Among other things, the canton will become more involved in supporting Geneva's cultural beacons. This includes investment projects at the Nouvelle Comédie and the ongoing operation of the Grand Théâtre. The canton also intends to increase its support for the expansion of the Historical Museum.

To implement the law, a consultative cultural council (Conseil consultatif de la culture) is to be set up in the next stage in 2014. The aim of the cooperation is "a coherent cultural policy of the city and canton as well as facilitating access to culture for all".

Its origins lie in 1957: the American composer Max Mathews composed the first digital work in music history on an IBM 709 computer. It is 17 seconds long and sounds just as strange today as the analog ring modulators used by Karlheinz Stockhausen, Karel Goeyvaerts and Gottfried Michael Koenig in Cologne. Little happened immediately after 1957. It was not until the 1970s that things got going: the first conference for computer music was held in 1974. From 1977, the Computer Music Journalwhich to this day reflects developments that can only be reconciled with instrumentology and harmony theory to a very limited extent.

This is also true of the Signals, Systems and Sound Synthesis. Gerald Bennett, founder of the former Zurich Institute for Computer Music and Sound Technology, has taken the trouble to translate the book published by Martin Neukom in 2003, including a number of revisions and additions. The result is a standard work, albeit one for specialists. On the one hand, this is due to the flood of new composition programs and the diversification of digital music production, which encompasses such heterogeneous areas as Fast Fourier Transformation, granular synthesis and working with Max patches. On the other hand, the complexity lies in the methodology. Neukom's arguments are strictly mathematical. Even relatively simple acoustic fundamentals such as the propagation of sound waves or the differentiation between sound strength and sound intensity quickly expand into complex problem areas that the skilled acoustician may understand, but which elude the comprehension of the less numerate music historian.

Neukom and Bennett have included a CD with the more than 600-page tome, which offers sound examples in addition to the complete book content. As most of the files are written in unusual programming languages such as Mathematica Notebooks, Csound or C/C++, it is necessary to download special applications such as a Wolfram CDF Player. However, if you do not have a current operating system, you will have to limit yourself to the fortunately traditionally printed pages.

Martin Neukom Signals, Systems and Sound Synthesis, translated into English by Gerald Bennett, 619 p., Fr. 110.00, with CD, Peter Lang Verlag, Bern 2013, ISBN 978-3-0343-1428-2

The edition of Antonín Dvořák's monumental Second Cello Concerto in B minor op. 104 is a long tale of woe. If you compare conventional editions (including those claiming to be the "Urtext"), you quickly notice striking discrepancies between the score, solo part and orchestral material. The new Bärenreiter edition finally does away with this. Jonathan Del Mar has examined all the surviving sources extremely conscientiously, including two that had previously been either ignored or greatly underestimated.

The influence of the cellist and dedicatee Hanuš Wihan is also documented in detail. Del Mar proves that not only were certain passages in Dvořák's autograph written by him, but that some details in the orchestral parts were also written by him. This proves how closely the two musicians worked together during the creation of the work.

The efforts resulted in a standard-setting edition that restores Dvořák's definitive version of the solo part for the first time since the concerto was first published in 1896. It differs from all modern editions in almost every bar. Hundreds of corrections were also made to the orchestral parts. The Critical Report, available separately in English, is particularly informative in this respect.

It is to be hoped that this edition will quickly establish itself as standard material.

Antonín Dvořák: Concerto per Violoncello in B minor op. 104, Urtext edited by Jonathan Del Mar; Score, BA 9045, € 55.00; arrangement for violoncello and piano by the composer BA 9045-90, € 14.95; Critical Report, BA 9045-40, € 29.95; Bärenreiter, Prague 2011

Four fortunate family circumstances were involved in the creation of this Sonata in d for alto recorder and organ: Hans Chemin-Petit originally wrote the middle movement of the sonata in 1963 for the christening of his grandson Hajo - a cheerful, idyllic aria in three-four time with a calm andante tempo at the beginning and end and a somewhat faster middle section. The fact that he composed for recorder at all in the first half of the 20th century is due to the fact that one of his daughters - Jeannette Chemin-Petit - was a recorder player, first as a pupil of Linde Höffer-von Winterfeld, then as a professor herself in Berlin. And the third fact can be found in Hans Chemin-Petit's own biography: Born in Potsdam in 1902, the son of a bandmaster and a singer, he enjoyed piano and cello lessons from an early age, later studied cello and composition at the Musikhochschule in Berlin and rose to prominence both as a cellist and choral conductor, but also as a composer. His extensive oeuvre encompasses almost all genres and includes numerous works for recorder, from small-scale house music to a large double concerto for recorder, harpsichord, strings and percussion. However, Chemin-Petit also had to put up with critical questions: As a member of the Nazi Altherrenbund, he was committed to an ideology that casts him, his works and his work in an ambivalent light. For example, his cantata To love performed at the Reichsmusiktag 1938.

