The two Viennese musicologists Tatjana Marković and Andreas Holzer initially faced considerable problems in their search for conclusive answers: Information about the Russian composer's life is extremely scarce. Ustvolskaya spent a reclusive life in Leningrad/St. Petersburg, gave virtually no interviews and shunned all contact with the public. Nevertheless, Marković and Holzer have created a vivid picture of the dazzling artist from profoundly researched and often contradictory biographical snippets of various origins, which the Swiss composer Edu Haubensak has also supplemented with a trenchant essay.

Born in Petrograd in 1919, Ustvolskaya studied composition at the Leningrad Conservatory for ten years from 1937 before devoting herself exclusively to her own work. One of the qualities of this biography is that it thoroughly and soberly discusses phenomena such as the harsh separation that Ustvolskaya later made from her then close teacher Dmitri Shostakovich. Truths about the composer's personality and work are thus presented for discussion by the authors rather than being fixed. Marković and Holzer also provide illuminating descriptions of the social, political and aesthetic contexts that were essential for Ustvolskaya. And they also consider these in their detailed musical analyses of Ustvolskaya's small oeuvre - an oeuvre that the composer wanted to be neatly divided into two compositional layers throughout her life: one of the "typically Soviet" pieces and one of the "actual" pieces. The CD accompanying the book contains the latter; Marković's and Holzer's multi-layered musical analyses can thus also be understood and compared acoustically.

Andreas Holzer and Tatjana Marković, Galina Ivanovna Ustvol'skaja. Composing as an obsession, 299 p., with CD, Fr. 39.90, Böhlau, Cologne/Weimar/Vienna 2013, ISBN 978-3-412-21031-1

"A compendium of exercises and short etudes or pieces for acquiring elementary technical playing skills", says the foreword by Watchful fingers, watchful earsa work by Bettina Schwedhelm published by Breitkopf Pädagogik in 2013. "Aren't there already enough compilations like this?", many piano teachers will ask themselves. There are certainly many thorough attempts to provide the true way of teaching technically sound piano playing. However, it seems to me that there are Watchful fingers, watchful ears could succeed in waking up the sometimes dormant giant of "playing technique" and introducing it to our lower and middle school pupils in an appealing and understandable way.

The work is divided into three parts: two student booklets and a teacher's commentary with a DVD showing the essential aspects of piano technique. I strongly recommend that you take a close look at the excellent teacher's commentary, because if you only look at the exercises and pieces, you will only see the tip of the iceberg. In the preface and in the explanations of the examples in the student booklets, the author repeatedly emphasizes the importance of working on a fundamental level and the associated training of perception. A universally applicable vocabulary of basic pianistic playing forms is to be developed in close connection with the conception of sound and the execution of movement, parallel to the piano school or other playing literature. Bettina Schwedhelm sees the presented practice material as raw material that should be individually adapted to the physical, mental and emotional abilities of the children. The mostly very short etudes, exercises and pieces are each limited to one essential aspect. A double sheet enclosed with each pupil's booklet shows further possibilities for rewarding work with variations, which is intended to avoid merely mechanical practising. There is a detailed methodological and didactic commentary and the helpful DVD for all the examples in the student booklets.

The careful selection of examples, the appealing graphic presentation, together with the extremely valuable comments and the enormous practical relevance, make this work an enrichment to the existing range.

Bettina Schwedhelm: Wache Finger, wache Ohren. Playing and practice material for elementary piano technique; booklet 1, EB 8821, € 16.00; booklet 2, EB 8822, € 16.00; teacher's commentary with DVD, BV 476, € 28.00; Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2013

"Creating complex microstructures, working with fragments from a fragmentary world, which come together to form new sound conglomerates that may open up new experiences and perspectives for the audience." These are the compositional premises of René Wohlhauser, an interdisciplinary artist who is equally active as a composer, improviser, pianist, baritone, music teacher, theorist and writer. The multi-talented artist, who teaches at the Basel Academy of Music, has now recorded one of his central work cycles with his own ensemble: The Marakra Cycle (2006-2011) - successful start of the "Wohlhauser Edition" on the Neos label.

Titles like mira schinak, 'Srang, Sokrak and Charyptin seem esoteric to exotic, but are based on the fact that these pieces are based on sound poetry (produced in-house, of course). They overwrite music that is remarkably clear in its diction. Webern and Scelsi seem to have inspired Wohlhauser in equal measure.

Constructive commitment characterizes the pieces for soprano, baritone, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion (in various combinations between solo and full ensemble) as well as aspects of the fleeting and momentary, which leads the music in ever new directions, because individual elements can gain productive momentum of their own at any time.

The "exploration of the deep dimensions of sound" is the declared aim of Wohlhauser's aesthetic, which is noisy, stationary or virtuosic and can also focus on pure sound production. Very important for the effect of these sounds is Christine Simolka's unagitated soprano, which carries the listener away to the Marakra Code 2, the dramatic climax and end point of the cycle, where Wohlhauser's fantasy language condenses into deceptive meanings.

