The trail of truth
Arthur Spirk's documentary about the composer Armin Schibler shows a seeker, a vulnerable man who upholds non-conformism.
Many a composer has fallen into oblivion during his lifetime if he made himself too comfortable in his style. This could not be said of Armin Schibler (1920-1986): he remained uncomfortable, sought to engage with the present, was inspired by the young, expanded his style - and yet his music has faded into the background. Today it is only played occasionally. Perhaps it was too contemporary. Such questions arise when you watch the documentary film When sound is the trace of truth ... by Arthur Spirk. He not only follows Schibler's life, his wife Tatjana also paints a "life picture". His children Gina and Christian also have their say. The film is correspondingly personal and moving. The wife talks about her life, her togetherness with Schibler and reads from her notes. Schibler's artistic credo becomes clear, the vulnerability and inner turmoil of a composer who set his music in this wounded world: "I feel as if I had grown flowers and crystals at the edge of a forest whose other edge has already caught fire." He persistently searches: "Is it immodest to feel obliged to the highest? I am mightily committed - but persevering in this line brings the only true happiness that can be bestowed on man." It is a striving for truth that seemed moralizing to some listeners at the time. Schibler certainly took a stand and also wanted to educate his students at the Literargymnasium Rämibühl to non-conformity - the impulses of this early mediator can still be felt in Zurich. His extensive activities, his humanistic commitment, the music with its strengths and weaknesses: All this is brought back to life in this film.
When sound is the trace of truth ... A documentary film about Armin Schibler. Conception and realization Arthur Spirk. To be seen and purchased at:
order the DVD for Fr. 30.00 incl. postage
