The outstanding figure in the history of music for keyboard instruments in the 17th century was undoubtedly Johann Jacob Froberger (1616-1667). He can be regarded as the main promoter of the suite (partita) in the field of tension between French dance culture and German love of order, and his toccatas and contrapuntal works, which combine Italian and German stylistic elements, form the starting points for Buxtehude's and Bach's organ works. Common knowledge among harpsichordists and organists, Froberger is also occasionally included in piano recitals by pianists such as Grigori Sokolow.

To mark the 400th anniversary of the composer's birth, Leipzig musicologist Peter Wollny has now published a selection of four works, all of which are taken from the meticulous autograph of Froberger's Libro Secondo (A-Wn, Mus. Hs. 18706). All that had to be done was to transfer Froberger's differing staves and clefs into the notation commonly used today. However, Wollny's notation leaves users in the lurch where technical problems arise due to too large a range of hands and where a reader-friendly distribution across the two modern staves would have been necessary.

The publisher's interest in such an edition may be justified, but as a scholarly achievement it falls far short of Siegbert Rampe's edition (Bärenreiter, 1993, BA 8063). Where Rampe makes a fine distinction between different beams, each with a different expressive value in terms of articulation, Wollny simply makes the same distinction. Where Rampe takes into account the genre-typical lack of bar lines, Wollny at least places scale lines. Wollny's preface is extremely short, and the few critical notes are immediately integrated into it. If anyone who wants to get to know more than just four randomly selected pieces by Froberger compares the effort involved in this edition (using a generally accessible digital copy [p. III]) with that of Rampe's research, which has also led to easily readable variants in the main text, he will quickly see that he has to opt for the older edition. The fact that Wollny also based his product on this preliminary work, albeit without making an appropriate note of it, is only clear from the numbering of the pieces according to Rampe's Froberger works index (FbWV).

Johann Jacob Froberger, Selected works for keyboard instrument, edited by Peter Wollny, HN 1361, € 10.00 G. Henle Publishers, Munich 2016

The composer Friedrich Schneider (1786-1853) is probably an unknown quantity to most people. However, his name does appear in connection with Beethoven's 5th Piano Concerto. He was the soloist at the premiere in the Leipzig Gewandhaus. This was certainly no coincidence: Schneider's pianistic skills were obviously very impressive. It is therefore not surprising that he wrote numerous piano works at a young age, including no less than 42 sonatas. Ulrich Urban has now set about publishing these in four volumes with Breitkopf & Härtel. Volume 2 is already available in a meticulous Urtext edition.

It is worth taking a closer look at the works. As expected, Schneider knows how to produce a piano writing that is easy to play and sounds brilliant. The compositional craftsmanship is also impeccable; the harmony is at least at the height of its time. There are certainly influences from Beethoven or Haydn, but occasionally one even thinks of future masters, especially in the A major Sonata op. 76 from 1806, where it almost sounds like Schubert's great sonata in the same key. Astonishing, because this was only written 22 years later!

So why has this music fallen into oblivion despite its qualities? Well, there are probably several reasons for this. First and foremost: the themes are often not gripping or original enough to lend themselves to a further development of the musical ideas. Instead, the formal sections are simply combined with virtuoso sequences. Although the piano writing sounds pleasant, it too often indulges in stereotypical platitudes. Least affected by such shortcomings is probably the Grande Sonata in F minor op. 27, where economy and concentration of means prevail, especially in the 3rd movement 'Largo' with its impressive play of light and shadow.

Friedrich Schneider may have sensed these shortcomings himself. From 1815 onwards, he rarely composed for the piano, but all the more frequently for orchestra and choir: 23 symphonies, 16 oratorios and countless cantatas flowed from his pen. And as a composer, court conductor, conductor, pianist, organist, pedagogue and festival organizer, he was one of the most respected universal musicians of his time.

Friedrich Schneider: Complete Caviar Sonatas, Volume II (sonatas with opus number), edited by Ulrich Urban, EB 8942, € 44.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2018

In 2012 (Calembredaine) and 2013 (Ganagobie) composed two works that could not be more different. The promising titles for us German speakers conceal worlds apart: Calembredaine means "silly fun", while Ganagobie is the name of a Benedictine monastery in Haute Provence. The music differs accordingly!

