Niklaus Egg studied trumpet at the Bern University of the Arts and the Haute école de Musique de Genève. Since then he has played in various orchestras (Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Bern Symphony Orchestra, Gstaad Festival Orchestra and others).

He is currently studying on the MAS Arts Management course at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, is managing director of the vocal ensemble ardent and the brass ensemble UnglauBlech and manages various art and cultural projects with his cultural management office. He took over the organizational and administrative management of the Bern Chamber Orchestra on 1 December 2019.

The newly founded center does not yet have a fixed location. An open structure is intended to enable work across the boundaries of scientific disciplines. Artists should also become researchers by systematically exploring the aesthetic possibilities of their art or investigating their art using scientific methods and incorporating their findings directly into artistic training.

At the same time, the FZM wants to closely combine research and teaching and incorporate the results of its research work directly into its own courses. Students at the Hochschule für Musik and the university can already take advantage of the joint musicology courses offered by both institutions. The next step will follow in the 2020 summer semester: from then on, they will be able to minor in music theory, music physiology and aural training at the FZM.

Website:
https://www.mh-freiburg.de/fzm-landeszentrum/das-fzm

According to the jury, the young Frenchwoman has not only distinguished herself through her charisma and infectious joy of playing, but also through her enormous versatility in musical styles. Lucienne Renaudin Vary moves just as easily in classical music as she does in jazz, for example. Renaudin Vary is the first woman to be awarded this Swiss prize.

The Arthur Waser Prize for outstanding young soloists includes prize money of CHF 25,000 and has been awarded every two years since 2013. Lucienne Renaudin Vary is therefore the fourth recipient of this prize. In previous years, the pianist George Li (2017), the cellist Edgar Moreau (2015) and the organist Sebastian Küchler-Blessing (2013) were awarded the prize.

The following aspects are decisive in the evaluation of candidates for the award: originality of interpretation, instrumental excellence and artistic personality. The Arthur Waser Award is not tied to any particular instrument or national origin of the musicians.

Born into a musical family, Giuliano Sommerhalder studied in Italy and with his father in Detmold. He has received numerous awards at international competitions. In 2008, he was accepted into the BBC New Generation Artists Scheme.

Giuliano Sommerhalder has performed worldwide as a soloist on both modern and historical instruments: In the Vienna Musikvereinssaal, in the Berlin Philharmonie, in the Wigmore Hall and in other European and American venues. After solo positions in Leipzig (Gewandhaus Orchestra under Riccardo Chailly) and Amsterdam (Concertgebouw with Mariss Jansons), Giuliano Sommerhalder is now principal trumpet in Rotterdam under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin and, since this season, under Lahav Shani.

DECCA, harmonia mundi and NEOS have released several recordings of his solo trumpet repertoire ranging from baroque to contemporary music. Giuliano Sommerhalder already has numerous international teaching experiences, including in Detmold, Rotterdam and Rome, and regularly gives masterclasses throughout Europe, Asia, North and South America.
 

The 1st prize in the youngest category I (up to 14 years) was won by 13-year-old German Maya Wichert. The 2nd prize was won by Raphael Nussbaumer from Switzerland, who is also 13 years old. The 3rd prize winner, 12-year-old violinist Fiona Khuong-Huu, comes from the USA.

In category II (15 to 17 years), 15-year-old South Korean Haewon Lim beat off the competition. She won 1st prize ahead of 15-year-old Belgian violinist Pauline van der Rest (2nd prize). The 3rd prize went to 16-year-old Swiss violinist Anatol Toth.

Phoenix Avalon was successful in category III (18 to 20 years): the 18-year-old American won 1st prize ahead of 17-year-old Munich-born Tassilo Probst (2nd prize). The 3rd prize went to the 20-year-old Japanese violinist Taichi Miyamoto.

A total of 71 participants from 18 countries around the world traveled to Weimar for the 9th International Louis Spohr Competition. Since October 23, they have been competing at the highest level in three rounds for prizes and special prizes with a total value of more than 17,000 euros.

Photo: Maik Schuck

Anatol Toth

For 16 years, Andreas Brenner has played a decisive role in shaping the Lucerne School of Music in various functions, writes the school: since 2003 as a lecturer in music theory and since 2007 as head of the Institute for New Music, Composition and Theory and as a member of the department management. In 2017/18, he also held the position of Head of Education and Training on an ad interim basis for around a year.

