Antonio Vivaldi, composer and violin virtuoso, is famous for other works, not for his operas. And yet, according to his own account, he wrote 94 operas between 1713 and 1739, up to 5 operas a year! Of these, 49 have been preserved and identified, at least in part, as his works.

Vivaldi was particularly active as an opera composer in the theaters of Rome, Mantua, Verona and in his hometown of Venice and mainly used material from ancient history and mythology. Divas such as Cecilia Bartoli have performed his operas before, and corresponding recordings are available, but apart from a few well-known arias, this music is not often heard. Editions Buissonnières now make Vivaldi's vocal works accessible to us in the most beautiful way.

An entire collection of Vivaldi arias gives us a glimpse of unexpected treasures, even from very unknown operas. Organized by vocal genre, this is an enchanting series, enchanting above all in its execution: bound books that would make photocopies and tablets green with envy. You want these books have. Even the hard cover is captivating with its Venetian views, a volume is dedicated to each voice part, soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto and tenor arias are of course supplemented by a volume for contre-tenor, another for baritone/bass has been announced for this year. There is also a volume with ensembles and choirs. The sheet music is enriched by a few historical illustrations.

Three major operas are discussed in detail with their genesis, cast and content. Each aria is preceded by comments on how the arias fit into the respective plot and a translation of the vocal text from Italian. The only drawback is that all these texts are only in French.

The music is gripping, moving, extraordinary and varied. As we know Vivaldi. Virtuosically challenging, furious, elegiac-expressive, heartfelt. You can learn to sing with this music, you can demonstrate virtuosity, musicality and expressiveness. One can only hope that these works will increasingly find their way into concert halls and music academies. Or have you ever heard of an opera called Tietiberga or Dorilla in Tempe or Atenaïde heard?

Antonio Vivaldi: Airs d'opéra pour
soprano, chant et clavier, EB-2-115, € 29.00;
mezzo-soprano EB-2-337, € 33.00;
alto EB-2-371, € 38.00;
contre-ténor, EB-2-222, € 38.00;
ténor, EB-2-372, € 29.00;
Extraits d'opéras duos, trios, chœurs, EB-2-370, € 29.00;
Editions Buissonnières, Crozon

This is the sixth volume of arrangements for youth ensembles by British musician, composer and teacher James Rae. To date, he has published over 250 works, mostly of educational music, almost all of which have been published by Universal-Edition. These include instrumental editions, etudes and schools for wind instruments, transcriptions and duets. Together with his compatriot, jazz piano teacher Mike Cornick, he has written four musicals for schools.

The All together easy series is characterized by instrumental movements that are easy to play and listen to, "democratic" distribution of the melody to all four voices and a stylistically diverse selection of popular pieces from classical music, folk, jazz and original compositions.

Volume 6 contains: Mack the Knife (Kurt Weill), Bridal choir from Lohengrin (Richard Wagner), The Sky Boat Song (trad. Scottish) and the groovy Rugged Rock (James Rae).

Ensemble teachers can find All together easy Suitable material for enjoyable music-making in any combination of instruments. The level of difficulty for all instruments is correctly described as "easy". More demanding and contrapuntally differentiated ensemble movements can still be made by yourself!

All together easy, Easy concert pieces for variable four-part instrumental ensemble, Volume 6, arr. by James Rae, score and parts (in C, Bb and Eb), optional piano part, UE 21 585, € 22.50, Universal Edition, Vienna

Norient has the merit of having brought the journalistic treatment of what is referred to as world music out of the corner of the orchid subject of ethnomusicology. When it was founded around twenty years ago, the online magazine was a necessary statement against leaving the folklore of the world to propagandistic nationalist circles. The thematic grid provided with the new website shows that left-wing urban preferences are now even more prominent: The keyword catalog ranges from activism to colonialism, countercultures, ethics, gender roles, queer to technology and climate change.

According to the platform's own definition, the aim is "to support (sub)cultural diversity, broaden horizons and stimulate dialog between people, continents and disciplines". However, the platform falls into the trap of activist mixing of form and content: the type of presentation is not so value-tolerant that it would promote the hope of broadening horizons. The design of the site follows typical urban-ideological design trends. To outsiders, this may seem original, but it is confusing, even chaotic. The uninitiated feel excluded. It's a shame, as many of the contributions would also be inspiring for those who think differently.

