The regulations stipulate that cultural workers and associations from the cultural sector based in Aarau who are in need due to COVID-19 restrictions can apply for financial assistance from the city of Aarau. This applies retroactively from March 13 and until December 31, 2020, with a total of CHF 40,000 available for bridging assistance. In addition to the subsidiary payment of compensation for loss of earnings, the basic fees for the cultural use of public spaces and places will also be reimbursed under certain conditions.

In addition to the written justification of the emergency situation, applications for loss of earnings compensation also require proof that the application has been submitted to the relevant cantonal and national authorities and their decisions. In addition, income and expenditure, the asset situation and current liquidity must be disclosed.

For the waiver of basic fees for the cultural use of public spaces or buildings in the city, an application must be submitted with the corresponding invoices and a description of the planned or already held event.

Applications must be submitted by December 31, 2020 at the latest to the Kulturstelle, Abteilung Kultur Aarau, at kulturstelle@aarau.ch or by post to Rathausgasse 1, 5000 Aarau. The Cultural Office will continue to support creative artists and cultural associations in an advisory capacity.

The regulations on bridging assistance in the cultural sector can be found under the following link: https://aarau.tlex.ch/frontend/versions/302

Adolf Busch (1891-1952) is considered by many to be one of the most important violinists of the 20th century. It is probably less well known that he was also an ambitious composer. Busch wrote numerous chamber music and organ works, songs, but also symphonic works. The fact that he also wrote a virtuoso piano concerto and a large-scale piano sonata may come as a surprise at first glance. He was probably inspired by his young piano partner Rudolf Serkin, who later became his son-in-law. It was also Serkin who premiered the Piano Sonata op. 25 in Berlin in 1922. The press initially reacted rather negatively. The work was said to be "illogical and uninteresting", for example. Others, however, were convinced of its quality and championed it, not least Serkin himself, of course.

The sonata consists of three movements: an Allegro moderato con passione, an expansive variation movement and a concluding fugue with introduction, which ultimately artfully combines the themes of the preceding movements. So there can be no question of it being "illogical". However, the constantly changing harmonies are certainly challenging for the listener. Similar to Max Reger, to whom this music is very close, there is also a vast number of modulations in a very confined space, which initially makes it difficult to understand the formal processes. The 2nd movement, whose variations are based on a simple theme in the manner of a string quartet, is probably the most accessible.
Speaking of Reger: some passages in Busch's piano sonata could almost be considered homages to the great model. Just compare the Adagio in the second movement with the ninth from Reger's monumental Bach Variations ...

Although Busch's sonata is very demanding pianistically, the piano writing is usually quite easy on the fingers. And where this is not the case (as with the numerous trills in the fugue), Jakob Fichert, who supervised the new edition for Breitkopf & Härtel, has practical solutions at the ready.

Fichert even recorded the work on CD in 2016 (Toccata Classics 0245) and therefore knows it from his own experience. He strives for the greatest possible clarity in his playing, which is perhaps somewhat at the expense of expressivity. But his profound knowledge of this music is impressive: the corrections to the first edition and the autograph are easy to follow and the fingerings are very helpful. The notation - as far as this music allows - is clear and concise. Anyone wishing to study Adolf Busch's Piano Sonata op. 25 in greater depth will be very well equipped with this new edition.

Adolf Busch: Sonata in C minor for piano op. 25, edited by Jakob Fichert, EB 8996, € 24.90, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden

Antonio Vivaldi, composer and violin virtuoso, is famous for other works, not for his operas. And yet, according to his own account, he wrote 94 operas between 1713 and 1739, up to 5 operas a year! Of these, 49 have been preserved and identified, at least in part, as his works.

Vivaldi was particularly active as an opera composer in the theaters of Rome, Mantua, Verona and in his hometown of Venice and mainly used material from ancient history and mythology. Divas such as Cecilia Bartoli have performed his operas before, and corresponding recordings are available, but apart from a few well-known arias, this music is not often heard. Editions Buissonnières now make Vivaldi's vocal works accessible to us in the most beautiful way.

An entire collection of Vivaldi arias gives us a glimpse of unexpected treasures, even from very unknown operas. Organized by vocal genre, this is an enchanting series, enchanting above all in its execution: bound books that would make photocopies and tablets green with envy. You want these books have. Even the hard cover is captivating with its Venetian views, a volume is dedicated to each voice part, soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto and tenor arias are of course supplemented by a volume for contre-tenor, another for baritone/bass has been announced for this year. There is also a volume with ensembles and choirs. The sheet music is enriched by a few historical illustrations.

