Ostrava Center for New Music

Although Kotík became a musician at an early age, his lack of interest in harmony delayed his compositional efforts until he reached the age of 18. Kotík’s disregard for classical harmony, balanced by a keen sense of counterpoint and linear thinking, is shared with other composers, as he later discovered, such as Christian Wolff and John Cage, among others. Although Kotík studied composition both privately in Prague (1960-63) and at the Vienna Academy of Music (1963-66) he has always used his own compositional technique that has very little to do with commonly used methods. As a composer, it could be said that Kotík is largely self-taught. Kotík’s compositional system can be described as a process, in which controlled chance is balanced by intuitive decision-making. The two alternate in a game-like fashion, one influencing the other. The purpose of such a method is to trigger unpredictable processes, while progressing in the work’s envisioned direction.

Among Kotík’s best known compositions are Music for 3 in Memoriam Jan Rychlik for viola, cello and contrabass (1964),  Spontano for piano and 10 instruments (composed for Frederic Rzewski) (1964) There is Singularly nothing on text by Gertrude Stein, for voice(s) and instruments (1971-73), Many Many Women on text by Gertrude Stein, for 6 voices and 6 instr. (1975-78), Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking on text by R. Buckminster Fuller, for a group of 5 or more singers and instruments (1978-80),  Solos and Incidental Harmonies for violin solo and chamber ensemble (1983-85), Letters to Olga on text by Vaclav Havel for 2 narrators, 2 flutes, 2 trumpets, 2 electric guitars and bass guitar (1989-91) Music in Two Movements for orchestra (1998-2002) ( Fragment -1st movement 1998 and Asymmetric Landing - 2nd movement 2001-02), Variations for 3 Orchestras (2003-05), String Quartet No. 1 Erinnerungen an Jan (2007-09), In Four Parts 3,6 & 11 for John Cage for 3 percussionists (2009)

During his time in Stuttgart, he conducted Don Giovanni, La finta giardiniera, Les contes d´Hoffmann, Don Carlo as well as the complex works of Luigi Nono, Al gran sole; and Helmut Lachenmann, Das Mädchen mit den Schwefelhölzern. Most recently he conducted Arnold Schönberg's Moses and Aron. This performance was released as the first live recording of this opera. His popularity with Mozart operas resulted in an invitation in 2004 to be the Music Director of Die Entführung aus dem Serail in Innsbruck, Austria.

He has conducted at many of Europe's most renowned halls and festivals, including Gewandhaus (Leipzig), Semperoper (Dresden), Konzerthaus Berlin, Konzerthaus Vienna, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Royal Festival Hall, Holland Festival and Berliner Festwochen, appearing with the Berliner Sinfonieorchester, Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, Radio Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden, Radio Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Bamberger Symphoniker, Munich Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Klangforum Vienna and Collegium Novum Zürich.

In the 2006-2007 season Mr. Kluttig conducted the opening concert for Europe's most prestigious festival of contemporary music, the Donaueschinger Musiktage, with the Baden-Baden Radio Symphony Orchestra. He returned to the Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin, Bavarian Chamber Orchestra, ASKO Amsterdam, and to Almeida Opera London, where he conducted the world premiere of a new opera by the young British composer Richard Ayres. He also returned to Stuttgart Opera as guest conductor for Morton Feldman's Neither.

In 2004 Mr. Kluttig made his US Debut as principal conductor at Crested Butte Music Festival, where he conducted the Festival Orchestra and Verdi's Rigoletto. In the 2005 CBMF season, he returned to conduct Il Barbiere di Siviglia. One of Mr. Kluttig's first professional appointments following college was Music Director of KNM Berlin (1993-99), which under his direction became one of the finest contemporary music ensembles in Europe. Together they were featured in a series at Berlin Konzerthaus, at festivals in Cologne, Munich, Prague and Moscow and in recordings. Mr. Kluttig comes from a musical family. He studied in Dresden, where he also made his debut with Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro for the Dresden Music Festival.

He worked closely with conductors Peter Eötvös, John Eliot Gardiner, Sylvain Cambreling and Lothar Zagrosek. He is the recipient of grants and awards from the Herbert von Karajan Foundation and German Music Council.

In 1987 he gave his debut as a conductor. A specialist of contemporary music, he regularly collaborates with the Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Recherche, Ensemble Oriol, and with Klangforum Wien. His conducting engagements also led to collaborations with the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, the Radio Symphony Orchestras in Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Vienna Symphonies, the Asko Ensemble Amsterdam, Ictus Ensemble in Brussels and other institutions. In 1998 he received the Grand Prix du Disque for the recording of Jean Barraqué's complete works. Since 1999 Peter Rundel has been one of the principal conductors (with Herreweghe and Weller) of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Flanders, and since 2000 he has been musical director of the Vienna Pocket Opera. In 2003 he conducted the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin for the first time.