The Aargau pianist Beata Wetli has published a small anthology of Aargau composers from the 19th and 20th centuries under the title Aargau hikes recorded. It is immediately audible how predestined the piano has been since the early Romantic period to create a poetic atmosphere, to parade, dream, narrate, fantasize and capture moods even for less spectacular soundscapes. Pictorial and poetic are the most fitting attributes of this recording, which, in addition to a great stylistic variety - from early Romantic tonal language to late Romantic-Impressionist suggestions to neo-classical sound structures, everything can be heard - also offers first recordings.

The focus is on the 22 short piano pieces From a hike (op.17) by Werner Wehrli. His masterly cycle is synonymous with the programmatic title of the CD. In addition, works by Friedrich Theodor Fröhlich, Ernst Widmer, Emil Frey, Walther Geier, Ernest Bloch, Busoni master student Robert Blum and, fortunately, the multi-talented Peter Mieg can also be heard. And it is also clear that some composers were not included, such as Carl Attenhofer, Hermann Suter and Heinrich Sutermeister.

This may be regrettable at first. But in view of the urgency of Wetli's impressionistic refinement of sound, which is also captured very favorably in terms of sound technology, one can hope that a follow-up edition is planned with other composers. It would be desirable. Aargau offers an inexhaustible source of piano music spanning 150 years. In any case, this recording whets the appetite for more.

Princess And The Bear sounds like a fairy tale. And not so much like the Alps or Hamburg. But the duo have left a good piece of their hearts in the harbor of the northern German metropolis and released their first album Sleeping In The Bee House in a wooden hut on the Bürgenstock. This is also where the two of them spent the night during the recording - as the title suggests, in a converted beehive. It is quite possible that this is why the work seems so intimate. Like a ballad in a confined space.

The division of duties in Princess And The Bear is clear: Simone Schorro is the siren who sings and plays the glockenspiel, while guitarist Michael Tobler acts as a silent partner and cue man. Although the two joined forces six years ago, they are still Sleeping In The Bee House their first joint musical testimony. And what a testimony it is. The Lucerne native and the Zurich native create airy song creations of folk, jazzy pop and an all-encompassing melancholy that, despite their heavy content, also have a gentle momentum. Princess And The Bear keep a decidedly low tempo, basking in a well-tempered atmosphere and devoting themselves to fragility.

Schorro's vocals take center stage, circling, swaying and determined; her voice sounds like a message in a bottle on a high but calm sea. In keeping with this, an accordion groans like a bending plank on pieces such as "100 Years" or "I Still Miss You". The songs, as supple as they are gnarled, tell of butterflies, doors or anchors, are more dreamy than playful and full of distortions. The album speaks of longing. And strength. So much so that it is clear: Sleeping In The Bee House is an event.

Princess And The Bear: Sleeping In The Bee House

According to the report by the Center for Cultural Management at the ZHAW, almost three quarters of the companies surveyed are involved in sport. The area of corporate responsibility was supported by 50 percent, culture by 48 percent and the media by 24 percent.

On average, companies spent around CHF 1.8 million on sponsorship in 2012. Most of the money (38%) went to sport, followed by culture (23%). Compared to Germany, cultural sponsorship is more important in Switzerland. In the neighboring country, only around 10 percent of funds flow into culture and a whopping 65 percent into sport. Financial service providers (banks, insurance companies) are more active than average in the sponsorship market.

The most common cultural sponsorships relate to film, classical music as well as rock, pop and jazz music. The experts surveyed assume that sponsorship in the areas of film, rock and pop music will continue to gain in importance in the future, while "traditional" areas such as ballet, opera and classical music will tend to lose importance.

The study can be obtained free of charge via the following link:
www.zhaw.ch/de/management/zkm/forschung-und-entwicklung/studie-sponsor-visions-schweiz.html

Nanchen will take up her post on September 1, 2013. She succeeds Franziska Burkhardt, who has held this position for three years.