Three major operas are discussed in detail with their genesis, cast and content. Each aria is preceded by comments on how the arias fit into the respective plot and a translation of the vocal text from Italian. The only drawback is that all these texts are only in French.

The music is gripping, moving, extraordinary and varied. As we know Vivaldi. Virtuosically challenging, furious, elegiac-expressive, heartfelt. You can learn to sing with this music, you can demonstrate virtuosity, musicality and expressiveness. One can only hope that these works will increasingly find their way into concert halls and music academies. Or have you ever heard of an opera called Tietiberga or Dorilla in Tempe or Atenaïde heard?

Antonio Vivaldi: Airs d'opéra pour
soprano, chant et clavier, EB-2-115, € 29.00;
mezzo-soprano EB-2-337, € 33.00;
alto EB-2-371, € 38.00;
contre-ténor, EB-2-222, € 38.00;
ténor, EB-2-372, € 29.00;
Extraits d'opéras duos, trios, chœurs, EB-2-370, € 29.00;
Editions Buissonnières, Crozon

This is the sixth volume of arrangements for youth ensembles by British musician, composer and teacher James Rae. To date, he has published over 250 works, mostly of educational music, almost all of which have been published by Universal-Edition. These include instrumental editions, etudes and schools for wind instruments, transcriptions and duets. Together with his compatriot, jazz piano teacher Mike Cornick, he has written four musicals for schools.

The All together easy series is characterized by instrumental movements that are easy to play and listen to, "democratic" distribution of the melody to all four voices and a stylistically diverse selection of popular pieces from classical music, folk, jazz and original compositions.

Volume 6 contains: Mack the Knife (Kurt Weill), Bridal choir from Lohengrin (Richard Wagner), The Sky Boat Song (trad. Scottish) and the groovy Rugged Rock (James Rae).

Ensemble teachers can find All together easy Suitable material for enjoyable music-making in any combination of instruments. The level of difficulty for all instruments is correctly described as "easy". More demanding and contrapuntally differentiated ensemble movements can still be made by yourself!

All together easy, Easy concert pieces for variable four-part instrumental ensemble, Volume 6, arr. by James Rae, score and parts (in C, Bb and Eb), optional piano part, UE 21 585, € 22.50, Universal Edition, Vienna

For many drummers, Oli Rubow is not a new skin. He has been known for years through countless blog entries and articles on the subject of "echo drums", his field of musical research, which he has worked on intensively over the last 20 years. This exploration can be heard in bands such as Netzer, Hattler and DePhazz. He practices hybrid drumming with an acoustic drum set and electronic effects.

Speaking of electronics: in 1957, Pierre Schaeffer, one of the pioneers of electronic music with his experimental "Musique concrète", laid down rules to revolutionize the craft of composition at the time. His demands were about "creating new sound objects and practising their realization". Or "learning to use sound manipulation devices" and "making studies before conceiving works". As a crowning conclusion, he then formulated the following rule: "Work and time - essential for any real process of appropriation!"

I quote this episode of music history because Oli Rubow in his book Echo Drums uses precisely these practices and thus greatly supports the appropriation process. He tells his story with a fresh flow. From the first echo device to today's setup. Stumbling blocks and workarounds, musical tricks and technical know-how - as a reader, you are immediately immersed in this exciting world and want to try out these sounds right away.

Thanks to the well-thought-out step-by-step instructions, this is no problem at all. With concrete exercises that you can put into practice immediately, the topic is illuminated more and more. You create new sounds and practice their realization. You get to know the equipment, which is far less complicated to use than you feared. With anecdotes and references to pieces of music from pop history, you will become familiar with the many possibilities of this effect playing technique. There are also many further links and online videos.

This book is recommended for all musicians who want to integrate the exciting world of echo and delay effects into their playing with concrete exercises.

Oli Rubow: Echo Drums - Different drumming thanks to electricity and effects, 116 p., € 24.80, Leu-Verlag, Neusäss, ISBN 978-3-8977-184-2

Key works: On the one hand, these are pieces that open up something new to an era, so that everything is different than before. On the other hand, they are pieces that make an era accessible to us in retrospect, so that we understand it better. Which pieces would that be? Some of them, L'Orfeothe Ninth or the Wozzeck for example, it will be easy to agree, but then the discussion begins. And of course, everyone chooses differently!

And that is why even a first glance at the table of contents of this book raises doubts. Just one piece by Chopin, Ravel or Cage? No Antoine Brumel, Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel or Pierre Henry, but a piano concerto by Norbert Burgmüller or Guillaume Lekeu's piano quartet? And is Glenn Gould's interpretation of the Goldberg Variations as a work? It becomes even more difficult when the authors cannot decide on one work. For example, they choose one symphony each by Haydn and Mozart, but put all nine of Beethoven's works on one page and all of his piano sonatas on half a page. It is impossible to form a canon in this way.