First to CalembredaineA truly witty piece, entertaining and lively. It is written in 6/8 time and plays with rhythmic shifts and offbeats. Short pauses create surprises that really lead you by the nose. For the most part, the piece is based on its own mode, which is somewhat reminiscent of Arabic music. This means that there are only a few pedal changes, but it has to be played on a pedal harp. The fun lasts only four pages, has momentum and is gripping. In addition to the usual playing techniques, Andrès' typical "Sons Xylo" and "Sons Pincées" also appear. In terms of difficulty, I would assign the piece to the 5th to 6th level. A printing error should also be pointed out here: At the end of bar 25, the bass clef is missing in the left hand, and at the end of bar 30, it is resolved back into treble clef.

Ganagobie has a completely different effect: it is a suite of five movements. The quarter pulse is clearly perceptible throughout, reminiscent of a monastery resting on pillars. The various movements describe a dignified mood: in the first, Le Monastère sur la CollineThe monastery can be seen on the hill; in the second, Le Portail de pierreYou enter through the portal; you visit the old monk in the third, Le Vieux Moine; the fourth is about cosmic mosaics, Mosaïques cosmologiquesand the fifth plays under green oaks, Sous les chènes vertes. After starting fortissimo, the piece ends very quietly after eleven minutes.

Bernard Andrès makes use of different musical languages. While the beginning is rather impressionistic and reminiscent of Debussy, romantic harmonies and gestures reappear later on to depict the size of the monastery. Filigree semiquaver movements in the right hand often fill out the basic structure of the columns, reminiscent of the ornamentation in the monastery.

The piece is not easy to play, as it is mostly quiet and rarely seeks the tension of contrasts. However, I can imagine that it would come into its own in a church setting.

Bernard Andrès: Calembredaine pour Harpe, HA 09753, ca. € 11.40, Edition Hamelle (Alphonse Leduc), Paris

id.: Ganagobie, Suite pour Harpe, HA 09754, ca. € 17.80

The title of this CD with ensemble pieces by Dominique Schafer says it all: Vers une présence réelle ... Whether Schafer is referring to Georg Steiner's influential publication From the real present (1990), which once again sought to establish a metaphysics of art at the beginning of the digital age, remains to be seen. In any case, there is no need to worry about the immediate presence of sound in these compositions, which are as brilliantly and energetically formulated by ensemble proton bern.

The eponymous ensemble piece speaks volumes: a complexly ramified, microtonally shaded music with harmonically and timbrally rich textures. Schafer has split the ensemble apparatus into three trio groups, which rub against each other, merge and repel again in the context of a large-scale sound development, thereby developing the most diverse aggregate states of sound. Two solo pieces with electronic extensions embody particularly concentrated sound inventions: Cendre (2008/15) for bass flute and eight-channel electronics is actually a spatial composition that sends the thin-skinned "ash" sounds of the flute around the listener, complementing, manipulating or grounding them in a two-dimensional way. Particularly impressive: Richard Haynes' tailor-made Ringwood (2018), a highly concentrated monologue for bass clarinet and live electronics, whose dazzling multiphonics and striking individual gestures experience crystalline sharpness and microscopic differentiation - a showpiece for Haynes. Schafer's preference for low, indeed particularly low woodwinds underpins Infr-a-ction (2018), which juxtaposes the rarely heard low-pitched lupophone (a kind of bass oboe) and contraforte (an ultra-contrabassoon) with a group of six instruments. A powerful, captivating piece that marks the highlight of this CD with its choppy, dark timbres.

The detailed booklet text by Thomas Meyer, which zooms in on the music, deserves special mention - unfortunately, this is no longer a matter of course at Kairos.
 

Dominique Schafer: Vers une présence réelle ...
ensemble proton bern, conducted by Matthias Kuhn.
Kairos 0015036KAI

Nik Bärtsch, a long-time fan, supporter and employer of Nicolas Stocker, quotes the old joke in his cover text that a band consists of a number of musicians, plus a drummer, and turns the disrespectful statement into its opposite: a drummer is actually something other than a mere musician. On the one hand, it is his duty to embody the primal and mystical power of percussion, on the other hand, he must also have a sense of abstraction, space and structure.

