If you go to the opera as a young woman, you have to watch and listen to all kinds of things: Women on stage are abducted, murdered, driven mad, patronized or portrayed negatively, literally sacrificed on the altars of opera. In Mozart's Magic flute Pamina seems to be merely a pawn between the vengeful Queen of the Night and Sarastro and falls behind her male counterpart Tamino.

What to do with operas from past centuries that contain sexism, racism and discrimination of all kinds? The Critical Classics initiative, which was founded by theater manager and director Berthold Schneider and is supported by the North Rhine-Westphalia State Music Council, has taken up this question and set itself the task of critically reading libretti from earlier centuries and revising them according to modern standards in terms of non-discriminatory language and presentation. The Critical Classics team, consisting of opera, music and theater professionals, authors and diversity consultants, has published a new edition of the Magic flutelibretto, which is now freely available online.

The most performed opera first

With Mozart and Schikaneder's Magic flute makes sense. It is probably the most famous opera of all and contains many problematic aspects. Firstly, there is the role of Monostatos, whose skin color and origin are interpreted negatively throughout. The description of him as an "evil Moor" and his statement "And I should avoid love because a black man is ugly!" are depictions based on racist stereotypes that no longer have any place on the operatic stage. In the new edition by Critical Classics, Monostatos becomes an evil servant who is also the illegitimate son of Sarastro. The latter does not want to recognize him as his heir, which results in a plausible conflict that is not racially motivated.

In Schikaneder's libretto, subordination to men is the greatest duty for Pamina, Papagena and the nameless Queen of the Night. This portrayal of women, which is supported by generalizations such as "A woman does little, chats a lot", gives way to a more positive, self-determined image of women in the new edition. Papagena, for example, asserts herself self-confidently and repartee against Papageno, and the previously "shy doe" Pamina is given an additional aria in the fourteenth entrance of the first act. Mozart's concert aria Accept my thanks, you fair patronsThe new text gives Pamina the opportunity to be self-reflective and to critically question what has happened.

Resources for individual solutions

The new edition is convincing because it remains true to the original text despite the changes, offers well thought-out alternatives, explains contexts and documents and justifies every change without exception. The replacement of "Weib" and "Mädchen" with "Frau" is not entirely consistent. In addition, the new version refers to Sarastro's "pure descent", in contrast to Monostatos' illegitimate origin. This formulation should be reconsidered, as it also has problematic connotations.

According to Critical Classics, the new edition is not intended as an absolute version, but as a suggestion for productions in which own adaptations are possible. The strength of Critical Classics lies precisely in this: in creating resources for performances and in sparking debates about what exactly libretti from earlier times convey and how they should be dealt with. The new edition of the Magic flute shows that opera texts are not sacrosanct, but must change so that opera can continue to exist.

Next, Bach's St. John PassionBizet's Carmen and Puccini's Madama Butterfly be revised. Libretto and piano scores with the modified Magic flutes-Text, sheet music of the inserted aria and further information at:
criticalclassics.org

It was only two years ago that the opera, completed in 1856 Samson by the composer Joachim Raff, born in Lachen/SZ in 1822, was premiered in Weimar. Graziella Contratto and her label Schweizer Fonogramm have now presented the more than three-hour work in a lavish, artistically remarkable studio production (recording director: Frédéric Angleraux), including a trilingual libretto and detailed introductory text, as a premiere recording in collaboration with Bühnen Bern and the Joachim Raff Society Lachen. It is doubtful whether the opera will be able to hold its own on stage in the future - Raff's dramaturgy is too oratorical and some scenes are too lengthy. Musically, however, this work is definitely worthwhile with its colorful instrumentation, the direct juxtaposition of masses of sound and fragility and the cantabile, demanding solo parts

As Franz Liszt's assistant, Raff witnessed the world premiere of Wagner's Lohengrin up close in Weimar, which led him to his opera Samson inspired. The Lohengrin can be heard not only at the end of the first act in the chorus "Heil dem Helden von Dan", but also in the demanding, high-lying title role. Magnus Vigilius combines lyrical mellifluousness with great radiance. In individual passages such as "So sind zerrissen", he lacks a little flexibility. Olena Tokar is a multi-layered Delilah, whose rich soprano voice only loses some of its balance in the dramatic high notes. With Robin Adams as Abimelech, who moves between self-confidence and despair, Christian Immler as the high priest with natural authority and Michael Weinius as Micha, Delilah's spurned lover, the good ensemble of soloists is complete.

