Irmin Schmidt
Biography
Before Irmin founded the now legendary German band CAN in 1968, he received a formal musical education and studied composition, piano, conducting and music ethnology. Amongst others his teachers were Karlheinz Stockhausen and Ligeti. Between 1962 and 1969 he conducted numerous orchestras including his own compositions. During this period he also composed music for various film and theatre productions. In the late 60ies Schmidt decided to unite classical New Music with Rock and Jazz and founded CAN. Between 1969 and 1978 he worked exclusively with CAN .
After 1978 Irmin released several solo albums - Toy Planet (with B. Spoerri), Musk At Dusk, Impossible Holidays - and a 3 CD box-set of his work as a film composer (Anthology - Soundtrack 1978 - 1993). He also wrote the Fantasy Opera, Gormenghast (premiered in 1998) and a ballet, La Fermosa (premiered in 2008) as well as over 120 film scores. With British composer KUMO he released two CDs, Masters of Confusion (2001) and Axolotl Eyes (2008) and a DVD of their sound installation Flies, Guys and Choirs (originally commissioned by the Barbican Centre).
In 2008 he also released his second Anthology - Soundtracks (1994 - 2008) and the original score to the Wim Wenders film Palermo Shooting which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2008.
Schmidt's sound-journeys combine what is usually opposed: Rock, Pop, Jazz, Classic, Electronic, Ambient, Drum n' Bass, Walz, Oriental... He is a musical alchemist. The unusual paths Schmidt choses for his compositions were celebrated in 2010, when the prestigious Festival "Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspielen" presented a gala evening in his honor. Schmidt conducted the Orchestra of the Schlossfestspiele and presented a selection of his work to great critical acclaim.
In 2012 the CAN Label Spoon Records released The Lost Tapes, a 3 CD Can Box of previously unreleased Can material curated by Irmin Schmidt . The following year he released his double CD compilation Villa Wunderbar, a selection of his solo work and work for film (curated by Wim Wenders).
In 2015 Irmin Schmidt was knighted by the French Ministry of Culture and received the highly prestigious medal Chevalier De L'Ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres for his contribution to art and music. The same year Spoon Records released his 12 CD box Electro Violet - a complete set of Schmidts work (6 solo CDs and 6 Soundtrack CDs).
In 2016 Irmin - in collaboration with Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) - performed a live composition at the Louvre, Paris to the film STREET by English artist/film maker James Nares.
At „The Can Project Event“ in April 2017, Irmin presented „Can Dialog“ a new composition for large orchestra by Schmidt and G. Schwellenbach as well as Schmidt’s ballet „La Fermosa“ and conducted the London Symphony Orchestra at the prestigious London art centre The Barbican. The orchestral part was followed by an "Homage a CAN" concert curated and presented by Thurston Moore.
May 2018 saw the release of the Can book „The Story Of Can – All Gates Open“. The book in two parts presents a biography written by Rob Young and a second part „Can Kiosk“ written by Irmin Schmidt, a collage of diary entires and interviews. The book is already in the second re-print.
In November 2018 Spoon Records released Irmin’s new piano solo album „5 Klavierstücke“.
Irmin also finished a new composition „Filmmusiken“ together with Gregor Schwellenbach with whom he already wrote „Can Dialog“. The piece – an orchestration of several of Schmidt’s soundtracks - premiered at the International Film Festival Braunschweig in November 2018 where Irmin conducted the Staatsorchester Braunschweig. In December 2018 he took the composition to the Volksbühne Berlin where he conducted the Deutsche Filmorchester Babelsberg.
In 2019 Irmin started touring with his new album „5 Klavierstücke“. The concert on the 21st November at the Contemporary Music Festival in Huddersfield was recorded in St Paul’s Church and
subsequently released on the 29th May 2020: „NOCTURNE“ is released by Spoon Records and Mute on CD, limited edition white Vinyl and download.
