Mozart's Piano Concerto in C minor - admired not only by Beethoven and obviously a source of inspiration for his own in the same key - probably deserves a place of honor among the master's many great concertos. Unlike its sister work in D minor, the solo part is even more consistently interwoven with the orchestra, which leads to symphonic effects, especially in the first movement. In the middle Larghetto, the purest chamber music prevails in dialog with the solo winds. And the finale ends - quite unusually and not as in Beethoven, for example - uncompromisingly in a minor key.

Ernst Herttrich from Henle-Verlag has now reissued the masterpiece. The piano reduction, fingerings, cadenzas and entrances are by András Schiff. In the most literal sense of the word, the publisher has shown a good hand: The orchestral part in the piano reduction is ingeniously kept simple, almost sight-readable and yet sounds colorful. The fingerings are also highly recommendable for the average consumer. This is not always the case when great artists present their own personal playing recipes ...

And finally, Schiff's cadenzas and entrances are also convincing, revealing a great sense of style and practice. Particularly noteworthy: at the end of the large cadenza in the first movement, Schiff quotes the end of the development section verbatim, thus creating a compelling transition into the tutti. All these additions and also some variants from Mozart's pen are unobtrusively integrated into the clearly arranged music. An exemplary edition!

The Bärenreiter publishing house has chosen a completely different approach for the new Urtext edition of Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto, which tends to be even more symphonic in scale. And the result presented to us by editor Jonathan Del Mar is also lavish. Not only has he meticulously corrected errors in a large study score, he also provides a separate solo part, a piano reduction and a comprehensive and interestingly illustrated critical commentary.

The editor's care and effort cannot be praised highly enough. The problem, however, lies in the concept: what is the point of a separate part for the piano solo, in which the orchestral part can only be seen from time to time? With this concerto in particular, you always want to have a complete overview. And conversely, in the piano reduction, which Martin Schelhaas has set excellently, the solo part is only included in small print, which is visually unconvincing.

Unfortunately, this new edition is neither practical for someone who wants to learn the solo part nor for the accompanist and is therefore of little help in lessons. The score, on the other hand, teaches you a lot about a work that you thought you already knew too well ...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Concerto in C minor K. 491, edited by Ernst Herttrich, piano reduction, fingering, cadenzas and entrances by András Schiff, HN 787/ EB 10787, € 18.50, G. Henle, Munich/Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2015

Ludwig van Beethoven, Concerto No. 5 in E flat major op. 73 for piano and orchestra, edited by Jonathan Del Mar; score, BA 9025, € 45.50; piano reduction by Martin Schelhaas, BA 9025-90, € 24.95; critical report, BA 9025-40, € 41.50; Bärenreiter, Kassel 2015

The booklet That's Gospel contains six new compositions and just as many traditional spirituals in new arrangements, including the gospel standard Oh Happy Day. The choral writing is predominantly in four parts, but is extended to five parts in some pieces by dividing the soprano. A written-out piano part is available as accompaniment. However, the added harmony symbols also make it possible to add an instrumental accompaniment (e.g. guitar or bass) or allow a simplified accompaniment as an alternative. The usual claps and snaps on the off-back beat in this music are added at the appropriate places in the score and can be changed if necessary. The soloists can make changes to the phrasing according to their individual preferences or possibilities and also add their own fills.

The choruses are catchy and easy to master. They are a refresher for the previous singing style.

That's Gospel. New Gospel Songs and Traditional Spirituals for mixed Choir (with solo Voice) and Piano, composed and arr. by Peter Przystaniak; EP 11399, with CD, € 24.95; piano part with solo voice, EP 11399a, Fr. 16.80; Edition Peters, Leipzig u.a. 2015

Ernst-Thilo Kalke, who also publishes works for string quartet and other formations, has arranged three well-known melodies here for violin or viola and piano in a technically easy and stylistically appropriate manner. The keys of two pieces have been chosen differently for the two editions in order to optimize the tonal possibilities of violin and viola. The rhythmic subtleties - syncopations, triplets, dotted notes - are very clearly presented. It is often up to the performers to decide whether they want to stick to the ternary scheme or switch back to the binary. The piano part delivers the original rich harmonies without difficulty and also takes part in the melodic action.

