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The German harpsichordist, Armin Thalheim, studied until 1964 church music in Dresden, afterwards piano, organ and harpsichord at the Leipziger Musikhochschule. He took part in several competitions, including 2nd prize for harpsichord at the International J.S. Competition in Leipzig in 1972, and 1st prize at the Improvisation Competition in Weimar in the same year. He studied harpsichord for three years at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin with Professor Hans Pischner. He also attended courses for early music in France, Holland and Switzerland.
In 1974 Armin Thalheim received training post for the new subject improvisation and for harpsichord at the Hochschule für Musik "Hanns Eisler“ in Berlin, and from 1986 to 1989 he was upper assistant there. In 1983 he received the Kunstpreis der DDR. From 1996 to 2000 he was ballet Korrepetitor at the Palucca Schule in Dresden. Since 1996 he holds training post for improvisation at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy“ in Leipzig. He also published essays on performance practice, and gave lectures on improvisation.
Armin Thalheim gives concerts for harpsichord, organ, clavichord and hammer piano concerts, and improvisations at the organ and at the modern piano, and concerts with Andreas Aigmüller (2002). He has appeared as a soloist, chamber music partner and continuo player in nearly all European countries, as well as in Cuba, Mexico, India, Paraguay, Japan and India. He directed the chamber music series at Schloss Charlottenburg and in Ringenwalde (2002).
Armin Thalheim's versatile repertoire included all kinds of music, as well as his own compositions and improvisations. His compositions include harpsichord and organ music and Lieder. Together with the rock musician and song-writer Lexa Thomas he composed and produced the very personal CD "Die 10 Gebote" (2000). He is co-founder of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin (1982), a member of the Deutschen Institut für Improvisation, and consultant at the Musikakademie zu Rheinsberg. |