Andreas Brenner will move to the ZHdK as a lecturer in music theory in summer 2020. Andreas Brenner will relinquish his position as head of the Institute of New Music, Composition and Theory at the Lucerne School of Music in summer 2020 and will end his teaching activities at the end of the 2019/20 fall semester.

As a teacher of theory and composition, he influenced several generations of musicians in Switzerland; as an author of choral works, he created something lasting; his equally independent chamber music has yet to be rediscovered: Paul Müller-Zürich (1898-1993) was a gifted teacher and, as a composer, a master of counterpoint. His early works for string instruments bear witness to this.

Trained in Zurich, Paris and Berlin by Philipp Jarnach and Volkmar Andreae, among others, and familiar with the music of his contemporaries, he distanced himself from the avant-garde, preferring to orientate himself towards Brahms and Reger rather than Schoenberg or Webern. Paul Müller-Zürich went far as an advisor and organizer, joining the Pro Helvetia Foundation Board in 1957 before being appointed President of the Swiss Association of Musicians in 1960.

The expressive beginnings of the composer, who was awarded the Music Prize of the City of Zurich in 1953, are impressively demonstrated by the Casal Quartet with Razvan Popovici (viola) in three differently scored works. The String Quintet op. 2 in F major (1919) jumps out at the listener from the very first bar, when a fortissimo chord is followed by an initial ostinato motif pianissimo and the main theme, which soars upwards full of tension, is heard. Disturbingly buzzing presto interjections cloud the gentle flow of the slightly melancholy music in the third movement, an intermezzo that begins sweetly. Ostinati also characterize the finale, which is condensed by fugato interjections and ends abruptly in D minor.

The String Quartet in E flat major op. 4 (1921) is also dominated by highly expressive pushing and storming, with the chromaticism in the Adagio forming the greatest contrast to the less complicated harmony in the folk-dance-like rondo finale.

The String Trio op. 46, composed around 1950, is calm from the outset, with its lyrical first movement leading from C minor to C major. The members of the Casal Quartet charge into the powerfully gripping finale with great intensity of sound and musical esprit.

Paul Müller-Zürich: String Quartet op. 4, String Trio op. 46, String Quintet op. 2. CasalQuartet (Felix Froschhammer, Rachel Späth, Markus Fleck, Andreas Fleck), Razvan Popovici, viola. Solo Musica SM 287

From the age of 16 to 21, Joseph Joachim toured Europe extensively as a violin virtuoso and composed solo variations with orchestra from Hungarian verbunkos and Scottish songs. The London Evening Standard compared Joachim with Paganini's successor Camillo Sivori. H. W. Ernst wrote: "... the Scottish Fantasy ... is suitable for demonstrating the excellent quality of style, mechanics and expression which this violinist is said to possess." In the Morning Post was written: "Mr. Joachim mastered the difficulties of the piece ... with a skill that borders on magic."

Joachim prevented the distribution of these works, which he regarded as a guarantee of success for his tours. The autograph was discovered in 1989 in the library of the University of Lodz (Poland), where it had been removed from Berlin in 1943. - It is now finally in print! The simple themes are continuously diminished, with runs of thirds, octaves, chromaticism, arpeggios, leaps, staccatos and unaccompanied cadenzas to moto-perpetuo endings - a challenge for young virtuosos.

The detailed German and English preface by Katharina Uhde, the internationally active violinist and musicologist, contains valuable information on the performance practice of the time, including that of Ferdinand David (1810-1873) and Joachim himself: Bow strokes, double stops, portamento, vibrato and rubato. The critical commentaries demonstrate great editorial care. Incidentally, Katharina Uhde privately has orchestral material for her concertos - just like the young Joachim!

Joseph Joachim: Fantasie über Ungarische Motive, Fantasie über Irische (Schottische) Motive for violin and orchestra, edited by Katharina Uhde, piano reduction and violin part, BA 7898-90, € 26.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel

Encyclopaedic editions are a sign of seniority. They usually carry considerable weight (both in the real and figurative sense), but are also sold at comparatively low prices, provided the publisher is in a good festive mood. It is a special distinction when a package of this kind includes the work of a living composer. To mark Krzysztof Penderecki's 85th birthday (on November 23, 2018), Schott-Verlag has published a slipcase containing the study scores of Symphonies Nos. 1-8.

