Switzerland played an important role in the biography and oeuvre of the Vienna-born Schreker pupil Ernst Krenek (1900-1991) for six decades. Of his total of 240 compositions with opus numbers, around 60 are linked to Switzerland by their place of origin, commissioner, dedicatee or premiere.

In 1923, Krenek was invited to Winterthur by businessman and patron Werner Reinhart. In 1924, the musician, who was married to Anna Mahler at the time, composed his 1st Violin Concerto op. 29 for Alma Moodie in Zurich. Together with her and Reinhart, he visited Rilke at Muzot Castle in Valais, which he later compared to his adopted home in Southern California.

The Swiss ConnectionsKrenek's musical relationship with Basel lasted until his last stay in our country in 1986, as was the title of the exhibition dedicated to Krenek at the Vera Oeri Library of the Basel Music Academy in 2015. His friendly contacts with Reinhart, the Basel classical philologist Werner Batschelet and his violoncellist wife Annegret Massini, and especially with Paul Sacher, were formative for his musical relationships. For him and his Basel Chamber Orchestra, he wrote the Symphonic piece op. 86 for string orchestra (1939), Chain, circle and mirror. Symphonic drawing for orchestra op. 160 (1957) and Static and ecstatic op. 214 (1972).

In the 1930s, Krenek admired the Swiss model of a federalist polity, as it had been in his Austrian homeland. He defended the country, which had become a place of refuge for him, against the clichés "of cowherds, yodelers, mountain guides and waiters" and valued Switzerland as an important performance venue for his works.

Divided into the chapters "Vanishing Point", "Network", "Network of Works" and "Imagination", a richly illustrated book edited by Julia Beier and Matthias Schmidt documents Krenek's diverse Swiss relationships. Among the specialist articles contributed by a dozen authors, the one by Camille Bork should be highlighted here: "On the relationship between nature and technology in Jonny plays". The book proves that the glacier episode in the 1926 opera, which was inspired by jazz and American fashion dances, was inspired by the Gornergrat.

A sense of reality. Ernst Krenek and Switzerland, edited by Julia Beier and Matthias Schmidt, 145 p., € 24.80, Edition Alea, Badenweiler 2015

 Instead of uniformity, Erika Stucky prefers to devote herself to the astonishing. The music of the artist, who was born in San Francisco in 1962 and has so far mainly moved between pop, avant-garde jazz and entertainment, strikes a chord on her album Papito new paths: Inspired by her late father, a butcher, she wanted to fuel her sound this time not with brass or woodwinds, but with strings: "I wanted to feel the vibrations of intestines, to hear the animals cry, so to speak," remarked Stucky, who is known for her idiosyncrasy.

She has recorded her new dozen songs with members of the baroque orchestra La Cetra Basel. An unexpected combination, but one that works. In parts, the album is reminiscent of last year's Take All My Loves: 9 Shakespeare Sonnets by Rufus Wainwright, on which the US American crossed opera music with chamber pop and recitations. Stucky takes the game even further by not only acting more hot-headed, but also bringing jazz and electronics into play.

The record begins with Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye by George Gershwin, which Stucky enriches with birdsong, harpsichord and languorous violin sounds, with her voice becoming increasingly grandiose. Other cover versions such as the string-driven I Want You by the Beatles or the one characterized by jealousy Don't Explain by Billie Holiday prove to be both an homage and a suitable vehicle for Stucky to give free rein to her emotions.

Her own pieces are more experimental: while the spooky Kindly Do to the dissonant, tends to Barbed wire, which tells of a woman's encounter with the wrong man, to the threatening. The concluding Aftermath may seem tender, but it can and will never completely shed its unsettling mood. It all comes together to create a work that is both unconventional and bold, but also turns out to be a listening pleasure that never ceases to surprise.

Papito. Erika Stucky, vocals; Andreas Scholl, countertenor; FM Einheit, soundscapes, electronics, percussions; La Cetra Barockorchester. Traumton Records 4656

2016 marked the centenary of Max Reger's death. He was commemorated in numerous concerts, publications and CD recordings, including this recording of his integral chamber music for clarinet. That this recording has more to offer than completeness becomes immediately clear in the B flat major Sonata op. 107: the complex interweaving and harmonic complexity of Reger's music are brought out so naturally in the subtle and intelligent interpretation by the Swiss clarinettist Stephan Siegenthaler and the German pianist Kolja Lessing that one can experience the wonder of a self-contained cosmos while listening. Neither the clarinet nor the piano ever come close to a showy concert performance. The submerged, simple warmth of Reger's rich inner world contrasts with his short, excited outbursts.

