HK Gruber

HK Gruber maintains parallel careers as a conductor, composer, and singer (or "chansonnier," his chosen description). He is particularly identified with the work of Kurt Weill and Hanns Eisler, which he has performed and recorded extensively. His own compositions reflect their influence, as well as that of Berg, Stravinsky, and pop and cabaret music, along with a liberal dose of Gruber's unique sense of humor. Many of Gruber's early compositions, like the Four Pieces for violin and piano (1963), are serial works. Far and away, the best known of Gruber's works is the "pan-demonium" Frankenstein!! An audacious, darkly comical setting of children's verses by the poet H.C. Artmann. Gruber later became known as a composer of concertos, producing works for cellist Yo-Yo Ma and trumpeter Hakan Hardenberger. Gruber's Piano Concerto (2014-2016), written for Emanuel Ax on commission from the New York Philharmonic, was premiered in 2017.