Burkhard Glaetzner in Conversation

Burkhard Glaetzner is one of the most prolific and accomplished oboists of the past century. In his artist studio in Leipzig, Germany, we discussed his extraordinary, life-long engagement with contemporary music and what it means to be a musician with political and societal relevance, a musician with purpose. Glaetzner made music for much of his life in East Germany, a country that supported music on an unprecedented scale, and a country whose citizens suffered under an immensely oppressive dictatorship. In the singular, provocative East German avant-garde of the 1970s and 1980s, centered around the contemporary music ensemble he co-founded, the “Gruppe Neue Musik Hanns Eisler“, Glaetzner found societal relevance with music that extended far beyond the oboe. His career has carried on well into a reunified Germany, notably as the long-time Professor of Oboe at the Universität der Künste Berlin (1992-2016), yet the vital musical scene beyond the Iron Curtain, of which he was a central figure, has largely been forgotten. As today’s musicians seek to express their societal and political values through art, the legacy of these intrepid musicians offers invaluable context. This interview is a part of Hearing Memory, a musical-historical project exploring the daring, theatrical music of a largely forgotten East German avant-garde. Funding for Hearing Memory, and for the filming of this interview, has generously been provided by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and by the Faculty in the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at Stony Brook University. Filmed on November 15, 2021 in Leipzig, Germany Videographer: Konrad Stöhr Video Editor: Isabel Frye Translation: Marten Hahn