As part of the 38th Early Music Festival Zurich took place on March 11 at Institute of Musicology at the University of Zurich a themed morning was held at the festival (organized by Esma Cerkovnik and Hein Sauer). Three contributions shed light on the festival theme Vespers I: Abendmusik - Tafelmusik from a musicological and German studies perspective, revealing the diversity of the phenomenon of "music in the evening".

In the first lecture, Hein Sauer reported on the setting of Vespers in the 16th century, which gradually became the focus of liturgical music production over the course of the century. Here, the speaker showed the special significance that the setting of the psalms and especially the Magnificat had in the 16th century, both in Italy and in the Protestant regions north of the Alps.

The lecture by Julia Amslinger (Göttingen) and Nathalie Emmenegger (Bern) approached the setting of psalms from a literary perspective. These were newly translated, formulated and arranged in the early modern period. The most prominent Zurich example is the work of Johann Wilhelm Simler (1605-1672). His German poems (1648) were set to music for 4 voices on the basis of the Genevan Psalter. Their success was not only evident in the numerous editions, but also in their distribution from Zurich to the Grisons mountains.

Finally, Ute Poetzsch (Magdeburg) reported on the Musique de Table Georg Philipp Telemann (1733). She demonstrated the musicophilological and musical problems associated with this demanding chamber music work. Poetzsch thus broadened the scope to include aspects of instrumental music in the 18th century.

These contributions, each accompanied by a lively discussion, provided an excellent prelude to the subsequent concerts of the festival.

The New Orchestra Basel (NOB) has been under the direction of Christian Knüsel since 2012. He professionalized the orchestra and repositioned it with interdisciplinary, thematic and annotated programmes. Promoting young talent is an important part of his orchestral work. Young people are involved in regular educational programs. The NOB Composition Workshop produces commissioned works by young composers under supervision. The NOB Academy offers Central and South American talents online master classes on their instrument; this season, the Jove Orquestra Nacional de Catalunya (JONC) from Barcelona as a cooperation partner. Six members of this orchestra have been invited to play in the concert on March 26 at the Stadtcasino. "We want to make youthful creativity visible in our concerts and bring the joy of music to the next generation," says the program booklet.

A picture from Nachtmusiken

Last August, Christian Knüsel asked the artist and design teacher at the Center for bridge programs Basel-Stadt (ZBA), Gert Handschin, to make a visual contribution to the program "Thoughts are free - 1001 nights" together with his students. During the concert break, he revealed that he was initially unsure whether he would be able to carry out this task, as he did not know the composition of his class at the time. Every year, new young people from difficult backgrounds or living in precarious circumstances come to the ZBA - this school year, there are also refugees from Ukraine. He asked his colleague Silvia Arbogast from Gymnasium Bäumlihof to work with him.

They agreed on the linocut technique and the format 21 x 21 cm. The brief for the 25 participating students was to experiment with shadows, fragments and colors and to be inspired by the music of the evening. In the end, the individual parts were put together to form a large square. The original could be admired in the foyer of the Stadt-Casino. A huge cloth with the photographically transferred works of art hung above the orchestra. The audience had the opportunity to let their eyes wander over the colorful squares and at the same time immerse themselves in the musical and nocturnal dream world.

Breaking formal shackles

In his introduction, Christian Knüsel presented Debussy as the first composer to abandon rigid formal structures. Debussy had set himself Nocturnes (1900) was inspired by the Impressionist paintings of the same title by James Abbott McNeill Whistler. With the sentence Nuages the orchestra succeeded in immediately transporting the audience into an imaginative nocturnal dream world. Con sordino, the dynamics within the pianissimo were fully exploited at the beginning. In the middle of the piece, the clouds piled up mightily before clearing again towards the end.

John Cage's Music of changes (1951) gave the NOB season program its name. In his piano piece, Cage elevated indeterminacy to a principle. No two interpretations should be the same. The performance should obey chance and be left to the performer's creativity. Knüsel resolved this requirement by having the pianist Beatrice Berrut play Cage's composition in alternation with the feel-good classical piece Forgotten Dreams (1954) by Leroy Anderson. The change from one to the other was controlled by randomly recorded bird calls.

Manuel de Falla wrote his three-movement work Noches en los jardines de España (1909-1916) was originally conceived as three nocturnes for solo piano, but was later reworked into a symphonic work. The piano is strongly integrated into the orchestra, but is always at the center of the action. Beatrice Berrut gave her part a brilliant profile.

The orchestra concluded with Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade (1888) into the magical fairytale world of 1001 Nights. Knüsel emphasized that having an imagination could also be essential for survival: "Inspiration was existential for Scheherazade", because the princess had to keep the Sultan happy night after night with 1001 stories in order not to be killed. The princess's years of survival find their musical expression in the ostentatious repetition of the one theme that runs through all four movements, but is constantly changing musically. One could say that the princess remains the same, the stories change. The development of the theme is achieved in the finest way in the two-way conversation between the woodwind and the strings. The solo parts by the clarinet, flute, oboe and bassoon, and especially the solos by concertmaster David Castro Balbi, are unforgettable.

 

 

"Bach arrives" is written on the program booklet of the Thomanerchor Leipzig. On the one hand, the ambiguous concert title refers to the two application cantatas BWV 22 and 23, which Johann Sebastian Bach composed for his cantorate audition on February 17, 1723 in Leipzig's St. Thomas Church. On the other hand, the title also tells of the unique success story of Bach's music, which continues to radiate worldwide in the 21st century and makes him by far the most listened to composer in the classical music world today. Leipzig is celebrating 300 years of Johann Sebastian Bach. He worked here as Thomaskantor for 27 years, until his death on July 28, 1750.

Anniversary concert in St. Thomas Church

Andreas Reize is the 18th Thomaskantor to succeed Johann Sebastian Bach. For the anniversary concert, the Swiss composer has put together an extensive, challenging program that presents four- to five-part motets and sacred madrigals by other Thomaskantors such as Moritz Hauptmann, Gottlob Harrer and Johann Hermann Schein alongside the two Bach cantatas. Six-part compositions written for the St. Thomas Boys' Choir from the Spiritual choir music op. 11 by Heinrich Schütz will be performed that evening in the packed Thomaskirche Leipzig.

Traditionally standing in the gallery around the Wilhelm Sauer organ, the St. Thomas Choir unfolds a very transparent, yet voluminous sound. The clarity of the text is excellent. In many compositions, a dance-like gesture can be felt, which Reize demands with large, sweeping movements, often conducting in full bars. The choir's intonation, on the other hand, is occasionally cloudy. For example, the low male voices in Moritz Hauptmann's Kyrie and Gloria too dominant and also a touch too low, the balance gets out of kilter. But the simple final chorus of Jesus took the twelve to himself BWV 22 over the virtuoso orchestral accompaniment is particularly captivating in the bright boy sopranos. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra shines with rhythmic drive and exquisite soloists (oboes!). Bach's second application cantata You true God and son of David In Reize's interpretation, BWV 23 combines intimacy with lightness. The conductor is close to the choir and creates large arches.