According to the Bärenreiter publishing house, Albrecht, who was born in Essen in 1935, was General Music Director at the Staatstheater Kassel from 1966 to 1972, before taking up further chief conductor posts in Berlin (Deutsche Oper), Zurich (Tonhalle Orchestra) and Hamburg (State Opera and Philharmonic State Orchestra).

From 1993 to 1996, he was the first foreign conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra in Prague. He was involved in music education for children and young people at the Hamburg Youth Music Foundation and the Musical Museums in Hamburg and Berlin.

Albrecht, who was regarded as a modern, analytical orchestra conductor, conducted the world premieres of important contemporary works, among others.

Haefliger has been director of the festival since 1999, which has been further developed and expanded under his leadership. Over the three annual cycles of the festival, he has succeeded in consistently inspiring audiences with his program, the Foundation Board continued. As a result, the Lucerne Festival has become a musical highlight in Central Switzerland.

Michael Haefliger is also involved in the Theater Werk Luzern project, which aims to restructure music theater and theater production in Central Switzerland.

The foundation statutes of the Central Switzerland Cultural Foundation stipulate that its purpose is to recognize significant cultural achievements from the region of Central Switzerland. The Board of Trustees consists of seven members, two of whom are elected by the cantonal government of Lucerne and one each by the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zug.

Born in Weimar in 1934, Gülke studied in Weimar, Jena and Leipzig. He completed his doctorate under Heinrich Besseler in 1958. He moved to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1983 and completed his habilitation in Berlin with Carl Dahlhaus in 1984. From 1986 to 1996 he was General Music Director of the city of Wuppertal, and from 1996 to 2000 he was also Professor of Conducting at the Freiburg State University of Music.

Gülke was not only a border crosser in many senses of the word, but also a "world connector", writes the foundation in its tribute. He repeatedly managed to build bridges between theory and practice, conductors and teachers and, not least, between the musical worlds in the former GDR and West Germany.

The Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation is awarding a total of three million euros in prizes and grants. In addition to the main prize of 250,000 euros, 35,000 euros each and the production of a portrait CD will be awarded to composer sponsorship prize winners, who will be announced at the end of February. The rest will be distributed among around 150 projects in the field of contemporary music worldwide.

According to the DOV, 37 cultural orchestras have effectively disappeared from the map. In the same period, the number of designated musician positions in orchestras nationwide has fallen from 12,159 to currently 9825. This corresponds to a reduction of a good 19 percent.

Membership data shows that orchestras will become more female in the future: The average proportion of women in German orchestras is around 30 percent, and already well over 50 percent among 25 to 30-year-olds.

Even in the 24th year after reunification, the orchestra structures in the new federal states are still not secure, explains DOV Managing Director Gerald Mertens. To date, around 37 percent of all permanent positions for musicians have been lost in the East alone. An end to this development is not in sight.
 

The 27-year-old Lithuanian took up the post in Bern for the 2013/14 season. She will conduct at the Kulturcasino for the first time in March: The program includes "Carnival of the Animals" as a family concert by the Bern Symphony Orchestra.

A total of 180 conductors applied for the position of music director in Salzburg. Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla clearly stood out as the first choice of the soloists, the choir and the orchestra, writes the theater. The Lithuanian completed and deepened her studies in Graz, Bologna, Leipzig and Zurich.

In the 2011/12 season, she was appointed conductor at the Heidelberg Theater for two seasons. She attracted international attention when she was awarded the coveted Salzburg Festival Young Conductors Award at the Salzburg Festival.

In the 2014/2015 season, the Salzburg State Theater will also establish the Gerard Mortier International Opera Studio in collaboration with the Juilliard School in New York and the opera school of the Istanbul State Conservatory. Gerard Mortier is sponsoring the project.
 

The Lucerne School of Music is investigating "how politics and the zeitgeist have prevented the emergence of outstanding female musicians such as Ethel Smyth". The project, which runs until the end of 2015, is funded by the Federal Equal Opportunities Program of the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation SERI.

As part of the project, the HSLU-M is organizing various events in February. In cooperation with the Lucerne Theater, one of Smyth's operas will be staged: "The Boatswain's Mate", a comic opera in two acts, performed by the Junge Philharmonie Zentralschweiz under the direction of Andrew Dunscombe. The premiere is on February 15. Further performances: on February 16, 20, 21, 22 and 26.

On February 17, the university is hosting the symposium "Life Is a Composite Affair. Ethel Smyth - Music, Criticism, Politics". It can be attended free of charge and is open to all
Open to anyone interested. Also on February 17, students will perform a free chamber concert with works by Ethel Smyth entitled "On the Road". The concert starts at 6 p.m. in the Dreilinden Hall (Dreilindenstrasse 98, Lucerne).

