You can listen to music at home. But it sounds different live, especially this expansive Le Temps Mode d'emploicomposed by Philippe Manoury. The fantastic pianists Andreas Grau and Götz Schumacher play at the front and their parts come from loudspeakers at the back with a time delay. The virtual and the real merge to create an impressive spatial soundscape full of bursting energy. Philippe Manoury, born in 1952 in Tulle, France, is very present at this year's Wittener Tage. As part of the composer portrait dedicated to him, this piano work will be accompanied by orchestral Funeral marches and a string quartet called Melencolia (d'après Dürer)which is inspired by Albrecht Dürer's famous copperplate engraving from 1514. In the work premiered in Witten Le Temps Mode d'emploi the tonal opulence was impressive, in Melencolia Manoury wrote very finely chiseled music. Structured by bell tones, new, interesting soundscapes emerge again and again. Tension is guaranteed - Manoury keeps it, almost casually, for over 40 minutes.

Gifts and Greetings
Such delicate pieces can only be adequately developed when top-class performers play them. Irvine Arditti, Ashot Sargsyan, Ralf Ehlers and Lucas Fels are among them. With all their almost provocatively relaxed mastery, one sometimes forgets the enormous difficulties of the works. In Manoury's Melencolia it becomes clear once again why the Arditti String Quartet (with changing line-ups) has enriched the contemporary music scene for 40 years. There is no such thing as unplayability for the "Ardittis". They are always in control and certainly never lack presence, radiance and energy. The 40th anniversary of the quartet was the occasion for a special party for Harry Vogt, artistic director of the Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik. 14 composers sent the quartet presents in the form of five-minute miniatures. The performance of the "little pieces" was met with a small smile from the experts, but musical humor is not the forte of New Music. The laborious events under the so casual title Gifts and Greetings revealed a considerable "Beethovenbartókardittiangst factor", as the young composer Philipp Mainz once put it. Indeed, string quartet composition is no child's birthday party - especially when such a constant companion of the Ardittis as Brian Ferneyhough appears as a guest. The New Complexity, for which Ferneyhough became famous (and infamous), obviously leaves little room for anything like a cheerful musical serenade.

The American National Band Association NBA has been awarding an annual prize since 1977 to promote high-quality brass music. Oliver Waespi is only the second European to receive the award since its inception, after Philip Sparke.

According to the Musinfo database on Swiss music, Oliver Waespi studied composition at the Musikhochschule Zürich with Gerald Bennett and Andreas Nick, as well as at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

His music has been performed in many European countries as well as in Australia, Japan, Singapore and the USA, including at the Swiss Tonkünstlerfest, the George Enescu Festival and various WASBE World Conferences. The numerous performers include renowned symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles, soloists, choirs and many renowned wind ensembles.
 

The Rockförderverein der Region Basel was founded in May 1994 and changed its name around two years ago to RFV Basel - Promotion of pop music and music network in the Basel region. Managing Director Tobit Schäfer cites the realization that the umbrella term "rock" was no longer suitable for musicians from the hip hop or electronic genres as the reason for the renaming. Originally, the association, which was initiated by musicians and scene representatives, primarily offered help for self-help. "Before the RFV, there was zero support for pop or rock in the region," adds Chrigel Fisch, Head of Communications and former manager of alternative rockers Navel. Things are different today, even if you still have to fight for support.

Those responsible at the RFV recognized early on that political lobbying is also indispensable in pop. A realization that some places in Switzerland still struggle with. In any case, the RFV's strategy ultimately bore fruit: in 2008, the Basel-Stadt government decided that the association was a "highly professional organization" and the "appropriate institution" to provide the desired promotional services in the field of popular music. And granted higher subsidies. Since then, the RFV's mission has been not only to promote the pop scene in the Basel region, but also to establish pop as a genre in the cultural scene.

The RFV now receives annual subsidies totaling CHF 610,000. The significant increase in funding was not used to develop countless band competitions. Instead, it has been invested in networking and establishing contacts with Swiss Music Export, to the festival m4music or to the online platform Helvetiarockt strengthened. Thanks to the new financial possibilities, in 2009 the Basel Pop Prize was launched. Previous winners of the 15,000 Swiss franc award include the art-pop formation The bianca Story and singer/songwriter Anna Aaron, who has recently been on the road with experimental pop.

In 2010, the RFV launched the funding module Basel Music Export and made its presence felt at the Reeperbahn Festival. With the three times a year advertised RegioSoundCredit is aimed at experienced musicians who can already demonstrate an "artistically committed, expert activity in the field of pop music". The current winner of the competition is soul singer Ira May, whose debut The Spell reached the top of the Swiss charts. The 26-year-old used the funding to perform in Germany for the first time at the beginning of April.