Traditions and new concepts

Despite his first-class music, which pointed far into the future, Johann Sebastian Bach was only third choice when applying for the post of Thomaskantor. After the death of Johann Kuhnau, the Leipzig councillors had already elected Georg Philipp Telemann as the new Thomaskantor before he left the city three months later due to a significant salary increase from his employer in Hamburg. The Darmstadt court conductor Christoph Graupner also already had the important post in his pocket, but was not released by his employer. It was only then that the decision was made in favor of Johann Sebastian Bach, who had also been invited for good measure.

The election of Andreas Reize as Gotthold Schwarz's successor, on the other hand, was unanimous. It was only in the period following this that an open letter from some St. Thomas Boys' Choir members, who felt they had been ignored, caused unrest. They could not imagine a Catholic Swiss as head of the most renowned Protestant church music office. When talking to Reize in the alumni house, the St. Thomas Choir's boarding school opposite St. Thomas School, the man from Solothurn was tight-lipped about this: "After two years, I don't want to say a word about it. You can tell it's going really well." Reize also deals with the question of his conversion to Protestantism, which has since taken place, in a few words. "It was clear to me from the outset that I would convert - the press only found out about it a year later. Church is home for me. And my home is now St. Thomas Church and St. Thomas Parish."

The 47-year-old musician, who directed the traditional boys' choir at St. Ursenkathedrale in Solothurn until 2021, wants to look to the future and enjoys the daily, intensive musical work with the St. Thomas Boys Choir, who perform at least one Bach cantata every week during term time. Reize has introduced a fixed daily structure. When singing, he uses movement games and aids such as Therabands to increase body tension. "Sing better, sing without fear - and have fun sometimes," is his pedagogical concept. The emphatically self-confident conductor is also breaking new musical ground, having just recorded Bach's St. John Passion for the Rondeau label with a choir of just 24 members and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin in a special arrangement.

In his work with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, historical performance practice is also important to him in terms of phrasing and vibrato design. Reize also appreciates the research work of the Leipzig Bach Archive, with whose director Peter Wollny and his team he is in regular contact. The new Thomaskantor is delighted that he will not only continue to conduct baroque operas every two years at Schloss Waldegg in Solothurn, but has also been asked by the Leipzig Opera to conduct this repertoire.

The city is proud of its music

In 2023, the Thomanerchor will take part in the multi-year Bach300" project and, alongside other choirs, perform Bach's first Leipzig cantatas, precisely timed to the church year. "It is a particular pleasure for us that we will be singing alternately in the Thomaskirche and the Nikolaikirche, as was customary in Bach's time but has not been practised since the ban in 1943," says Reize. With the motto "Bach for future Leipzig Bach Festival (June 8 to 18, 2023), the Thomanerchor will perform the following cantatas in the opening concert Sing to the Lord a new song BWV 225 and The wretched shall eat BWV 75 will premiere a cantata composed for the occasion by Jörg Widmann and will compete with boys' choirs from Dresden, Windsbach and Hanover in another cantata concert on June 15.

The Swiss misses the mountains in Leipzig. "I like the openness of the city and the many green spaces. Leipzig may be a big city, but it still has a village character." He really likes the fact that the Gewandhaus Orchestra and the St. Thomas Boys Choir are advertised at the main railway station. "Music is hugely important for the city here - unfortunately there is nothing comparable in Switzerland." And what does the Thomaskantor like about the music of Johann Sebastian Bach? The combination of words and music in his works is unique!"

Georg Rudiger was invited to "Bach arrives" by the project management "Bach300 - 300 years of Bach in Leipzig" in cooperation with Leipzig Tourism and Marketing.

The Swiss mandolin and guitar orchestra zupf.helvetica, which meets 3-4 times a year on a weekend for its work phases, decided to use the canceled date for an international event anyway. Contact was made with the South Korean Bundang Mandolin Orchestra, which was planning a trip to Europe - not for the first time. This led to an interesting collaboration, which resulted in the project of three joint concerts at different venues in Switzerland.

pluck.helvetica is still a young orchestra, founded in 2017 on the music island of Rheinau, which is mainly made up of amateur and a few professional musicians from all over Switzerland. The instruments represented are the mandolin, guitar, mandola, mandoloncello and double bass, which are common in plucked string orchestras. The orchestra has grown steadily since its foundation and has already undertaken small concert tours to Lugano, Geneva and Germany. It has also performed live on RTS radio in western Switzerland.

zupf.helvetica is dedicated to the broad spectrum of early to contemporary music for mandolin and guitar orchestras and expands their musical diversity with commissioned compositions by Swiss composers. Three works written for zupf.helvetica will be performed for the first time at these concerts in May under the musical direction of Christian Wernicke (conductor and guitarist from Heidelberg): Works by Victor Solomin, Anina Keller and Ramon Bischoff.

Joint journey

The Bundang Mandolin Orchestra, based in the metropolitan region of the South Korean capital Seoul, consists of 45 amateur musicians and has been led by conductor Seo Yun Sook since it was founded 24 years ago. It has undertaken concert tours in Asia and Europe. Thanks to its larger sound volume, the Korean orchestra often performs together with wind and string instruments, piano and percussion in its home country.

The organizers of this joint project - the "Culture for All" association and the Swiss Plucked Music Association - are looking forward to the joint rehearsals in May at Lake Walen,
to the cultural exchange and the performances. Each orchestra will perform its own part and finally two pieces - one from Switzerland and one from South Korea - will be performed together, a musical treat not to be missed.

Their research results were published in the journal The chirping machine. Journal for international clover studies published. In this interview, she tells us who Gottfried Galston was and what he had to do with Paul Klee.

Florence Weber, who was Gottfried Galston?
Gottfried Galston (1879-1950) was a Viennese pianist with a Jewish background who received his musical training in various cities. He made his debut as a pianist at the age of 18, which was followed by an extensive career as a successful concert pianist. Galston was also active as a piano teacher and wove his pianistic views and playing recommendations into his study book, which was intended as a textbook for students.

Galston lived in various European cities with great cultural influence: Vienna, Leipzig, Berlin and Munich. These artistic centers were meeting places for musical exchange, intellectual discussions and artistic views. The Austrian concert pianist found himself right in the middle of it all and was able to build up a network of considerable size.

What was the connection between Galston and Paul Klee?
Galston and Paul Klee lived next door to each other in Munich: Galston had moved with his family to Ainmillerstrasse 29 in mid-January 1919, while Lily and Paul Klee had lived with their son Felix at Ainmillerstrasse 32 since the fall of 1906. The two artists spent around two and a half years next door to each other and developed a friendly relationship: They played music together and discussed issues of a musical, artistic and professional nature. This contact led to Klee taking over the godparenthood for Galston's daughter Flora Irina, born on February 20, 1920 (also known as Florina-Irene). Klee painted several works as gifts for his goddaughter. The series of paintings ended when the little girl died at the age of one.

