wegweiser (The Signpost)10Schubert’s Winterreise: Das Wirtshaus (The Inn)11Schubert’s Winterreise: Mut! (Courage!)12Schubert’s Winterreise: Die Nebensonnen (The Mock Suns)13Schubert’s Winterreise: Der Leiermann (The Hurdy-Gurdy Player)
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Hans Zender head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 17 | 76.4th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 12 | 83.4th |
| Studio albums | 12 | 92.8th |
| Awards recorded | 4 | 96.3th |
| Timeline events | 18 | 93th |
| Recording span (years) | 24 | 53.9th |
| Genres | 2 | 74th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Saarland Art Prize | won | |
| 1997 | Frankfurter Musikpreis | won | |
| 1997 | Goethe Prize of the City of Frankfurt | won | |
| — | Rome Prize of the German Academy Villa Massimo | won |
Where this record comes from
aliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3c914766-3524-48bd-8585-22de6ba9e9d3discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/3c914766-3524-48bd-8585-22de6ba9e9d3core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q64789genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q64789seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Zenderbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Zender
Why this artist is in the database
- List of composers by name
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: no portrait (not displayed: the licence credit is missing)
Wikidata: Q64789 · MusicBrainz: 3c914766-3524-48bd-8585-22de6ba9e9d3
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