Nothing out of the blue

The word "composing" has many connotations: creativity, of course, but also the struggle for ideas, thinking up new sounds or new constellations. It is therefore remarkable that Basel-based composer Wolfgang Heiniger believes that music cannot be "reinvented". In his opinion, the meaning of composition is already in the word: "You put things together," he says.

The volume published by Vexer-Verlag make music with one- to three-page statements by 33 contemporary composers is as entertaining as it is inspiring. New music can hardly be reduced to a common denominator. And this also applies to the printed texts, which revolve around aesthetics in general, personal working habits or creative processes. Some of them are reminiscent of older composer images. Dieter Ammann writes: "Composing actually means being a seeker in a world whose creator you are at the same time." Ammann's search can sometimes take time. Sometimes he thinks about a work for three years. Yes, perhaps Beethoven's furrowed brow comes to mind.

Ammann's tone is refreshingly direct, and this also applies to his colleagues. Isabel Klaus makes a virtue out of necessity. She needs resistance, sees the usual commissions - "write a piece for this or that cast with this or that duration" - not as a restriction on her creativity, but as an opportunity to creatively rub up against "stones that are put in her way".

Most of the composers selected and interviewed by the editors Désirée Meiser, Matthias Schmidt and Anja Wernicke come from the Basel area. Some big names broaden the regional perspective: Wolfgang Rihm, for example, the German Mathias Spahlinger or the Dane Simon Steen-Andersen, who has been very successful in recent years. The latter mentions his "negative inspiration": when he hears "great music", he thinks that he has to make an effort to "do it completely differently".

Ultimately, composing today is also very different. Earlier ideas of a god-like creatio-ex-nihilo genius, who intimidatingly and authoritatively puts his brilliant sparks on paper, are fortunately a thing of the past. Today, as the anthology impressively demonstrates, it is much more about cooperation with musicians, about influences, sometimes also about down-to-earth work that has to be done. Johannes Kreidler, Professor of Composition at the Basel University of Music, sums it up nicely: "Ideas don't come out of the blue. The beginner waits for the kiss of music, the professional starts to work."

musik machen, ed. by Désirée Meiser, Matthias Schmidt, Anja Wernicke, 144 p., Fr. 28.00, Vexer, St. Gallen 2023, ISBN 978-3-907112-63-2