What particularly fascinated you about this topic?
Gottfried Galston cannot be found in any of the standard musicological encyclopaedias - just like many other people in music history. Given the many musicians and artists in Galston's network who are still very well known today, this is astonishing: Lily and Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, Alexej von Jawlensky, Arnold Schönberg, Carl Reinecke, Ferruccio Busoni, Anton Rubinstein and Theodor Leschetizky - to name just a few. The fact that these connections are not more prominently documented turned out to be a stroke of luck for me: I was able to reconstruct Galston's biography from the year of his birth in 1879 to his emigration to the USA in 1927 and his contacts in the form of my master's thesis. - The second half of Galston's life still needs to be illuminated.

How did you come to this topic?
For my research on Paul Klee and the interdisciplinary nature of the various arts, I read through the literature in the archive of the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern. I came across Gottfried Galston and his connection to Paul Klee. During further research - including in the online archive of the Austrian National Library - I found several hundred newspaper articles, concert advertisements and reviews about Galston and his performances. This made it possible to establish Galston's whereabouts, concert tours and connections to other musicians and artists, and I was able to approach a detailed biography of Galston.

 

It is no easy task to distribute the thousands of registrations sensibly across the seven venues. The result is a three-day festival program in which the performers can measure themselves against each other and the audience is presented with a comprehensive showcase of their work. The 2023 venues - usually in cooperation with the local music school - are Arbon, Basel, Bern, Morges, Neuchâtel, Steinhausen and Winterthur.

Piano and guitar days

Apart from Bern, which is only hosting ten organists this year on Friday, March 31, piano recitals will take place at six of the seven locations, several times even in two rooms at the same time. A "piano day" usually lasts from 9.30 a.m. to around 4 p.m., including breaks. The programs of the recital days are arranged according to age categories. If you would like to immerse yourself in such a piano day, there are many different possibilities: The IV. Age category (*2003-2005) can be heard for one day on March 31 in Winterthur and on April 2 in Basel.

Auditions from category III (*2006-2008) can be heard on March 31 in Arbon, Neuchâtel and Steinhausen, on April 1 in Basel and Neuchâtel and on April 2 in Winterthur.
Category II (*2009-2011) can be experienced for one day on March 31 in Basel and Neuchâtel, on April 1 in Steinhausen and on April 1 and 2 in Neuchâtel. The youngest participants
(*2012-2015) will be performing in Basel on March 31, in Morges on April 1 and in Steinhausen and Winterthur on April 2.

One such day includes between 14 and 19 auditions. Further piano days with participants from more than one age category will take place on April 1 in Arbon, Basel and Winterthur and
on April 2 in Morges and Neuchâtel. After the piano, the guitar is the second most frequently chosen instrument. With the exception of Bern and Morges, extensive guitar recitals are also held in all locations.

Specialties

In addition to these "all-encompassing" instruments, the individual performance venues also have their own specialties: String duos perform in Arbon. In Morges, string ensembles and wind
duos, contemporary music in Neuchâtel and trumpet, string duos and ensembles in Steinhausen. Classical singing is on the program in Arbon, Neuchâtel and Steinhausen.
Program. The two largest audition venues are Basel (with early music, horn, euphonium and tuba, harp, recorder and percussion ensemble) and Winterthur (with trombone and
wind duos and ensembles).

The auditions are open to the public. They serve as performance training for the performers. All locations and times are listed in an overview at sjmw.ch/classica/places/ to find. You can enter and leave
the concert venues during the breaks.

The 2023 final

An actual exhibition of works and concerts by the prizewinners will take place from May 18 to 21 at the Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana in Lugano. The live performances of the "special disciplines" Free Space and Composition can also be seen and heard in Lugano on this weekend. The jazz and pop performances will take place on April 16 at the Kanzlei Club in Zurich
over the stage.

The Romantic composer Paul Juon (1872-1940) with Swiss roots has experienced a quiet renaissance in recent years. His extensive chamber music oeuvre in particular has now become a permanent fixture in concert halls at home and abroad. The situation is different with Juon's symphonic canon: Despite exemplary editorial work by Christoph Escher and Ueli Falett, who have meticulously researched and republished a considerable number of Juon's major symphonic works, the large-scale oeuvre remains largely terra incognita for performers, audiences and organizers. This is precisely why opportunities are opening up for amateur orchestras: innovative programming includes the discovery of forgotten works.

In order to make Juon's orchestral music accessible in a low-threshold and uncomplicated way, I was able to analyze and evaluate eight selected orchestral works in collaboration with the EOV in terms of practical feasibility and instrumental requirements. The result is a 25-page report - a kind of travel guide - which can be downloaded from the EOV website. The brief evaluation and detailed comments are intended to help interested orchestra managers to make a quick and pragmatic assessment of the respective works.

Travel guides: For evaluation and use

The basic approach of the evaluations aims to examine the practical suitability of selected symphonic works for amateur orchestras. Since the latter exist at very different playing levels, the evaluation must always be read with the proviso that it necessarily refers to an average.

A distinction must be made between technical, organizational and musical aspects. Factors such as tempo, intonation, key, tonality, rhythm and complexity of the ensemble playing were examined. Organizational requirements include instrumentation, special instruments, divisi for the strings (minimum number of instruments), length of the piece, volume and audience friendliness. Particular attention was paid to challenges of an instrument-specific nature: exposed solo passages, special registers, openness of the passages and the complexity of the conducting.

The type of evaluation is divided into three levels and serves different needs. The brief evaluation and the spider diagrams allow a quick and visual overall assessment of the piece, while the detailed comments provide specific and in-depth analytical insights into the inner life of the work. It should be borne in mind that no reference recordings are available for most of the eight works examined. The ratings should be seen as a guide and not as a guarantee of a perfect partnership between orchestra and work. A look at the score (link below) remains indispensable. Here, the individual abilities of the respective orchestra members can be compared with the requirements of the work in order to arrive at a differentiated overall assessment.

Travel recommendation: A musical-practical conclusion

There are exciting and rewarding discoveries to be made in Juon's oeuvre for amateur orchestras. A practical-psychological aspect should not be underestimated: The majority of Juon's symphonic oeuvre is not yet available on recordings. Without top-class reference recordings, there is no pressure to compare, which inevitably shapes the audience's expectations of established works. The way in which Juon's tempo is arranged allows a certain freedom of interpretation (and thus an adaptation to orchestra-specific possibilities). The tempo indications are not fixed with metronome markings and allow a great deal of creative freedom (especially in virtuoso and fast movements).

Juon's musical language is accessible and often inspired by extra-musical motifs. This makes his music a grateful building block within thematically oriented concert concepts. The works with the character of variations or suites prove to be flexible in their use: here it is quite conceivable to couple and omit individual movements. Juon's compositional craft is well-founded, his knowledge of the instruments sovereign and the dramaturgical gesture always consciously employed. I recommend traveling with Paul Juon without reservation.

To the report with the work evaluations: www.eov-sfo.ch
To the scores: www.patrinum.ch
About Hugo Bollschweiler: www.hugobollschweiler.ch

Roger Staub grew up in Thayngen/SH and completed an apprenticeship as a typographer before becoming self-employed at the age of 22 to work as a stage and lighting designer for the theater. As a music fan, he played in various regional bands before becoming responsible for the stage show in the local "supergroup" Buffalo Ballett. Thanks to a cultural grant from the city and canton of Schaffhausen, he spent some time in Los Angeles for the first time in 2006 and settled permanently in California two years later. Here he worked as a creative mind on the conception of shows by Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar and Steve Jobs, among many others. In 2020, he moved back to Zurich, where he founded the "strategic branding agency" LoF* leads.