Consolidation and new ideas

"We are currently in a consolidation phase," says Schäfer. However, the negotiations for the next subsidy period from 2016 to 2019 are in the back of his mind. "We are particularly concerned with the topic of exports," he explains. In the visual arts, we are familiar with work years, and Schäfer would also like to see something similar for popular music. "A branch abroad would make sense," he says. Then bands could also work on a project over the longer term.

It is important to him and Fisch to emphasize that their work is focused on the concerns of the association's members. They must be behind the strategy of the office, which currently has 210 full-time equivalents, and the voluntary board. This is another reason why proximity to the scene is essential for the RFV. "One of our strengths," emphasizes Fisch. When asked about possible weaknesses of the model, Schäfer explains: "At the moment, we have a very diverse, but also very resource-intensive offering. As a result, the development of new visions tends to fall by the wayside." In the past, the RFV's national and international networking also left a lot to be desired. "But in the last four years, this has become one of our strengths."

Now it's time to focus more on newcomers again, explains Schäfer, "although we have the feeling that less is happening in this area than a few years ago." Fisch cites the emergence of casting shows and formats such as The Voice of Switzerland. Because of this, many young people might have the feeling that these kinds of events are the only way to a career in music. This is one of the reasons why the RFV is considering new ideas on how to make young people more aware of the club and its activities. One possible approach: a kind of scouting system.

Schäfer and Fisch counter the criticism sometimes voiced that the RFV's work goes unnoticed outside of Basel with the argument that never before have so many musicians with Basel roots made a name for themselves outside of their homeland. For example Anna Aaron, The bianca Story or the pop eclectics We Invented Paris. Coincidence or not, they all are or were supported by RFV. "Of course we could try to organize a management or a label in Berlin for one of our bands," says Chrigel Fisch, "but we'd rather they do it on their own. That proves that they really have the drive to make a career for themselves."

This article was published on May 7, 2014 in the German magazine Music market

Nobody really knows how many people sing together on the continent, in which countries which repertoire is cultivated, how much time is devoted to singing and so on, writes the Schott publishing house. These and other questions on artistic, demographic and economic aspects as well as statistics and information from choral associations should ultimately help to create a picture of a singing Europe.

The publication of the results with a comparison between the different countries is planned for 2015. The aim of the project is also to stimulate a Europe-wide debate about singing and to promote mutual awareness and familiarization between singing groups from different countries.

There are now almost 700 responses from Slovenia alone, providing information about the whole country. Anyone who belongs to a choir or singing group, whether as a singer, conductor or board member, is invited to complete the short questionnaire on www.singingeurope.org in his own language.

Knight Rust lives in the Iron Castle and believes himself to be the bravest, strongest and cleverest knight in all of Scotland. What he lacks in skill he makes up for with an unshakeable cockiness. He bravely signs up for every dangerous adventure - not without immediately regretting it. The brave and strong damsel Bö with her talking hat and the cheeky pet dragon Koks have to help him out of trouble time and again. And yet the lovable anti-hero with his dented cash register belly always manages to emerge as the shining winner in the end.

The knight, also known as "Rösti", is the title character of a popular series of books with so-called "children's musicals"; each story is accompanied by sheet music and a CD with music by Felix Janosa. There are now also Knight Rust DVDs, a movie, a TV series and the usual gadgets and toys. And: an arrangement of the songs for one or two soprano recorders.

As children are probably familiar with Ritter Rost and his pop songs, this booklet offers them the chance to learn more complicated rhythms (such as dotted quavers) or accidentals (up to a sharp and a flat) by ear. Some of the pieces are rather low, but have a range from c' to a''. Knight Rust is suitable as the first playbook after a soprano recorder school, so that the target group is roughly the same age as for the Ritter Rost musicals. The royal court scribe Ratzefummel leads through the story, thanks to whom even children who are unfamiliar with Ritter Rost become familiar with the characters. The motivation is supported by knightly medals - enclosed stickers that can be awarded and stuck on after successful practice. Humorously cheeky illustrations by Jörg Hilbert adorn the sheet music, which is kept entirely in shades of grey.