The 31-year-old composer, drummer, percussionist and producer Nicolas Stocker is a percussionist in every sense of the word. He has been playing the piano since the age of five and the drums since the age of eleven. He is also equipped with a panoramic musical curiosity. He belongs to Nik Bärtsch's acoustic ensemble Mobile, is part of the excitingly innovative trio Kali with guitarist Urs Müller and pianist Raphael Loher, and also co-founded the trip-hoppy band Marylane. There's no need to start listing his many other appearances.

Solo contains five pieces: a short prelude, titled Bells for Ponythen the quarter-hour Polyrub, two almost ten-minute compositions and finally a postlude reprise of Bells for Pony. Each piece is completely different from the previous one. They all display a subtle approach to the melodic possibilities of percussion. Polyrub begins with short woodblock beats and then, in a brisk succession of loud and less loud, intense and less intense passages, struggles forward into frightening depths of polyrhythmic complexity - without ever causing any fear of losing one's footing on the flying carpet due to such virtuosity. The fascinating Bells for No One combines the rhythm of long, drawn-out gong beats with noises reminiscent of a bag of rattling nails, as well as all kinds of other sporadically struck beats that sound as soft as they are melodic. Burst in turn, is a powerful drum gallop that nonetheless reveals a fascinating melody. Conclusion: a superb album all round.
 

Mario Venzago knows Othmar Schoeck's music like no other. He has made integral recordings of his choral works with the MDR Choir and Symphony Orchestra, and the CDs with the operas Venus and Penthesilea were awarded the highest honors. In May last year, the concert performance of the opera Dürande Castle with a new libretto in Bern, an elaborate large-scale production. The live recording has also recently been released (Claves CD 1902-04).

In its concert programs last season, the Musikkollegium Winterthur commemorated the patronage of Werner Reinhart (1884-1951), who also strongly supported Othmar Schoeck. The Dramatic Cantata From the fisherman and his wife was written by Schoeck in close contact with Reinhart, and he even composed part of it at Reinhart's vacation home on the "Fluh" in Maur on Lake Greifensee. The work was premiered on October 3, 1930 at the Saxon State Opera in Dresden.

Venzago puts the first digital recording of this work in which the composer sets the fairy tale of the power-hungry fisherman's wife from the Brothers Grimm collection to music. Venzago sticks to the Low German version by Philipp Otto Runge, which Schoeck had originally chosen. The peculiar spelling of the title refers to this. And indeed, the Low German lends the piece a more folksy, even archaic note.

Schoeck himself thought that his Dramatic Cantata could also be performed well in concert, as it was important to him to present the dramatic escalation of the increasingly greedy woman in the music as "variations and fugue on an 'ancient' theme". Venzago and the Musikkollegium Winterthur succeed in repeatedly breaking up the lyrical orchestral parts with dramatic verve and seductively playing out the charms of the instrumentation.

In the increasingly complex variations, the orchestra illustrates the increasingly brazen wishes that the fisherman makes to the butt in the sea and which are also fulfilled. The result is a colorful, shimmering, internalized intensity that carries the singers atmospherically. Rachel Harnisch as Fru is able to expressively shape the oscillation between lyrical singing and virtuosically exalted intervallic leaps.

Jörg Dürmüller is also very sensitive as the increasingly desperate Fisherman, singing his tenor role with many shades and colors. In contrast, Jordan Shanahan sings Butt's short, mighty bass calls from the depths of the sea with majestic grandeur. All in all, a musically appealing, committed interpretation of Schoeck, à la Venzago.

Othmar Schoeck: Vom Fischer un syner Fru. Rachel Harnisch, soprano; Jörg Dürmüller, tenor; Jordan Shanahan, bass; Musikkollegium Winterthur, conducted by Mario Venzago. Claves Rarities CD 50-1815

To the picture: The "Fluh" on Lake Greifensee, drawing by Berta Tappolet in Hans Reinhart's guest book, 1920

Johann Sebastian Bach's Siciliano Sinfonia from the Christmas Oratorio provides the pattern for this complex "broken caress" for violin and piano, which lasts around seven minutes. It is the 18th composition written in 2012/2013 by the composer Fabio Maffei, who lives in French-speaking Switzerland and works all over the world.