 

The band Animal Collective once told me that the big arena concerts in the USA are a kind of kilbi. The fans meet in the parking lot long before the concert starts and have a picnic. Did you experience that too?

It depends on the venue. One of the most casual places in LA is the Hollywood Bowl, a huge amphitheater with 15,000 or 20,000 seats. You can get in early, have a barbecue, it's a real happening. Or at the Forum in the south of LA, in Compton, there's a gigantic parking lot, people meet up for a beer beforehand. It depends on the location. At the Staples Centre, also in LA, you go to the Taylor Swift concert and then go home again, everything is organized.

 

What attracted you to the combination of music and visual elements back then?

Good question. I've always made music myself, but I've never written a song that I felt I - let alone an audience - would ever want to listen to again. But the love of music and making music was there from an early age. I played in bands when I was 14 and found everything super cool. Coming from a graphic designer background, I was perhaps also a little inspired by the Swiss star graphic designer Hans-Rudolf Lutz, who brought together typography, art and music into a visual experience with Unknownmix slideshows. Something like that simply fascinated me. Later, with Buffalo Ballet, I started to use light and imagery to somehow set the mood for the music. I liked that and so did people to some extent. And so it went on. I made my way through the Swiss music scene via Züri West and Lovebugs and at some point I realized, hey, that's cool, but the bigger the production, the bigger the challenge. That's how I came across LA, a place where the really big shows are conceived.

 

Pink Floyd and Velvet Underground, but also the Munich band Amon Düül 2, experimented with image projections right from the start in the sixties and started the first "fashion" for multimedia music shows. What role models did you have?

The problem for me was, of course, that in Switzerland, as everywhere else, economic reasons dictated the size of productions. Taking someone else on tour who is responsible for visuals is an investment that has to pay off a little over the course of a tour. For a band like Züri West, it was probably a bit easier, because they played 50 or 60 concerts over the course of the year, most of which were sold out. That gives you a certain amount of planning security and the money for a stage show is easier to legitimize. It's incredibly difficult for smaller bands to justify additional costs. Nevertheless, there is often a need for a stage show. I can see that with Ikan Hyu right now, they are already thinking very visually. I see a great desire among artists to present themselves on stage in some way that goes beyond the purely musical. Which of course doesn't make sense for every band.

 

Ikan Hyu are an interesting case. The duo has a ZHdK background. It is possible that the combination of visual arts, dance, performance and music in the same building has a mutually inspiring effect.

Sure! That can totally be a reason why people are thinking in visual concepts in this particular case.

 

But now again: Who were your role models in the days of Züri West?

Of course you have role models. For example, The Nits and their live program Urk. They also made very theatrical installations, which always fascinated me on the album covers. In terms of stage shows, I came from stage design in the theater, lighting design. Creating drama with a spotlight, making the individual musicians stand out against a stage backdrop, that always fascinated me. And then at the beginning of the noughties and even in my early LA days, that just started to happen a bit with large-scale LED walls. Before that, you could almost only really experience it with U2: the Popmart or Zoo TV tour. In my perception, that was the first time a band had appeared with video screens and LED screens. At some point, they became more affordable for a wider range of bands.

 

Don't you have the feeling that concerts of this kind lead to a material battle that only the most successful artists can afford? That the music business is completely dominated by the record multinationals, as it was in the 1970s - which in turn results in a huge restriction of artistic freedom?

That can be good. Of course, I've already thought about it: How will these live shows develop? Can this gigantism continue somehow or will only Rihanna, Beyoncé, Rosalia or Taylor Swift be able to afford it in the end anyway? I think there are already two poles. The rich and the not-so-rich. The latter certainly includes all sorts of indie bands who want that to some extent and can afford it. They have to make do with more modest means, but compensate with imagination and wit. So the gigantism remains at the top level, where people are always trying to top each other with the latest gags. But it's possible that occasionally there will be an overstimulation, as is slowly becoming the case with the Marvel superhero movies. But I have the feeling that we haven't quite reached that point yet. I've also felt for some time that certain stage shows are less about visual overkill and more about a clear, artistic, almost installation-like approach. Kendrick Lamar, for example, his last tour was almost an art installation in which he moved.

 

Is this the intersection with the company you have now? LoF*where it's more about branding? That artists think carefully about what they stand for and what they represent, and not simply about a comic show?

That is, of course, the noble ambition. The challenge is also the desire to find out what are the appropriate ways to stage artists in the spirit of their music and personality. So it's about the conscious choice of means, not simply about having a little more LED space than Beyoncé. Time and again, you see cool new implementations. The 1975, for example, who almost went on tour with a Broadway set. They had practically no LEDs, but instead recreated a real apartment in which they moved around. If the concept, the music and the band's aspirations match, I think that's cool.

 

Can you give us a few clues about the size of an LA budget for the visual appearance?

The details of the budget have always been kept under wraps. All I can say is that three to five million dollars are easily spent on the stage design and several 100,000 dollars on video content design and production. Of course, you can calculate very differently for a world tour than for a Swiss tour.

 

How has LA influenced and changed your perspective on the meaning of a visual show?

The aim of a major American production is often to offer viewers the latest, the best, the never-before-seen. And this aspiration and commitment drives and motivates everyone involved. I try to do the same with my productions in order to offer the audience an experience as far as possible.

 

Since Madonna and Michael Jackson at the latest, every cone of light at big shows has been precisely balanced. Otherwise, however, lighting at concerts was often neglected well into the nineties, and still is today. Is this due to the availability of technological resources?

The new possibilities of coordinating all the elements that take place on stage in the visual field have of course helped enormously. But you can't necessarily compare a concert with the theater. As I said, I come from the theater. There are 50 spotlights in the theater, and they are all there to make the actors and the stage set visible. Everything is set with millimeter precision, illuminated so that there are no shadows on the faces. In a concert, it's exactly the opposite. There are 300 spotlights, 280 of which create some kind of image, and 20 are aimed at the musicians themselves. Light is used there to create images. It is a design tool to create images with light.

 

A production like Beyoncé, your first in LA, you've really been thrown in at the deep end! I imagine there are 50 people working on a show like that, there are insanely long committee meetings every day. Isn't it terribly difficult to come up with your own ideas? How do you assert yourself as a Swiss person in LA?

Of course, it depends on how strongly the contribution of ideas is desired. On the one hand, it has to do with the artist and how much they rely on a close-knit team. In Beyoncé's case, there was a show director, a creative director, a musical director - she had her team with whom she created the show. As part of the realization team, you still have some opportunities to contribute ideas. It's much more difficult with larger productions. But in the case of Puff Daddy it was completely different. I was in direct contact with him a lot about how he envisioned the show, and he also allowed ideas. There is no formula for how it works.