The relaunch of the site can be seen as a symptom of a global shift in cultural boundaries: away from a categorization into first and third world or industrialized and underdeveloped countries, towards a widening gap between traditional and metropolitan lifeworlds. There is a danger that conformity will be created instead of the claimed diversity. The result is a trendy urban aesthetic and ethic that makes the cultural scenes of metropolitan areas all over the world interchangeable, while the democratic potential of the leisurely and highly participatory renewal processes of local popular cultures is increasingly seen as a stumbling block.

Norient - The Now in Sound

Switzerland's music schools and amateur organizations such as youth music associations, brass bands, choirs and amateur orchestras are the main providers of musical education for children and young people as well as adults. They promote music-making and singing and make a significant contribution to anchoring music in the population.

Public music schools in Switzerland fulfill important educational tasks in our society as part of the education system, as cultural institutions and as preparatory training facilities for studying at a music university. As educational platforms, youth music associations are committed to promoting young musical talent and, together with brass bands, contribute to national cohesion. Choirs and amateur orchestras promote ensemble music-making and make music accessible to a wide audience at concerts. Music schools and amateur organizations enable people of all ages to receive musical education and thus make a decisive contribution to the population's participation in cultural heritage, its cultivation and further development.

Even after the resumption of face-to-face operations at music schools and rehearsals and orchestral activities at amateur organizations, the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in the field of music education will be felt for a long time to come - conditions are currently worsening rapidly again and the brief fragile "new normality" is already being called into question again.

The 400 or so music schools that are members of the Swiss Music Schools Association (VMS) are currently unable to hold regular instrumental demonstrations, meaning that children and young people cannot be encouraged to take part in music education to the usual extent. Ensemble and orchestra rehearsals as well as concerts by music schools, amateur music associations and choirs can only take place under difficult conditions due to the protective measures. Many concerts and competitions have had to be canceled and will probably not be possible to the usual extent for some time to come.
 

The coronavirus pandemic is likely to have an impact on the financial circumstances of many families due to the tense economic situation in many sectors. It is questionable whether all parents will be able to continue to send their children and young people to music lessons at the current parental contributions. Initial feedback from the music schools indicates that a decline in the number of pupils is to be expected. Music clubs and amateur orchestras as well as choirs are threatened by a decline in active members, as concert performances are hardly possible and rehearsals can only take place under severe restrictions. This will make access to music schools and amateur music associations more difficult in the long term and, as a result, ensure even less equal opportunities in the field of musical education.

Music schools and amateur organizations have responded quickly and with great commitment to the challenges of the current crisis. Alternative forms of teaching and rehearsals as well as online platforms for performances have been developed and widely implemented. This has at least partially cushioned the immediate consequences of the lockdown. More far-reaching measures are needed to deal with the lasting effects.

Music schools are now doing everything they can to counteract the decline in student numbers with innovative solutions such as flexible registration deadlines and entry options as well as special taster courses or, where necessary, remote offers. Amateur clubs and choirs need to find suitable venues for rehearsals and concerts and are required to develop new concepts for recruiting members and for performances.

To ensure that singing and making music remains one of the most popular leisure activities among the Swiss population and that comprehensive musical education is open to everyone without barriers, the creative commitment and will of all those involved is needed.
 

The Swiss Association of Music Schools and various amateur music associations are proclaiming the Day of Music Education CH on November 7, 2020. The offers of music schools, amateur music associations and choirs will be highlighted and the great importance of music education will be emphasized. Individual music schools and amateur music associations will draw attention to their offers with musical activities on the day of action. An overview of the planned events can be found on the Campaign website published.

various music associations

Signet Day of Music Education CH

The lively Mazurka by the American composer Edmund Severn (1862-1942) has been delighting middle school students in the USA for decades; now a European edition has also been published. The rondo combines chordal playing, left- and right-hand pizzicato, harmonics, dance-like sections and melodic lines without exceeding the third position

Edmund Severn: Polish Dance for Violin and Piano, Bärenreiter's Concert Pieces, edited by Kurt Sassmannshaus, BA 10750, € 9.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel

Born in 1940, Barnabé, whose real name is Jean-Claude Pasche, studied singing at the Lausanne Conservatory and was initially active in Lausanne, where he produced revues for the municipal theater. He then founded his own theater in the family barn in Servion, which had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1994. It includes a rehearsal room, a stage workshop and a huge inventory of over 7000 costumes.