The continuous 6/8 time signature is interwoven with complex duets, quartuplets, quintuplets and runs that rise to a passionate forte. The fact that there is an accidental before every note (even with the same notes in the same bar and with a resolution sign before every C major note) makes rehearsal even more difficult. After many atonal frictions, exuberant, tender and nightmarish scenes, the piece ends in a peaceful twilight. The detailed preface by Vincent Arlettaz (translated into German by Verena Monnier) inspires the performers.

Fabio Maffei, Una Carezza infranta, Ninna nanna per violino e pianoforte, Fr. 20.00, Archives musicales de la Bibliothèque cantonale universitaire (BCU) Lausanne, 2017, ISBN 978-2-88888-148-3

This booklet for two flutes, published in the World Music series, contains a collection of well-known pieces from the klezmer literature, arranged by the editor Michael Lötsch, as well as original compositions. The term klezmer comes from the Hebrew and originally referred to the musicians. Today, klezmer is mainly understood as instrumental music, the repertoire of which consists primarily of pieces to accompany weddings and other celebrations. The melodies, which, as Michael Lötsch describes in the foreword, "convey melancholy and exuberance at the same time", are extremely varied in their style and therefore also allow greater freedom in terms of tempo, phrasing and interpretation.

Klezmeron is a familiar melody in D minor, which then turns to a brighter F major part and returns to the minor. Tish Nigun has a rather calm character and sounds very lyrical. Michael Lötsch's own compositions are hardly inferior to the originals. Revenge is a lively piece in which both voices are in thirds, which gives it a special tonal charm. The imaginative Klezmer Fantasy contains a concise theme, which is taken up again and again after intermediate parts. Seven Steps pulsates through its constant changes between 7/8 and 4/4 time.

The duets, in which the thematic material and the accompaniment are divided between the two parts, are largely in the middle to higher register, are easy to play for advanced flautists and are also suitable for teaching.

Klezmer Flute Duets, 13 pieces for two flutes arranged by Michael Lötsch, UE 33044, € 14.95, Universal Edition, Vienna 2017

MvO - Dominik Flückiger studies at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and is intensively involved in the composition of folk music. He has been composing since the age of 14. Inspired by other styles of music, he initially experimented on the piano and tried out sounds that had nothing to do with folk music. At the age of 16, he focused on folk music and was quickly able to compose it in the "traditional" sense. Through his studies, he then began to explore the more complex forms of composing and began to think about music theory. For him, composing is a free process in which many different styles flow together. For him, free means folk music. But free also means that he has to think carefully about every note and every chord. Flückiger composes numerous works for the Alpinis folk music formation at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. He has also learned how each instrument sounds and what the various technical possibilities of the instruments are.

Flückiger divides the composition of folk music into three categories. 1. a new composition resembles the old, traditional folk music, for example by copying the style of a particular folk music composer. This type is easy for those who already have a lot of experience with folk music and is particularly suitable for getting others to play along as quickly as possible. 2. composing in the style of traditional folk music, but making it sound modern, for example through progressive harmony. Sometimes it is enough to play a piece of folk music in a minor key instead of a major key. The course of a piece can also be freely arranged, whether by adding an introduction or improvising on a specific passage. In this type of composition, the "folk music groove" is retained. The inclusion of foreign folk music can also be enriching. In the first two variants, usually only a lead sheet with the first and second voice and the corresponding chord symbols is notated, the arrangement is then created while playing. In the third category, the music is usually written out in full and arranged. This is the case when folk music is combined with other musical styles. Thanks to music studies, you are familiar with the different styles, but you still need in-depth knowledge of music theory to compose. Is that still folk music? Flückiger is of the opinion that such compositions may sound "modern" or "new", but cannot be assigned to any other musical genre than folk music.

Matthias von Orelli in conversation with Albin Brun (guest lecturer at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts) and Kristina Brunner (Schwyzerörgeli major at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, teaches the subject at music schools in the Gürbetal region and the city of Lucerne).

Albin Brun, is it even possible to study folk music composition? Is Lucerne a center for this and what role does the university as a whole play?

