Friedemann Witecka

Biography

The highly individual refinement and sensitivity of Friedemann's music makes him one of the most important artists of a musical genre which is called "contemporary instrumental music". It is inspired by many different sources. His intelligent melange of pop, jazz, chamber music, meditative soundscapes and world music constitutes a refreshing alternative for an adult audience oversaturated with the meaningless glitter of the pop music scene today. Friedemann was born in 1951 in Freiburg, Germany...

The highly individual refinement and sensitivity of Friedemann's music makes him one of the most important artists of a musical genre which is called "contemporary instrumental music". It is inspired by many different sources. His intelligent melange of pop, jazz, chamber music, meditative soundscapes and world music constitutes a refreshing alternative for an adult audience oversaturated with the meaningless glitter of the pop music scene today.

Friedemann was born in 1951 in Freiburg, Germany, a picturesque town in the foothills of the Black Forest. Though he had taken several years of formal music training on the cello and recorder as a youth, his view of music changed when he discovered an old guitar in his parents home. Amazed at its rich, resonant sound, young Friedemann was inspired to pursue an entirely new direction in music.

By the age of 15, this self-taught guitarist was the toast of regional music festivals, earning numerous awards for his distinctive style and expressive flair. From 1970 to 1980 Friedemann lived in London, England, where he continued to expand his artistic horizons, studying art and photography, and producing a highly acclaimed children's music series, "Tinderbox".

After his return to Germany, Friedemann soon emerged as a popular composer, arranger and producer. By the mid-80ies he had successfully established the music publishing company Vollton Musikverlag and its record label Biber Records which have become the home of several internationally acclaimed bands and musicians.

With the records "Indian Summer", released in 1987, and "Aquamarin", released in 1990 and voted as "Best Audiophile Recording Of All Times" (!) by AUDIO Magazine in October 1997, Friedemann realized his idea to write popular music that is able to reach a large audience without sacrificing his artistic integrity. And with total record sales of well over 400,000 copies, Friedemann's albums have become international bestsellers.

The highly acclaimed album "In Concert" (1992 "Record of the Year", Stereoplay) is the first "live" production for the BIBER label. The live documentation of performances of a type of music which until then had only been recorded in the laboratory atmosphere of a studio successfully confirmed to the high standards of quality which Biber has developed and maintained over many years.

With a 30-year career and nine albums showing a steady maturation of style and over 400,000 copies sold to date, Friedemann Witecka has become a European symbol for "New Instrumental Music" still looking for an equal in purity of sound, perfection and impeccable musical taste. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.