Composed between 1972/73 and 2008/17, they describe the oeuvre of this composer, who was in a constant state of stylistic change: from the search for sound through chromatic clusters to harmless neo-romanticism. The representative genre designation once again catches on - and this despite the fact that the last works were conceived as a series of songs (based on texts by Hans Bethge, Latin models or German-language poems about transience). It is astonishing to see the path Penderecki took in the decades recorded here and where there were obvious problem areas. This applies above all to the 6th Symphony (Chinese songs), whose date of composition is given as 2008/2017, whereas the 7th Symphony was already completed in 1996. This also reveals what the impressive publication lacks at the end: an essay, a small documentary, meaningful original sounds. Like these words: "When I write symphonies, the architecture of the whole is the most important thing." (quoted from BR Klassik)

Krzysztof Penderecki: Symphonies Nos. 1-8, study scores in slipcase, ED 23098, € 99.00, Schott, Mainz

"Schweizer Fonogramm" - the name of the latest Swiss CD label promises a lot. It evokes associations with the good old days when recordings were the artistic measure of all things and Glenn Gould could prophesize the end of classical concerts. Yes, here someone is conjuring up elaborately produced recordings, interpretations carefully crafted in the studio. And the two founders of the label, conductor Graziella Contratto and violinist and sound engineer Frédéric Angleraux, do so with a clear commitment to Swiss musical life.

On the first two releases, this Swiss connection is perhaps not yet so clearly tangible, but the artistic directors themselves present themselves as high-level performers. On double-je Angleraux plays violin duo sonatas by Prokofiev, Honegger and Ysaÿe together with Raphaël Oleg. The interplay between the two is particularly striking. They merge the sound of their violins with ease, only to be clearly separated again shortly afterwards. A recording of a lesser-known repertoire that is well worth listening to.

And Graziella Contratto presents on the CD Titänli together with the Mythenensemble Orchestral chamber versions of Mahler's first symphony and Zemlinsky's orchestral song May flowers bloomed everywhere. Klaus Simon's arrangements prove to be an opportunity for everyone involved. The ensemble members come more to the fore than in the large orchestra and are also allowed to show off their soloistic qualities. Contratto manages to maintain the symphonic character of the work despite the reduced instrumentation. Of course, Angleraux's production also contributes to this, offering a pithy sound very close to the individual instruments. So there is a lot to discover in this recording. For if Mahler's first work in this version - not very surprisingly - has somewhat less orchestral power, the better audibility and, in places, various more accentuated passages offer a fresh perspective on the work.

Unfortunately, Beethoven has a bad reputation when it comes to the singability of his works. Too high, too loud, too fast - these are common prejudices based on the fact that his choral symphonic works such as the 9th Symphony or the Missa solemnis place very high demands on the performers. However, one must also bear in mind that the extremely high registers do not represent a technical inability, but a deliberate compositional calculation that transcends boundaries. His Mass in C major op. 86, for example, is just as vocal as great masses by Haydn or Mozart. In terms of quantity, however, there is unfortunately very little choral music by Beethoven compared to the latter.

Carus-Verlag, in collaboration with the German Choral Association and Jan Schumacher as editor, has now published a new edition for the upcoming Beethoven anniversary in 2020 (250th anniversary of his birth). Choirbook Beethoven has been published. In addition to little-known early a cappella works and piano versions from his choral symphonic repertoire, it contains sacred and secular arrangements of Beethoven's music from three centuries. Among them are interesting arrangements by Beethoven's contemporaries, some curious arrangements by composers of our time (do you really need For Elise as an Alleluia choral piece?) and also new compositions commissioned by Carus such as a successful canon quodlibet by Gunnar Eriksson. All in all, this choir book is an interesting addition to the repertoire and a treasure trove.