AB: There is no actual degree course in folk music composition in Switzerland. However, as Lucerne is the only university where you can study folk music, it is already playing a pioneering role. Students can choose from a wide range of electives and also study folk music composition with lecturers such as Markus Flückiger. There is also the university's own folk music ensemble Alpinis, which I currently direct and which sees itself as a real laboratory where students can bring their compositions, which we then work on together and perform at concerts. As you have to choose between a classical or jazz profile at the university, all students inevitably come into contact with other music. Accordionist Fränggi Gehrig, for example, took a minor in composition with Dieter Ammann (and won the Fondation SUISA folk music prize in 2016). This cross-style training and the skills learned are naturally reflected in the compositions of young musicians such as Marcel Oetiker, Pirmin Huber, Christoph Pfändler, Maria Gehrig, Nayan Stalder and Adrian Würsch. Up to now, most folk music composers have been self-taught, so I think that the influence of higher education will mean that more sophisticated and complex compositions will increasingly be heard. But that doesn't mean that the "simpler" music should be pushed aside! After all, folk music thrives on great diversity, and nothing should change in that respect; it's not about academization at all. But it is nice to see how folk music is alive at its core and continues to develop in various directions at the edges.

What is your impression, Kristina Brunner?

KB: There is no explicit study program for folk music composition. In the Bachelor's degree, all students study an instrument in the jazz or classical profile as their main subject. They also attend the folk music specialization, where composition becomes a topic in some form for many students. However, the last semester of theory lessons consists of composing and performing a piece for all students. This involves individual lessons with a composition lecturer. Apart from this semester, however, composing is not compulsory. In the Master's degree course, you then have the opportunity to choose the composition minor and deepen your knowledge in this area.

How does composing folk music differ from other compositional processes, for example in classical music?

KB: As I'm not familiar enough with other compositional styles, I can only answer from my own perspective. I think that the term folk music offers a lot of possibilities and freedom. For me, a lot of things come about through improvisation and trial and error, which also gives composing something very intuitive for me. In general, I also think that musical styles and their compositional styles are no longer so clearly defined these days and the boundaries are fluid. In traditional folk music, melodies usually consist of chord breaks and scale sections, which are then harmonized with the main steps (I, IV, V, sometimes II or VI). This framework can be expanded or supplemented with other influences. This creates a very versatile field that I really appreciate in its entire range.

To what extent is composing encouraged at the university?

KB: I was particularly encouraged by my main subject teacher Markus Flückiger to bring my own pieces to individual lessons or ensemble rehearsals. Especially in the Alpinis folk music ensemble, which is always made up of different students, you have the opportunity to try out a lot of things. Thanks to the wide range of instruments, you can find out over time which instruments are suitable or what you need to look out for technically in an arrangement. I was able to learn a lot by trying things out for myself and getting feedback from the lecturers. In the folk music specialization, you are always encouraged to compose and play your own pieces. This promotes the students' independence enormously, which I really appreciate.

What is individual and unique about folk music from a compositional point of view?

AB: Folk music lives strongly from melodies, i.e. without a recognizable melody, a composition is hardly perceived as folk music. This limits an overly intellectual approach. And then, of course, there is a large fund of tradition that you can rub up against. You can extend, expand and break up the traditional, and you can subvert expectations. In addition, the sound potential and playing style of typical folk music instruments such as the Schwyzerörgeli, dulcimer or Halszither still have a lot to offer. 

How do you assess the current productivity in the folk music sector - is it particularly diverse, is it oriented towards trends?

AB: The new folk music scene as I experience it is relatively manageable. Nevertheless, it is very diverse and thrives on individual personalities. Each of them has their own direction. After a long period of little innovation in folk music, there has been a real spirit of optimism in recent years. As a result of this opening up, an audience that previously had no access at all is suddenly interested in this music. In addition to the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, festivals such as Alpentöne Altdorf or Stubete am See in Zurich have also had an important influence on the development of this scene. Institutions such as the Haus der Volksmusik in Altdorf, the Rothuus in Gonten and Klangwelt Toggenburg also contribute to the vitality of folk music with a wide range of courses on offer.

