With titles like Oh Yeah, The Race or Vicious Games Yello, consisting of Boris Blank and Dieter Meier, made music history and enjoyed worldwide success. As pioneers of sampling technology and creators of unusual rhythm structures, they inspired artists from a wide range of genres, from hip-hop and funk to electro-pop and techno.

The band's first recording session takes place in a car test laboratory. Among other things, the original trio recorded the sounds of a steel crusher on tape and incorporated them into their music. In the course of further experiments, for example, gorilla sounds are mixed with Latin American cha-cha beats.

With the album You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess In the 1980s, Meier and Blank were instrumental in defining the serene and cool sound of the time, which was subsequently copied by many bands. 

The two band members will receive the Echo in person at the big awards ceremony at Messe Berlin on March 27. First German Television will broadcast the award ceremony live on March 27 at 8:15 pm.

In the appeal, around 400 signatories address political decision-makers in Europe and Switzerland. They include the rector and heads of department of the ZHdK (Zurich University of the Arts), other presidents, rectors and vice-rectors of Swiss universities as well as representatives of students, mid-level faculty, the Swiss National Science Foundation and the academies.

They are calling on political decision-makers in Europe and Switzerland to do everything in their power to ensure that Swiss universities can continue to participate fully in the "Erasmus+" education and exchange program and the "Horizon 2020" research and innovation program.

All interested parties are invited to support the appeal with their signature and to draw the attention of colleagues in Europe to it and spread this link further. The appeal is available in four languages.

More info: www.not-without-switzerland.org
 

Walter Wiese worked as a lawyer in ministries and at the German NATO representation. He also played intensively as a violinist in chamber music ensembles. His chamber music library began in 2001 with a volume on Mozart. This was followed by: Czech chamber music, Schubert/Mendelssohn/Schumann/Brahms and Beethoven (reviewed in the SMZ 2011/4 S. 37). In his 80th year, the fifth volume, Haydn, concludes the series. The long hesitation can be understood by the particularly tricky task: it was necessary to make a selection from the abundance of works (including 77 string quartets, 45 piano trios and 126 baryton trios) and to do justice to a personality who is still widely underestimated as a writer close to nature and the people ("Papa Haydn") or as a pioneer.

Haydn wrote the baryton trios for his brother, Prince Nikolaus I Esterházy, who was passionate about playing the unusual low string instrument. One may regret that some gems among the baryton trios (on one and a half pages of the book) and 30 piano trios are generally ignored. On the whole, however, it is an advantage that Wiese focuses on the development of the string quartet, Haydn's pioneering achievement that continued for half a century. The restriction to the late piano trios composed in London is also to be welcomed. It allows an examination of the individual characteristics of Haydn's multifaceted oeuvre, supported by musical examples.

The lively, thoroughly personal account is supplemented by skillfully cited, extensive secondary literature. The book thus goes far beyond a guide to chamber music. It meets the high demands not only of amateurs, but also of professional ensembles. Wiese's experience is expressed in a number of practical suggestions on tempo (e.g. misunderstood "Presto" in final movements), on following repeats, on articulation etc. As usual with the Amadeus publishing house, this volume meets the highest quality standards, making it a valuable gift.

Only aspects of formal theory, which are particularly interesting and innovative in Haydn, are somewhat neglected. Two examples will suffice: In the first movement of the Piano Trio in C Hob. XV/27, the development section does not end after the general pause on the dominant G major: There begins a mock recapitulation in surprising A flat major without modulation, which wittily modulates back in stages, unlike in the following piano trio. In the String Quartet in E flat op. 33 no. 2, the interesting modulation of the development section and the short mock recapitulation in C minor before the shortened recapitulation also remain unrecognized.

However, the intricate development of the string quartet's oeuvre is impressively presented. Each opus, which usually comprises six quartets, is first given a fitting characterization before Wiese goes into the individual works. The astonishing history of the creation of the Seven last words of our Savior on the cross.

Walter Wiese, Haydn's Chamber Music, with many illustrations and music examples, 262 p., Fr. 56.00, Amadeus, Winterthur 2013, Order No.: BP 2190, ISBN 978-3-905786-12-5

The new Urtext edition of the Stabat Mater by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, which was published by Bärenreiterverlag. The underlying research results are based on the comparison of the autograph with a very early Neapolitan score, which is presumably based on the parts of the first performance material. The findings are explained in detail in the Critical Report. Particularly relevant for use is the simple, easy-to-play setting of the piano reduction, which does justice to the music in every respect.

An affordable facsimile of the autograph was recently published by Edition Walhall (EW 880).

Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Stabat mater for soprano, alto, strings and basso continuo, Urtext edited by Malcolm Bruno and Caroline Ritchie, score, BA 7679, € 24.95; piano reduction, BA 7679-90, € 9.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel 2012

The Czech Zdeněk Gola, who was concertmaster, teacher and director of internationally acclaimed, year-round violin courses in Sweden for many years and has been teaching in Ostrava again since the fall of communism, created logically structured practice sequences for advanced students to master secure intonation - a further development of Schradiek.