Like Bach's Mass in B minor or Mozart's C minor Mass, which remained a fragment, Beethoven's Missa solemnis is one of the greatest sacred works of all time. It places very high demands on the performers, goes beyond the liturgical framework and can hardly be used for a church service. Some of the pioneering compositional ideas of the time include the vocally far-reaching, immeasurably escalating Gloria in excelsis Deothe unique Et incarnatus est with the solo flute breathing lifeblood, the mystical conclusion of the Et vitam venturi saeculi with the never-ending calls of Amen, the solo violin floating between heaven and earth Benedictus and the Agnus Dei, which depicts a war scene with the impressive solo timpani and sets Beethoven's express plea for "inner and outer peace" to music.

Bärenreiter Verlag has published the Missa solemnis in a highly recommended, exemplary edition. The new Urtext edition of the work takes all sources into account, including the old and new complete editions. The renowned Beethoven specialist Barry Cooper arrives at different readings in a number of places, for example in the Sanctuswhere the choir enters instead of the soloists and not only in the Pleni sunt coeli. Also worth mentioning is the inclusion of soloists in addition to the choir in most of the Credos. These facts and numerous editorial decisions are documented in the detailed Critical Report.

Beethoven-Chorbuch, 41 choral works SATB; choir director's volume with CD, CV 4.025, € 33.90; choir book, CV 4.025/05, € 12.80; Carus, Stuttgart 2019

Ludwig van Beethoven: Missa solemnis op. 123, edited by Barry Cooper; score, BA 9038, € 98.00; piano reduction, BA 9038-90, € 13.50; Bärenreiter, Kassel 2019

At first glance, this publication appears to have more of a regional focus by focusing on the organ culture of our neighboring country to the east, which today probably occupies a marginal place in the Swiss church music and concert scene. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the four contributions by three lecturers at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna are indeed of great interest.

The focus is on the Viennese organist, composer and organ teacher Anton Heiller (1923-1979), who not only trained and influenced a large number of Swiss organists during his years of teaching, but was also very closely associated with our country through his concert activities and recordings. In his three-part article, Roman Summereder first gives a brief but fascinating overview of organ composition in the 20th century, which also includes lesser-known trends and composers' names and thus fortunately shifts the focus somewhat away from the often very dominant French organ works.

After sketches of Heiller's biography and aesthetics, Summereder then presents his entire organ oeuvre with brief analytical descriptions, information on the background of the works and their history through to the editions and any corrections and printing errors. The third part deals with the interpreter Heiller, and not, as one might expect, in relation to Bach, but to works by Max Reger, Franz Schmidt and Paul Hindemith. A facsimile reproduction of Reger's Choral Fantasy Awake, the voice calls us with registrations for the Rudigier organ in Linz Cathedral illustrates Heiller's approach of transferring the work to an "unfamiliar" instrument; the result can be heard on the enclosed CD, as well as another work and the well-known improvisation on Ave Maris Stella. Valuable information on Heiller's registration practice in Hindemith's organ sonatas allows conclusions to be drawn about the work between performer and composer and about Hindemith's approach to the organ.

Subsequently, two texts by Wolfgang Kreuzhuber shed light on the history and aesthetics of the Marcussen organ in Linz Cathedral and the associated change in sound in a country that for a relatively long time remained committed to a late Romantic organ sound. Using the example of the organ of St. Ursula in Vienna (1968) and its models, Peter Planyavsky expands on this theme in the final chapter.

Conclusion: an extraordinarily interesting publication that provides a wealth of information about that Departure of the sounds (this is the title of another publication by Roman Summereder, Edition Helbling 1995, which is recommended reading), who also gave decisive impulses to organ culture outside Austria, and especially in Switzerland.

Organum XX. Stations of Austrian Organ Culture in the 20th Century, Volume 4 of the series "Wiener Beiträge zu Orgel und Kirchenmusik", published by the Institute for Organ, Organ Research and Church Music at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, 2018. 224 p., incl. audio CD, € 35.00

Swiss cultural policy is discussed, coordinated and further developed in the National Cultural Dialogue (NKD), consisting of representatives of the political authorities and cultural promotion bodies of the cantons, cities, municipalities and the federal government. The committee was established in 2011 in response to changing socio-political conditions, such as globalization, digitalization and demographic change, and their impact on cultural life, cultural policy and cultural promotion.

