(b. 23 August 1941, Basel).
Swiss composer of mostly stage, orchestral, chamber, and vocal works that have been performed throughout Europe.
Mr. Pflüger is the son of the painter Karl Pflüger. He received his diploma in composition and double bass at the Musik-Akademie der Stadt Basel in 1965. He then studied in Portugal, on a grant from the Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, in 1965–66, as well as conducting with Igor Markevitch in Madrid from 1966–68 and contemporary music privately with Luis de Pablo in Madrid from 1966–68. He later attended the Ferienkurse in Darmstadt in the late 1970s.
He lectured on music from Switzerland in the USA in 1997 and in Argentina and Paraguay in 1998.
He is married to the violinist Katharina Schamböck.
In addition to the works listed below, he has composed more than 150 film scores under the pseudonym Andy Benedict.
SELECT LIST OF WORKS (dates unavailable for some works)
STAGE:
Agora (ballet, scenario by Sergei Golovin), 1976
Orsina, strega che non muore mai (opera, libretto by Gritzko Mascioni), 1982
Opera 163 (ballet), 1984
Cécilia (opera in 1 act, libretto by Michel Odier), 1986
Das Zauberlicht (musical for children), 1987
Catharsis (ballet, scenario by Antal Fodor), 1988
Kafkas Traumspiel (opera, libretto by Julius Effenberger), 1993
Die Physiker (opera in 2 acts, libretto by Wolfgang Willaschek, after Friedrich Dürrenmatt [also Russian translation]), 1995–96, revised 1998–99
Der vergessene Gefangene (opera, libretto by Jaroslav Gillar), 2001
Grand (opera in 2 acts, libretto by Jaroslav Gillar, after François Loeb), 2002–03
...doch alle Lust (melodrama, text by Friedrich Nietzsche), speaker, English horn, fixed media, 2004
Der schwarze Mozart (opera in 3 acts, libretto by Lukas Holliger), 2004–05
Mutterliebe ist ohne Grenzen (chamber opera), 2007
Chat (opera), 2007
Mord im St. Johann (opera in 3 acts, libretto by Antonia Bertschinger, Sigfried Schibli), 2008
Romulus der Grosse (opera, libretto by Wolfgang Willaschek, after Friedrich Dürrenmatt), 2015
ORCHESTRAL:
Hymnos, flute, small orchestra, 1972
Variazioni, 1972
Amron, cello, small orchestra, 1974
Figuren, 6 pianos, harpsichord, celesta, percussion, small orchestra (14 players), 1974
Konzert Nr. 1, cello, orchestra, 1976
Chinoiseries, flute, orchestra, 1976
Kontraktionen, 1976
Konzert, clarinet, orchestra, 1978
Adagio, string orchestra, 1979
Konzert Nr. 1, violin, orchestra, 1982
Ecco il Violino, violin, string orchestra, 1983
Moonfantasy, cello, small orchestra, 1984
Szenerie, piano, orchestra, 1986
Il Contrabbasso, double bass, string orchestra, 1988
Sym-Phonia, 1988
Konzert Nr. 2, violin, orchestra, 1996
Le Déjeuner sur l'Herbe, 1997
Schweben, violin, string orchestra, 1997
Le Concert, piano, string orchestra, 1998
Lithuanian Folksongs, string orchestra, 1998
Im Garten der Lüste, violin, percussion, string orchestra, 1999
Ecco il Contrabbasso, double bass, string orchestra, 1999–2001
Symphonie in H(andy)-dur, 11 cellular phones, orchestra, 2001
Don Quixote – oder der sinnvolle Kampf gegen das Aussichtslose..., large orchestra, 2004
Doppelkonzert, harpsichord, bandoneón, orchestra (8 winds, 5 brass, timpani, 2 percussion, strings), 2007
Ett Drömspel, guitar, string orchestra, 2009
Boîte à Musique, harpsichord, string orchestra, 2010
Sette Pitture, cello, orchestra, 2013
Konzert Nr. 2, cello, orchestra
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Archaeophonikum, double bass, percussion, 1968
Farben, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1968
Transizione, ensemble, 1977
Varia, flute, harpsichord, 1977
Fünf Nachtstücke, string quartet, 1978
Capriccio, double bass, 1982
Orfeo, cello, piano, 1983, revised 2002
Perpetuum Mobile, string quartet, 1983 (also version for 4 double basses, 1990)
canto della notte, flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, bassoon, French horn, 1984
Moments Musicaux, 4 saxophones, 1984
Jeux à deux, alto saxophone, percussion, 1988
Sogno d'estate, 4 saxophones, 1988
Jasmin, recorder, harp, 1989 (also version for English horn, harp, 1989)
Stories, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1989
Vari-Azioni, string quartet, 1989
Noch ein Wind..., violin, piano, 1990
Trio 1991, violin, cello, piano, 1991
Kayan Yıldız, oboe, clarinet, piano, 1992
Sonate 1993, violin, piano, 1993
Serenade, oboe, violin, viola, cello, 1994
tra qua e là, alto saxophone, piano, 1995
Ferner Horizont, violin, 1996
Seven Short Stories, guitar, violin, 1997
Five Statements, guitar, 1997
Labyrinth, piano, harpsichord, celesta, clavichord, 1997
...atmosphère..., ensemble, 1998
Incontri, violin, piano, 1998
contrasts, accordion, ensemble (clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tuba, violin, viola, cello, percussion), 1999