George Gershwin, Promenade (Short Story, Lullaby, Walking the Dog) for violin and piano, arr. by Ernst-Thilo Kalke, BU 8123, € 12.00, Musikverlag Bruno Uetz, Halberstadt 2014

id., for viola and piano, BU 8126, € 12,00

Born in 1829, the composer and celebrated pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk spent his childhood in New Orleans and his youth in Paris, where as a young man he was in contact with Hector Berlioz, Georges Bizet and Camille Saint-Saëns, among others. His family roots lay in England, Spain and France; his grandparents lived in the Caribbean. This multicultural background was reflected in his virtuoso handling of various national styles, whereby the emphasis on rhythm was usually characteristic and already foreshadowed the development of typical elements of later ragtime. Gottschalk died in Rio de Janeiro in 1869 at the age of just 40.

Manchega is a bravura piece with a Spanish touch, written in a six-eighth bar, which in turn could be broken down into six-sixteenth and three-eighth bars over long stretches. Played at a high tempo, this results in characteristic syncopations. The arrangement for two guitars by Viennese musician, teacher and editor Michael Langer does not adhere slavishly to the original, but adapts the notes in a way that makes sense for the specific instrument, for example by breaking down repeated notes in the pianist's left hand into suitable arpeggios in the accompanying guitar part. Despite high registers, fast runs and some percussive elements, the piece remains easy to play and attractive.

The impeccable sheet music edition consists of a score and two individual parts with fingering and touch markings. The fact that the composition, which is basically in the "classical" tradition, appears as a fingerstyle number in the same series as pieces by musicians such as Paul Simon or Carlos Santana is somewhat surprising, but is justified by the publisher with Gottschalk's stays in Latin America and the fascinating timelessness of his music.

Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Manchega for two guitars, fingerstyle ed. by Michael Langer, D 839, € 9.80, Dux, Manching 2015

The MIZ is building on its experience with the "Musik macht Heimat" platform launched in October 2015, which was a spontaneous reaction to the diverse and spontaneously organized aid projects for refugees and made the commitment of the music sector visible. As a basis for the new project, comprehensive information on the entire range of initiatives, projects and events relating to the topic of "music and integration" will be compiled and presented.

A members' area provides a forum for those involved and interested in the scene to network, exchange ideas and share experiences. With this offer, the MIZ is taking up the social challenges of the present, in which a change from projects and initiatives of welcome culture to sustainable and long-term integration offers can already be observed, according to the press release from the German Music Council.

The new information platform is due to go online in the course of next year.

"(...) and so I do what is so bad for me, I 'take up the pen' to finally, finally thank you for everything that came to my house and heart from you on September 1st!" (Schoeck to Hesse, September 27, 1936) The composer liked to cultivate direct personal contacts extensively, but he did not like writing letters. Like many other passages from the correspondence between Othmar Schoeck (1886-1957) and Hermann Hesse (1877-1962), this quote is also known from Schoeck literature, but this is the first time it has been published in its entirety.

Chris Walton and Martin Germann have edited the letters in full and linked them biographically because, as they write in the introduction, Schoeck's correspondence with Hesse is by far the most interesting in terms of content (p. 9). It now forms the 105th volume in the Schwyzer Hefte series. In chronological order, the letters primarily report on everyday artistic life; contemporary political events are barely touched upon. They are clearly arranged, annotated with footnotes and explanatory texts, and in some cases supplemented by relevant recollections of people from his circle of friends.

Together with the 34 carefully reproduced images (photos, illustrations and facsimiles), they trace this artistic friendship in many details. The volume is rounded off with several texts by Hesse about Schoeck, Schoeck's publicly published greeting on Hesse's 75th birthday and Fritz Brun's memories of the 1911 trip to Umbria. The volume is a kind of easy-to-read, informative history of Schoeck and Hesse. The bibliography, documentation and index also make it a practical reference work.