Perhaps a book of "key works of music" should not be seen as a confirmation of one's own opinions, but rather as a challenge. And that's exactly what it is: 268 key works by 180 composers from the anonymous Middle Ages to the early 21st century are brought together here and discussed in exemplary fashion. However, these are often hardly portraits of works, but rather portraits of composers, based on one work. This also testifies to a certain indecisiveness towards the "key work".

Accessibility and comprehensibility are the order of the day: classical music is no longer something elitist, but easy to grasp, the authors claim at the beginning of the foreword, and they achieve this by trying not to get bogged down in technical terminology. Sometimes they succeed in telling little stories. They deconstruct clichés - and anecdotally create some of their own. The language contains wit and welcome irony in places, but is sometimes a little too flippant, for example when talking about Witold Lutosławski's Jeux vénitiens concludes: "The four short sentences are incredibly lively, especially the last one. The lagoon city should find itself reflected in them." What's that supposed to mean? Despite its many suggestions and information, the book leaves a somewhat ambivalent impression. A clearer concept would have helped.

Bernd Asmus, Claus-Steffen Mahnkopf, Johannes Menke: Key Works of Music, 304 p., € 26.80, Wolke, Hofheim 2019, ISBN 978-3-95593-125-4

Norient has the merit of having brought the journalistic treatment of what is referred to as world music out of the corner of the orchid subject of ethnomusicology. When it was founded around twenty years ago, the online magazine was a necessary statement against leaving the folklore of the world to propagandistic nationalist circles. The thematic grid provided with the new website shows that left-wing urban preferences are now even more prominent: The keyword catalog ranges from activism to colonialism, countercultures, ethics, gender roles, queer to technology and climate change.

According to the platform's own definition, the aim is "to support (sub)cultural diversity, broaden horizons and stimulate dialog between people, continents and disciplines". However, the platform falls into the trap of activist mixing of form and content: the type of presentation is not so value-tolerant that it would promote the hope of broadening horizons. The design of the site follows typical urban-ideological design trends. To outsiders, this may seem original, but it is confusing, even chaotic. The uninitiated feel excluded. It's a shame, as many of the contributions would also be inspiring for those who think differently.

The relaunch of the site can be seen as a symptom of a global shift in cultural boundaries: away from a categorization into first and third world or industrialized and underdeveloped countries, towards a widening gap between traditional and metropolitan lifeworlds. There is a danger that conformity will be created instead of the claimed diversity. The result is a trendy urban aesthetic and ethic that makes the cultural scenes of metropolitan areas all over the world interchangeable, while the democratic potential of the leisurely and highly participatory renewal processes of local popular cultures is increasingly seen as a stumbling block.

Norient - The Now in Sound

This double CD with piano works by Gregorio Zanon (*1980) focuses on a Swiss composer who is still little known in German-speaking Switzerland. Unjustly so, I would say after this first encounter with his work. It is a pity that the record company spends two pages on the biography of the pianist Cédric Pescia, who enjoys an excellent reputation in this country, while only scant information about the composer can be found in the booklet. Wikipedia tells us that Zanon, who was born in Geneva, studied in his home town with Jean Balissat and Eric Gaudibert and in London with Dominic Muldowney. He has already achieved considerable success with works for strings in particular.

Zanon's piano works are stylistically diverse. He is not an iconoclast who wants to reinvent music, but neither is he an eternalist who still composes today as he did in Brahms' time. Instead, he builds his own musical cosmos from the elements of tonal music, which may at times be reminiscent of Scriabin, Shostakovich or Ravel, but as a whole represents a very personal achievement. Even after thinking about it for a while, it is hard to think of a musical category in which to categorize Zanon's work. In his booklet text, Antonin Scherrer aptly names meditative or nostalgic counterpoint, memories of birdcalls and hyper-romantic verve as elements of Zanon's style. Despite the sometimes sophisticated construction of his pieces, one often has the impression that they are improvised in the moment and that the course is not yet definitively defined. Some of the works on the CDs are the result of reworkings of pieces that the composer had partly composed during his studies or even before. The revisions have presumably stood them in good stead, as they now seem to have been cast from a single mold. A witty homage to Bach are the three Goldberg Etudeswhich give a very subtle hint of the Leipzig master. They would certainly be a great success in any piano recital.