 

In which productions have you brought in the most personal things?

In 2015, the tour with Puff Daddy with all the old R&B stars who were on the road with Puff Daddy, there was a lot of input possible. In the case of Green Day, too. As soon as you get into rock'n'roll, the teams are massively smaller than for a pop show. With an R&B show like Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, you have management, personal assistants and blah blah blah. Your core crew is already 20 people, and with the rest of the crew it's 100 more. It's usually a bit simpler and more manageable in rock'n'roll. Bands like Green Day are quite a family affair, you're closer to the artist there.

 

What is it like to sit in the audience during the main rehearsal for a show in which you are involved on a practical, creative and emotional level? And then at the premiere?

 The moment when the lights go out in the auditorium and the audience start screaming in anticipation of their star still gives you chicken skin. As a result, you are still excited yourself and hope that everything will work out. During the show, it's more of an emotional rollercoaster between joy and relief if it works, or stress and heart palpitations if something doesn't work out.

 

Can you remember any particular disasters?

At the Swiss Music Awards, the motors of the LED walls failed shortly before the doors opened and had to be partially replaced. As the dramaturgy of the show depended on the LED walls being able to move, it was quite a shock. But it worked out after all ...

 

Now you're back in Switzerland. You established yourself internationally almost 20 years ago. Is the technology now so advanced that you can benefit from the budgets of Los Angeles from Switzerland?

That would be nice, but unfortunately it's not true in this case. I still have productions like this, I've been working with Def Leppard for almost 10 years, and they have a bit of an international budget that we can operate with here in Switzerland. But in a way, it's also a short-lived business. You drop out because new people come along or because the artist wants to work with others. From that point of view, I have to be in LA a bit to stay up to date, to meet people, agents. That has thinned out a bit over the last few years. But with the focus on our branding agency, that was also a conscious step. I now more or less do what I'm asked to do and am no longer as active in the live event sector as I used to be.

 

Don't you miss it a bit, the music business?

Totally. It doesn't really matter what size of production it is, but the whole beginning of the concert, it gets dark, they come on stage, it gets light, it starts. I miss some of the thrill and all the madness. With the big productions, you're sometimes locked in a venue for six weeks, arriving there at 3 or 4 in the afternoon, the artists are rehearsing on stage, rehearsing choreography. Between 7pm and 10pm there may be run-throughs and rehearsals with the artists and band. Then from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., that's the creative team's time. Then we program the whole show, every single light is programmed. At 7 a.m. we take the shuttle back to the hotel, go to sleep, then back to the venue at 3 p.m. At some point you no longer know whether it's Thursday or Sunday, 4 in the morning or 5 in the afternoon.

 

You'll miss the after-show parties too ...

Of course. If you're a bit on the level, you fly somewhere in a private plane, all the parties where the stars are present, that's pretty exciting. But, yes, you've had that and it's good that there's something else.

 

Will you stay in touch with the people you worked with?

With certain people, yes. Maxwell, for example, although I haven't seen him for a while. It's very cool when you realize that you appreciate each other and trust each other.

 

What was your personal show highlight?

Jay-Z at Yankee Stadium was the biggest hip-hop party to date and correspondingly impressive.

 

And the best party?

The after-show party with Puff Daddy in his dressing room after the concert at the Barclay Centre in Brooklyn.

 

The best shows you've seen in Switzerland?

Evelinn Trouble at m4music. The Young Gods tribute show in Montreux. Pike in the Hallenstadion (editor's note: Roger Staub was responsible for the visuals at this show).

 

Alone at home, what do you listen to voluntarily?

Very mixed. From Radiohead to Prince. Prince has been my great musical love since the eighties. I have a big soft spot for black music in general, from Marvin Gaye to Kendrick Lamar.

 

And now you have time for your own band again?

Exactly, haha! The decision to earn my living with the production of music, not with music per se, has always helped me a bit, I think, to have a relaxed relationship with music. When I sit at the piano or play a bit of drums or bass, I feel good. Then I'm happy, and it doesn't have to be more than that.

 

Table of contents

Focus

Sleep, affirmation and bananas
How three young singers prepare for their performances

 The stage at the workplace
Short live concerts during working hours in companies - the musicdrops@work project

What a fuss!
Rock shows between material battle and total work of art
Detailed additional interview with Roger Staub

Chatting about ... stage fright
Zita Zimmermann and Judith Furrer-Bregy

Carte blanche for Wolfgang Böhler
The grand entrance at the Rössli-Säli

(italics = summary in German of the original French article)

 

Critiques

Reviews of recordings, books, sheet music

 

Echo

Ouvert à tout, fermé à rien
Création du premier opéra de Christian Favre, Davel

Radio Francesco - Elephants

Outstanding interpretations of competition works
Fourth Basel Composition Competition

Classical music in the mediamorphosis
New music films at the Berlin Avant Première

Recognizing the roots of jazz
2nd Swiss Jazz Days in Bern

Authenticity in music
An echo of the interview with Yann Laville in SMZ 3/2023

 

Base

Articles and news from the music associations

Swiss Federal Orchestra Association (EOV) / Société Fédérale des Orchestres (SFO)

Konferenz Musikhochschulen Schweiz (KMHS) / Conférence des Hautes Ecoles de Musique Suisse (CHEMS)

Kalaidos University of Music / Kalaidos Haute École de Musique

Swiss Music Council (SMR) / Conseil Suisse de la Musique (CSM)

CHorama

Swiss Society for Music Medicine (SMM) / Association suisse de Médecine de la Musique (SMM)

Swiss Musicological Society (SMG) / Société Suisse de Musicologie (SSM)

Swiss Musicians' Association (SMV) / Union Suisse des Artistes Musiciens (USDAM)

Schweizerischer Musikpädagogischer Verband (SMPV) / Société Suisse de Pédagogie Musicale (SSPM)

SONART - Musicians Switzerland

Swiss Youth Music Competition Foundation (SJMW)

Arosa Culture

SUISA - Cooperative Society of Authors and Publishers of Music

Swiss Association of Music Schools (VMS) / Association Suisse des Écoles de Musique (ASEM)

 

Camomile tea should help
Puzzle by Pia Schwab

________________________________________

Order issue for CHF 8.- (+ CHF 2.- shipping costs)

Brummbär loves music. Its reputation was so strong that he even made this broad field his profession. From time to time, Brummbär also writes about Music - and now for the first time in the name of music. In view of the dramatic topicality and turbulent circumstances of the state bank rescue, such an appeal is simply a matter of urgency.

Music is systemically relevant and much-too-big-to-fail. In order to prevent "risk materialization" (original quote from Credit Suisse Chairman of the Board of Directors Axel Lehmann, who never used the honest word "loss") and lasting shocks to the global music market, Brummbär is demanding the generous sum of CHF 209 billion from the Federal Council within a reasonable period of time (i.e. within 3 days). The shareholder base of us musicians is broadly diversified and thus democratically legitimized, from municipal symphony orchestras and jazz big bands to regional church choirs, yodelling clubs and brass bands to the dimly lit agglo disco.