Hans Chemin-Petit explores in his Sonata in d As in his works in general, he explores the boundaries of tonality, to which he always remains attached. His thinking is also formally indebted to tradition: Both the understanding of form based on symmetry, the artful polyphony trained on J. S. Bach, the type of rhythm and the movement models (aria, gigue) refer to baroque models, but have been given a new guise thanks to Chemin-Petit's very personal tonal language and melodic richness. The two instruments, alto recorder and organ, are equal partners in the dialog.

In the summer after the aforementioned baptism, the composer added the two outer movements Allegro and Gigue to the first Aria to create a three-movement sonata in the classical style. We have his second daughter (and mother of the christened child) Andrea Witte to thank for the fact that it was edited at all - stroke of luck number four.

Hans Chemin-Petit (1902-1981), Sonata in d for treble recorder and organ, edited by Andrea Witte, EM 2165, € 15.00, Edition Merseburger, Kassel 2013

In keeping with the Verdi year, the Swiss flautist Emmanuel Pahud has presented his Flute Collection with operatic fantasies based on his works, which were written in the 19th century for chamber music and house concerts. Due to Theobald Böhm's technical developments, a new generation of flautists emerged in the mid-19th century who used their virtuosity to dress popular music, such as the "opera hits" of the time, in effective paraphrases and fantasies. On the one hand, Pahud intends to bring these bravura pieces, some of which have fallen into oblivion, back to life in the original version for flute and piano, and on the other, he has recognized that they are also suitable as flute concertos, so he had Yoel Gamzou prepare an orchestral accompaniment for all the works.

With the Fantasy on "La Traviata" are the popular arrangements by the renowned Italian flautists Emanuele Krakamp and Giulio Briccialdi, both of whom were also active as composers. For the new edition, Yoel Gamzou has combined their two versions into one whole. The individual sections always begin with familiar themes, which are then soon lavishly embellished with garlands.

The Fantasy on "Rigoletto" for two flutes and piano was composed by the brothers Karl and Franz Doppler, who were internationally renowned as traveling flute virtuosos in the 19th century and probably performed this piece on their concert tours. The fantasy also contains the famous soprano aria Caro nome di lui si amatowhich in the opera is played by two flutes in the slow opening theme. The two flute parts are often skillfully led in sweet sixths and alternate with the theme and virtuoso orchestration, so that two equal instrumental parts face each other. This fantasy is also dynamically graded in an interesting way and therefore has a very colorful effect.

The processing of the Lensky's aria from Tchaikovsky's opera "Eugene Onegin", whose range extends from a low B to a four-note C, lives more from its expressive melody than from virtuoso passages. The version goes back to an arrangement from the 1920s by Leopold Auer for violin and piano and was revised and edited for flute and piano by Guy Braunstein, the current concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker. This work now also enriches the repertoire for flutists.

Giuseppe Verdi , Fantasia on "La Traviata" for flute and piano after the fantasies by Emanuele Karakamp and Giulio Briccialdi arranged by Yoel Gamzou, (The Flute collection UE 35314, € 22.95, Universal Edition, Vienna 2012

Giuseppe Verdi/Franz and Karl Doppler, Fantasy on "Rigoletto" for two flutes and piano, UE 35315, € 24.95

Peter Ilyich Tsaikovsky, Lensky's aria from the opera "Eugene Onegin", arranged for flute and piano by Guy Braunstein, UE 35313, € 18.95

Originally, the Sound flowers was written for piano by the German composer Barbara Heller; she later arranged it for violin and piano. It turned out that both versions are for the most part also very suitable for harp or harp and violin. Domenica Reetz and Marianne Boettcher have arranged them accordingly.

The individual pieces have very pictorial titles, some with the names of flowers, others with fantasy names such as Fluttering flower, paper flower, grasses in the wind, ice flower etc. and thus enable a direct, associative reference to the various soundscapes. Depending on its character, each piece is based on a musical idea (a scale, a restriction to certain intervals, a musical gesture or a rhythmic element), which is able to radiate a strong mood and captivate players and listeners alike.

While the Sound flowers While the booklet for solo harp consists of 17 pieces, the booklet for violin and harp has 14 (and not 13, as incorrectly noted on the cover!). Some of the same pieces have been expanded or divided between the two instruments, and some new pieces have been added. The Klangblumen can be played as a cycle or individually. Both the solo and duo pieces are also ideal for young people, who will come into contact with very atmospheric music of our time and perhaps even be encouraged to experiment further with the musical ideas.

Some pieces can be played on the Celtic harp or the Tyrolean harp. Apart from a few incorrect pedal markings, the edition is beautifully and clearly laid out. I can warmly recommend these two works.

Barbara Heller: Klangblumen, 17 pieces for solo harp, edited by Domenica Reetz, ED 21020, € 11.99, Schott, Mainz 2011

Barbara Heller: Klangblumen, 13 pieces for violin and harp, edited by Marianne Boettcher, ED 21021, € 16.99, Schott, Mainz 2011

With around 900 square meters of sales space spread over two floors, the largest specialist store in Eastern Switzerland for acoustic grand and upright pianos, digital pianos, electronic music accessories and selected DJ and home studio equipment is to be built on Fürstenlandstrasse in St. Gallen.