This handbook contains an initial assessment of its work in three parts: An examination of the term "cultural participation", a discussion of existing offers and fields of action, and approaches for strengthening participation in the future. In 33 contributions by appointed experts from the cultural sector, these areas are examined from different perspectives in three national languages. The handbook is clearly structured, provides both conceptual discussions and concrete examples and is supplemented by an extensive bibliography. The individual articles are preceded by short summaries.

Strategic axis of action
The Federal Council has defined cultural participation as one of three strategic axes of action in the 2016-2020 Cultural Dispatch. According to David Vitali from the Federal Office of Culture in his article, it has been positioned as a cross-cutting task of national cultural policy, which makes it easier for the federal government to exert influence without infringing on cantonal cultural sovereignty. The federal government's increased involvement in cultural policy is no coincidence. Vitali cites various legal requirements that are both a legitimation and an obligation for the Federal Council. These include Art. 27 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights on the freedom of cultural life; however, Art. 9a "Cultural Participation" of the Cultural Promotion Act (2009) and Art. 67a "Musical Education" (2012), which builds on this, also contain clear mandates for the federal government to become active in the cultural field.

Strengthen identity
The position paper of the NKD working group on cultural participation in the appendix of the handbook provides fundamental information on the topic, the starting point and the definition of the term. It places cultural participation on the same level as political, economic and social participation and sees it as part of "a multi-layered, interlinked, dynamic and therefore not conclusive process" (p.355). The opportunities for participation should be increased and diversified separately in each of the four areas so that - according to the thesis - they can in turn interlock better.

Participation stands for the involvement of the population in cultural life in our country, creates identity, contributes to "inclusion and cohesion" and is intended to counteract "polarization in society". It is therefore in the best interests of the state and society that as many people as possible participate in some form of culture, develop their own cultural identity and thus contribute to the country's diversity.

"One of my compositional principles is to always write for the instruments, for the voices, even for the conductor. It is important to me that my performers enjoy the music and are not overtaxed in an absurd way. This also allows me to reach the listener." This is what Walter Furrer (1902-1978) said about his work in September 1970. At that time, he had already written his major musico-dramatic works: two operas (The faun and Dwarf nose), two large-scale compositions for radio: The mold rider and Quatember night and two ballets. In addition, numerous choruses, songs and song cycles as well as instrumental works such as Three diary sketches for large orchestra, chamber music for flute, oboe and string quartet, music for strings as well as sacred music. In 1957, Furrer founded the chamber choir of Radiostudio Bern, which existed under his direction until 1972. At the age of seventy, he could therefore look back on a thoroughly successful career. His music was performed with great success.

So why was Walter Furrer forgotten after his death in 1978? Unjustly forgotten, according to his daughter Beatrice Wolf-Furrer, who stated in 2014 that he was no longer present in the public consciousness, "although Walter Furrer made a significant contribution to Swiss music of the 20th century". Since then, the doctor of literature has researched in libraries, archives and music circles, founded the "Förderverein Komponist Walter Furrer" in Bern and has now published this richly illustrated 70-page biographical outline. In a short space, she outlines her father's life and highlights the main stages of his creative work, without glossing over the fact that his difficult character made him an outsider even during his lifetime. The documentary could provide an impetus to rediscover Furrer's works.

Beatrice Wolf-Furrer: Walter Furrer - an unjustly forgotten Swiss composer. Biographical outline, M & S No. 2506, 70 p., Fr. 28.00, Müller & Schade, Bern 2018

Thurgau's cultural scene is characterized by small and medium-sized, mostly volunteer-run associations. Only a few event organizers have thoroughly professional structures with key positions filled by experts. The associations rely on committed volunteers who carry out their activities in their free time or on a minimally paid, small workload.

In accordance with the cultural concept of the Canton of Thurgau, the cantonal government has therefore allocated a lottery fund contribution of CHF 60,000 for the priority area "Strengthening and networking event organizers in the canton". In addition to the existing cultural promotion, regular network meetings for cultural event organizers will be organized from 2020.

This offer serves both the exchange of knowledge and networking as well as further training for cultural event organizers. With regular network meetings, a hitherto unavailable forum for the exchange and transfer of knowledge is being created. The meetings take place twice a year at different locations in Thurgau on various topics and are open to all interested parties.