Gerhard Rühm

 
Gerhard Rühm (born 1930 in Vienna, lives in Cologne and Vienna) is an Austrian writer, visual artist, composer, performer of experimental / phonetic poetry, radio and theatre author and publisher. He is considered one of the most important artists of experimental poetry. He studied piano and composition at the National Academy of Music and Interpretative Arts in Vienna and later received private tuition from Josef Matthias Hauer.
Gerhard Rühm was a founding member of the “Wiener Gruppe” (1954-1960) with Friedrich Achleitner, H.C. Artmann, Konrad Bayer, and Oswald Wiener. Given the radicalism of their writing, works of art, and happenings, the group is considered to be the first avantgarde movement in Austria, thus contributing decisively to the origin of the Vienna Actionism.
Rühm belongs to the classics of modern German-language literature. Scores of new genres, such as “visual music”, “auditory poetry” and “gestural drawing”, are among his wide-ranging, heterogenous work that emerges from the interface of literature, visual art and music. His work, which bears the influence of Expressionism and Dadaism, is often based on ready-made material taken from everyday life, which he then adapts using a particular formula. In a spirit of play, and without subjecting himself too rigidly to self-imposed rules, astounding, multi-layered effects of meaning emerge from an extreme concentration of means.

See also: Selten Gehörte Musik (Günter Brus, Hermann Nitsch, Dieter Roth, Gerhard Rühm, Oswald Wiener).
 
Gerhard Rühm - Ausgewählte Kurze Hörstücke (1961-1987) (vinyl LP)
2020
Tochnit Aleph
21.00 16.00 €
Unlike previous Gerhard Rühm editions on Tochnit Aleph which portrayed his phonetic poetry and longform radio-plays, the pieces on this edition are more conceptual, actionistic and (mostly) sound-based works recorded between 1962 and 1987.
Gerhard Rühm - Diotima hat ihre Lektüre gewechselt (CD)
2018
Tochnit Aleph
14.00 10.50 €
A 1971 detective audio play based on a real murder trial from the early 20th century. The court records are read out by two girls, accompanied by narrative background sounds and a piano piece. Liner-notes (in English and German) by Gerhard Rühm.
Gerhard Rühm - Masoch - Eine rituelle Rezitation (CD)
2014
Tochnit Aleph
First release of Gerhard Rühm's Radio-Play “Masoch”. A ritual recitation of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch and Ignatius von Loyola for one female and one male speaker, a chorus of speakers, and tape.
Gerhard Rühm - Verlautbarungen - Litaneien, Lautgedichte, Sprechduette 1952-2010 (CD)
2012
bilingual booklet (English / German)
Tochnit Aleph
CD presenting 37 solo text-pieces, phonetic poems and poetry duets (with Monika Lichtenfeld) written and composed between 1952 and 2010.


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