Parallel to these events, an exhibition about Ethel Smyth and the socio-political context will take place at the Kunst- und KulturZentrum Littau-Luzern from February 6 to 28. There will be a guided tour of the exhibition with project manager Blanka Šiška on February 16 at 4 pm. Admission is free.

More info: www.hslu.ch/ethelsmyth

According to Leipzig University, this also means that the relevant degree programs will be discontinued as soon as possible. New enrolments will then no longer be possible. The Leipzig Dance Archive is to be preserved, and the university also intends to support the preservation of the Museum of Antiquities.

The university had to propose 24 positions to be cut to the Saxon Ministry of Science and the Arts (SMWK) after 48 positions had already been named for 2013/14. The decision was very difficult, but unavoidable.

Several members of staff in Theater Studies are due to retire. External experts have also indicated that Theater Studies "cannot be seen as having a leading role in Leipzig University's profile in the future".

This means that Harvey's creative documents in Basel are now available for musicological research. The collection offers comprehensive documentation of the musician. It provides insights into his extensive musical oeuvre, his far-reaching experiments in the fusion of traditional instruments and electro-acoustic sound sources, some of which were realized with the help of IRCAM in Paris, as well as his unusual, sometimes Buddhist-inspired aesthetic as a whole.

In addition to Harvey's music manuscripts (sketches, drafts and fair copies), his writings on music (including his book on Stockhausen), correspondence and numerous sound recordings form the main part of the collection, according to the Sacher Foundation's press release.

More info: www.paul-sacher-stiftung.ch

On March 28, the acoustically perfect new hall, which can accommodate 1,300 listeners, and a chamber music hall with 300 seats will be officially opened as part of the Tongyeong International Music Festival 2014.

The artistic director of the festival and its international festival orchestra is Alexander Liebreich. Vesselina Kasarova, Yeol Eum Son, the Novus Quartet and the composers Salvatore Sciarrino and Tigran Mansurian are among this year's guests at the festival, which is now over ten years old.

The Tongyeong Concert Hall will offer events all year round after the festival. Guest performances by the Seoul Philharmonic (under Myung Whun Chung), the Zurich Chamber Orchestra (under Sir Roger Norrington) and the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra (Yuri Temirkanov) are planned for 2014; musical guests also include Martin Grubinger, Eldar Djangirov, Igudesman & Joo, Günter Pichler, Hyeyoon Park, the Chorakademie Lübeck, The King's Singers and many others.

Munich-based cultural manager Florian Riem has been the overall director of the Tongyeong Music Foundation since January 2014. Tongyeong is the birthplace of the composer Isang Yun.
 

According to the canton's announcement, the agreement will come into force on September 1, 2014 and remain in force until August 31, 2022. The aim is to "ensure sufficient, high-quality voluntary music lessons for currently around 1,200 primary and upper secondary school pupils in the canton of Uri".

The tender documents can be obtained from the Education and Culture Directorate, Directorate Secretariat, Klausenstrasse 4, 6460 Altdorf (telephone 041 875 20 56). Offers must be submitted by February 28, 2014. The official invitation to tender is published in the official gazette no. 4 of January 24, 2014.

At the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich will undergo a radical change in the summer. At the General Meeting on January 22, outgoing President Peter Stüber therefore looked back on the major changes that the company has experienced under his many years of leadership. The focus was on paying tribute to the management duo David Zinman and Elmar Weingarten. Stüber described the choice of these two people as a stroke of luck. Chief conductor Zinman has shaped the Tonhalle Orchestra into a world-class ensemble since the 1995/96 season.

This era will come to an end in summer 2014. As has been known since November 2012, the 27-year-old French conductor Lionel Bringuier and Ilona Schmiel, the current artistic director and managing director of the Bonn Beethovenfest, will take over the artistic direction from the 2014/15 season.

The orchestra thanked the long-standing president of the association, Peter Stüber, with chamber music interludes, and the new president, Martin Vollenwyder, also expressed his appreciation for his achievements alongside Elmar Weingartner.
 

As a composer, Alfred Zimmerlin has created an extensive oeuvre of contemporary music that is performed worldwide, writes the canton. Zimmerlin is the author of chamber music, vocal music, orchestral music and stage works. His compositions have been recorded on numerous sound carriers.

Zimmerlin is also a cellist and performs as an improvising musician in various formations in Europe and the USA. He is head of the Master's program in Free Improvisation at the Basel University of Music and, as a stylistically broadly oriented music journalist, has also made a name for himself as a mediator between musically diverse worlds.

The canton's sponsorship prize, which is endowed with 40,000 francs, is awarded to artists with potential. This year, it will be awarded to 46-year-old artist and art mediator Esther Eppstein. She has been running the art project and exhibition space "message salon" at various locations in Zurich since 1996, most recently at Haus Perla-Mode on Langstrasse from 2006 to 2013.

The Government Council awards the Golden Medal of Honor to writer and journalist Isolde Schaad "for her dedicated literary and journalistic work".