Gola distinguishes between "horizontal and vertical movements of the hand"; these terms are unusual. According to the preface, horizontal movements are changes of position of the fingers (change of fingering) without moving the hand to a different position: 1. stretching forward and bending back on a string, 2. transverse movement of the fingers from one string to another, at right angles or diagonally. Vertical movements are changes of position along the strings by means of arm transport.

Thanks to the logical presentation, problems can be tackled in a targeted manner. The German of the short trilingual explanations is sometimes not precise, but a comparison with the English version often clarifies things. The "horizontal" exercises are demanded one after the other in all positions and on all strings. The chromatic shifts in the double stops, which activate the rolling movements in the finger joints, are particularly valuable. The decimals are prepared with skillful preliminary exercises; unfortunately, it is not recommended to start in 4th position. "Vertical" exercises begin at the end of book 1 on one string and fill book 2 with interesting undulating combinations of position changes diagonally across all strings. One- and two-part scale exercises over two octaves on one or two strings with different fingerings conclude this positively strenuous work.

Zdeněk Gola: Violin technique, 2 volumes; Book 1, BA 9550, € 15.95; Book 2, BA 9551, € 14.95; Bärenreiter, Prague 2013

Laura Marzadori studied at the Conservatorio G. B. Martini in Bologna and won the Andrea Amati National Contest for Young Violinists in 2004. In 2006 she attended a one-year master class with Giuliano Carmignola as part of the Orchestra Mozart and at the age of 17 she studied for three years with Pavel Berman at the International Academy Incontri col Maestro in Imola (Italy).

She studied with Zakhar Bron at the Zurich University of the Arts from 2008. In 2013, she won the XXXII Franco Abbiati Award with the Trio Armellini-Marzadori.

Original message: www.artsjournal.com/slippeddisc/2014/03/breaking-la-scala-appoints-woman-concertmaster.html

An organist writes for his instrument: If the organ works of the Viennese Anton Heiller (1923-79) were to be seen only as the result of this rather frequent process, the present recording would probably be unspectacular. Although Heiller achieved worldwide attention as an interpreter of Bach's organ works and as an organ teacher, this only mentions the part of his activities that also made him a formative influence in Switzerland. Many Swiss organists, including those who later taught at universities themselves, studied with him, such as Monika Henking, Bernhard Billeter and Jean-Claude Zehnder.

Heiller's career shows enormous versatility: he worked not only as a composer and organist, but also as a harpsichordist, pianist (including under Sacher and Ansermet with works by Frank Martin) and conductor (e.g. with F. Schmidt's A book with seven sealsin Lucerne in 1974, among other places). At the latest since the publication of P. Planyavsky's biography (Vienna 2009), he has been attracting more attention again; a Heiller cycle took place in Muri AG as early as 2004. The catalog of works contains a great deal of choral music - from simple a cappella masses to symphonic works such as Psalm cantata (1955), François Villon (1956) and Stabat Mater (1968).

When describing the organ works, comparisons are often made, for example to David's counterpoint, to Hindemith's lucid late style, to Martin's synthesis of tonal references and dodecaphony and to the rhythmic and modal principles of Alain and Messiaen. The accumulation of such comparisons is dangerous, as it gives rise to the unjustified fear that Heiller composed in a dependent or syncretic manner. What is essential is his ability to shape different parameters of composition with equal intensity and to present a dense and repetition-free oeuvre without using formulas.

Heiller's pupil Summereder plays at the highest level on the Bruckner organ at St. Florian Abbey, which was also important for Heiller's development. The excellent recording technique and the informative booklet also make this production a must for all those who want to get to know the music of the post-war period beyond the usual textbook knowledge.

CD 1 of the complete recording contains early organ works up to 1949, CD 2 mainly organ works on Gregorian themes from 1957 onwards, CD 3 will be released in the course of the year.

It is no coincidence that Christoph Stiefel, like Nik Bärtsch, has achieved international renown in the last decade. Both pianists from Zurich started out from concepts with relatively strict formal guidelines, which they established as their own personal expression. However, they only achieved greatness when they freed themselves from conceptual strictness and opened themselves up to freedom, not only in terms of interpretation.

Christoph Stiefel, who became known to a wider public with the jazz rock band Stiletto and as an accompanist for Andreas Vollenweider, has been using the medieval design principle of isorhythm as the basis for his compositions since the late 1990s. He has placed it in a jazz context, where it enables both a complex groove and a play of timbres. And he has constantly refined it.

This is not the only reason why the rhythmic models on the new album with his Inner Language Trio are only perceived as a formative concept in a few pieces. Big Ship has receded into the background. The free passages, in which Christoph Stiefel's sparkling playing can unfold as a soloist, also contribute greatly to the more personal expression. He does this in no way boastfully, but with unobtrusive originality. He displays the same elegant and at times even swinging lightness that also characterizes his fantastically confident interplay with German bassist Arne Huber and drummer Kevin Chesham from western Switzerland.