In the last five years, there has been a massive shift in the sale of sound carriers in particular towards online sources, writes Musik Hug. For this reason, the webshop with over 350,000 sheet music and music books is being fundamentally revised. Soon, around 400,000 classical, jazz and pop/rock CDs, special instrumental offers and accessories will also be available online.

The closure of the St. Gallen Musik Hug branch as a result of the restructuring may lead to a reduction of 11 to 14 jobs, which will be accompanied by a redundancy plan. The affected employees and apprentices in particular will be offered a new position in the full-range stores if possible.

According to the French-speaking Swiss newspaper "Le Temps", the orchestra's management has circulated a letter within the orchestra announcing the court settlement. No details of the agreement are being made public.

Originally, Esteban was owed 1.8 million francs by the OSR. Esteban was dismissed in 2012 shortly after taking office for unknown reasons

If you want to make a career in the world of blockbusters, musicals and stadium concerts, you are best advised to acquire your skills at Berklee College of Music. It has the closest connections to the scene and the highest reputation. Another good address in Los Angeles is the Thornton School at USC (University of Southern California). The Herb Alpert School at UCLA (University of California Los Angeles) is in fourth place.

In third and fifth to eighth place, however, are the most important schools on the East Coast: the Juilliard School in New York, the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester, the Steinhardt Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions at New York University, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston.

In ninth place is the California Institute of the Arts and in tenth place is the only European training center, the Royal College of Music in London.

Around half of the Swiss population now uses a smartphone. Other mobile devices that allow us to be online anytime and anywhere have also become an integral part of our everyday lives. How does this omnipresence affect artistic creation? And what new forms of artistic expression does it give rise to? The Swiss Arts Council is addressing these questions from 2013 to 2015 with its new program "Mobile. In Touch with Digital Creation" program.

The second axis of the "Digital Culture" focus opens up the influences of digitization on dissemination, promotion and mediation in the classic art disciplines, such as literature on the Internet or music information projects.

Finally, the "Interdisciplinary Cooperation Projects New Media" call for proposals is looking for joint projects by event organizers, institutions and producers that deal artistically with the latest digital technologies or their social and cultural impact.

Pro Helvetia's "Digital Culture" priority covers the years 2012 to 2015 and has a budget of CHF 1.8 million. Applications can be submitted via www.myprohelvetia.ch to be submitted.

The 41-year-old Gubler from Zurich was selected by the search committee from 18 external candidates, as the MHL writes. Gubler will take up his six-year term of office on March 1, 2014. He is currently Head of Studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Basel, where he is also entrusted with university management duties.

Gubler studied saxophone, composition and law and, in addition to his administrative duties, worked as a freelance saxophonist and composer as well as a lecturer at various Swiss universities.

Inge-Susann Römhild will continue to head the MHL until February 28, 2014. With 19 years in office, she is currently the longest serving head of a German music academy. She was first elected Rector of the MHL in 1994. After four further terms as part-time Rector, she became full-time President for the first time in 2008.

The sound installation is based on Hofmann's master's thesis at the Zurich University of the Arts. The musician investigated which sounds can be heard in a beehive. He makes the previously barely heard noises and sounds audible through body sound recordings.

In an oversized, walk-in beehive, visitors to the Zoological Museum of the University of Zurich can discover the secrets of bee sounds. Inside the hive, they can hear bees crawling on the floor like menacing drum rolls, while splashing, dripping and pitter-pattering can be heard on the honeycombs. When they leave the hive, they move along the bees' approach path. At first there is a classical humming sound, but soon the humming is replaced by human voices, which move through the space just like the bees.

For the recordings, Hofmann housed a bee colony in a test box equipped with microphones and soundproofed it with 300 kilograms of sand. He connected the special microphones to a computer and did all this in the presence of the bee colony, which was supposed to behave as naturally as possible.

Hofmann worked with professionals from the fields of physics, sound engineering, film, photography and carpentry, as well as with beekeepers. And he founded an ad hoc choir to transform the sound of nature into the sound of culture in the bees' approach path. Young people and adults keen to experiment transformed the natural sound of bees into their own aesthetic expression, based on the sounds and movements of bees.

More info: www.zm.uzh.ch

Initial investigations have already been carried out in a previous project from 2009 to 2011. It turned out that the task of realistically simulating the so-called load-bearing behavior of historical objects is extremely complex and the need for research is very great.

In addition to the modeling by the Dresden scientists, the Swiss cooperation partners from ETH Zurich will investigate the specific material properties in the experimental part of the project. In addition to the wood, the focus will be on the adhesives and coatings commonly used at the time.

In the end, the researchers not only want to understand which stresses lead to which types of damage, but also define threshold values and formulate recommendations for the storage and use of historical wooden objects.

The scientists at the Dresden Institute for Statics and Dynamics of Structures, led by Michael Kaliske, are cooperating with the Institute for Building Materials at ETH Zurich, the Händel House in Halle/Saale and the Musée d'Ethnographie in Geneva.