October 31, 2025, Linz will host the Austrian premiere of Irmin Schmidt’s monumental rock opera “Gormenghast”, an extraordinary fusion of rock, classical music, and avant-garde.
Irmin Schmidt, composer, conductor, and pianist, gained international recognition as co-founder of the legendary Cologne band CAN. Widely regarded as one of the most influential German groups of the 1970s, CAN’s experimental sound, spanning rock, improvisation, and electronic music, inspired artists from David Bowie to Radiohead.
Beyond CAN, Schmidt has created a remarkable body of work as a composer for film and theater, shaping a distinctive musical language that made him one of Germany’s most important sonic visionaries. In October 2025 he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit by Cologne’s mayor Henriette Reker for his life’s work.
Based on the famous trilogy by British author and illustrator Mervyn Peake, Gormenghast conjures up a dark, baroque universe filled with bizarre characters, grotesque humor, and the struggle between tradition and change. At its center stands the ancient castle of Gormenghast, where the ambitious kitchen boy Steerpike plots his ruthless rise to power.
Irmin Schmidt translates Peake’s fantastical imagery into a powerful musical language that merges rock energy with orchestral richness and experimental textures. As The Times wrote “If Richard Strauss had written rock music, this is what it would have sounded like – gloriously, unashamedly lush.”
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