Openness

What are the trends that can be identified in current, contemporary folk music?

AB: There are no obvious trends to emulate. But as I said, the openness towards other styles is obvious to the eyes and ears, and in many places the blinkers are off. Scandinavian folk music is certainly a major influence, but inspiration is also drawn from jazz, classical music, minimal music, pop, rock, improvisation, electronic music, etc. They experiment and try things out so much that it's a joy!

How do you rate the next generation of composers in the field of folk music?

AB: Very promising. When I see people like Kristina Brunner or Dominik Flückiger here at the university, who have a lot going for them, there's no need to worry about the future of folk music.

KB: When I compose something, I usually don't consciously intend to compose folk music. It is very important for me to feel free and not have to follow any rigid rules. That's why I improvise a lot. If I have an idea on the Schwyzerörgeli or cello that I like, I try to develop it further and turn it into a piece. This usually results in pieces that are linked to folk music in terms of form or motifs, but without this being my specific intention. For me personally, however, I define the term folk music broadly and include music from other cultures. For me, composing is always an opportunity to develop musically. I find it very exciting and satisfying not only to interpret music, but also to develop it myself. Each piece is a very personal expression and has a special meaning for me.

Link to the Bachelor of Arts in Music, specializing in folk music:

> www.hslu.ch/de-ch/musik/studium/bachelor/volksmusik/

Daniela Gut - Many cases of musicians with tinnitus and hearing loss are known from history. Beethoven is probably the best known case. His hearing began to deteriorate at the age of twenty, and this was accompanied by the onset of very disturbing tinnitus. Later, he even lost his hearing completely, but the tinnitus persisted. The cause of this problem in Beethoven's case has not yet been clarified. Otosclerosis, a progressive bony fixation of the stapes, or neurolues, a late form of syphilis, have been discussed. Attempts were made to solve this mystery by exhuming the body. Unfortunately, however, the rock bones (bones containing the auditory apparatus) were missing, so that no new findings came to light.

Musicians are exposed to high levels of noise throughout their professional lives. Be it in the orchestra, during rehearsals or when teaching. The greatest noise exposure is generated by their own instrument.

In the case of noise damage, a distinction is made between acute and chronic noise trauma. In acute noise trauma, there is a brief, strong noise impact - like a gunshot. The typical frequency for this is 6000 Hz. Chronic noise trauma is defined as prolonged exposure to noise with a sound pressure level of over 85 dB.

Both disorders can lead to the development of tinnitus. The latter is defined as any form of ringing in the ears. It can be a tone, but also a hissing, buzzing and so on.

"Tinnitus" is therefore more of a symptom than a diagnosis. The causes are very different and do not even have to originate in the ear. Examples include temporomandibular joint problems, cervical spine problems and vascular problems: both arteries and veins can cause flow noises. Not to be forgotten are medications, above all psychotropic drugs, loop diuretics and high doses of aspirin. With the latter, the tinnitus is reversible. Tinnitus can also occur with psychiatric illnesses - for example, depression or burn-out syndrome.

Tinnitus can be associated with certain ear diseases.

Even a banal ear plug can cause tinnitus. After removal, however, the noise disappears. Tinnitus also usually occurs with inflammation of the ear canal and middle ear. This is also usually reversible once the inflammation has healed. Tubal catarrh, where fluid forms behind the eardrum and leads to hearing loss without pain, is usually accompanied by tinnitus. Tinnitus is often the first symptom of otosclerosis. This disease runs in families. Progressive hearing loss can be significantly improved by surgery.

Then there are diseases of the inner ear, such as sudden deafness and Ménière's disease. The latter consists of a triad of rotary vertigo, tinnitus and hearing loss. This last category also includes acute and chronic noise trauma.

The question now arises as to whether anything can be done to protect the ear. According to studies by Freiburg music physiologists Bernhard Richter and Claudia Spahn, the musician's emotional attitude to a piece has proven to be very important. And, of course, hearing protection measures. These range from emergency solutions such as absorbent cotton to foam earplugs (Oropax) and preformed hearing protectors. The safest and most suitable for musicians are otoplasts (Elacin), which are made to fit the ear canal and offer varying degrees of sound attenuation. In general, all hearing protection measures are not particularly popular with musicians, as on the one hand protection should be provided and on the other hand artistic sound production is altered. It is assumed that only around a sixth of all musicians protect themselves.