Conductor Philippe Bach works out many rewarding details with the Bern Symphony Orchestra, such as when the clarinet mocks Samson or when a Mendelssohnian lightness emerges in the flutes during the children's dance. The string accompaniment is catchy and the brass provide impressive scenic moments, such as when the high priest appears. The Bühnen Bern chorus turns the people into a beautiful-sounding community that is ready to escalate at any time, and one can also be afraid of them.

Joachim Raff: Samson, music drama in three sections, libretto by the composer, first recording. Magnus Vigilius, Olena Tokar, Robin Adams, Christian Immler, Michael Weinius, Berner Symphonieorchester, Chor der Bühnen Bern, musical director Philippe Bach. 3 CDs, Swiss Fonogram.

In recent years, Bärenreiter Prague has published several works by Josef Suk (and incidentally also by his wife Otilie, Dvořák's daughter). These editions are all convincing in their care and provide interesting background knowledge. The most recent of these publications comprises "Easy Piano Pieces and Dances".

Editor Jonáš Hájek aptly comments on this title: "The designation 'Easy Piano Pieces' should be treated with caution. These are rather less demanding pieces from Suk's piano oeuvre, but they require not only a certain level of technical preparation, but also flexibility due to the subtle emotional changes in a relatively small space." Speaking of "light": it may be one of Suk's special talents to be able to convey both the "light" and the "profoundly heavy" in equal measure and sometimes even simultaneously.

The collection begins with a waltz-like Humoresque, followed by an elegiac Album page. The third number, an expressive Adagio, ma non troppocomes from the piano compositions op. 12 and is dedicated to his later wife Otilie. The following Andante comes from a collection, namely the Suite op. 21.

The following Village serenade and Minuet show Suk's love of dance and folk music. Also No. 9 Ditty and no. 11 Polka from Vysoká belong in this area, although the latter is not really a composition by Suk. The polka was apparently "played by musicians for Master Dvořák 30 years ago". Suk then wrote it down from memory and arranged it for piano.

No. 7 is untitled and comes from the cycle Spring op. 22a. A short, melancholy piece, as impressive as the following one entitled How a mother sang to her sick child at night (from the collection From the little mother op. 28). Suk wrote these for his son in memory of Otilie, who died at an early age.

Spanish joke appears here in print for the first time. It is a joking greeting to a friend, sent on a postcard from Madrid. The short piece begins with racy Spanish rhythms and ends with a quotation from the popular song Where is my homewhich later became the Czech part of the Czechoslovak anthem. Incidentally, Suk wrote a witty commentary on the quote, in which he expressed his "longing for dumplings".

On Christmas Eve finally, probably quotes a Slovakian melody. It is an extended version of the song Greetings to the students in Slovakia. This atmospheric piano piece is the pearl of the whole booklet and was published on January 4, 1924, exactly on the composer's 50th birthday. And so it has just turned one hundred years old ...

Josef Suk: Easy Piano Pieces and Dances, edited by Jonáš Hájek, BA 11575, € 14.95, Bärenreiter, Prague

Fanny Hünerwadel was born into the wealthy Hünerwadel family of Lenzburg in 1826. For a woman of that time, it was not a matter of course to dedicate her life to music, but her culturally interested family made it possible for her. Her talent was discovered at a young age, particularly as a singer and pianist, and she continued her training in Zurich with piano virtuoso Alexander Müller. During this time, she came into contact with Richard Wagner and also met other well-known figures from the world of music such as Franz Liszt, who even composed the short piece à Fanny H. dedicated herself to it. She traveled to Paris and London and spent long periods in Italy, where she also began to compose.

Fanny moved in the highest echelons of society, but always remained down-to-earth and unassuming. She fell ill with typhoid fever in Rome and died on April 27, 1854, aged just 28. Two to three hundred people paid their last respects at her funeral.

Hanna Siegel, Tabea Furrer and Jessica Berger studied the singer, pianist and composer Fanny Hünerwadel intensively as part of their Matura thesis at the Alte Kantonsschule Aarau. The result is a short documentary film that portrays the musician's biography, her works and her environment. Although Fanny Hünerwadel celebrated international success in her short life, hardly anyone knows her name today. The three were determined to change this. During their research, the students not only learned a lot about Fanny Hünerwadel herself, but also about the history of Lenzburg. As an extension of their project, they organized a concert with pieces composed by Fanny Hünerwadel and the film vernissage of the documentary.