Cédric Pescia and Gregorio Zanon share the recording of the nine works, which are quite demanding pianistically. Pescia pulls out all the stops of his ability and it is a pleasure to listen to him. It is obvious to the ear that he fully identifies with these pieces. The big surprise, however, is the composer himself, who is an ideal interpreter of his works, very sonorous in delicate passages, but also present where they require great technical skill. No wonder Pescia remembers being overwhelmed when he heard Zanon "play his music - live!" for the first time.

Switzerland's music schools and amateur organizations such as youth music associations, brass bands, choirs and amateur orchestras are the main providers of musical education for children and young people as well as adults. They promote music-making and singing and make a significant contribution to anchoring music in the population.

Public music schools in Switzerland fulfill important educational tasks in our society as part of the education system, as cultural institutions and as preparatory training facilities for studying at a music university. As educational platforms, youth music associations are committed to promoting young musical talent and, together with brass bands, contribute to national cohesion. Choirs and amateur orchestras promote ensemble music-making and make music accessible to a wide audience at concerts. Music schools and amateur organizations enable people of all ages to receive musical education and thus make a decisive contribution to the population's participation in cultural heritage, its cultivation and further development.

Even after the resumption of face-to-face operations at music schools and rehearsals and orchestral activities at amateur organizations, the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in the field of music education will be felt for a long time to come - conditions are currently worsening rapidly again and the brief fragile "new normality" is already being called into question again.

The 400 or so music schools that are members of the Swiss Music Schools Association (VMS) are currently unable to hold regular instrumental demonstrations, meaning that children and young people cannot be encouraged to take part in music education to the usual extent. Ensemble and orchestra rehearsals as well as concerts by music schools, amateur music associations and choirs can only take place under difficult conditions due to the protective measures. Many concerts and competitions have had to be canceled and will probably not be possible to the usual extent for some time to come.
 

The coronavirus pandemic is likely to have an impact on the financial circumstances of many families due to the tense economic situation in many sectors. It is questionable whether all parents will be able to continue to send their children and young people to music lessons at the current parental contributions. Initial feedback from the music schools indicates that a decline in the number of pupils is to be expected. Music clubs and amateur orchestras as well as choirs are threatened by a decline in active members, as concert performances are hardly possible and rehearsals can only take place under severe restrictions. This will make access to music schools and amateur music associations more difficult in the long term and, as a result, ensure even less equal opportunities in the field of musical education.

Music schools and amateur organizations have responded quickly and with great commitment to the challenges of the current crisis. Alternative forms of teaching and rehearsals as well as online platforms for performances have been developed and widely implemented. This has at least partially cushioned the immediate consequences of the lockdown. More far-reaching measures are needed to deal with the lasting effects.

Music schools are now doing everything they can to counteract the decline in student numbers with innovative solutions such as flexible registration deadlines and entry options as well as special taster courses or, where necessary, remote offers. Amateur clubs and choirs need to find suitable venues for rehearsals and concerts and are required to develop new concepts for recruiting members and for performances.

To ensure that singing and making music remains one of the most popular leisure activities among the Swiss population and that comprehensive musical education is open to everyone without barriers, the creative commitment and will of all those involved is needed.
 

The Swiss Association of Music Schools and various amateur music associations are proclaiming the Day of Music Education CH on November 7, 2020. The offers of music schools, amateur music associations and choirs will be highlighted and the great importance of music education will be emphasized. Individual music schools and amateur music associations will draw attention to their offers with musical activities on the day of action. An overview of the planned events can be found on the Campaign website published.

various music associations

Signet Day of Music Education CH

The canton describes Marion Suter, born in 1988, as an "outstanding pianist on the Swiss folk music scene". Her musical work is characterized by technical precision, agility and the cultivation of her musical roots, which she "incorporates into new compositions with great care and a love of discovery". She plays an important role in the revival of folk music piano literature. With the submitted project, Marion Suter wants to develop musically and strengthen the status of piano literature in the folk music scene.

In his work, Schwyzerörgel player Aron Lötscher (born 1991) strives to continuously develop an independent artistic language and is interested in new and unconventional musical paths. According to the canton, it is important to him "to maintain his independence and not to be subject to commercially determined dictates". With his project, Lötscher wants to develop musically and continue on his chosen path with new compositions and releases on various channels.
 

Born in 1940, Barnabé, whose real name is Jean-Claude Pasche, studied singing at the Lausanne Conservatory and was initially active in Lausanne, where he produced revues for the municipal theater. He then founded his own theater in the family barn in Servion, which had to be rebuilt after a fire in 1994. It includes a rehearsal room, a stage workshop and a huge inventory of over 7000 costumes.