Chris Walton, Martin Germann (eds.), Hermann Hesse and Othmar Schoeck. Der Briefwechsel, 135 p., 34 ill., Fr. 25.-, Schwyzer Hefte, Vol. 105, Theiler Druck AG Wollerau 2016, ISBN 978-3-909102-67-9, ISSN 1010-3694

As artistic and administrative director of the international Honens Piano Competition in Calgary since 2004, Stephen McHolm has directed the competition, organized a festival and annual chamber music concerts, and initiated music education programs in Canadian communities. Two of the last three winners of the Honens Competition were former students of the Verbier Festival Academy.

Stephen McHolm succeeds Christian Thompson, who has shaped the Verbier Festival Academy over the past twelve years. The VFA bases its good reputation "on its commitment to excellence and creativity, an exceptional teaching staff and a visionary approach to how young musicians can build a career in the 21st century", is how the institution characterizes itself.
 

The cultural dispatch for the 2016-2020 funding period provides for a change in the system for operating grants to museums and collections. According to the will of Parliament, federal operating grants will now be awarded in an application process from 2018. Previously, recipients were determined directly as part of the federal government's cultural message. The realignment will be based on a funding concept from the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), which sets out the relevant requirements and criteria.

The National Cultural Dialogue expressed a positive opinion on the thrust of the new museum policy. The funding concept will come into force on January 1, 2017. Applications for operating contributions can be submitted from the beginning of January 2017 until March 31, 2017.

The 2016-2020 work program also provides for measures in the areas of literature promotion, monument preservation, cultural participation and libraries. The aim is to meet common challenges through increased cooperation and coordination. The National Cultural Dialogue will be chaired by the Association of Cities in 2016. The most recent meeting was chaired by Sami Kanaan, Head of the City of Geneva's Department of Culture and Sport.

The National Cultural Dialogue was established in 2011 and brings together representatives of the political authorities and cultural representatives from the cantons, cities, municipalities and the Confederation. Its work is based on an agreement from 2011 and the 2016-2020 work programme adopted in April 2016. The political authorities form the strategic steering body of the National Cultural Dialogue with the head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs (FDHA), representatives of the Swiss Conference of Cantonal Ministers of Education (EDK), the Swiss Association of Cities (SSV) and the Swiss Association of Communes (SGV).

As the child of two classical musicians, Marc Perrenoud grew up in a world full of sound. He began improvising on the piano at home at the age of six and was soon sent to music lessons. He later became fascinated by the Beatles and Bach, but also by blues and jazz and pianists such as Scott Joplin and Oscar Peterson. He graduated from the Ecole de Jazz in Lausanne in 2005. Two years earlier, he had already won the Chrysler Award at the Montreux Jazz Festival. It was only then that the Geneva native was certain that he wanted to pursue a career as a musician.

Meanwhile, he has been active for nine years with his Marc Perrenoud Trio, which also includes drummer Cyril Regamey and bassist Marco Müller. The formation will be releasing its fourth album in the coming weeks, Nature Boy, will be released. But before that, the 35-year-old wanted to realize a long-cherished dream: his solo debut. It was released in June and is called Hamra - which means "red" in Arabic. However, the title also refers to the Beirut neighborhood of the same name. The son of a Dutch woman and a Swiss man spent several months in the Lebanese capital, where his curiosity for the culture of the Middle East was awakened. Nevertheless, the record focuses mainly on the musical traditions of the West.

While the impressionist Conversation With Nino with the film composer Nino Rota (1911-1979), is dedicated to the film composer Quintes the piano exercises: The artist soon no longer cares a jot about strict discipline and instead rolls over the keys in a fresh, cheeky and energetic manner. Perrenoud demonstrates both daring and the art of improvisation in his songs. The work begins with All The Things You Are, which plays with rhythmic structures emanating from the drums, and ends with the equally melancholic and melodious Le roi et l'oiseau from the pen of Wojciech Kilar. In between is a stretch of songs that is not only poetic and virtuosic, but also varied and graceful. Perrenoud has succeeded in filling his solo piano sound with imagination, cunning and life.