Jörg Hilbert and Felix Janosa, Ritter Rost for 1 to 2 soprano recorders, ECB 6113, Fr. 23.80, Edition Conbrio (Hug Musikverlage), Zurich 2013

Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart was the youngest child of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Born in the year of his death, he was destined to become a musician as a young child and received composition and instrumental lessons in his hometown of Vienna from Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Antonio Salieri and Johann Georg Albrechtsberger, among others. Throughout his life, Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart only appeared in official documents under the name "W. A. Mozart Sohn". The demands associated with this and the constant comparison with his father caused him to doubt himself. At the age of twenty, he entered the service of various aristocratic families in the Galician capital of Lemberg as a piano teacher and performed as a pianist and conductor. He wrote various compositions for the newly founded "Dilettanten-Concerte" - possibly including this one Variations for fortep: and flageolet on the march from Alinean opera by Henri-Montan Berton that premiered in Paris in 1803.

At the beginning of the 19th century, the recorder-like flageolet became increasingly popular and manifested itself in various forms - e.g. as an English or French flageolet. It is not possible to determine which type Mozart used, but as the score calls for an instrument in the four-foot position, a version for soprano recorder suggests itself. The piano and recorder enter into a dialog and take turns playing the leading part. As the underlying theme from Aline the pleasing variations also dispense with overly melodic or harmonic moments of shock.

An intermediate level of playing is required; only the required dynamics and the associated intonation issues must be technically mastered by the player. However, this trouvaille is a welcome addition to the narrow early Romantic original repertoire for recorder and is pleasing in its simple Biedermeier beauty.

Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Variations on the March from "Aline", for soprano recorder (flute, oboe, violin) and piano, first edition edited by Nikolaj Tarasov and Helmut Schaller, DM 1431, € 13.95, Doblinger, Vienna 2012

Who doesn't know the famous picture Flute concert in Sanssouci by Adolph Menzel, in which Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach is immortalized as the harpsichord accompanist to his employer, the Prussian King Frederick II. Immortalized in a painting, but rather marginalized as a composer today - this is the fate of Johann Sebastian Bach's second eldest son. Yet Carl Philipp Emanuel, born in Weimar in 1714, was an important pioneer of modernism at the time. No longer baroque, not yet classical, perhaps it is this "era of sensibility" that has affected his reception. Bach represented the aesthetic spirit of optimism of his time with an incredible modernity, which also includes the groundbreaking sonatas.

To mark the 300th birthday of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Basel-based Swiss baroque specialist Leila Schayegh presents a highly recommended recording. In a joyful and "gallant" interplay with her accompanist Jörg Halubek, she traces with wonderful sound the beautiful, daring and new things that Bach so decidedly demanded for a "true masterpiece". Included are the sonatas Wq 76 and Wq 78, in which the special qualities of Bach's modernism are palpable. The dialogue between violin and accompanying instrument, for example, or the sensitive violin cantilenas beautifully "sung" by Schayegh. These come into their own all the more as the CD opens with the early Sonata in D major, which shows Bach in 1731 during his time with Frederick II, still strongly under the influence of his father.

All the more striking, almost shocking, against this background is the Free Fantasy in F sharp minor Wq 80, which bears the meaningful title "C. P. E. Bach's Sensations". The two musicians have opted for a tangent grand piano (Späth & Schmal) which, with its fortepiano-like sound, is ideally suited to this experimental piece.

The Sonata in C major Wq 78, also with tangent grand piano, is the highlight. Jörg Halubek proves himself to be an accomplished player of this rarely heard instrument, while Leila Schayegh delights with her round, softly caressing and yet clear, almost sinewy tone. It is fascinating how she is able to adapt her colors to the very different sounds of the harpsichord and the tangent grand piano.

A producer once told me that he would no longer make project CDs with works by several composers - they would simply get lost in the mass of music that is thrown onto the market every month and would at best end up under "miscellaneous" even in specialist shops. Understandable, but unfortunately not in line with reality. For at all times, so-called collector's editions or joint works were created, in which several composers participated with mostly short pieces. And it is often precisely these editions that say more about a period, a style or a school than some great works.

This is also shown by Gabrielle Beck-Lipsi's complete recordings of the Treize Danses (1929). Performed as intelligently as it is brilliantly and wittily, it is a first-rate group portrait. It is complemented by seven more extensive works by Conrad Beck, Tibor Harsányi, Bohuslav Martinů, Alexandre Tansman and Alexander Tscherepnin, all of whom belonged to the "École de Paris" - a circle of friends of foreign composers in the 1930s, with whom the pianist also has a family connection. In this way, far more resonates in the anything but dry interpretation than the mere notes are able to reveal, which makes the recording itself a document that is also captured acoustically in an outstanding way.

This makes it all the more incomprehensible that production outside Switzerland (especially in the age of cross-border "click and buy") is not only difficult to find, but also inconvenient to obtain.

