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- Born in Frankfurt am Main in 1953, Lutz Kirchhof began
taking lute lessons as a young boy and at the age of twelve gave his
first concert. He studied the lute fourteen years under Lothar
Fuchs, a pupil of Walter Gerwig's, and, in 1972, won first prize in
"Jugend musiziert", a competition for young musicians held
annually in Germany.
- In Frankfurt, whilst continuing his training on the lute,
he read musicology, specialising in "Historical Lute Literature".
He also developed his own playing technique, a technique oriented
towards that used by the great lutenists of the sixteenth and
seventeenth century, such as John Dowland and Sylvius Leopold Weiss.
His final examination at the Frankfurt Musikhochschule, he was
passed "summa cum laude".
- From 1973 to 1980 he worked at the Frankfurt Studio für
Alte Musik and, in 1976, founded his own lute consort which gave
numerous concerts on radio and television. In 1980 he made his first
gramophone recording featuring works for solo lute by Sylvius
Leopold Weiss. Other recordings followed, including Bach's Lute
Suites played in the original keys and with the original lute
tunings.
- As guest tutor he lectured on the lute at Frankfurt
University's Musikwissenschaftliches Institut, as well as preparing
private pupils for the examinations at both the Frankfurt Hochschule
für Musik and the Royal College of Music in London. The
insights he had gained from his teaching and concert-giving he
compiled in a Tutor for the Renaissance and Baroque Lute which is
founded upon a teaching method of his own.
- His repertoire - including works from the present day -
encompasses all the music written for the lute which he performs in
his solo concerts. He also gives performances with singers such as
Max van Egmond and Derek Lee Ragin, as well as with various solo
instrumentalists.
- The recitals he gave at the Vienna "Musiksommer 1988",
at the Festspiele in Schwetzingen and at the Berlin "Horizonte-Festival"
were outstandingly successful; he is also the only lutenist who is
repeatedly invited to appear at the international Berlin "Gitarren-Festival".
- In 1988 Lutz Kirchhof established the "Frankfurter
Lautentage", an event which has since been renamed the "Internationale
Lautentage" and now, in collaboration with a number of radio
stations, takes place every year under his artistic direction. The
Deutsche Welle broadcasted the 1992 event world wide and in 34
international languages. For his CD "World Festival of the Lute",
comprising parts of the "International Lute Festival", Mr.
Kirchhof received the Price of the German Record Critic (Deutscher
Schallplattenpreis) in 1993.
- In 1990 he formed a circle of lute researchers who,
furnished with probably the world's largest collection of original
lute music and other sources, is looking into how lute music was
actually performed in the great periods of its heyday lute music, as
well as into methods of playing and into the ways in which it was
given musical form.
- In 1994 he went to Australia and his tour performing and
giving music classes in Adelaide, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney was
a great success.
- In 1995 he founded his ensemble LIUTO CONCERTATO, through
which he presents the lute as a concert instrument in addition to
solo-concerts.
- In 1996, Mr. Kirchhof initiated the foundation of the
German Association for Lute (DEUTSCHE LAUTENGESELLSCHAFT), combined
with the Festival of European Lute Music in the Lindenmuseum in
Stuttgart.
- In 1997 he released a CD-first-recording to celebrate the
400th birthday of the Princess Elisabeth of Hessen, of her madrigals
and music from her lutebook with Sony-Classical.
- In May 1997 he produced a program of Polish solo and
consort music for the broadcasting station of Hesse at the AROLSER
BAROCK FESTIVAL. He arranged old traditional Polish songs using
composition techniques of the 16 century.
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