Danielle Nanchen was born in Valais and lives in Zurich. She studied philosophy, art history and literature at the University of Lausanne. She worked as exhibition director of the Arteplage Murten for Expo.02, then supervised numerous cultural projects and finally headed the programs department at the Pro Helvetia Foundation.

As Head of the Cultural Creation Section, Danielle Nanchen will be responsible, among other things, for the development of the Federal Cultural Awards, which the Federal Office of Culture has launched in new cultural sectors following the entry into force of the Cultural Promotion Act.

In the 18th century, young songbirds were kept and melodies were played to them. They were supposed to memorize the tone sequences, "recordari" in Latin, and then whistle them. Recorders were often used for this instruction, which gave them their English name "recorder". There were even collections of melodies that recommended suitable tunes for different bird species.

This brings us to the subject of this publication, which sheds light on bird calls and songs, particularly at the interface with music. The author Christian Marti is an amateur musician himself and has collected material on the subject for over 20 years. You can feel this in every sentence of the 32 pages. Doors to broad ornithological fields of research and a rich musical repertoire are opened, and yet the text is pleasantly readable, one might almost say relaxing, which is perhaps due to the fact that it all begins on an early spring morning: Who starts singing when? And what is it actually for? Do only males sing? Why do we sometimes think in late summer that the birds have all disappeared? Birds don't have vocal chords. So how do they sing? What are calls, what are songs? Are starlings mocking us when they imitate sounds? Is a young cuckoo that makes as many begging sounds as the four-headed brood of its host family also fed four times over? How does birdsong change when there is constant ambient noise? And how is birdsong recorded at all?

More biological questions are being replaced by increasingly musical ones. It is about composers who have written bird calls into their works, about a kind of hit parade of the most frequently quoted species and also about bird calls on tape in the concert hall

The best thing is that all the bird calls and music examples mentioned are on the Website of the ornithological station to listen to! A really worthwhile thing - even the sparrows are whistling it from the rooftops.

Christian Marti with contributions by Gilberto Pasinelli, Vogelstimmen, (=Themen aus der Vogelwelt, Heft 70),
32 p., Fr. 5.00, Swiss Ornithological Institute Sempach 2013, info@vogelwarte.ch
The booklet is also available in French and Italian.

Trinchan will hold the office from October 1 to November 30, 2013 with a 50% workload and full-time from December 1, 2013.

Born in Fribourg in 1965, Trinchan studied history and geography in his home town and information and communication sciences in Poitiers and Bordeaux. In 2001, he took over as head of the Communication Division of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

He is a member of the board of the International Festival of Sacred Music of Fribourg, vice-president of the Fribourg theater group Claire, board member of the French-speaking history association of the canton of Fribourg and member of the foundation board of the Castle of Gruyères.
 

Ascolta! is a collection of pieces, multicultural folk music from Argentina via Ireland, Western Europe and the Balkans to Russia. It was created as part of the many years of work by the editor Axel Genannt with folk ensembles at the music school in Bad Vilbel near Frankfurt am Main. The 14 pieces have therefore been tried and tested many times and are guaranteed to be well received by the pupils.

Thanks to the included CD-ROM, sheet music in C or Bb can be printed out, and guitar tablatures and song lyrics can also be called up. The instrumentation is variable: the author makes suggestions, and some styles require certain instruments - but there are no limits to the imagination! Balalaika or charango can also be played on octave guitars and for the percussion instruments the booklet gives instructions for playing with the tambourine or with soup spoons or recommends buying a washboard at a flea market. You can also improvise over the musical text. All pieces are placed on a music stand (in score form) and can be repeated at will, which encourages individual variations. The accompanying booklet, which also contains the printed music text along with ethnomusicological explanations of the individual pieces, provides suggestions and tips.

Axel Genannt is a classical guitarist by training and has a wealth of pedagogical experience in leading mixed playing groups. He has also performed with his students at the European Youth Music Festivals in Budapest, Linz and Rimini.

The title Ascolta! is intended to encourage people to listen to each other. This collection offers a fun introduction to the world of improvisation.