The Hornroh modern alphorn quartet is featured in the first 30 of 38 tracks on the double CD Gletsc with traditional pieces and new compositions for silence and devotion. The last two pieces of the first part Choral des Alpes by Robert Scotton and Anton Wicky's alphorn arrangement after Schubert's Holy is the Lord unmistakably reveal this intention. In the booklet text entitled "Slow listening", Cécile Ohlshausen recommends that you take your time with this new release.

The slow exploration of the naturally toneless Alphorn tunes and Büchel calls, sometimes taken from the distant past, then adapted to modern listening habits by Hornroh, is suitable for meditation, for a personal mindfulness exercise. And when you have become calm during this patient listening, you are prepared for Misch Käser's glacial deposits for one alphorn each in A, G, E and E flat. This work, commissioned by the Lucerne Festival in 2009 for the Swiss composer born in 1959, bears the strange title Gletsc and sees itself as a "glacier", from which the last three letters have already symbolically melted away. Due to the different tuning of the four alphorns, it sounds "wrong" from the outset - unlike an alphorn quartet with instruments tuned to the same pitch. The six movements, titled with terms from glaciology, have not lost their painful topicality since the premiere and seem as eerie as the cover by Pierre-Yves Borgeaud from the video triptych that land. The percussive interludes are by the Aargau percussionist Pit Gutmann.

Among the 30 pieces of the prelude to Gletsc seven traditional Büchel calls from the canton of Schwyz have documentary significance. Balthasar Streiff compiled them from recordings and music and arranged them for horn reed. The German composer Georg Haider also refers to original Swiss music with the ten interspersed Marginalia Reference. The miniatures for two to three alphorns were written during a month's vacation in Prättigau and some of them were premiered with a local alphorn trio.

This remarkable recording, which presents the diversity of modern hornpipes and the alphorn tradition, sounds with Georg Haider's Lullaby overdubbed with three individually recorded and superimposed voices.

The historical-critical music edition contains not only the works Webern himself brought to print, but also their unpublished versions, compositions unpublished during his lifetime, youth and study compositions as well as fragments, sketches and arrangements.

The aim of the Anton Webern Complete Edition is to document the composer's biography and the history of the composition, publication and performance of his works as completely as possible. After being compiled by the Department of Musicology, the edition will be published in a print/online hybrid edition.

Following an evaluation of new and ongoing edition projects, the SNSF has selected 23 projects for funding in the 2017 to 2020 funding period. The possibilities of digital processing and publication are used for the indexing of the material. This means that the editions are free of charge and easily accessible in the spirit of open access, thus facilitating their use for further research.

The SNSF is also funding the critical edition of the works of the Basel cultural and art historian Jacob Burckhardt, the Bernoulli correspondence, an edition project "Der späte Nietzsche", the literary estate of Karl Barth, a critical Robert Walser edition and a project to catalog medieval and early modern manuscripts in Switzerland.

According to a press release from the Austrian Music Council (ÖMR), the cancellation of the funding round is the result of a legal dispute between copyright and artist representatives against Amazon. The US company is refusing to pay the private copying remuneration provided for in Austrian copyright law on storage media that it delivers directly to Austria.

According to the ÖMR, the legal uncertainty resulting from this process means that the funding systems of several collecting societies are under threat and existing funds have been frozen. This means that they are no longer available to the Austrian Music Fund either.

If the copyright societies lose the case against Amazon in the last instance, the ÖMR quotes Harry Fuchs, Managing Director of the Musikfonds, this would have dramatic consequences for the entire industry. The support systems funded by private copying remuneration would collapse.
 

"We are the robots" is emblazoned on the posters for the festival. Who is speaking? Who is we? All of us? Have we all become robots, automatons controlled by computers, algorithms and smartphones? Or are these machines speaking? And what does robot music actually sound like? Is it something outrageously different from what we have understood music to be until now? Something completely new that can expand our "clogged and dulled channels of perception", as Philipp Rhensius writes in the Neue Zürcher Zeitung of July 22, 2016 wrote?
"What we will hear at the festival," says the program booklet, "is not robot music, but human music played by machines." Well, that doesn't sound outrageously different from anything we've heard before. Rather the opposite. And unfortunately, it doesn't sound like a confrontation with the fact that we have all long since become robots. Even if the robots will play first fiddle here: Humans will retain control in any case. What a pity!