In conclusion, I would like to leave you with my favorite quote from Wilhelm Busch: "Music is often not perceived as beautiful, as it is always associated with noise.

Dr. med. Daniela Gut

... is a FMH specialist for ORL with a practice in Zurich

The Stuttgart Eclat Festival sees itself as a "seismograph for trends in social developments". For several years now, it has focused on presenting works that touch on aspects of current realities in interdisciplinary formats or even raise the possibility of a change in social perspective. Whether such high expectations in the confusing jungle of art music, media art and performance are fulfilled is always measured in the end by the individual projects. An impressive 37 world premieres ensured diversity (both thematically and qualitatively), covering a respectable range of current musical fields. Between pop Schubert homage (Eivind Buene), squeaky sex doll use as ensemble sound (Miquel Urquiza) and several hours of piano grinding (Philipp Krebs/Neus Estarellas), the table was richly set. A cursory gender analysis (excluding performers) revealed an approximate ratio of 37 (women) to 24 (men).

The most promising setting in the "Concept" section of this year's festival promised to be the three-hour Happiness Machinewhich brought together ten female composers in pairs with ten female filmmakers (why only women?) to explore the principles of the "Economy for the Common Good" under the auspices of Klangforum Wien. An idealistic reflection on the current state of the world and a possibly more sustainable economic order were the order of the day. However, when music becomes political, it can be difficult but interesting, but when art comes across as so obviously "politically correct", things get hairy. The Klangforum members' staged lecture interludes, which exuded the charm of an adult education seminar with autobiographical insights into being a musician, moralistic monologues and unnecessary self-congratulation, were rather counterproductive from an artistic point of view. As expected, the ten film/music collaborations varied in terms of content and style, although they all took place in the medium of animation (why actually?): Light-hearted children's book aesthetics, abstract structural processes, disdainful documentary (Samantha Moore/Malin Bang about a family textile business in Bloomers), expressively "overpainted" history (Michelle Kranot/Iris ter Schiphorst and the July Uprising in Vienna in 1927 in Suggestion of Least Resistance) or abysmal insights into the business practices of virtual world experience (Ana Nedeljkovic/Hanna Hartman in the eponymous Happiness Machine) was part of the visual approach. Musically, this took place between the extremes of pure acoustic mimicry (Malin Bang) and music that could also stand on its own in its energetic force (Ying Wang in Music Box). Why at the end of the sonic-visual pairings still Brine by Rebecca Saunders was another question mark in the overall dramaturgy, which was unfavorably bloated and detracted from the individual contributions.

Joanna Kożuch / Ying Wang

Film still from "Music Box", performed by Klangforum Wien as part of "Happiness Machine"

Ying Wang's music could also stand on its own in its energetic power.

The Stuttgart Composition Prize is a thankful eclat ritual, this time expertly awarded to Ondřej Adámek and Ole Hübner. Hübner's Three people, skyscrapers and palm trees in the background and the sea on the left (2016/17) was one of the most exciting pieces of the festival in its complexity, whose kaleidoscopic heterophony in a lavishly dimensioned cast (large ensemble, four speakers, 8-channel audio playback and electronics) opened up volatile, loose but rich associative spaces. No image description, rather open scenes of an imaginary "audio theater", which is autobiographically inspired, but must be filled with life by each listener for themselves. This was already an indication: The really interesting listening experiences took place widely in the "conventional" concert format, an indication that music as music beyond media art is not as dead as people currently like to talk about.

An expert in complex sound textures with real and inherent structures is Michael Pelzel, the lone Swiss personality in the field. His Hagzusa and Galsterei for 24-part choir, double bass clarinet and percussion on a text by Dominik Riedo was tailor-made for Rupert Huber in its cultic-ritual style and his SWR vocal ensemble threw themselves into it ecstatically with him. Pelzel's vocal evocation of death, the devil and medieval witchcraft was a success with the Stuttgart audience due to its harmonic and polyrhythmic density. On the other hand, Christian Wolff's Voices voices which began as Webern had earlier and then escaped "on light boats" with encyclopedic zeal through all conceivable forms of vocal music between canon and aleatoric.