The theater is also home to the largest cinema theater organ in Europe as well as numerous mechanical organs. Barnabé was the first to bring the legendary show "La cage aux folles" to Europe. He himself was still on stage this year. The theater has been managed by a foundation since 2005.

The cultural sector can understand that drastic measures are necessary to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, writes Suisseculture. However, these would pose a definitive existential threat to many cultural professionals and cultural enterprises.

The Culture Taskforce is therefore calling for standardized regulations to be formulated for cultural events throughout Switzerland and for cultural associations to be involved in the design of macroeconomic measures (short-time work, corona income replacement). It is also calling for cultural associations to be informed about pandemic measures at an early stage and to be involved in their concrete implementation, as well as for the promised financial support to be provided quickly and unbureaucratically. 

The cultural sector also does not want overcrowded intensive care units or an overload of healthcare professionals. Since the first lockdown, the Swiss cultural sector has been committed to implementing the federal government's measures, developing functioning protection concepts and applying them consistently. Only rarely have people been infected at cultural events.

For cultural professionals (including event technology specialists), cultural enterprises (e.g. event organizers) and suppliers (e.g. catering services), a renewed lockdown or further restrictions on events would pose an existential threat.

Full text:
https://www.musikrat.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/20201024_MM_TFC.pdf

The musical possibilities that the sonata for violin and piano still opened up at the beginning of the 19th century, and how little binding the treatment of the instruments was, can be seen from the title page of Beethoven's Sonata op. 47, published in 1805, the so-called "Kreutzer Sonata" because of its dedication: "It is a Sonata per il Piano-forte ed un Violino obligato, scritta in un stile molto concertante, quasi come d'un concerto - a sonata for piano and obbligato violin, written in a very concertante style, almost like a concerto. With so much variability, it is hardly a coincidence that no independent aesthetic of the sonata for piano and melody instrument emerged throughout the 19th century (not only for the violin).

Beethoven dedicated the composition to the French violin virtuoso Rodolphe Kreutzer, who, however, according to Hector Berlioz, never played it and even considered it a "outrageusement inintelligible" (as "absolutely incomprehensible"). But even among his German-speaking contemporaries, Beethoven found little understanding. On the contrary, he was bluntly accused of only wanting to be different from the others: In a review in the Leipzig General Musical Newspaper is used by a "aesthetic or artistic terrorism" perhaps understandable in view of a first movement with no less than 599 bars. The technical demands were also felt to be very high, and the sonata itself was only recommended for certain occasions: "when two virtuosos, for whom nothing is difficult anymore, who possess so much spirit and knowledge that, if practice were added, they could write such works themselves, and who, precisely because of this spirit hovering above the whole, are not disturbed by the most whimsical excesses in detail -: if they come together, rehearse the work (for they too would have to;) if they now wait for the hour when even the most grotesque can and may be enjoyed, provided that it is made with spirit, and if they now perform it in this hour: they will have a full, rich enjoyment of it."

The idea of such a musically more intimate hour refers directly to Leo Tolstoy's 1889 publication, The Kreutzer Sonata in which Beethoven's composition acts as an emotional catalyst and transforms the protagonist's love into power-obsessed jealousy. A psychologizing drama about the repressed emotional depths of the bourgeoisie of the time. The 21st chapter reads: "When two people devote themselves to the noblest art, music, there must be a certain intimate understanding; there is nothing offensive about such a rapprochement, and only a stupid, jealous man can see anything objectionable in it. Nevertheless, everyone knows quite well that it is with the help of these pursuits, especially music, that a large number of marital break-ups occur in our society."

Link to the article "New possibilities, new sensory impressions" by Simon Loosli

The violinist Simon Loosli describes how familiar Beethoven was with the latest developments in violin playing and how much he used them to enhance expression.