The same qualities also characterize the performance of the two Sonatas op. 49, which Reger wrote in 1900/1901 under the influence of Brahms' Clarinet Sonata op. 120. The short individual pieces Album page and Tarantella were probably composed in 1902 and reveal unknown, charming facets of Reger's sound world.

The main focus of this recording is the Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet op. 146 from 1915/16, Reger's last completed composition: light music, almost enraptured in places, reminiscent of Mozart. Together with the Leipzig String Quartet, Stephan Siegenthaler has given this wonderful work an interpretation of great calm and beauty.

Max Reger: Integral chamber music for clarinet. Stephan Siegenthaler, clarinet; Kolja Lessing, piano; Leipzig String Quartet. Oehms Classics CS OC 1845, 2 CDs

Among other things, Lam and her delegation were presented with the activities of the ZHdK in Hong Kong. The university has been maintaining an exchange with cultural and educational institutions there for several years. According to the ZHdK press release, the guests were particularly interested in the fact that all artistic and creative disciplines - design, film, fine arts, music, dance, theater, transdisciplinarity and art education - are united under one roof and that the building promotes interdisciplinary collaboration in an innovative way.

At the meeting, the ZHdK management discussed with Chief Executive Carrie Lam the planned establishment of two interlinked labs in the field of media innovation. These are intended to promote transdisciplinary approaches in research, teaching and practice at the interface between the latest technology and the arts.

The head of government, who is visiting Switzerland for the first time since taking office last year, was also impressed by the "Birdly" research project: with the interactive bird flight simulator "Birdly", ZHdK has set a milestone in the development of virtual reality and immersive experience.

The number of orchestras also continued to decline. This was due to two mergers: the merger of the two SWR orchestras from Baden-Baden/Freiburg and Stuttgart as well as the Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha and the Landeskapelle Eisenach.

When the first all-German survey was carried out in 1992, there were 168 publicly financed, regularly performing professional orchestras. Since then, 39 orchestras have disappeared from the map. Between 1992 and 2018, the number of reported musician posts fell from 12,159 to 9,746, meaning that the number of jobs has fallen by around 20 percent. Further losses are looming in Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

In eastern Germany in particular, many professional musicians only have emergency collective agreements. Remuneration in some orchestras is up to 30 percent below the collectively agreed wage and therefore only just above the minimum wage level. Nationwide, 39 orchestras do not pay according to collective agreements, 27 of them in the east.

Medusa is a monster from Greek mythology: her hair is like snakes and anyone who looks at her turns to stone. German guitarist Thomas Fellow, born in 1966, was inspired by her depiction by the painter Caravaggio to create a virtuoso guitar solo piece. He had already seen the symbolic image as a teenager in the psychological thriller The horrors of the Medusa seen (in the original The Medusa Touch), with Richard Burton in the leading role.

The piece is in D minor, with the 6th string tuned low. Although Medusa's snake hairs perform a wild dance, they do not cross the boundaries of tonality. Melodic notes, which are embedded in a flurry of rapid, mostly continuous semiquaver movements, follow each other predominantly downwards in whole or semitone steps. Various melodic layers allow for a differentiated design. Tension is transformed into energy in striking chord repetitions, reinforced at the end by percussive elements.

Technically, the piece is easy to master. The challenge lies in the tempo indication fast and furious, which applies to all five pages of the score. The notes are also reproduced as tablature at the back of the carefully and aesthetically pleasing edition. This means that, despite the sparse fingering indications, you can always make sure which notes are to be played in which positions. The piece can be heard in a version for two guitars and guitar percussion on the debut CD of the European Guitar Quartet - of which the composer is a member - and as a live recording on YouTube.

Thomas Fellow: Medusa, for solo guitar, ED 22595, € 7.50, Schott, Mainz 2016

Rugeri made a decisive contribution to the development of Cremonese cellos: he shaped the scale length, which was subsequently adopted by Stradivari. His instruments are among the most sought-after and valuable instruments today.

