Ulrich Lehensteiner Compact biography · 50 words Ulrich Lehensteiner is an Austrian composer based in Vienna. His contemporary tonal music combines rhythmic energy, lyrical expression and dramatic contrasts with classical craftsmanship. He writes for piano, organ, chamber ensembles and orchestra. Recordings feature Haley Myles and Tim Goss. Lehensteiner also brings his own compositions to the concert stage. Short biography Ulrich Lehensteiner is an Austrian composer based in Vienna. His contemporary tonal music combines rhythmic energy, lyrical expression and dramatic development with the forms and craftsmanship of the classical tradition. His output includes piano, organ, chamber, vocal and orchestral music. In 2024, he received four awards in the composition category of the Bach International Music Competition. His music has been broadcast by ORF and Radio Stephansdom. Recordings of his Piano Sonata in B minor, Fantasia Fanatica and Eight Melodies feature Haley Myles and Tim Goss. As a pianist and organist, he also brings his own works to the concert stage. Medium biography Ulrich Lehensteiner is an Austrian composer based in Vienna. Drawing on the city’s living musical tradition, he develops an individual contemporary tonal language. Rhythmic energy, lyrical expression and dramatic development are combined with a strong sense of form and compositional craftsmanship. An orchestral imagination also informs his writing for solo piano. His output encompasses piano and organ music, chamber music, vocal compositions and orchestral works. Central compositions include the Piano Sonata in B minor, Fantasia Fanatica, Tundra for piano and strings, and the trio Paranormania. His music unites intellectual substance with immediate emotional communication while leaving listeners space to discover their own images and meanings. Lehensteiner studied composition with Rina Furano from 2015 to 2019 and music theory at the Prayner Conservatory Vienna from 2017 to 2020. In 2024, he received four awards in the composition category of the Bach International Music Competition. His music has been broadcast by ORF and Radio Stephansdom. His Piano Sonata in B minor was released in 2025 in a recording by Haley Myles; Fantasia Fanatica and Eight Melodies followed in 2026, performed by Tim Goss. As a pianist and organist, Lehensteiner also performs his own works. His concert activities have included appearances at St Alfege’s in London and the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford. Long biography Ulrich Lehensteiner, born in 1996, is an Austrian composer based in Vienna. Rooted in the classical tradition, his music develops its expressive possibilities through a contemporary tonal language. Distinctive rhythms, lyrical themes and strong dramatic contrasts characterise an output that combines immediate emotional communication with compositional craftsmanship. For Lehensteiner, Vienna represents a living musical tradition. The forms and techniques of earlier periods provide a starting point for his own musical ideas. His reference points include Beethoven and Rachmaninoff as well as music for film and video games, particularly the work of Yoko Shimomura and Nobuo Uematsu. These influences come together in an individual musical language with a strong sense of movement, tension and atmosphere. His output encompasses piano and organ music, chamber music, vocal compositions and orchestral works. The three-movement Piano Sonata in B minor brings classical sonata form into contact with an energetic and intensely dramatic musical language. Tundra, a miniature concerto for piano and strings, connects the image of an icy landscape with an inner emotional journey. Other central works include Fantasia Fanatica for solo piano and the trio Paranormania. An orchestral imagination also shapes his writing for the piano. Lehensteiner studied composition with Rina Furano from 2015 to 2019, music theory at the Prayner Conservatory Vienna from 2017 to 2020, and church music with Andrea Pach from 2020 to 2024. In 2024, he received four awards in the composition category of the Bach International Music Competition. His music has been broadcast by ORF and Radio Stephansdom. His Piano Sonata in B minor was released in 2025 in a recording by Haley Myles. Fantasia Fanatica and Eight Melodies followed in 2026, performed by Tim Goss. Alongside his work as a composer, Lehensteiner brings his own music to the stage as a pianist and organist. His concert venues have included St Alfege’s in London and the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford. His music creates associative spaces in which listeners can discover images and meanings of their own. The relationship between formal awareness and direct expression lies at the heart of his artistic approach. Artist