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Link to the project homepage "52 x Beethoven"

After studying the cello in Winterthur and Hamburg, Engeli trained as a conductor at the Hamburg University of Music. He is now Kapellmeister at the Leipzig Opera and regularly conducts the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Musikalische Komödie.

The Saxony State Youth Orchestra has been the place to go for ambitious young orchestral talents from Saxony since 1992. In two rehearsal phases a year, the orchestra alternates with the artistic director and constantly changing guest conductors to rehearse programs at a professional level, covering all stylistic areas.

The individual vocal groups work together with teachers from renowned Saxon orchestras such as the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Orchestra Chemnitz.

Since spring 2020 and until the end of 2021, a total of around CHF 22.8 million has been available for these support measures in the cultural sector. In future, book and music publishers as well as educational and event projects by bookshops and galleries will also be eligible in St. Gallen.

In accordance with federal legislation, non-repayable financial aid is provided in the form of cancellation compensation and now also contributions to transformation projects. Cultural enterprises can apply for compensation for financial losses resulting from the cancellation, postponement or limited implementation of events and projects or due to operational restrictions as a result of government measures. They can also apply for contributions to cover the costs incurred for transformation projects. This supports projects with which cultural enterprises aim to adapt to the changed circumstances and with which they want to achieve a structural reorientation or attract audiences.

Cultural enterprises can also apply for short-time working compensation. As a rule, short-time working is due to economic reasons. Loss of working hours due to official measures or other circumstances independent of the employer's will also count as short-time working. As the compensation for loss of earnings for cultural enterprises is subsidiary to the compensation for short-time working, those affected are requested in a first step to apply for short-time working compensation if possible.

Current information is available on the website www.sg.ch/coronavirus can be found under "Culture". The corresponding application forms will be available from November 1, 2020.
 

The music theater project "Chronik eines Aussterbens oder der innere Klang" by Micha Stuhlmann and Beat Keller and the concert series "NOEISE" for contemporary music by trumpeter Christoph Luchsinger received awards.

The interdisciplinary project "Chronicle of an Extinction or the Inner Sound" will be performed as an open-air play with the participation of a Thurgau choir in spring 2022 at Schreckenmoos in Kreuzlingen. Micha Stuhlmann and Beat Keller will combine music, theater and dance in a performance. The project will also be filmed. Christoph Luchsinger is designing an innovative concert series that aims to make contemporary music accessible to a broad public and take place in unconventional venues. Three programs are planned so far, which will be performed in the 2021/22 season.

KosmosMusikThurgau was announced as part of the funding priority Impulse for the Thurgau music scene of the 2019-2022 cultural concept and was aimed at musicians who, in collaboration with Thurgau-based groups of all musical genres, implement music projects that pursue an innovative, independent approach and promote networking and cooperation.

The competition was announced in January 2020 and the submission deadline was extended by two months due to the exceptional situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Eight projects were received by June 30, 2020, which were assessed by a jury of experts.
 

Malangré is the second musical director of a permanent orchestra in France after Debora Waldman, who has been conducting the Orchestre Régional Avignon-Provence since September 2020.

Johanna Malangré is a graduate of Johannes Schläfli's conducting class in Zurich. She has also completed masterclasses with Bernard Haitink, Paavo Jarvi, Reinhard Goebel and Nicolas Pasquet, among others. In 2017, she was a Conducting Fellow at the Lucerne Festival Academy, where she worked with artists such as Heinz Holliger and Patricia Kopatchinskaja. She has been re-invited as Assistant Conductor for the Roche Young Commissions and the Academy Orchestra for 2020 and 2021.

Beethoven had long since realized that the French Revolution, originally striving for freedom, equality and fraternity and directed against the feudal corporative state, had come to an end when a Leipzig publisher made him an untimely proposal. He was to write a "revolutionary sonata" for an (unnamed) client, possibly depicting the events programmatically, but at least reflecting on them. His rejection on April 8, 1802 was full of indignation: "Is the devil riding you, gentlemen? - To suggest to me to make such a sonata - at the time of the revolutionary fever - that would have been something like this, but now that everything is trying to get back into the old groove, Buonaparte has concluded the Concordat with the Pope - such a sonata? - If it were still a Missa pro sancta maria a tre vocis or a Vespers etc - now I would like to take the brush in my hand - and write a Credo in unum with big pound notes - but dear God such a sonata - in these new Christian times - hoho - leave me out - nothing will come of it ..."