As music managers, we are innovative, multi-talented and cultivate visionary projects without losing our grip on the ground. We don't put responsibility on the back burner - we are directly liable with our good reputation for the quality of our harmonies, choruses and verses. We leave the KATA-STROPHES to the self-proclaimed Masters of the Universe. According to their self-declaration, they consider themselves to be the best - and that has its price.

Whenever the clammy CEOs of the pecuniary carpets cause a minor or major mess, they do so with a full spin program. Regrettably, as collateral damage, they (and we) occasionally end up with an entire bank, complete with 167 years of tradition and 10,000 jobs. The future of the Swiss financial center? Global, cannibal, tribal, legal, semi-legal, illegal - it doesn't matter.

MUSIQUE SUISSE's bonuses, on the other hand, are also made up of banknotes, but not from the National Bank. We are more interested in training courses than share prices. Our learning curves are so steep that we need extendable scales to climb all the way up. But even at dizzying heights, we don't get dizzy. We are deeply anchored. A solid base forms the GROUND for us in two senses: as a foundation and as a raison d'être.

This fundamental basic tone grounds us casually but reliably, even in archaic nature jüzli, exotic folk songs, wild hip-hop raps, right through to the most complex harmonies and trickiest rhythms. We are always in tune with the times, tactful, dynamic, disciplined, agogic, pedagogical, goal-oriented. With Timing for us does not mean the buying and selling flows in microseconds on the stock exchange, but the precise setting, breathing and phrasing of a single note. Our Wall Street is the exhilarating experience of a shared Grooves.

We make a melody resonate, caress it, pluck it, blow it, dance it, yodel it, hop with it over hill and dale, over riffs and ostinati, keep it alive with a keen ear, tickle it at the right fermatas, let it rip and chill out in the breaks. We build bold arcs, head for well-directed dramaturgical climaxes, approach the core of the melody concentrically in elegant hermeneutic circles and then let the sounds fade away in a timely manner, separated by type, completely without legacy and toxic legacies.

Our parade ground is in front of the village school or in the pavilion by the lake, where the youth orchestra competes with the young rock band and the Schwyzerörgeli duo. Our transfer payments do not flow into "variable incentive payments", "deferred cash bonuses" or "public liquidity backstops" and certainly not into even more obscene "transformation bonuses", but simply benefit the general public: everyone listens to them, many play them.

We are creating the present. That should be worth the equivalent of 209,000 million francs.

Or did Brummbär misunderstand something at the memorable Federal Council press conference on March 19, 2023? Profits for all, losses (pardon: "materialized risks") private?

 

Grumpy bear

Under the alias of "Brummbär", the Irish-Swiss composer and musician John Wolf Brennan writes commentaries and columns that are published in various media. www.brennan.ch

At the Progr in Bern, the venue for the second edition of the Swiss Jazz Daysadditional chairs had to be carted in on March 4. "I didn't think that Saturday afternoon would be so full," admitted Christoph Jenny, one of the two initiators of the two-day event. The great interest was probably due not least to the controversial programme item "Decolonization & Antiracism in the Swiss Jazz Scene". Its presenter, Apiyo Amolo, began by telling the audience that she was once forced to part with her dreadlocks in Switzerland and that although she likes to yodel, she deliberately doesn't wear traditional Swiss costume. This is how she expresses her affection for the country that has been her home for 23 years now. "I practice cultural appreciation and not cultural appropriation," emphasized the intercultural mediator.

Place of birth: New Orleans

During the panel chaired by Amolo, Louisiana-born Reverend Scotty Williams looked back on the history of the origins of jazz: "The slaves in New Orleans had Sundays off, met on Congo Square and expressed their feelings through music." The term jazz was subsequently coined to describe this sound - initially in a derogatory way.

Afi Sika Kuzeawu, who grew up in Togo and trained in Bern, emphasized that jazz cannot be understood exclusively from a white perspective. "During my studies, I was often told that if I couldn't read music, I wouldn't be able to play it. But that comes easily to me." In order to decolonize jazz on a pedagogical and practical level, she is convinced that it is necessary to facilitate access to the local education system. "Due to a lack of certificates, Ella Fitzgerald would not be allowed to teach jazz in Switzerland." Some Swiss musicians, on the other hand, are said to be worried that they will no longer be allowed to make jazz due to accusations of cultural appropriation. According to the presenter, this is an unfounded fear: "Anyone who plays jazz should, however, recognize where the roots of this genre lie."

Explosive topics, a large audience

The Swiss Jazz Days 2023 are now history again. "We were able to record an increase in the number of visitors," says co-founder Simon Petermann. He attributes the fact that we were able to welcome around 170 visitors this year to "good speakers and good topics", among other things. In addition to the discussion on decolonization in jazz, the issue of social security was met with considerable interest. "This proves that we need to pay a lot of attention to the topics in the future."

For the second edition of the Swiss Jazz Days, the burden has now been spread over several shoulders. "Our organization team currently consists of seven people, which automatically led to more ideas," says the Bern native. Although the event has hardly changed compared to 2022, he notes a development "inwards". However, the event cannot be financed by admissions alone. "Once again, we have asked various foundations for support - but that is anything but easy." Last year's goal of attracting more organizers and representatives of cultural sponsors has also only been achieved to a limited extent. "We need to invest more in this from now on," explains Petermann. "Our plan is still to hold the Swiss Jazz Days three times and then look further ahead." At the same time, the idea of bringing the event to French-speaking Switzerland one day is already being considered. "The Swiss Jazz Days should not only network, but also highlight the value of culture and music."

Report by Michael Gasser about the Swiss Jazz Days 2022

Recently the Roothuus Gontenthe Center for Appenzell and Toggenburg Folk Music, has been richly endowed: With the sheet music collection of retired teacher Erwin Sager from Bühler, over 8000 instrumental and yodel pieces were transferred to the center. More than 5300 of these have already been recorded. They are available to interested folk music circles and the general public on folkmusic.ch accessible. The Roothuus operates this database together with the Altdorf House of folk music. The Roothuus Gonten server is home to an additional 15,500 supplementary files. In concrete terms, this means that for a single file stored on folkmusic.ch up to 30 additional variants can be discovered for each work found in the Gontner Archive!

The detailed press release issued by Roothuus Gonten on March 8 underlines the relevance of this collection for Switzerland and explains how the digital archive works.

Extraordinary density

At Roothuus Gonten, historical collections by Josef Peterer "Gehrseff", Carl Emil Fürstenauer, Heinrich Brenner, Johann Manser and others are displayed alongside collections of contemporary notation. Past and present enter into a creative dialogue; new notations are constantly being added and contextualized. Some of the historical sources also reappear in the Sager Collection. Between collecting, researching and cataloging, a dense network is created, an archive of sound. As a result, this collection is not only one of the richest repositories of folk music heritage in the Alpstein region, but is also regarded throughout Switzerland as a reference archive for the music of a more or less clearly defined region.

Erwin Sager

As a passionate collector, folk musician Erwin Sager is equipped with that Appenzell mixture of passion, inspiration and practice. Born in 1946, his interest in Appenzell music on the violin, viola, cello and bass has taken him halfway around the world. He also composed and documented diligently and built up a large collection of originals, variations and new versions of Appenzell and Toggenburg folk music over the decades. The public can now benefit from this far beyond the region's borders.

