I am contemporary classical music composer Martin Lotz, working primarily in free tonality and with modular structures. My pieces often evolve slowly, favouring inner tension, formal clarity, and expressive nuance over dramatic gestures. I compose mainly for piano, orchestra, and chamber ensembles, and am currently working on a double concerto for violin, cello, and large orchestra.
I developed my compositional voice outside academic institutions – through deep listening, structural exploration, and a personal engagement with sound. My musical language is informed by tradition but not constrained by it.
Live-Performance
In 2022, my string quintet Disput was performed at the MozArte Festival in Aachen under the artistic direction of pianist Andreas Frölich. More recent works include the piano concerto Vers le silence, Op. 9 (2025), and the piano trio Op. 8 (2023).
In addition to my work as a composer, I hold an academic degree in psychology and work as a lecturer in the social welfare sector. I live and compose in Germany.
My music often explores atonality while remaining anchored in tonal centres that provide orientation and depth. The result is a sound world shaped by the interplay of tension and resolution, instability and clarity. Dense harmonies, chromatic shifts, and asymmetric rhythmic structures are key elements in my writing – techniques I use to reshape traditional forms in contemporary terms.
Recent Works
The Piano Concerto, Op. 9, for example, opens with a restrained string introduction that gradually unfolds into a powerful and contrasting piano part. Thematic fragments reappear throughout the piece like a unifying thread.
The Piano Trio, Op. 8, is marked by intense dialogue between piano, violin, and cello, alternating between floating, luminous passages and darker, tense textures. This duality – between light and shadow, stability and dissolution – is a hallmark of my work.
Looking ahead, I aim to further deepen my musical language and integrate additional contemporary influences to create new, resonant experiences.
I welcome collaborations with musicians, ensembles, and organizers, and am available for commissions and project-based inquiries.
To get in touch, please use the Contact page or message me via Facebook.
Contemporary classical music composer Martin Lotz