CD 1: "Ecole de Paris"
Alexander Cherepnin (1899-1977): Bagatelles, op. 5 & 5 Concert Etudes, op.52
Conrad Beck (1901-1989): Two Dance Pieces & 1st Sonatina
Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959): Trois Esquisses
Alexander Tansman (1897-1986): Sonatine transatlantique
Tibor Harsanyi (1898-1954): Blues

CD 2: "Treize Danses"
Conrad Beck (1901-1989): Danse
Marcel Delannoy (1898-1962): Rigaudon
Pierre-Octave Ferroud (1900-1936): The Bacchante, Blues
Tibor Harsanyi (1898-1954): Fox-Trot
Jacques Larmanjat (1878-1952): Valse
Nikolai Lopatnikoff (1903-1976): Gavotte
Bohuslav Martinu (1890-1959): La Danse
Georges Migot (1891-1076): La Sègue
Marcel Mihalovici (1898-1985): Chindia
Manuel Rosenthal (1904-2003): Valse des Pêcheurs à la Ligne
Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942): Boston
Alexander Tansman (1897-1986): Burlesque
Jean Wiéner (1896-1982): Rêve

Müller & Schade 5080 (2 CDs)

Born in Geneva in 1985, pianist Beatrice Berrut follows in the tradition of the Russian piano school of Heinrich Neuhaus. She completed her training with Galina Ivanzova in Berlin, Esther Yellin in Zurich and Brigitte Engerer in Paris. She completed further studies at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin with John O'Conor, a student of Wilhelm Kempff.

Born in Sion in 1982, chansonnier Marc Aymon recorded his latest album in Nashville with two Swiss and a few American musicians, including Neil Young's drummer and BB King's pianist.

For the fourth time in a row, a special prize for the promotion of culture will also be awarded to the Ouverture-Opéra association in Sion. The Special Prize of the Canton of Valais, which has been awarded since 2011, is intended for a person or a group that is mainly involved in the background in the development and promotion of culture in Valais.

The Valais Culture Prize, which has been awarded since 1980, is endowed with CHF 20,000. Established in 1982, the awards are aimed at young talents who are at a turning point in their careers. This creative contribution of CHF 10,000 each is awarded three times and is intended both as recognition for their work and as an incentive to continue on their chosen path.

"Melody and rhythm provides many unconventional and unusual perspectives on popular music," says Susann Witt-Stahl. The editor-in-chief of the music magazine, which was founded in the GDR in 1957, explains in the daily newspaper young world the latest M&R relaunch. "M&R is becoming more critical, more political, is moving closer to current events and is getting involved in cultural debates," can be read elsewhere.

However, these promises do not stand up to a differentiated examination: neither the selection of artists - from Bono successor Rea Garvey to the indie casting judges from the Kaiser Chiefs - nor the analyses presented (one exception is Marcus Staiger's text on the you-can-create-it-if-you-want-it rhetoric in German rap) are particularly critical or innovative. Linguistically, the magazine hardly sets any accents: The level of the texts is too varied, too many commonplaces are used. However, this is not least a reflection of the long-lasting and far beyond M&R The crisis in record criticism that is also rampant. Why are voices always "crystal clear" and what the hell is meant by "musical seriousness"?

The magazine cover, designed by the left-wing designer collective Rabotnik from Copenhagen in a "contemporary Marxist aesthetic" (Susann Witt-Stahl), is striking. The Danes have also given the layout a subtle red coat of paint. However, this is just as little of a revolution as the in-depth content perspectives: They are simply too short for that. This shortcoming is particularly noticeable in the thematic focus on "Pop music and class struggle". The grandly announced "conference" with the British music critic Simon Reynolds is nothing more than a compilation of nine short statements and the M&R-The questionnaire to Jan Delay barely gets beyond clichéd questions, which become irrelevant in their brevity and are anything but "existential", as claimed in the introduction.

The strength and potential of the new M&R The slightly more critical Viewpoints section, where the thesis "Pop culture is not possible without capitalism" is discussed from two perspectives or the Greek music scene - here at last in more detail - is scrutinized. Also promising is the pop song analysis by Israeli art theorist Moshe Zuckermann, which will appear in every issue in future and which takes a closer look at Miley Cyrus in this issue. Last but not least, it is exciting to see how the theme of class struggle runs through the entire issue, right up to the live concerts section. Whether this is due to the magazine's left-wing positioning or a new thematic concept will become clear in the next issue with its focus on "Brazil".