Favorable source situation

However, the Roothuus music collection is not only characterized by an impressive quantity of musical texts. It also offers a new research perspective, thanks to the professional sifting and cataloging of the material by the staff at the center itself. In contrast to other regions with mainly oral traditions, the people of Appenzell have always been very keen to document and write down their melodies. "With the new system, we can identify the oldest recorded source, create meaningful networks and add to the collection in digital or analog form. All of this is also thanks to the sheet music materials that can be physically viewed in the Roothuus," says Managing Director Barbara Betschart, herself a professional violinist with many years of experience at the interface between practice and research.

Playing with identities

Using the magic word *NSR* (Notensammlung Roothuus), interested parties can access the full-text search on folkmusic.ch a kind of four-dimensional space of memory. Access to the digital data is deliberately designed to be user-friendly (see quick guide at the end of this text). Now and again, however, exploring the music collection also requires its own form of investigative skill. It is very similar to the imaginative coordination of movements and listening when making music: combining, artistic links and historical references are often important for using the database.

"Not all compositions can be clearly categorized in terms of their identity. Sometimes the original melodies only formed the framework for numerous variants, sometimes they were expanded, supplemented with a second voice or they seemingly disappeared behind a newer, more powerful version," explains Betschart. The collection takes account of this variety of references and influences in the development of a work with countless details. This includes, for example, sheet music in PDF/XML formats or audio files and information on specific performance dates and locations. In addition to the assignments to the various dance forms (for example "1." for march, "2." for mazurka or "3." for polka etc.), which appear as the first number in the NSR catalog, there is a wealth of additional information on the origin, the notator including his nickname, occasionally the estate and - particularly exciting - the melody code, which can be used to find and assign a composition in the reverse case.

Sounding codes

*durrdurruuuuddddududur* - what seems like an archaic secret language is actually a decoding code with a simple melody recipe according to the international Parsons method: "u" means an ascending interval, "d" a descending one, an "r" symbolizes the repetition of the same note. Thanks to the sequence of letters, the approximate musical line can be traced. In the above example, entering the code in the search function reveals that the sheet of music in question is NSR.30069, the polka In the Rössli, z'Hondwilcomposed very probably by Jakob Anton Knill, nicknamed "Fleck" (1821-1892), who, however, did not notate any pieces of music himself. The transcription was probably written by Josef Anton Inauen "Badistesebedoni" (1821-1994), a musical colleague of Knill's in the Appenzell String Quartet. There are also interesting facts about the origin of the title: it was not added until 1929, when the piece was recorded on shellac by the Urnäscher Streichmusik.

 

Example: NSR. 30069

The discovery tour continues: for the third part of In the Rössli, z'Hondwil you can discover several variants from over 250 years in the collection of the Roothuus Gonten. Three of them provide an insight into the variability, style and historical melody design. The version of "Badistesebedoni" is probably the oldest source. All three variants are still played today.

 

 

 

 

 

Music of the future

There are currently several challenges: On the one hand, cataloging solutions are needed for the numerous natural yodels in the Sager collection, which have proven to be particularly challenging to record due to their small size. On the other hand, the center works as a non-profit organization of the following donors: Canton Appenzell Innerrhoden, Canton Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Canton St.Gallen, District Gonten and Appenzellische Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft. The Roothuus is also supported by various private sponsors. Rising user fees, the expensive storage space, additional work quotas and the high quality standards, including in the research context, demand additional resources, including financial resources, a great deal of idealism, energy and perseverance.

"The project will continue for quite some time and, given the source situation, there is no end in sight. This is inspiring, but remains a challenge," explains Barbara Betschart. She wants to attract the public to Gonten and explore with them the fascinating lost yet contemporary soundscape of Appenzell and Toggenburg folk music. "Similar to the Paul Sacher Archive in Basel, for example, our collection is also about taking care of the cultural musical heritage of a particular style. The historical and practice-centered approach helps us to understand compositional or technical playing processes." Needless to say, this unique collection also conveys a picture of the social reality of life around the Alpstein, as an audio journey into the nature of the sounds and the people who conceived and played them.

Practical information

The Roothuus Gonten is a center for the archiving, research and communication of Appenzell and Toggenburg folk music. It collects and preserves evidence of this traditional musical genre and accompanies it into the future with scientific work, convivial musical events and innovative projects.

In addition to the scientific processing of the rich musical material as well as the sound, image and text documents, the Roothuus Gonten has an important collection of historical (folk music) instruments.

Do you have a private collection, an estate or a personal archive of folk music from the Alpstein region? We will be happy to assist you with archiving, cataloguing and digitization.

Contact for impulses, advice and ideas:
Roothuus Gonten
Center for Appenzell and Toggenburg folk music
Dorfstrasse 36, 9108 Gonten
071/794 13 30

info@roothuus-gonten.ch

www.roothuus-gonten.ch

 

Off to the net

Quick guide for Internet access to the collection:

1. Select the website www.volksmusik.ch
2. Select "Collection database", select "Search collection" in the title bar
3. Enter the title of the piece in "Full text search". For dialect titles, try different spellings if necessary: Appenzell, Appezell or Appezöll; Hundwil or Hondwil; Emils or Emil's etc.
4. If the title is unknown: Code a few bars of the melody as described above (u for up, d for down, r for repeat). Enter this code between two asterisks (*) in the search field.

 

"Listen with your Eyes" is the advertising slogan of EuroArts, the international production company for music films based in Berlin. And the phrase "Listen with your eyes" has become a catchphrase over the past decade when it comes to combining classical music with moving images. What has long been commonplace in the pop sector now also applies to so-called art music: video recordings are catching on.

With the Avant Premièrea trade fair that always takes place in Berlin in February under the direction of the Vienna International Music and Media Center, over 500 new music films from 38 countries have now been presented. A small selection can be seen in full length, and in the hour-long screening sessions, each production or distribution company and each television station can show excerpts from their highlights for a quarter of an hour. Afterwards, arrangements are made outside in the lobby: Who buys what from whom and on what terms. Not only concert and opera recordings are traded, a solid foundation of the music film business, but also jazz films, artist portraits, sophisticated documentaries and an astonishing number of dance films.

Dance

As is well known, dance is the only genre of the performing arts that can be represented exclusively on film. This time, the spectrum ranged from the obligatory Nutcracker to a challenging experiment: a coupling of the six Bach cello suites played by Jean-Guihen Queyras with choreography by Anna Teresa De Keersmaeker. The scenery and the six dancers are all in black and the cellist sits in the middle. The infinite variety of Bach's music enters into a fascinating connection with the movements of the bodies in the room, the camera movements forming an additional voice in this counterpoint. The cinematic work of art was produced under the title We are in the middle of life the Leipzig-based company Accentus together with NHK Tokyo, SWR and ARTE. Budget: "over 250,000".