Graphic Art: Marion Wörle

Excerpt from the poster

The choice of venue reconciles me again. It feels like I'm diving into a gothic novel. The chimney of the former brewery, an industrial brick building, rises into the dark night sky, dimly lit by a red spotlight. A dark staircase leads down into the cellar, from which a faint smell of mustiness rises, and it wouldn't surprise you if you found the laboratory of a Dr. Frankenstein down below. Instead, a mechanical carillon sounds up from the depths, playing Erik Satie's Vexations plays. Satie composed the many repetitions to torture the pianist. In Gerhard Kern's installation, this unpleasant task is performed by an automaton: how practical! Elsewhere, in a damp cellar room, small points of light shine in the dark, emitting an electronic chirping sound. Cicadas by Michele Pedrazzi creates an atmosphere similar to that of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's dystopian films.

The machines for which the festival curators have commissioned compositions are set up on the upper floor. On one of the two stages are the sculptural-looking robots of the Belgian Logos Foundation: organ pipes mounted on handcarts, percussion instruments, helicopter funnels, thin, swinging metal strips fitted with hoses, tubes, wires and flashing lights. The robot orchestra from Ghent was created in the 1960s and has been continuously developed ever since, so that the ensemble of seven robots is reminiscent of Star Wars, Alien and Mad Max all at the same time. In the world premiere, the Hacklander/Hatam duo combines Enlistment as Alignment the percussive Logos instruments, which have evocative names such as "Troms", "Temblo" and "Psch", with programmed computer sounds and the drums played live by Colin Hacklander. The rhythms of man and machine combine here to create a multi-layered complexity. Cellist Okkyung Lee uses the same Logos instruments combined with a cello for her composition SoomNoRae. Here, the percussion of the robots seems monotonous and dull in contrast to the instrument played by Okkyung Lee; the sound of the cello clearly wins out over the machine. But the robots strike back. One of them simply doesn't start in the right place. Humans are always in control! The technician has to intervene and restart the programming. The unexpected error in the system interrupts the rigid sequence that the machine imposes on the instrumentalist and for a moment creates a feeling of liveliness.
The curators Marion Wörle and Maciej Sledziecki, who work together as the duo gamut inc, have also composed a piece for the Logos instruments: Planet Nine. A black disco ball spins under the ceiling, speckling the room with bright points of light. Wörle and Sledziecki sit in front of their laptops like the pilots of a spaceship and watch the pre-programmed goings-on of the robots. Dark drone sounds whisk you away in a wide arc into infinite musical expanses. And for a moment, you no longer perceive the robots as mere fairground attractions, but as instruments - or even as instrumentalists.
 

Photo: Christoph Voy

"Troms" from the instrumentarium of the Logos Foundation

The second group of instruments composed for the festival are Roland Olbeter's sound machines. His "Pollywoggs", elongated and with a gray plastic surface, are reminiscent of machines in the production halls of the automotive industry, but their sound is based on the instruments of a string quartet. Olbeter's second group of instruments, called "Sound clusters", look like mutated bassoons or clarinets, but produce guitar-like sounds. In the 12 pieces for Olbeters machinesPiotr Kurek composed for different combinations of instruments, the sounds of the individual instruments are clearly emphasized. Unfortunately, the "Pollywoggs" sound like cheap synths from the 1980s, so that the sound doesn't really justify the technical effort. And the scenic impression of the sound machines also leaves a lot to be desired, as the audience can't really see exactly how the sounds are actually produced. Moreover, because the sounds are always technically amplified, i.e. they come out of the loudspeakers anyway, one wonders what the difference is between this and a backtrack or a CD being played.

After three days at the Robot Festival, you will definitely long for music by people for people, with voices and breath and a physical presence that opens up your blocked channels of perception and allows you to feel your own vitality.