In December, the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra also published its annual report for the 16/17 season. The focus of the season was a multi-part Beethoven project. All of Beethoven's piano concertos were performed together with Oliver Schnyder, first as chamber music on the Pilatus, then "prima vista" with the orchestra and finally in three symphony concerts at the KKL Lucerne. The concerts were recorded for Sony Cassical and released as a CD box set in November 2017.

A total of 10,700 people attended music education events. Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of 30 percent. Guest performances took the orchestra to the Bogotà International Music Festival (3 concerts) and for the first time to Bologna, La Chaux-de-Fonds and Udine, where it opened the concert season at the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni.

The singer, producer and performer Aderi works in the field of electronic music. She replaces Katrin Frauchiger, who was a member of the Music Committee from 2012 to June 2017. Aderi grew up in central Switzerland. She initially studied Renaissance music, but then also became interested in contemporary music from hip-hop to free jazz and electronics. In 2004 she started her own experimental electronic project EIKO. During her studies at the Basel Jazz School, she spent an exchange semester in Norway, where she completed her studies in Trondheim with a Master of Performance. Aderi returned to Switzerland in 2012.

Regina Füchslin is a new member of the Literature Commission. The classical philologist is co-director of the literary magazine "orte". She replaces Simone Ammann, who stepped down at the end of 2017. Since the departure of Claudine Metzger at the end of 2016, the Art Commission has only consisted of six members. Lucie Kolb has now been elected as an additional member. Kolb teaches at the Zurich University of the Arts and is co-editor of the art criticism magazine "Brand-New-Life".

On January 17, it's that time again: it's art's birthday and it will be 1,000,055 years old. At least according to the calculations of Fluxus artist Robert Filliou. In 1963, he invented "Art's Birthday", the global birthday party for art. This year too, the Ars Acustica Group of the European Broadcasting Union EBU is celebrating with numerous concerts and performances in over 20 cities. And the Festival for New Music Forum Valais, in collaboration with Radio Suisse Romande Espace 2, is taking part with a twelve-hour marathon event at the Ferme Asile in Sion. Between 7pm and 11pm, 20 mobile radio studios from Chicago via Helsinki, Moscow and Lisbon to Sion will be broadcasting concerts and statements on art live via satellite. In Sion, Audrey Cavelius, Yannick Barman and Erika Stucky will perform, and from 11.30 pm to 7.30 am, Sara Oswald, Colin Vallon and Julian Sartorius will present their mammoth eight-hour performance Rêverie based on Max Richter's Sleep. Rêverie is music to be experienced while you fall asleep and sleep, an "endless lullaby" of beguiling beauty. The audience lies on specially provided loungers. Reservations are essential.

The first edition of the music school competition took place on a small scale. Back then, around 20 pupils appeared before the jury to perform. Since then, the number of participants has increased tenfold. In the meantime, the Lucerne competition has developed into a major music festival. This year, the pop/rock/jazz style has its own category for the first time and participants can be accompanied by a professional jazz combo.

Whereas in the past only the most talented and best could take part in the competition, today it is open to all pupils of the Lucerne Music School. Beginners and advanced students perform and compete against each other in a protected and benevolent environment. The approximately 200 participants receive professional feedback and gain their first competition experience or even prepare for larger regional and national competitions.

The music school competition will take place on Sunday, January 28, at the Südpol. The auditions during the day, the final and the ranking ceremony are open to the public and admission is free. The audience will have the opportunity to award audience prizes in the pop/rock/jazz and classical/folk categories at the final. The program can be found on the Lucerne Music School website: www.musikschuleluzern.ch

A significant difference lies, for example, in the planning of movements when playing the piano. In principle, pianists, regardless of the style, must first know what they are playing, i.e. which keys to press, and then how to play it, i.e. which fingers to use. What varies according to the style of music, however, is the weighting of these two steps.

Accordingly, classical pianists concentrate particularly on the second step in their playing, the how. For them, it is about playing a piece in a technically flawless and personally expressive way. The choice of fingering, for example, is crucial for this. Jazz pianists, on the other hand, are different: they focus primarily on the what. They are always prepared to improvise and adapt their playing flexibly to surprising harmonies.

