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1970 In September, the first articles were published in the press concerning Friedrich Gulda’s planned musical “Drop-Out“.
Report
Various premiere performances including: “Variationen über Light My Fire” (or “Variations on Light my Fire”) (30 June), “Sinfonie in G” (or “Symphony in G”) (20 November), “Suite for Piano, E-Piano and Drums”, “Introduktion und Scherzo“ (or “Introduction and Scherzo”) (both on 25 November).
1971 Following a one-year break, the “3.Internationale Musikforum“ (or Third International Music Forum) on the Ossiachersee, with performances by Pink Floyd and Joe Zawinul’s “Weather Report“, goes off without a hitch (Theme: “Erste, zweite, dritte Welt? – Weltsprache Musik“ or “First, Second, Third World? – Music as a Universal Language“).
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Friedrich Gulda performed with Paul and Limpe Fuchs for the first time.
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Numerous concert evenings held during the Autumn with programmes consisting exclusively of works by J.S. Bach und F. Gulda.
Various premiere performances, including: “Play Piano Play“ (12 March), “Concertino for Players and Singers“ (13 December).
1972 Joint concerts together with “Weather Report“, performing throughout South America from 24 April until 15 May (final South America tour).
Performance in Villingen (Germany) at the beginning of April. The first complete performance of Book One of Bach’s “Wohltemperiertes Klavier“ (WTK) (or “Well-Tempered Clavier”) took place in Rio de Janeiro on the 17 May.
“Anima“ – “Freie Musik“ (or “Anima” – “Free Music”) with Paul and Limpe Fuchs – including performances in Vienna, Salzburg, Zurich and Frankfurt.
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1973 Numerous “Anima“ concerts, partly beginning with Preludes and Fugues from Bach’s WTK.
The second complete performance of Book Two of Bach’s WTK took place on 18 May in Tulln.
On 22 and 29 May respectively, Gulda performed the complete WTK at the Viennese Konzerthaus.
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The “Musikforum“ was forced to relocate from Ossiach to nearby Viktring.
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Separation from Yuko Gulda.
1974 First solo evening without a fixed programme at the Viennese Konzerthaus.
“Projekt Anima“ took place from 26 July to 6 August. It involved 10 concerts in and around Salzburg together with Albert Mangelsdorff, Barre Phillips and Mounir Baschir amongst others.
Report
Only sporadic performances as a classical pianist.
Premiere performances of: “Für Paul“ (or “For Paul“) (15 January) and “Wings” (29 March), amongst others.
Friedrich Gulda met his third partner, Ursula Anders.
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1975 Numerous concert evenings of “Freie Musik“ together with Ursula Anders, partly combined with classical piano music during the first half of the performance.
Premiere performance of “G´schichten aus dem Golowinerwald“ (Stories from the Golowin Forest) at the Viennese Konzerthaus on 27 May.
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Friedrich Gulda moved his main residence to Weißenbach am Attersee.
1976 With the exception of performances at “Tage Freier Musik“ (or “Days of Free Music” (19 – 22 August) at Schloss Moosham (or Castle Moosham) in the Lungau region of Salzburg with Cecil Taylor, Barre Phillips, John Surman and Albert Mangelsdorff amongst others, Friedrich Gulda appeared at more than 20 concerts, performing exclusively “Freie Musik“ with Ursula Anders.
1977 Continued to perform more or less exclusively “Freie Musik“ with Ursula Anders.
On 5 and 6 December, Friedrich Gulda performed his own works at concerts at the Viennese Konzerthaus. The concerts were entitled “Guldas eigene Klassik“ (or Gulda’s Own Classics”) and included joint performances with Fritz Pauer, Roland Batik, Erich Kleinschuster and the ORF Big-Band amongst others.
Report
1978 Stage performance of “Besuch vom alten G.“ (or Visit of Old G.“) by and starring Friedrich Gulda, Kurt Meisel and Ursula Anders on 25 and 26 February at the Cuvilliés Theatre in Munich and at the Salzburger Landestheater (or Salzburg Regional Theatre) on 2 May.
Report
Friedrich Gulda performed three concerts, in Gmunden (15 -17 September), Vienna (12, 13 und 15 October) und Munich (17, 23 und 24 October) respectively, playing classical piano music for the first time in a long while in front of an audience, together with his own compositions and “Freie Musik“.
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1979 Together with Joe Zawinul’s Band “Weather Report“, Dizzy Gillespie, Mounir Baschir and others, Friedrich Gulda played at the “Weltmusiktage“ der “Szene der Jugend“ (or “World Music Days of the Youth Scene“) in Salzburg in July.
Programme
On 13 November, Friedrich Gulda made a surprise appearance at the Viennese Konzerthaus during the lead up to a performance by the pop singer, Randy Newman. He played Mozart Sonatas together with his own compositions and improvisations on the Fiakerlied (a folk song about a traditional Austrian horse and carriage).
Report
On 15 December, Friedrich Gulda presented a programme consisting purely of Mozart’s compositions, entitled “Mozart for the People“. The stage was lit using red lighting, the sound amplified through speakers and the audience was younger than average. He caused a commotion before the performance by abusing the spectators, calling them “stinking reactionaries“.
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From 16 – 18 December, he performed “Freie Musik“ again, together with Günther Rabl and Ursula Anders.
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1980 In February, he performed “Bach for the People“ at the Brucknerhaus (or Bruckner House) in Linz on an electronically amplified clavichord.
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Premiere performance of “Opus Anders“ on 22 September at the Brucknerhaus in Linz.