Link to the movie (duration 12'19")

Contact Jessica Berger: jessi.berger@outlook.com

With the German Publishing Award The "independent publishers for their commitment to culture and democracy" are honored with this award. This was emphasized by Culture Minister Claudia Roth at the award ceremony during the 76th Frankfurt Book Fair. 84 publishers were honored for their exceptional programming, creativity and cultural commitment. Prize money of 18,000 euros went to the Fidula publishing house.

Fidula publishing house

For over 75 years, the third-generation music publisher has been shaping the musical education of children, young people and adults. With a wide range of songs, dances, music education books and school musicals, it is an important point of contact for music teachers and choirs

The publisher's credo "simple but sophisticated" is reflected, for example, in the internationally successful children's musical Tuishi Pamojawhich can be seen over 120 times a year on stages around the world. In total, Fidula school musicals are performed over 1000 times a year, with more than 25,000 children singing, acting and taking away an unforgettable memory. The pieces correspond to the healthy vocal range of children and are tested before publication.

For almost 50 years, the publishing house has published the quarterly magazine music practice with contributions for all those who want to actively incorporate music into their work with children. The annual Fidula conference offers music teachers further training and fresh ideas.

Publisher Katharina Holzmeister, the granddaughter of the founder of the publishing house, is an advocate for young female entrepreneurs and the compatibility of work and family life. She is also chairwoman of the "Small Music Publishers" working group in the German Music Publishers Association.

Fidula - Specialist publisher for music education, choral music and musicals

For more than 160 years, the Köchel catalog has provided a precise insight into the works of Wolfgang Amadé Mozart. The first edition of this catalog of works was published by Ludwig Ritter von Köchel at Breitkopf & Härtel in 1862. In order to reflect the rapidly growing knowledge of Mozart's oeuvre, several new editions were subsequently published.

Originally, the Köchel catalog contained 626 chronologically arranged works. From the beginning, the catalog was supplemented and expanded by various appendices. New insights into the chronology of the authentic works were reflected in new work numbers in the later editions of 1905, 1937 and 1964. The resulting number construct with countless cross-references became increasingly complicated.

626 "old" and more than 90 "new" numbers

A fundamental decision in the new edition was to simplify the numbering. The confusing multiple numbering has been reversed. 95 compositions, which had not received their own entry in any of the previous editions, are now numbered from KV 627 onwards. A thematic overview by work group, a concordance and a chronological overview facilitate access. Newly structured appendices provide an overview of Mozart's arrangements of other works, cadenzas to his own and other works as well as studies, teaching material and all other musical notes.

New Mozart pieces discovered

New works were also discovered during the work on the new edition. Since the Mozart Year 2006, several piano pieces by the young Mozart have been found for the first time or identified as works by the young composer. These include Mozart's first concerto movement, which is listed without an author's name in the so-called Nannerl-Notenbuch, the piano book of his sister Maria Anna, and is now recorded as K. 636. In addition, a Serenade ex C from the music library of the Leipzig Municipal Libraries can be verified as a youthful work by Mozart.

Quiver directory online

The Mozarteum Foundation is presenting the first stage of a new digital service to coincide with the launch of Breitkopf & Härtel's printed catalog, providing easy and free access to Mozart's works and the new Köchel catalog: Köchel digital

Ludwig Ritter von Köchel: Köchel-Verzeichnis (KV). Thematic catalog of the musical works of W. A. Mozart, edited by Neal Zaslaw, commissioned by the International Mozarteum Foundation, presented by Ulrich Leisinger, BV 300, 1,392 pages; introductory price until 31.12.2024: € 459.00, thereafter € 499.00, Breitkopf & Härtel, Wiesbaden 2024, ISBN 978-3-7651-0300-1

Podcast by Breitkopf & Härtel on the new Köchel directory

Your music for the feature film In the Land of Saints and Sinners (directed by Robert Lorenz, starring Liam Neeson) is a homage to Ireland, western music and romantic orchestration. It plays with the typical codes of a western and incorporates traditional Irish instruments. A symphonic orchestra and a choir create a mysterious 70s feel. An important distinguishing feature is the harmonica, played by "Pfuri" Baldenweg.

The film celebrated its world premiere in Venice last fall. At the beginning of the year, the siblings were nominated for the "Score of the Year" category at the Movie Music UK Awards. At the World Soundtrack Awards, which are considered the "little brother of the Oscars", the music is now nominated in the coveted "Discovery of the Year" category as well as in the "Public Choice" category, alongside fellow contenders such as Hans Zimmer (Dune 2), Anthony Willis (Saltburn) and Jerskin Fendrix (Poor Things), nominated.

