Peter Ablinger, one of Austria’s most radical and thought-provoking composers, died on 17 April 2025 at the age of 66 in Berlin, the city he had called home since the early 1980s. The Akademie der Künste, where he was a member and where his archive is housed, confirmed the news.
Born on 15 March 1959 in Schwanenstadt, Upper Austria, Ablinger initially studied graphic design in Linz. In 1977, he turned to music, studying jazz piano in Graz and later composition with Gösta Neuwirth and Roman Haubenstock-Ramati. He moved to Berlin in 1982, where he developed his life’s work as a composer, educator, and publisher.
Early in his career, Ablinger focused on chamber music. From the mid-1990s, his output expanded to include electroacoustic works and sound installations. Among his most influential and characteristic projects is Weiss/Weisslich (White/Whitish), an evolving cycle of works exploring the nature of white noise through multiple formats: instrumental pieces, sound installations, texts, silent music, and even objects. Begun in 1980, the cycle grew to 36 parts and became a cornerstone of his artistic vision.
Ablinger’s music was performed at major international festivals, including the Wiener Festwochen and Wien Modern. Despite its often conceptual and abstract framework, his work resonated with audiences and performers alike, valued for its clarity of purpose and intellectual force.
In addition to his compositional work, Ablinger was active in experimental performance and education. He founded the ensemble Zwischentöne in Berlin in 1988, born from a course in improvisation and experimental music. In 1999, he co-founded the publishing house Zeitvertrieb. As a visiting professor, he taught in cities such as Graz, Darmstadt, Hamburg, and Prague. In 2012, he became a full member of the Akademie der Künste in Berlin.
Over the course of his career, Ablinger released around 40 recordings and received several honours, including the Förderungspreis Musik of the Berlin Art Prize (1998), the Andrzej Dobrowolski Composition Prize (2008), and the Austrian Art Prize (2020).
Subscribe to our newsletter