It is not possible to determine Beethoven's specific attitude to the political circumstances of his time, or even whether he sympathized with republican ideas. Apparently perplexed by the French expansionist policy, he composed a Farewell song to Vienna's citizens WoO 121 (referring to the Corps of Viennese Volunteers), followed by a War song of the Austrians WoO 122 (1797). Only a few years later, Napoleon was held in the highest esteem as First Consul in Vienna: Beethoven was particularly enthusiastic about his statesmanlike farsightedness and the establishment of a civil society with civil law (including the Civil Code). In the end, he even considered moving to Paris.

However, after it became public in Vienna that Napoleon had crowned himself emperor in Paris on December 2, 1804, Beethoven completely rejected these idealistic plans. The rededication of Symphony No. 3 in E flat major op. 55, as related by his friend Ferdinand Ries in an anecdote (which cannot be proven with any certainty), is also connected to this: "Beethoven had Buonaparte in mind for this symphony, but this one when he was still First Consul. ... Both I and several of his close friends have seen this symphony, already copied out in score, lying on his desk, with the word 'Buonaparte' at the top of the title page and 'Luigi van Beethoven' at the bottom, but not a word more. ... I was the first to bring him the news that Buonaparte had declared himself emperor, whereupon he flew into a rage and exclaimed: 'He is nothing more than an ordinary man! Now he will also trample all human rights underfoot, indulging only his ambition; he will now place himself higher than all others, become a tyrant! Beethoven went to the table, took hold of the top of the title page, tore it right through and threw it on the ground. The first page was rewritten, and only then was the symphony given the title: 'Sinfonia eroica'."

Further historical events show that Beethoven was right in this assessment. After Vienna had been occupied by Napoleon without a fight on November 13, 1805, the city was only retaken after heavy artillery fire on the night of May 11-12, 1809. Beethoven spent these hours in the cellar of his brother Kaspar Karl (1774-1815); to protect his failing hearing, he is said to have covered his ears with pillows.
 

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Link to the project homepage "52 x Beethoven"

The city supports initiatives and projects that "deal with the current challenges in the cultural sector in a diverse, innovative and sustainable way". A total of 34 applications were submitted as part of the call for proposals. A budget of CHF 100,000 was available to support selected projects. The call for proposals was supported by the Foundation for Art, Culture and History (SKKG).

The jury selected the following projects: Video project "Shared Set of Concerns", Sarah Hablützel and Marko Mijatovic (5000 Swiss francs), project "Kunstpost", Luca Harlacher (5000 Swiss francs), "Kunstprojekt mit Messina", Messina (5000 Swiss francs), project "ChorOnline / CaféOnline / ConcertOnline", Franziska Welti and Lea Hagmann (10,000 Swiss francs), project "Tanz-Trail-Spiel", Astrid Künzler (10,000 Swiss francs), exhibition project "System Reset. Tools for a better working world", Museum Schaffen (CHF 20,000), project "Interactive Experiences in Arts & Culture in Times of Crisis & Opportunities", Artsnext (CHF 20,000), audio walk "Tell me where the children are...", Cornelia Truninger and Liliane Weber (CHF 25,000).

The instrument was presented in various event formats over the two three days of the first organ festival at the Casino. On the occasion of the new buildings in Basel's Musiksaal and Zurich's Tonhalle, much thought was given to the requirements of a concert hall organ: dynamic flexibility and a room-filling overall effect are required here. The need for a differentiated palette of stops in the normal register (eight-foot register) and a seamless structure from the quietest individual stop to the combination of almost all stops led to borrowings from English, French and German organ building of the late 19th century. With a cool-sounding neoclassical organ, as was previously present in the Casino, or with a row of heterogeneous solo effects, as was recently removed from the Tonhalle, the literature composed for the concert hall and the diverse accompanying tasks can hardly be met.