Irmin is currently working on a violin concerto and prepares for more concerts (Bergen , Prague and Warsaw to come – dates tba)
Filmography
2014 Die Getriebenen Stephan Wagner2014 Hundstage (Tatort) Stephan Wagner 2013 Zwei Allein Stephan Wagner
2013 L'enfant Du Soleil Taïeb Louhichi
2012 Mord In Eberswalde Stephan Wagner
2012 Lösegeld Stephan Wagner
2011 Inside Nazi Germany 1938 (Spiegel TV Doku)
2010 Inshallah (Bloch 20) Thomas Jauch
2010 Heiland (Bloch 19) Franziska Meletzki
2009 Tod eines Freundes (Bloch 16) Züli Aladag
2008 Schattenkind (Bloch 15)Christoph Stark
2008 Palermo Shooting Wim Wenders
2008 Bauchgefühl (Bloch 14)Franziska Meletzky
2008 Vergeben nicht Vergessen (Bloch 13) Michael Verhoeven
2007 Die letzte Prüfung (Einsatz Hamburg - Jenny Berlin)Stephan Wagner
2007 Die Blaue Stunde (Bloch 12) Thorsten Näter
2007 Der Kinderfreund (Bloch 11) Kilian Riedhof
2006 Der Mann im Smoking (Bloch 10) René Heisig
2006 Paparazzo (2 Episoden) Allan Smithee
2005 Der Freund meiner Tochter (Bloch 8) Kilian Riedhof
2005 Ein krankes Herz (Bloch 7) Michael Hammon
2004 Schneeland Hans W. Geißendörfer
2004 In Sachen Kaminski Stephan Wagner
2004 Schwestern (Bloch 6) Edward Berger
2004 Ein Fleck auf der Haut (Bloch 5)Stephan Wagner
2004 Der Stich des Skorpion / Operation Skorpion Stephan Wagner
2003 Ich werde immer bei Euch sein Markus Fischer
2003 Wenn Frauen Austern essen (Tatort) Klaus Emmerich
2003 Silbergraue Augen (Bloch 4) Markus O. Rosenmüller
2003 Tausendschönchen (Bloch 3) Christoph Stark
2002 Ein begrabener Hund (Bloch 2) Peter Schulze-Rohr
2002 Schwarzer Staub (Bloch 1) Edward Herzog
1997 Schimanski: Hart am Limit Hajo Gies
1995 Die Angst hat eine kalte Hand Matti Geschonek
1998 Zucker für die Bestie Markus Fischer
1996 Der rote Schakal Hajo Gies
1995 Der Mörder und sein Kind Matti Geschonek
1993 Morlock - König Midas Klaus Emmerich
1992 Negerküsse Maria Theresia Wagner
1991 Pizza ColoniaKlaus Emmerich
1989 Rote Erde / 2. Staffel, (4 Episoden) Klaus Emmerich
1987 Reporter (6 Episoden) Klaus Emmerich
1986 Freunde (Tatort) Klaus Emmerich Götz George
1985 Kein schöner Land (4 Episoden) Klaus Emmerich
1985 Alle Geister kreisen Peter Przygodda
1984 Flight to Berlin / Fluchtpunkt Berlin Christoper Petit
1984 Es ist nicht aller Tage Abend Herbert Wolfertz
1983 Ruhe sanft Bruno Hajo Gies
1983 Rote Erde / 1. Staffel (9 Episoden) Klaus Emmerich
1982 Der Mann auf der Mauer / The Man on the Wall Reinhard Hauff
1981 Die Heimsuchung des Assistenten Jung Thomas Schamoni
1981 Flächenbrand Alexander v. Eschwege
1980 Endstation Freiheit / Slow Attack (USA) Reinhard Hauff
1980 Im Herzen des Hurrican Hark Bohm
1979 Der Tote bin ich Alexander v. Eschwege
1979 Neues aus Transkastanien (4 Episoden) Karlheinz Freynick
1978 Messer im Kopf Reinhard Hauff
1965 Zwei wie wirKarl Hamrun
Filmography Irmin Schmidt with CAN
1991 Until The End Of The World Wim Wenders1979 Als Diesel Geboren Peter Przygodda
1975 Eurogang - Keine Beweise Gegen Martellan Michael Braun
1973 Alice in den Städten Wim Wenders
1973 Die Letzten Tage Von Gomorroha Helma Sanders
1972 Tote Taube Auf Der Beethovenstraße Samuel Fuller
1971 Das Messer (3 Episoden) Rolf Von Sydow
1970 Mein Schönes Kurzes Leben Klaus Lemke
1970 Cream - Schwabing Report Leon Capetanos
1970 Ein Großer Graublauer Vogel Thomas Schamoni
1970 Deep End Jerzy Skolimowski
1970 Milionenspiel Tom Toelle
1969 Das Kuckucksei Im Gangsternest Franz-Josef Spicker
1969 Mädchen... nur mit Gewalt Roger Fritz
1969 Kamasutra - Vollendung der Liebe Kobi Jaeger
1968 Agilok & Blubbo Peter Schneider
Irmin Schmidt Theater Music
1983LEBEN GRUNDLINGS FRIEDRICH VON PREUSSEN LESSINGS SCHLAF TRAUM SCHREI von Heiner Müller , Schillertheater Berlin - Klaus Emmerich
1985
WALLENSTEIN von F. Schiller , Schillertheater Berlin - Klaus Emmerich
1988
VICTOR ODER DIE KINDER AN DER MACHT von Roger Vitrac , Theater der Freien Volksbühne Berlin - Klaus Emmerich
1991
UNTER DER TREPPE von Charles Dyer, Städtische Bühnen Schauspiel Frankfurt - Klaus Emmerich
1992
BAAL von Bertolt Brecht, Niedersächsisches Staatstheater Hannover - Klaus Emmerich
1992
WUNDERWORTE von Valle Inclan, Deutsches Theater Berlin – Armin Holz