Ticino

This time only the Swiss television Ticino as always with attractive projects. These included a documentary about Sergei Rachmaninov in Switzerland and his Villa Senar on Lake Lucerne, as well as Addio Lugano Bellaa fascinating search for traces of the Italian anarchists of the 19th century who found refuge in Ticino. They were not crazed terrorists, but sworn loners and outcasts who can be seen in yellowed photos. Ticino songwriters sing the nostalgic songs of that time.

Trends

There was no lack of topicality. A striking number of concert recordings showed solidarity with Ukraine in some way, even if it was only with a blue and yellow flag in the background. "Black music" is obviously not a cause for concern in music films; in jazz, pop and ethnic music it is part of everyday life, and "non-whites" are the majority in symphony orchestras from Tokyo to Mexico anyway. However, the phenomenon of "women conducting" is still an issue - with a double-edged effect. In the euphoria of finally being recognized, some young female conductors are tempted to make unflattering statements. This makes it sound as if the aspect of self-realization is more important to them than serving the work. Joana Mallwitz, for example, explains that she conducts in order to get to know herself better, and Alondra de la Parra likes to be flowery: "When I stand at the conductor's podium, I am a woman, I am also a man, I am a child, I am a sunset."

On the website medici.tvthe world's largest streaming portal for classical films with over 3,500 productions on offer, the legend of the special case of the female conductor is being debunked. Here, 46 "grandes cheffes d'orchestre" can be accessed with their recordings, from the experienced Marin Alsop to the young newcomer Glass Marcano from Venezuela. The supposedly still disadvantaged minority has long since arrived in the global music business.

Distribution

The distribution channels for classical films are increasingly shifting to the numerous digital channels, where you can find a huge streaming offer for ten francs a month in line with the Netflix principle; according to leading industry representatives, the physical products DVD and Blu-ray will only survive as collector's items. Live performances in concert halls and opera houses may have some advantages over media playback, but the "mediamorphosis" of music, as music sociologist Kurt Blaukopf once called it, is unstoppable. And it is the decisive driving force behind the current cultural change, enabling new audiences to access classical music and also opening up new perspectives for music education. A democratization effect that, from an insider's point of view, should not be underestimated. The Berlin Avant Première offers excellent illustrative material in this respect.

_______________________________________

Max Nyffeler's report on Avant Première 2019

 

This year, the Basel Composition Competition (BCC) took place from February 9 to 12 under normal conditions, which was very much appreciated by all participants. In contrast to the composition competition at the Geneva Concours a few months ago, where only three selected works were played in the final, twelve compositions for symphony and chamber orchestra were performed in Basel. The Basel Sinfonietta, the Basel Symphony Orchestra and the Basel Chamber Orchestra each performed four works on three evenings at the Don Bosco Music and Culture Center under the direction of Jessica Cottis, Clemens Heil and Sylvain Cambreling.

To get straight to the point: All three ensembles were very well prepared and motivated, which guaranteed an adequate performance of each composition. Even the most technically demanding tasks were mastered impressively.

Stylistic breadth, geographical gaps

There are no restrictions on the age or nationality of participants at the BCC. This year's jury consisted of the composers Michael Jarrell (chair), Toshio Hosokawa (whose new violin concerto was premiered by the Berliner Philharmoniker on March 2, 2023), Luca Francesconi, Andrea Scartazzini and the director of the Paul Sacher Foundation, Florian Besthorn. Isabel Mundry had been involved in the selection process in October but, like Rebecca Saunders, had to cancel her participation due to illness.

Without knowing the countries of origin of the composers of all the works submitted, it is surprising that none of the pieces performed came from North America or Eastern Europe, while the majority were from East Asia. Stylistically, however, they were quite different, their titles often enigmatic (Metempsychosis, e-e IV, Opus reticulatum, Incognita_C) and some quite uninteresting. Once again, it turned out that a complex score with extreme fanning out of the voices is no guarantee of a special sound, just as little as the personal strokes of fate mentioned in the explanations of the works or the reference to well-known visual artists or poets, from whose brilliance something should radiate onto the respective piece.

Amazing ranking list

Choosing the works for the final concert must have been somewhat easier than determining the final ranking list. It was pleasing to see that, although there was perhaps no masterpiece among them, each of the five works played in the finale on February 12 was gladly heard a second time.

The Japanese Nana Kamiyama (*1986) received a third prize (CHF 7500 each) for Umbilical cord for chamber orchestra, a work influenced by the sound of Japanese instruments, which combines noise and defined pitches in an attractive way. Also chameleon by South Korean composer Jinseok Choi (*1982) was awarded third prize. Inspired by traditional Korean music, this virtuoso and powerful composition is based on several independent musical cells. These are arranged in a contrasting manner and create overlapping changes in sound and color.

The second prize of 25,000 Swiss francs was won by Masato Kimura from Japan, born in 1981, for -minusIX for five string quartets and ensemble. This interestingly scored work is part of a series that the composer calls "negative acoustic space". Its sound is created on the basis of negative aspects of phenomena such as instability, silence, ambiguity and slowness. Derived from this - and not easy to understand - a "sound fog" characteristic of the work is created.

The main prize, donated by the Isaac Dreyfus Bernheim Foundation, was awarded to the Berlin-based Brazilian composer Leonardo Silva (*1989) for his piece Lume (musica d'immenso I). It is inspired by a short poem by the Italian poet Giuseppe Ungaretti. Certainly not a bad work, but it did not stand out from the other compositions in any way. Rather, one could say that its sound world has already been encountered in many other pieces of the classical avant-garde, such as those by György Ligeti. The fact that works by Wagner, Stravinsky or Boulez also begin with an E flat, like his own, is something the composer would probably have done better to keep to himself.

The works that did not receive a prize were Gou Chen IV the 22-year-old Chinese woman Jin-Han Xiao and Beyond of the Englishman John Weeks (*1949) was the most remarkable. The young Chinese composer's piece, which is very difficult to play and also imitates electronic effects, is an incredible eruption of sound and made most of the other works look pale. Beyond for chamber orchestra by Weeks, which comes from a completely different world, was one of the few compositions that attached great importance to the instrumentation. Alto flutes, cor anglais (with a wonderful solo by Matthias Arter), bass clarinets and contrabassoons lent the work an extraordinary aura.

Anchoring in the city

A special feature of the BCC is certainly that the organizers attach great importance to anchoring the competition in the city. For example, several composers worked together with school classes, talked about their lives and explained their works and composition methods. Chamber music works by jury members Toshio Hosokawa and Rebecca Saunders were also performed in two pre-concerts. The ensembles of the Hochschule für Musik, rehearsed by Marcus Weiss, shone with outstanding interpretations of extremely interesting works.

The fifth edition of the Basel Composition Competition will take place in February/March 2025.

 

 

Martin Frutiger is one of today's most successful oboists as a soloist, orchestral musician and university lecturer. In addition to his lectureship at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts HSLU, from 2004 to 2020 he taught English horn at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK). He is a member of various chamber music and orchestral ensembles (Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Bayreuth Festival Orchestra, etc.) and has been oboist and principal English horn in the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich since 2004. He is also involved in various functions in the promotion of young talent within the wider pedagogical landscape.