Peter Mieg

Biography

Mieg was born in Lenzburg where he spent almost all his life. He studied art history, archaeology, music history as well as French and German Literature in Zurich, Basel and Paris from 1927 to 1933. In the early 1930s Mieg became a journalist writing articles about art, music and literature for newspapers such as the Basler Nachrichten, the Weltwoche and the Badener Tagblatt.

Between 1933 and 1939 he became friends with the conductor and patron Paul Sacher and the composers Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, Arthur Honegger and Bohuslav Martinu.

Compositions

In the 1940s Mieg completed his musical formation with Frank Martin. His first important works were written in the 1950s in a very personal neoclassicism. From that time on he was commissioned by the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich (Symphony, 1958), the Zurich Chamber Orchestra (Concerto per clavicembalo e orchestra da camera, 1953, Concerto Veneziano, 1955, the Concerto for oboe and orchestra, 1957, the Concerto pour piano à quatre mains et orchestre à cordes, 1980), the Lucerne Festival Strings (Triple concerto dans le goût italien, 1978) and many others.

Mieg wrote some 135 compositions, including several concertos (for piano, for violin, for flute, for 2 flutes, for harp, for cello, for piano and cello), a lot of chamber music and piano music (5 piano sonatas).

Painting

In 1961 Mieg exhibited his gouaches for the first time. They mostly represent still life and landscapes. He had been painting since his childhood.

Family

Peter Mieg’s grandaunt was Swiss composer and singer Fanny Hünerwadel (1826-1854).