The organ, built by Orgelbau Metzler in collaboration with the Basel-based company Klahre, was presented for the first time on 4 September with a stringent program sequence: The still rather conventional sound mixtures in the program by Iveta Apkalna (Hamburg) - works by Widor, Bach and Kalniņš (the latter pathetic High Romanticism from the organist's Latvian homeland) - were followed by a selection of unusual effects in subtle improvisations by Vincent Dubois (Paris) and the rich, opulent euphony of an English hall organ in the contributions by Thomas Trotter (London, Birmingham). One of the innovative features of the Basel instrument is the so-called wind-dynamic work, which allows flexible access to the response, intensity and sound of some stops.

September 5 was organized as an organ day with contributions from Basel organists. A large number of arrangements (mainly of orchestral works from the 18th and 19th centuries) could be heard, as well as improvisations and new music. As with many church music events in recent times, an attempt was made to largely hide the traditional Sunday church face of the organ - this led to the new instrument sounding most like "church" in the contribution with music by Jewish composers of all things.

The third day of the festival began with a varied family afternoon: an organ fairy tale was followed by a presentation for children, in which brave participants were allowed to play the keys themselves, and the prizewinners' concert of the "Organ Compositions for Children" competition, which was organized by the "Children to the Organ" association and the Basel Music Academy. The varied series of new pieces was masterfully presented by youngsters aged 8 to 15.
The concert of the Basel Symphony Orchestra in the evening began without an orchestra: Martin Sander (Basel, Detmold) played an arrangement of the overture to the Flying Dutchman; his virtuoso act in front of the still empty chairs of the podium aroused admiration, but also led to the ironic observation that a truly "Corona-suitable" version of the orchestral work had been found here. This was followed by the world premiere of the palatable Concerto da Requiem by Guillaume Connesson, in which the sounds of the organ are cleverly interwoven with those of the orchestra, and finally the popular Organ symphony by Camille Saint-Saëns. Ivor Bolton conducted the committed and sophisticated orchestra. In a welcoming address, orchestra director Franziskus Theurillat assured the audience that the future use of the organ was also a concern of the orchestra. This made people sit up and take notice of the situation in some other cities, where valuable concert hall organs are available but rarely heard. Honors were integrated into the concerts on the first and third days of the festival: A prize from the European Cultural Foundation Pro Europa went to Jacqueline Albrecht (for her magnificent efforts in raising the sum needed to build the organ) and to the architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. However, the sequence of the introduction, laudation, award presentation and speech by the newly honored led to unexpected lengths.
 

After twelve days of waiting, the festival continued with three more musical events: On September 18, the Basel Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Bleuse, performed music from France with a joyful and loving sound. For the organ concerto by Francis Poulenc, soloist Olivier Latry found a superior sound direction free of all routine, which avoided unnecessary sharpness and showed the colorful organ from its best side. The concert evening Organ meets tango, jazz and Balkan music brought together three ensembles, which are at home in the aforementioned styles using the organ, and three dance formations. The performances were met with great enthusiasm and also confirmed the versatility of the organ. The final concert was to bring together over 200 singers from seven choirs. For reasons best known to all, singing in this large formation had to be postponed until 2021. The evening was now organized by the Basler Madrigalisten under the direction of Raphael Immoos together with the organists Babette Mondry and Iveta Apkalna. This also allowed for a program rich in contrasts - from Louis Vierne's Carillon de Westminster and the affirmative Hymn for solo organ from Peteris Vasks to the witty Cantata Rejoice in the Lamb by Benjamin Britten, in which, to the surprise of the audience, a selection of members of the other scheduled choirs could also be heard briefly.

Basel now has an organ that can meet the specific requirements of a concert hall in a colorful and inspiring way. However, this organ requires thoughtful use. The unquestioning adoption of inherited "recipes" for the selection of stops can lead to unfavorable sharpness. The Tuba stop on high wind pressure imported from England is an impressive special sound effect for coronations or papal visits - occasions that are rare in the Casino. Its use for any FCB championship celebrations could be considered. However, it should be clear that this solo register should not be mixed into the organ's tutti. And even when using the neo-baroque mixture of the organ's Hauptwerk, great caution is recommended - as with thousands of other organs in the country.