con tutta forza: Bernd Alois Zimmermann

German version

“Unusual, surprising, informative, and rich in detail. A real find. A work of art in its presentation as well.”
– Hans-Peter Jahn-Bossert

“Highly recommended for anyone interested in the personality of Bernd Alois Zimmermann as well as for those interested in contemporary music. The book’s greatest strength is likely its warm vitality, combined with the sincerity of its approach.”
– Alexander Keuk

“A biography of the century. Like all great biographies, *con tutta forza* is more than just a portrait of an individual. It is a portrait of an era. The life story of Bernd Alois Zimmermann reflects the upheavals of an entire generation.”
– Bernd Künzig

A composer who defied all orthodoxy—and paid for it with his life.

Bernd Alois Zimmermann remains one of the most radical and, at the same time, most misunderstood figures in 20th-century music. Born in a small village in the Rhineland, shaped by monastic discipline and scarred by war, he developed a unique artistic vision in which past, present, and future converge in a single, breathtaking simultaneity. His pluralistic technique drew on jazz, literary collage, serial composition, and the sacred—an approach that set him at odds with the dogmatists of his time.

This intimate portrait, written by his daughter Bettina Zimmermann, is based on letters, diaries, photographs, and the voices of those who knew him best. It traces his journey from a mischievous childhood through the creation of his monumental opera to his final, heart-wrenching silence. The man behind the scores comes into view—the devoted father, the insatiable reader, the restless mind sensual vitality and destructive despair.

More than just a biography, this book captures the atmosphere of postwar German culture and the fierce debates over what music could and should be.

A must-read for anyone interested in contemporary composition, 20th-century cultural history, and the cost of an uncompromising artistic vision.

The book will be released on May 20 and is now available for pre-order.