The theater is also home to the largest cinema theater organ in Europe as well as numerous mechanical organs. Barnabé was the first to bring the legendary show "La cage aux folles" to Europe. He himself was still on stage this year. The theater has been managed by a foundation since 2005.

The cultural sector can understand that drastic measures are necessary to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, writes Suisseculture. However, these would pose a definitive existential threat to many cultural professionals and cultural enterprises.

The Culture Taskforce is therefore calling for standardized regulations to be formulated for cultural events throughout Switzerland and for cultural associations to be involved in the design of macroeconomic measures (short-time work, corona income replacement). It is also calling for cultural associations to be informed about pandemic measures at an early stage and to be involved in their concrete implementation, as well as for the promised financial support to be provided quickly and unbureaucratically. 

The cultural sector also does not want overcrowded intensive care units or an overload of healthcare professionals. Since the first lockdown, the Swiss cultural sector has been committed to implementing the federal government's measures, developing functioning protection concepts and applying them consistently. Only rarely have people been infected at cultural events.

For cultural professionals (including event technology specialists), cultural enterprises (e.g. event organizers) and suppliers (e.g. catering services), a renewed lockdown or further restrictions on events would pose an existential threat.

Full text:
https://www.musikrat.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/20201024_MM_TFC.pdf

The lively Mazurka by the American composer Edmund Severn (1862-1942) has been delighting middle school students in the USA for decades; now a European edition has also been published. The rondo combines chordal playing, left- and right-hand pizzicato, harmonics, dance-like sections and melodic lines without exceeding the third position

Edmund Severn: Polish Dance for Violin and Piano, Bärenreiter's Concert Pieces, edited by Kurt Sassmannshaus, BA 10750, € 9.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel

The musical possibilities that the sonata for violin and piano still opened up at the beginning of the 19th century, and how little binding the treatment of the instruments was, can be seen from the title page of Beethoven's Sonata op. 47, published in 1805, the so-called "Kreutzer Sonata" because of its dedication: "It is a Sonata per il Piano-forte ed un Violino obligato, scritta in un stile molto concertante, quasi come d'un concerto - a sonata for piano and obbligato violin, written in a very concertante style, almost like a concerto. With so much variability, it is hardly a coincidence that no independent aesthetic of the sonata for piano and melody instrument emerged throughout the 19th century (not only for the violin).

Beethoven dedicated the composition to the French violin virtuoso Rodolphe Kreutzer, who, however, according to Hector Berlioz, never played it and even considered it a "outrageusement inintelligible" (as "absolutely incomprehensible"). But even among his German-speaking contemporaries, Beethoven found little understanding. On the contrary, he was bluntly accused of only wanting to be different from the others: In a review in the Leipzig General Musical Newspaper is used by a "aesthetic or artistic terrorism" perhaps understandable in view of a first movement with no less than 599 bars. The technical demands were also felt to be very high, and the sonata itself was only recommended for certain occasions: "when two virtuosos, for whom nothing is difficult anymore, who possess so much spirit and knowledge that, if practice were added, they could write such works themselves, and who, precisely because of this spirit hovering above the whole, are not disturbed by the most whimsical excesses in detail -: if they come together, rehearse the work (for they too would have to;) if they now wait for the hour when even the most grotesque can and may be enjoyed, provided that it is made with spirit, and if they now perform it in this hour: they will have a full, rich enjoyment of it."

The idea of such a musically more intimate hour refers directly to Leo Tolstoy's 1889 publication, The Kreutzer Sonata in which Beethoven's composition acts as an emotional catalyst and transforms the protagonist's love into power-obsessed jealousy. A psychologizing drama about the repressed emotional depths of the bourgeoisie of the time. The 21st chapter reads: "When two people devote themselves to the noblest art, music, there must be a certain intimate understanding; there is nothing offensive about such a rapprochement, and only a stupid, jealous man can see anything objectionable in it. Nevertheless, everyone knows quite well that it is with the help of these pursuits, especially music, that a large number of marital break-ups occur in our society."

Link to the project homepage "52 x Beethoven"

After studying the cello in Winterthur and Hamburg, Engeli trained as a conductor at the Hamburg University of Music. He is now Kapellmeister at the Leipzig Opera and regularly conducts the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Musikalische Komödie.

The Saxony State Youth Orchestra has been the place to go for ambitious young orchestral talents from Saxony since 1992. In two rehearsal phases a year, the orchestra alternates with the artistic director and constantly changing guest conductors to rehearse programs at a professional level, covering all stylistic areas.

The individual vocal groups work together with teachers from renowned Saxon orchestras such as the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and the Robert Schumann Philharmonic Orchestra Chemnitz.