Daymusic, string quartet, 1999
Doppelspiel, violin, accordion, 1999
Steine, violin, 1999
Der schlafende Denker, 3 saxophones, 2000
Peters Objekte, violin, 2000
Thema mit Folgen, guitar (+ electric guitar), double bass (+ bass guitar), 2000
Violorganum, violin, organ, 2000
BACH, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2001
Enigma, trumpet, organ, 2001
Resonanzen, 4 French horns, 2002
Polaroid, oboe, fixed media, 2002
Störphall, oboe, piano, 2002
Das klingt dann so, bass trombone, fixed media, 2003
Nostalgia – oder die Geburt des Adonis, oboe, harp, fixed media, 2003
Phantasien, clarinet, piano, 2003
Méditation profonde, flute, harp, viola, 2003
Kontrabassissimo, double bass, fixed media, 2003
...events..., trumpet, percussion, 2003
Pop Art, 4 saxophones, fixed media, 2003
Música temprana y tardía – para poesías de León Zeldis Mandel, flute, guitar, 2003
Die Jahreszeiten, violin, cello, piano, 2003
Hornspiel, 2 French horns, piano, 2003
Ecco la Chitarra, guitar, fixed media, 2003–04
Romance, flute, English horn, harp, 2004
Quintett, clarinet, string quartet, 2004
Gespräch im Park, clarinet, viola, piano, 2004
Capriccio a tre, saxophone, bassoon, piano, 2004
Méditation, guitar, violin, 2004
Duetto Amoroso, bass clarinet, bassoon, 2006
Hinter dem Vorhang, viola, piano, 2007
Prisma, recorder, accordion, 2007
Astrophysics, contrabass clarinet, fixed media, c. 2008
inquietudine, viola, organ, 2011
Die Sinne, violin, 2011
Winterträume, flute, violin, cello, 2010–12
Insieme, flute, 2 violins, cello, piano, harpsichord, 2012
Fünf Stücke, 2 violins, piano, 2012
Wanderer, string quartet, 2017
Klanggebiete, violin, piano, 2019
Das blaue Stück, violin, piano
Cinque Fantasie, guitar, violin, cello
Der liegende Dichter, 3 saxophones
Percussionphilia, percussion (with disturbances)
Die Planeten, string quartet
Sechs Stücke, violin, cello
Streichtrio Nr. 1, violin, viola, cello
Traumraum, oboe, harp
Wesenheit, clarinet, cello, piano
CHORAL:
Helvetia Ludens, children's chorus, orchestra, 1992
Chöre nach Mitternacht (song-cycle, text by Nelly Sachs), 4 female voices, 2002
Riflessioni (text by Giovanni Verga), mixed chorus, large orchestra, 2022
Aurora, mixed chorus, orchestra
Celaniana, female chorus, fixed media
VOCAL:
Schneeige Nacht (text by Georg Trakl), soprano, flute, cello, piano, 1976
Voyages (text by Denise Blanc), bass, orchestra, 1976
Dialogues (text by Georges Haldas), soprano, tenor, ensemble, 1977
Dero Wolfgang Amadé (Lieder, text by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), baritone, orchestra, 1979
Il tempo ha lasciato il suo mantello (text by Vinicio Salati), soprano, winds, strings, 1982
Bello pensare che ci sei, soprano, piano, 1983
Flashes and Flares, soprano, flute, guitar, double bass, 1983
Vision (text by Joseph von Eichendorff), soprano, orchestra, 1984
Von Dawid (text by Martin Buber), baritone, orchestra, 1998
Granzwert – oder die Schulstunde (text by the composer), soprano, flute, clarinet, accordion, percussion, 1997–99
Fadensonnen (text by Paul Celan), alto, flute, harp, violin, viola, cello, percussion, 1999
Die silbe Schmerz (texts by Selma Meerbaum-Eisinger, Paul Celan), alto, accordion, 2001
Sonetti e Canzoni (text by Francesco Petrarca), soprano, violin, ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, French horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba), 2002
Sieben Rosen später... (text by Paul Celan), soprano, accordion, 2003
Fünf Gesänge (text by Ingeborg Bachmann), mezzo-soprano/alto, piano, 2003–04
Hesse-Lieder (text by Hermann Hesse), soprano, piano, 2004
Das Perlendach (text by Muhammad ibn Jābir al-Harrānī al-Battānī [translated by René Ladner]), soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, piano, 2004
Clockwork, alto, guitar, violin, jukebox, 2004
Doche alle Lust (text by Friedrich Nietzsche), male speaker, English horn, fixed media, 2004
If– (text by Rudyard Kipling), alto, trumpet, guitar, 2004
Clair de lune (text by Paul Verlaine), mezzo-soprano, harp, piano, 2004–05
Vocalise, mezzo-soprano, harp, 2004–05
Die Prinzessin auf der Erbse (text by Hans Christian Andersen), male speaker, small orchestra (4 winds, French horn, trumpet, percussion, strings), 2005
Das hässliche Entlein (text by Hans Christian Andersen), male speaker, small orchestra (4 winds, French horn, trumpet, percussion, strings), 2005
Jedes Kunstwerk ist apokalyptisch (text by Friedrich Dürrenmatt), soprano, string orchestra, 2017
Christmas Ballad (text by Joseph Brodsky), mezzo-soprano, baritone, cittern, percussion, string orchestra, 2020
Niedrigwasser (text by Paul Celan), soprano, organ
PIANO:
dreams, 1973
New dreams, 1991
Small Talk, 1998
Bachspiel, 2003
Klavierspiel – drei kleine Stücke, 2003
Celan Phantasien, 2004
Claviertail, 2004
Ein Rameau-Spiel, 2005