Music was a constant companion for Beate Kuhn, starting at home with her mother, a professional pianist. As an adult, Kuhn embraced avant-garde classical music, often listening while she worked in the studio. She gravitated toward the atonal compositions of Luigi Nono (Italian, 1924–1990); the musique concrète of Helmutt Lachenmann (German, b. 1935); the electronic “micropolyphony” of György Ligeti (Hungarian, 1923–2006); and the unusual instrumentation and spiritualism of Sofia Gubaidulina (Russian, b. 1931). Kuhn made frequent trips to Frankfurt to hear live chamber music and orchestras.
One of her favorite groups was Ensemble Moderne. Founded in Frankfurt in 1980, the ensemble persists today, with 18 soloists who democratically administer their own work with a commitment to questioning musical conventions. We invite you to listen to a Spotify playlist of some of her favorite studio tunes.