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Performed a total of 12 concerts, in which Mozart’s compositions for the piano were allotted more and more programme time.
1981 Three matinees, performing all of Mozart’s Piano Sonatas at the Munich National Theatre in February, as well as three evening performances in Paris (19, 20 und 23 March) and at La Scala in Milan (1, 6 and 12 April).
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Premiere performance of “Konzert für Violoncello und Blasorchester“ (or Concerto for the Violoncello and Wind Orchestra”) on 5 October in Villach with Heinrich Schiff as a soloist.
1982 Concert with Chick Corea at the Münchner Klaviersommer (or Munich Piano Summer) on 27 June.
Premiere performance of “Concerto for Ursula“ on 18 September at the Berliner Philharmonic.
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1983 Several concerts performing on two pianos together with Chick Corea, entitled “All-Music-Program“.
Performed “Concerto for Ursula“ on 2 March in Munich and 26 October in Paris
1984 Recorded Mozart’s “Konzert für zwei Klaviere in Es-Dur KV 365” (or “Concerto in Es-Major for Two Pianos”) together with Chick Corea, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra.
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Interview
1986 Friedrich Gulda performed classical piano recitals more frequently and increasingly dedicated himself to the works of Frédéric Chopin, sometimes with “Freie Musik” performed with Limpe Fuchs (“Consonanza personale“).
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Participated in the Münchner Klaviersommer (four concerts at the beginning of July).
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Concert together with Wolfgang Ambros and Jessye Norman at a party thrown by their mutual record company on 5 September at the Viennese Konzerthaus.
Performed two duo-concerts together with Joe Zawinul in Cologne and Vienna at the end of November.
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1987 Trio with Joe Zawinul and Chick Corea on 4 July at a jazz festival in the Viennese Stadthalle, as well as duo-concerts with Zawinul and Corea respectively in Parma, Barcelona, Winterthur and Innsbruck.
1988 Premiere performance of “Concerto for Myself“ on 9 March at the Munich Philharmonic.
Programme + entrance tickets
On 26 July, one day before the opening of the Salzburg Festival, Friedrich Gulda first gave a concert together with Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe on the Salzburger Domplatz (or Cathedral Square in Salzburg) followed by a jam session with Joe Zawinul’s Band “Syndicate“ on Kapitelplatz.
Friedrich Gulda proceeded to skip all further commitments for the Salzburg Festival, thereby causing a huge scandal.
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1989 Appearance with Herbie Hancock at the Münchner Klaviersommer on 15 July.
Trio with Zawinul and Hancock on 24 July at the Salzburger Sporthalle (or Salzburg Sports Hall).
1990 Conception and musical direction of the opening of the Viennese Festival (12 May) on the Rathausplatz (or Vienna’s City Hall Square) with the theme “Offene Grenzen“ (or Open Borders”) with Gulda’s newly established jazz-rock formation “The Paradise Band“ amongst others.
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Performances with Barbara Dennerlein and Marilyn Mazur.
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1991 Solo recital in Paris with the title “Le Monde Musical de F. G.“ (or “Friedrich Gulda’s Musical World“) on 3 April.
Last concert together with the Viennese Philharmonic Orchestra (Mozart’s Concerto KV 466 and Friedrich Gulda’s “Concerto for Myself“) on 30 September in Bratislava.
Numerous concerts entitled “Mozart no End and the Paradise Band“ (including dates in Vienna, Frankfurt, Zurich, Milan and Barcelona to name but a few).
1992 Premiere concertante stage performance of "Paradise Island“ on 20 July at the Munich Philharmonic.
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Poster
1993 Third and final tour of Japan in November.
1994 Programme of compositions exclusively by Bach, performed on the clavinova for the first time on 10 April at the Brucknerhaus.
Mozart evenings in Berlin and Zurich in October.
First dance-music-events with DJs and the “Paradise Girls“ on 3 November in the Wiener Sofiensäle (or Viennese Sofien Halls) and on 5 November at the Brucknerhaus in Linz.
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1995 Friedrich Gulda played piano music by Mozart, which subsequently flowed into dance parties with DJs, the “Paradise Band“ and the “Paradise Girls“ in Munich (23 June) and Vienna (3 November).
1996 “Mozartiana“ – a staged musical collage of Mozart’s original music, techno und house music at the Münchner Klaviersommer on 24 July.
Poster
1997 “Mozartiana“ – Open air performance at the Linzer Klangwolke (a festival for art, technology and society which takes place annually in Linz) on 13 September.
During the performance “The Gulda Experience“ on 23 November, Friedrich Gulda had the Große Wiener Konzerthaussaal (or the large hall at the Viennese Konzerthaus) cleared for dancing.
Friedrich Gulda set up his own company, “Paradise Productions“.
1998 Friedrich Gulda hosted a clubbing on 29 October at the Radiokulturhaus Wien (or Viennese House of Radio and Culture), together with DJ Pippi and the “Paradise Girls“ with “Midnite Party“. He later described the TV recording of the event as his only relevant obituary.
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1999 On 28 March, Friedrich Gulda publicly staged his own death by initiating his own obituary, ahead of two planned Easter concerts due to take place in Salzburg, entitled “Friedrich Gulda’s Resurrection Party“.
Friedrich Gulda played his last concert at the Viennese Musikverein on 4 November.
Concert diary
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2000 Friedrich Gulda died of a heart attack on 27 January 2000 – Mozart’s Birthday – at his flat in Weißenbach.
Photo of his grave