After studying in Berlin, Rickenbacher began his career as a répétiteur at the Zurich Opera House and later as first conductor and deputy general music director at the Städtische Bühnen Freiburg i. Br. where he developed an extensive opera repertoire. Rickenbacher began his international career with his appointment as chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

His discography includes several recordings of works by Beethoven, Wagner, Liszt, Bruckner, Mahler and Messiaen, including with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. His recordings have won several awards, including the Echo Klassik Prize of the German Phono Academy in 1999, 2000 and 2001.
 

MP Schweiz emerged in August 2013 from the music retailer Musik Produktiv Schweiz AG, one of the most important retailers of instruments in Switzerland, primarily with an audience from the rock and pop scene.

MP Switzerland already closed its pro audio, keyboard and wind instrument division in November last year. Now the former offshoot of the German Musik Produktiv GmbH & Co. KG, based in Ibbenbüren near Osnabrück, seems to have come to an end. 

According to the Swiss Official Gazette of Commerce (SOGC), on February 5, 2014, the President II of the District Court of Lenzburg granted a provisional debt-restructuring moratorium until June 5, 2014. This morning, the company informed its customers of the provisional closure of its store and online store.

Website: www.mp-schweiz.ch

The publication deals with the changing use of music by young people, made possible by the development and market penetration of Internet-enabled cell phones.

Among other things, Christina Wippel succeeds in refuting the often-reproduced contemporary diagnosis that young people are no longer interested in owning music and only follow short-term consumer impulses anyway, writes the mdw. She also describes how the smartphone is used and understood by young people as a music storage device and much more.

The most depressing realization from the point of view of music creators and music educators is that the idea of spending money on recorded music is only remembered as a quirk of the parents' generation, if at all.

The publication (volume 13 of the extempore series, edited by Alfred Smudits) is available at the Institute for the Sociology of Music (musiksoziologie@mdw.ac.at) can be ordered. It costs 8 euros.

As reported by SRF Regionaljournal Aargau/Solothurn, director Peter Bernhard intends to pay all outstanding invoices shortly in accordance with an agreement with the Gläbuiger. The latter are waiving a third of their claims.

The financial difficulties were mainly due to additional safety equipment that had to be installed at short notice following the experience of the storm damage at the Biel gymnastics festival. The bad weather and the competition from Aida on Lake Pfäffikon were also felt.

In addition to the artistic director, Schenkenberg Opera is now to have a commercial director who will deal exclusively with administrative matters. Il Tovatore was realized with the Camerata Schweiz under the direction of conductor Marc Tardue and its own choir. The next production is scheduled for 2016 in Brugg.
 

joshiman / pixelio.de

Castle courtyard on the Wawel

According to legend, it was the tribal prince Krak who defeated the dragon in the cave and then founded the Polish royal city on the hill above, the Wawel, on the upper Vistula. Since the 13th century, the city has remained virtually unscathed by the turmoil of war, it has developed into the intellectual and cultural center of Poland and industrialization has largely taken place outside it. Countless preserved architectural monuments and art treasures make Krakow one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.
The starting point for our explorations is our centrally located hotel. The sightseeing and excursions are complemented by two short chamber concerts and rounded off with two dinners in traditional Krakow restaurants.
 

Friday, October 10
Evening flight with Eurolot K2488 to Krakow, departure from Zurich at 20:35, arrival in Krakow at 22:45
Transfer to andel's Hotel Krakow, room check-in

How Music Hug the approximately 900 m2 sales area is spread over two floors at Fürstenlandstrasse 96. Among other things, the piano store stocks the grand and upright piano brand Steinway & Sons and offers a piano workshop with a tuning and repair service. The range is complemented by high-quality acoustic guitars and harps. The store is managed by Daniel Eberhard.

Musik Hug AG was founded in 1807. According to its own information, it sells musical instruments, accessories, hi-fi/TV, sheet music, music books and sound recordings through its branches in Zurich (head office), Basel, Lucerne, St. Gallen, Lausanne and Neuchâtel as well as a webshop. The Group is currently divided into four divisions: Retail, Wholesale, Export Company and Music Publishing. With 329 employees, including 53 apprentices, the Group generated sales of CHF 67 million in the 2012/13 financial year.
 

The cantonal government can support charitable and non-profit projects of regional or cantonal importance from the Swisslos Fund. Projects outside the cantonal territory must be of considerable importance for the canton of Aargau or for Switzerland as a whole.

In addition to cultural and educational projects, projects in the areas of youth and education, education and research, nature and the environment, development cooperation and health and social services are also co-financed from Swisslos funds on application.

The prerequisite is that the application (with a detailed description and budget) presents a broadly supported financing plan, is submitted up to twelve weeks before implementation and there is no legal basis under public law for the planned project.

More information on the award criteria and the scope of support provided by the Swisslos Fund Aargau (also in distinction to the Aargau Board of Trustees) can be found on the Internet under the keyword "Cultural Promotion" at www.ag.ch/kultur.