Axel Genannt, Ascolta! Folklore for variable instrumental ensemble, playing material on CD-ROM, KM 2285, € 26.00, Breitkopf & Härtel 2012

The Tschumi Prize is awarded annually for the best soloist examinations at Bern University of the Arts (HKB). The Belarusian pianist Pavel Yeletskiy from Tomasz Herbut's class impressed the jury with his interpretation of Prokofiev.

The pianist Meghan Behiel, the guitarist Ye Fan, the bass clarinettist Vincent Hering and the accordionist Rade Mijatovic have also successfully completed their Master's degree in Specialized Music Performance - the highest level of education at the HKB in the field of music.

Under the direction of conductor Frank Ollu, the Bern Symphony Orchestra accompanied the four soloists and the soloist. The gala concert is one of the highlights of the HKB's anniversary year, which is celebrating its tenth birthday in 2013 with numerous events.

Magic castle, wishing machine, music from all over the world, earth, water, air and feet - is the name of the four musicals by Christina Schaffner that . In the Magic castle and the children have to free themselves - singing, dancing and acting - from the captivity of a wizard. With the musical Wishing machine they can transform themselves into other creatures. Into Martians or pirates, into cats or princesses. Music from all over the world sets the framework for a musical journey around the world, an open concept that adapts to the situation of the school class, depending on the countries the children come from. Earth, water, air and air - a tried and tested subject that is ideal for theater and music. But how do you do it, how do you create a musical with a school class that can be performed? This book provides clear and understandable instructions and gives tips on directing, roles, the stage and props. Songs, dances and raps are ready to go. The enclosed CDs contain the sheet music for the songs and recordings of performances. These could certainly be a little more musically mature. But they are certainly authentic.

The individual musicals take about one lesson; the time required for rehearsal is 30 hours. Ideal for a class camp.

Christina Schaffner, Vier Mundart-Musicals für 6- bis 10jährige Kinder, workbook, GH 11753, with CD-Rom (playbacks and piano sheet music), Fr. 59.80, Hug Musikverlage, Zurich 2012

The festival will be opened by the Bern Symphony Orchestra with Beethoven's "Missa Solemnis" and works by Vincent de Roguin (world premiere), Daniel Glaus (world premiere) and Roland Moser.

Initiated by the Basellandschaftliche Neue-Musik-Festival Rümlingen, a traditional annual marching organ docks at several Swiss festivals. The Egyptian composer Wael Sami Elkholy has written a composition for the Bern Music Festival.

As part of a cooperation with the Waldau Psychiatric Clinic, there will be special concerts in the clinic's chapel as well as a music therapy workshop, and Eric Satie's famous piano piece "Vexations" will be played in the festival center ten times for two hours, alternating continuously throughout the opening hours.

As Artist in Residence, music performer Lara Stanic is developing five ten-minute and one one-hour music performance on the theme of lunacy - as a bracket around the festival's programs and venues.

Other events include a spoken opera by Elfriede Jelinek ("Kein Licht"), the founding of a competence center for music education, a folk music jam session, a musicological conference on "Wahn und Widersinn" and a performance by the Sinfonie Orchester Biel Solothurn with actor Anatole Taubman.

As part of a cooperation with the Swiss Musicians' Association (STV), the Swiss Musicians' Festival will also take place on the first weekend of the festival. Numerous Swiss composers and performers will present new works, improvisation programs and sound installations.

More info: www.musikfestivalbern.ch

15,000 francs will go to the musician Estelle Revaz; Sylvie Bourban and the Upper Valais band "Le Pot" under the direction of Manuel Mengis and Hans-Peter Pfammatter will each receive 30,000 francs.

Pascal Rinaldi will receive CHF 10,000 for a composition project. In the area of collaboration between professional and amateur artists, the "Journées Internationales de la guitare de Sion" and the Visper Ensemble will receive support in the amount of CHF 12,500 and CHF 20,000 respectively.

The Cantonal Department of Culture also selects 5 to 10 sound recordings each year for distribution in the professional music sector. Applications must be submitted before October 31. After this date, a jury of experts awards grants of between CHF 1,000 and CHF 5,000 to the most convincing projects.