No gobbledygook

Graubünden seems to be the preferred spot for forums that ambitiously bear the word "World" in their name. The best known is probably the "World Economic Forum" in Davos, to which those who feel they belong to the international business and political elite make an annual pilgrimage. A place to discuss the world's problems in an illustrious setting - or to produce a lot of hot air, as critics complain. Less well known is the World Ethic Forum in Pontresina. Also because it took place for the first time this year on the last weekend in August: "A weekend with hikes, animals, plants, philosophical sessions, Economy of Love and Common Goods, a Parliament of Things, a night of dancing shamans, a musical premiere and lots of dialog", as the invitation stated. The programmatic differences to Davos could not be greater, as can be seen from the hidden reference to the performance of a piece of music.

Because specially composed for the forum Gérard Zinsstag the ensemble piece Divagationswhich was published on August 27 by the Ensemble Proton Bern was premiered. A concert of new music would probably be unthinkable in Davos. Especially one with a work that was deliberately requested by the Forum as a challenging listening experience and which already shimmers with delightful ambivalence in its choice of title. "Divagations" could be translated as "rambling", and it would be a prankster who suspects a commentary by the composer on the discussion culture of such forums. "Divagations" also means excess or debauchery, and the dedicatee interprets it as such Linard Bardill the title. The songwriter and author is co-founder and managing director of the World Ethic Forum and experienced the work as "music full of new paths, detours and dream paths". He is certainly not wrong, because Divagations is a piece whose richness leaves you speechless and silences the chatter. Energetic, aggressive sounds constantly alternate with passages of enchanting beauty, dissonances with floating consonances. The entire pitch spectrum is utilized, as can be seen from the use of the lupophone, a newer instrument from the oboe family, which considerably extends its range downwards.

However, it is more likely that Zinsstag's title refers to Stéphane Mallarmé's collection published shortly before his death Divagations in which the poet introduced his idea of critical poems, of "essais poético-critiques", as he called them. This genre, conceived as a mixture of essais, poetry and criticism, is an attempt to marry the world of art with intellectual contemplation of the world - and is thus a possible answer to the old question of how art can be more than mere entertainment, how it can deal with "serious" topics. A question that is all the more pressing in textless music and one that must be addressed, especially in a composition for the World Ethic Forum. Gérard Zinsstag's choice of title is a pointer and admonishes the listener to listen with an alert mind.

This is not surprising. The composer, who was born in Geneva in 1941, is certainly the perfect choice to do justice to this difficult task. As a student of Helmut Lachenmann, reflecting on the social dimension of music, of sounds, is practically part of his craft. And as the founder of the Tage für Neue Musik Zürich in 1985 together with Thomas Kessler, Zinsstag proved that he can and wants to initiate change. Without this tour de force, Zurich would not be the city of music it is today.

But how does this critical dimension manifest itself in Divagations? Similar to Lachenmann, Zinsstag relies on the perception-changing effect of music, relying on the power of raw sound types and noises, among other things. In any case, it is clearly recognizable and perceptible that he also uses the raw musical materiality of artificial sound production in Divagations prefers. On the other hand, Zinsstag searches for an almost physically tangible sensuality that enchants and enraptures. The immense effect of the piece results from the blending or rather the juxtaposition of these two levels. This is symbolized in the headings of the three movements, which merge seamlessly into one another: Lento/Agitato, Agitato/Comodo, Inquieto/Agitato. Each movement alternates between "excited", "impetuous" (Agitato) and something else, with Lento and Comodo something completely opposite ("slow/loose" and "leisurely" respectively). It is only towards the end that a "restless" is added to "agitated", thus intensifying the urgency.

As I was not present at the concert and listened to a recording, I cannot comment on the interpretation of the Ensemble Proton Bern. Divagations It is certainly to be hoped that it will find its way out of the Grisons mountains and into the wider world.