The acclaimed finale was provided by the now stronger SWR Symphony Orchestra with premieres ranging from large to powerful. Vykintas Baltakas created in Sandwriting II a continuum of fractures, where dramatic gestures and motif complexes were constantly layered, nested and driven forward in new and different ways, as if symphonic molecules had been brought into self-referential rotational processes. The late Romantic points of reference could then no longer be ignored in Christian Winther Christensen's Piano Concertowhich stripped the expressive-virtuoso gearbox of the genre down to its skeleton. A sonic "gutting", so to speak, which was based on the fact that the piano sound was extremely dimmed electronically and manipulated externally via keyboard. However, the result was by no means mere caricature, but a poetry which, in its hushed and implosive gestures, was immediately touching and met with a correspondingly enthusiastic response. The absolute opposite of Christensen's aesthetic of thinning out was embodied by Vito Žuraj's The transformer. A monumental score for mixed chamber choir and symphony orchestra, which was dedicated to the invention of German porcelain and therefore integrated a whole arsenal of porcelain bells into the percussion. Žuraj's tonal alchemist's kitchen, with its massive sound clusters and primeval sound attacks, which Brad Lubman passionately kept boiling, would have made Currentzis green with envy.

The "Music Box", an extraordinary building located directly on the Reuss in Lucerne, is being inaugurated these days. Students of the Lucerne School of Music can live here and practice for hours without disturbing anyone, either inside or outside the building. And that's not all: the sound-optimized building is made of ecologically sustainable and energy-efficient materials. And it is "recyclable". As a temporary timber construction, it can be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere at any time.

The building offers 25 one-room apartments, rehearsal rooms and a mini-concert hall
including grand pianos and other equipment. Even now, before the opening, half of the apartments have already been let.

This remarkable project was initiated and realized by the versatile Lucerne entrepreneur and cultural scientist Urban Frye. On the one hand, he wants to offer aspiring musicians good living and working conditions.
Like everywhere else, it is very difficult to find a place to live in Lucerne where music can be played for hours every day. On the other hand, the building is evidence of active political commitment: the plot on which the house now stands is located in one of the residential areas that are to make way for a new main traffic axis, the so-called Spange Nord, in around ten years' time. Opposition to this has long been building in the city of Lucerne. This extraordinary new building is one of them.
 

The conductor and composer Hans Haug, born in Basel in 1900 (died in Lausanne in 1967), conducted many ensembles in Switzerland and abroad, including the Beromünster Radio Orchestra from 1938 to 1943. In the 1930s, he wrote the operas Don Juan in a foreign land and Madrisa. The soldiers' folk game became very popular during the Second World War Gilberte de Courgenay. According to MGG the focus of his work was on stage works of various kinds. Among his instrumental works, concerts stood out in particular, including the Concertino for guitar and small orchestra. It was awarded the first prize for composition by Andrés Segovia at the Academia Chigana in Siena in 1951.

Marisa Minder, a guitarist who grew up in Windisch and now lives in Basel, has been studying Hans Haug's works for guitar for many years. With her project "Concertino Hans Haug", she aims to bring one of Haug's best, yet least known compositions to concert halls. After its premiere in 1970, the work disappeared from the scene and no recordings of it have been made to date. After four performances, the project is to be concluded with a CD production.

The last concert will take place on February 28 at the Ackermannshof in Basel. Alexander Zemtsov conducts the project orchestra, with Dmitry Smirnov as concertmaster.

There was a great response to the ideas competition, with the city receiving a total of 52 project ideas. All submissions were reviewed by a multi-member evaluation committee according to predefined criteria.

The House of Choirs aims to position Chur as a singing city and create a meeting place for guests and locals. The idea is based on the tradition of choirs in Graubünden. The mix appeals not only to musicians, but also to strollers through the old town, cultural travelers, song lovers and choirs from all over the world, according to the city's press release.

The Zapperlot project promotes children's and youth culture, shapes the coexistence of generations in the city of Chur and creates a cultural space for a wide range of target groups. Theater Zapperlot has been in existence for 20 years and has been looking for new premises for a long time.