The Advisory Board of the World Soundtrack Academy, consisting of leading international film music agents, publicists and studio executives, selects five composers each year as "Discovery of the Year". The Baldenwegs were the first Swiss composers to make it into this round.

The selection of the best film scores for the "Public Choice" category is co-determined by the International Film Music Critics Association (IFMCA), which is voted on globally by fans and film music lovers. They have also made it into the five nominees here.

The film was shown at the Zurich Film Festival in 2023 and can be found on various streaming platforms. The film music was released digitally in April 2024 (Sony Music Masterworks). The physical CD will be released on October 1 (Caldera Records).

You-Tube clip about the creation of the film music

The University of Teacher Education Northwestern Switzerland (PH FHNW) is planning to reduce the number of instrumental lessons for future teachers from 1,021 to 615 full-time equivalents from the fall semester of 2025. Tandem lessons are to take the place of individual lessons, which are highly valued by students. This will further reduce the already limited training time in music.

Teachers need sound training in order to be able to offer high-quality music lessons in kindergarten and elementary school, as required by Article 67a of the Federal Constitution. However, many future teachers themselves have only received inadequate music lessons, and in some cases no music lessons at all at upper secondary and grammar school. Differentiation in music lessons at the PH is therefore essential in order to meet the individual requirements and needs of students. However, the planned cuts will undermine precisely this.

In a petition, the VPOD Aargau/Solothurn is calling on the political decision-makers in the cantons of Basel-Stadt, Basel-Landschaft, Solothurn and Aargau, as well as the management of the PH FHNW, to reverse these cost-cutting measures and to make the financial resources available again in full:

vpod.ch/campa/petition-instrumental-lessons/

In the 19th century, the landscape painter Alexandre Calame described the area around Brunnen in Schwyz and the view of Lake Uri as "Le plus beau pays du monde". And this is reminiscent of the German violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan's dictum about Dreilinden in Lucerne: "The most beautiful place ever given to a conservatory." Music and landscape seem to interact, both in Brunnen and in Lucerne. However, Othmar Schoeck never studied in Lucerne - the conservatory was only founded in 1952 - but in Zurich and Leipzig (with Max Reger).

His father, the painter Alfred Schoeck, himself the son of a wealthy Basel silk merchant, visited Brunnen in 1870, married the hotelier's daughter Agathe Fassbind there and had a studio and home built for himself on the "Gütsch" with the meaningful name "Villa Ruhheim". With Agathe, he had four sons: Paul (architect and playwright), Ralph (professor of mechanical engineering and officer), Walter (hotelier in Brunnen and talented amateur cellist) and the composer and conductor Othmar (1886-1957), the baby of the family.

Othmar and his brothers: "four elements"

Theater director Alvaro Schoeck - a great-grandson of the aforementioned Alfred - and musicologist Chris Walton, author of a dissertation on Othmar Schoeck, have published an accompanying book for the fifth Othmar Schoeck Festival Brunnen from the beginning of September 2023, which sheds light on family aspects of the Schoecks and thus provides information about Othmar's environment and home. This ranges from the whimsical notes of the nanny, who refers to the Schoeck sons as "the four elements", to the who's who in Brunnen and Ingenbohl from 1900 onwards, entitled Othmar is here! from Katrin Spelinova to the novella-like fragment At night with the Schoeck brothers by the Schwyz writer Meinrad Inglin from 1968.

The atmospheric landscape oil paintings on the cover and in the book are all by Alfred Schoeck and are complemented by many contemporary black and white photos of the Schoeck family.

Le plus beau pays du monde? Othmar Schoeck's environment in Central Switzerland, book accompanying the Othmar Schoeck Festival 2023, edited by Alvaro Schoeck and Chris Walton, 180 p., Fr. 20.00 (+ postage), Müsigricht, Steinen 2023, ISBN 978-3-9525658-2-7

Those were the days. Rarely has this sentence been more fitting than for the world that comes to life when reading the anthology on the history of salon orchestras in the Alps edited by Mathias Gredig, Matthias Schmidt and Cordula Seger. In the course of the early tourism and health resort boom from the 1860s onwards, musical formations - from piano trios to large chamber orchestras - were hired in countless hotels to entertain international guests during their expensive stays in the Alps. This adventurous and entertaining chapter in local music history has only been discovered by music researchers in recent years.