M&R Melodie und Rhythmus, May/June 2014 issue; published bimonthly, single issue € 4.90, annual subscription abroad € 36.90, Verlag 8. Mai, Berlin, www.melodieundrhythmus.com

In 1908, the 34-year-old Max Reger created the Clarinet Sonata op. 107, a "tremendously clear work", as he himself wrote in a letter, which fitted in well with his happy family mood: at the time, he and his wife Elsa adopted three-year-old Christa and one-and-a-half-year-old Lotti. The critics sensed in the sonata "a return to classical simplicity, both in terms of form and content" and described it as "a deeply felt, beautiful tonal idyll". After the successful premiere, Reger reworked the work for viola (and violin), changing the phrasing from the wind player's breath to the string player's bowing in addition to a few octave changes.

Michael Kube has created a careful, well-annotated new edition based on the first edition published by Bote & Bock in 1909 and with the help of the autograph and the engraver's model - preserved in libraries in Winterthur. Many ambiguities, listed in detail in the notes, have been eliminated. In addition to an unmarked viola part, there is also one marked with fingerings and bowings by Jürgen Weber. Weber too often spares the use of the 4th finger and here and there does not use the bright sound of the A string for forte, but otherwise the markings are extremely useful for the very chromatic movement. The work, which is not too difficult for the viola and is very densely scored for the piano, has been advantageously reprinted here after its last publication in 1937.

Max Reger, Clarinet Sonata op. 107, version for viola, Urtext edited by Michael Kube, with additional viola part marked by Jürgen Weber, HN 1099, € 18.00, G. Henle, Munich 2013

With the new two-volume edition of the collected organ works by Johann Speth (1664-ca. 1719/20), Doblinger is making an important source of South German keyboard music accessible again in the "Diletto Musicale" series. Until now, it has only been available in its entirety as a facsimile (Helbling 1993) or has been out of print for some time (Bärenreiter).

Under the title Ars magna consoni et dissoni. Organic-Instrumental Art, Ornamental and Pleasure Garden In 1693, the Augsburg cathedral organist published a collection of ten toccatas (or "Musicalische Blumen-Felder"), eight magnificats and three sets of variations. The toccatas are similar in style to those in the Apparatus musico-organisticus Georg Muffat (published three years earlier), but without reaching their complexity and wealth of ideas. Speth generally limits himself to a toccata-like introduction, usually over pedal organ points, a short manualiter fugue and a free postlude. Italian influences are recognizable in the Durezze-e-ligature sections and then above all in the series of variations, while the seven-movement Magnificat arrangements are comparable to those of Kerll. The dynamic indications in the Toccata Quarta are striking!

A recommendable new edition, as the works are very suitable for church services and concerts due to their brevity and manageability.

Johann Speth, Complete Organ Works, edited by Ingemar Melchersson, Diletto Musicale; Volume 1, DM 1449, € 18.95; Volume 2, DM 1450, € 20.95; Doblinger, Vienna 2013

Steve Gadd, Gary Chaffee, David Garibaldi and Rick Latham - to name but a few - are regarded as pioneers of linear drumming. This drumset playing technique emerged in the mid-1970s and is still as popular today as ever. Teaching aids such as Time Functioning Patterns (1980), Linear Time Playing (1993) - both by Gary Chaffee -, Advanced Funk Studies (1980) by Rick Latham and Future Sounds (1990) by David Garibaldi quickly found their place on the music stands of amateurs and professionals alike.

In Creative Dimension the Swiss drummer Charlie Weibel shows in an impressive way what cool grooves and fills are possible with linear drumming. Even the preliminary exercises in Weibel's booklet are fun and are also suitable for beginners. But then it really gets down to business with over two hundred one-bar examples. There are linear as well as quasi-linear grooves representing funk and fusion styles, Latin rhythms and shuffles.

The exercises and rhythms in Creative Dimension are reminiscent of the works of the above-mentioned protagonists, from whom the author says he is strongly inspired. Rick Latham may well have been the inspiration for the choice of notation form, where the simultaneously played beats are notated under an upward-facing stem. An additional advantage of this form of notation is that there are almost no rests; the rhythms are therefore easy to decipher.

Charlie Weibel deliberately avoids long passages of text and lexical explanations, which benefits the booklet greatly. As a supplement, he presents six challenging solos from his 2001 booklet Drumspectrum. A good 150 sound samples are provided on the enclosed CD. The recordings impress with their precise recording and rich sound. Really cool.

Charlie Weibel, Creative Dimension. Contemporary concepts for drumset, special grooves & solo drumming, Linear Time Playing (L.T.P) in Funk Latin Fusion Style, with CD, Fr. 39.00, Ghost Note Productions, Lucerne, ISMN 979-0-000-00158-9, www.weibeltech.ch