The scientists at the MPI CBS investigated these correlations with the help of 30 professional pianists, half of whom had specialized in jazz for at least two years and the other half in classical music. They were shown on a screen a hand playing a sequence of chords on a piano, peppered with deliberate stumbling blocks in the harmonies and fingerings. The professional pianists were asked to imitate her and react flexibly to the irregularities, while their brain signals were recorded by EEG sensors on their heads. In order to exclude interfering signals such as acoustic signals, the whole thing took place completely without sounds, as silent piano playing.

More info:
http://www.cbs.mpg.de/Gehirne-von-Jazz-und-Klassik-Pianisten-ticken-unterschiedlich

400 organ building businesses with around 2800 employees, 180 trainees and 3500 full-time and tens of thousands of volunteer organists characterize the craft and art of organ building and organ music in Germany. Over 50,000 organs are currently in use in the country.

The organ, organ building and organ music were invented more than 2000 years ago in Hellenistic Egypt and came to Europe via Byzantium, where they were further developed as a cultural asset from the Carolingian Renaissance to the present day. Since the Middle Ages, organs have been exported from Europe, where most organs are built, to many countries around the world. Germany is one of the most important countries in the world for the further development of organ building and organ music.

The Intergovernmental Committee is made up of 24 elected States Parties to the Intangible Cultural Heritage Convention. It decides annually on the inclusion of new cultural forms in the Unesco Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage. To date, 377 forms of intangible cultural heritage have been inscribed on the International Representative List. By inscribing, the States Parties undertake to promote the intangible cultural heritage on their respective territories.

Cyrill Schürch was born in Lucerne in 1974. After private piano lessons with Konstantin Scherbakov, he studied piano and composition at the University of Houston. He later completed his doctorate at King's College London. Since fall 2014, he has been Vice-Rector of the Zug Music School with a teaching assignment for piano, music theory and composition. He is a member of the artistic advisory board of the European Youth Choir Festival Basel.

Markus Fricker is a retired school musician who trained under Andreas Juon and Willi Gohl. He completed his teaching diploma in solo singing at the Zurich Conservatory under Sylvia Gähwiller. Today he is the director of a church choir and is mainly active as a composer of vocal music.

David Lang is a trained singer, pianist and conductor for choir and orchestra. He began his composition studies at the ZHdK in Zurich in the Composing/Arranging department. After his piano studies, he continued his education as a self-taught pianist.

A total of eleven compositions were submitted to the public composition competition. The prizewinners' concert will take place in St. John's Church in Zug in the fall of 2018. The works will be premiered by the Walchwil church choir under the direction of Peter Wehrlen.

Classical:NEXT" is a forum for musicians and professionals from all areas of classical and contemporary music. From event organizers and festivals to publishers, labels and associations to agents and musicians: Around 1200 participants from over 40 countries will meet over four days at the de Doelen congress center in the center of Rotterdam.

Trade fair participants will have the opportunity to expand their international network and attend the extensive trade fair program with showcases, conferences and project presentations.

Pro Helvetia supports representatives of ensembles from the independent music scene who wish to take part in "Classical:NEXT 2018" by covering the accreditation costs (around 360 euros) and contributing a lump sum of 350 francs per person towards travel and accommodation costs. Interested parties should send an email to Tobias Rothfahl, Music Department (trothfahl@prohelvetia.ch) by February 12, 2018 at the latest.

More info:
https://prohelvetia.ch/app/uploads/2018/01/ph-ausschreibung-classicalnext-2018-d.pdf

According to Andreas Eckhardt, President of the Board of Trustees of the Hindemith Foundation, Höppner not only has "significant cultural-political expertise, but also a close connection to music-making and teaching practice as a university lecturer at the Berlin University of the Arts". Paul Hindemith held a professorship for composition at the predecessor university from 1927 to 1937.

Founded in 1967, the Fondation Hindemith supports or initiates scientific research in the field of music and ensures its dissemination. It is based in Blonay (VD) on Lake Geneva in Switzerland, where the Hindemith couple spent the last years of their lives. Since 1978, it has maintained the Centre de Musique Hindemith Blonay there, which primarily serves musical practice. In 1974, the foundation established the Hindemith Institute Frankfurt, which is dedicated to musicological research and the study of Paul Hindemith's life and work.