statement I write music that reaches people directly and reveals new connections with repeated listening. Melody, rhythm, harmony and form are parts of a shared musical language. I am interested in how a few ideas can generate tension, movement and a larger sense of direction. For me, the Viennese tradition is a living foundation for composing today. I draw on its forms and craftsmanship while bringing them into contact with the sounds and experiences of my own time. Music for film and video games has also shaped my understanding of atmosphere and dramatic development. My works can be energetic and dramatic, lyrical or melancholic. They should leave room for listeners’ own feelings and images. As a composer, I seek a music whose direct impact and inner structure deepen one another. Vienna Goes On · Short announcement Two sonatas and more than two centuries of Viennese piano music: Ulrich Lehensteiner pairs Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C minor, K. 457 with his own Sonata in B minor. Performing his own music alongside Mozart, he presents the Viennese musical tradition as a living foundation for contemporary composition. Vienna Goes On · Programme text Vienna Goes On brings together Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C minor, K. 457 and Ulrich Lehensteiner’s Piano Sonata in B minor. The programme explores the sonata as a living form in which musical ideas unfold across large expressive spans. Mozart’s work and Lehensteiner’s contemporary sonata offer different perspectives on dramatic expression, thematic contrast and musical architecture. By performing his own composition, Lehensteiner gives audiences a direct insight into his musical thinking. The programme follows a guiding idea: “Vienna is not only a musical heritage, but an ongoing tradition.” Viennese musical history becomes a starting point for the present and for the music through which that tradition continues. Programme Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Sonata in C minor, K. 457 Ulrich Lehensteiner: Piano Sonata in B minor Solo piano. Performed by Ulrich Lehensteiner. Composer portrait · Original piano works Ulrich Lehensteiner presents two central works from his piano output: the Piano Sonata in B minor and Fantasia Fanatica. Combining the large-scale, three-movement sonata with a compact fantasy, the programme offers a direct encounter with the music of a contemporary Viennese composer. Lehensteiner performs his own works. Ulrich Lehensteiner: Piano Sonata in B minor Ulrich Lehensteiner: Fantasia Fanatica Solo piano. Approximately 30 minutes of music. Vienna Goes On · Extended programme The extended programme adds Fantasia Fanatica to the two sonatas, offering a further perspective on Lehensteiner’s piano music. The overall duration, including any spoken introductions, is agreed with the presenter. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Sonata in C minor, K. 457 Ulrich Lehensteiner: Piano Sonata in B minor Ulrich Lehensteiner: Fantasia Fanatica Piano Sonata in B minor · Programme note The three-movement Piano Sonata in B minor brings the classical sonata’s architecture into a contemporary musical language. In the urgent, dramatic opening movement, contrasting themes are developed within sonata form. The second movement also draws on contrasting themes and textures; its ambiguous major-key close opens the way to the finale. An increasingly virtuosic waltz returns the music to the drama of the opening. Solo piano · approximately 23 minutes. Recording: Haley Myles, released in 2025. Fantasia Fanatica · Work note Fantasia Fanatica was composed in 2025 for solo piano and lasts approximately seven and a half minutes. Together with the Piano Sonata in B minor, it forms a compact composer-portrait programme. The recording by Tim Goss was released in 2026. Tundra · Programme note Tundra is a single-movement miniature concerto for piano and string orchestra. The image of a solitary walk through an icy wasteland is connected with an inner emotional landscape. Virtuosic piano writing and layered rhythms unfold between the depiction of a scene and introspection. Original scoring: piano and string orchestra · approximately 15 minutes. Further versions: piano and string quartet; piano and organ. Discography 2025 · Piano Sonata in B minor · Haley Myles, piano 2026 · Fantasia Fanatica · Tim Goss, piano 2026 · Eight Melodies · Tim Goss, piano Listen Piano Sonata in B minor: https://youtu.be/3BODwOFUDas Fantasia Fanatica: https://youtu.be/LoZMnx6aD1A Eight Melodies: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUQPnX59N9kE Contact & photo credit Ulrich Lehensteiner · Composer · Vienna lehensteiner@outlook.com www.ulrichlehensteiner.com Instagram: @ulrich_lehensteiner Photography: Shirley Suarez Photography