This volume examines the topic from a variety of perspectives in 14 short essays: The arch is formed by examinations of archive documents from the Engadine hotels Val Sinestra and Maloja Palace; interspersed are texts on the history of migration (for example on female traveling musicians), music theory treatises on opera arrangements, tourism criticism, short biographies, project reports on newly written salon orchestra arrangements as well as expert discussions with a high entertainment value. In most cases, two essays are atmospherically arranged in small blocks so that there is hardly any slack in the reading.

The chapters are vividly written, the variety of sources and illustrations as well as the pronounced narrativity make the texts catchy and true to life. The overall anthological structure is enriched by leading figures such as Fräulein Schubert or Cesare Galli, who appear throughout the chapters and thus gradually assemble the content into an - albeit very fragmentary - overall impression. Geographically, the excursion to South Tyrol is somewhat out of line, as the remaining contributions are almost exclusively set in the Engadine. The many concrete examples of music are a plus, from which a nice book playlist can be compiled.

The volume is definitely worth reading. It successfully combines information and entertainment and thus does justice to the subject matter.

Salonorchester in den Alpen, ed. by Mathias Gredig, Matthias Schmidt, Cordula Seger, 232 p., Fr. 38.00, Chronos, Zurich 2024, ISBN 978-3-0340-1733-6

Johann Sebastian Bach's harpsichord concertos are famous and can also be played well without accompanying strings. In addition, they are all arrangements of concertos that are also known with other solo instruments: the Concerto in D major is better known as the Violin Concerto in E major.

The new edition of the study score and piano reduction is not based in its musical text and preface on Bach's autograph score, but on its facsimile, edited by Christoph Wolff (Bärenreiter), who in turn relies, more or less explicitly, on earlier research by Werner Breig (Bärenreiter), who had edited the concertos in the New Bach Edition (Bärenreiter). Even the editors of the new Henle edition have to admit in the "Remarks" - in a rather hidden way - that they actually owe their knowledge to Breig.

Their reading differs from earlier editions above all in that they pretend to be more precise than their predecessors with Bach's flippant notation of the slurs, but nevertheless have to admit that they do not know it that precisely either. In view of Bach's sketchy and inconsistent use of legato slurs, they cannot. Therefore, as an interpreter, one only needs to know that the unsystematically thrown slurs here only illustrate a grouping that is already inherent in the notation in beams of four, and that the differences between the intervals in Bach's time ultimately determined their articulation - loosely based on Leopold Mozart (1756, 4th main piece, § 29): The small intervals must usually be tied. The larger they are, the more they should be "performed separately". Fine differentiations are important, "pleasant alternation."

Johann Sebastian Bach: Harpsichord Concerto No. 3 in D major BWV 1054, edited by Maren Minuth and Norbert Müllemann; piano reduction by Johannes Umbreit: HN 1382, € 17.50; study score: HN 7382, € 11.50; G. Henle, Munich

"Practicing is a big, eternal, imaginative playground." Yes, music teacher Christoph Richter is right. Practicing your instrument or voice is an endless, sometimes difficult process. Continuity is particularly important. But easier said than done: time management is a problem for adults. For children, it is important to maintain the joy of playing so that they do not only enter the practice room after their parents' admonitions.

Corina Nastoll presents in the special issue of the magazine practicing & making music a comprehensive overview. It gives very specific tips on how to organize instrumental or singing lessons. Beautiful warm-up exercises are presented and various stimuli for intrinsic motivation are shown. And don't forget: Even the pupil who didn't get to practise can learn during lessons. Improvise something, for example, rhythmize a simple melody or practice sight-reading. This means that 40 to 60 minutes are not only quickly over, but also put to good use.

Practicing is a must! is fun. And that's also because Nastoll is not one to give up. As a trained music teacher, she knows the biggest mistakes of the past. She responds to the obsolete desire for perfection with a welcome culture of error, exaggerated stylistic fixations with flexible teaching, and finally, probably the most important thing: she advocates self-determination for the student: Where do I want to go? Which piece do I like? How much time do I want to take? What did I think of the last lesson?

The easy-to-read and beautifully designed booklet is certainly of great use to instrumental teachers. But parents or pupils should also take the time to read the 44 pages over two evenings. After reading it, you'll definitely want to sit down at the piano again and try out a few things. For example, the exercise called "owl", which loosens up and gets the blood flowing even before the practice session. Or the alternation of exercises to prevent monotony: learning two bars by heart, then playing a free chord, then perhaps continuing to work on the showpiece at the end.

With all the joyfully described tips and exercises, Nastoll manages en passant to create an awareness of the rewards of making and practicing music. Peter Röbke, quoted above, sums it up very impressively at the end of the booklet. According to the deserving music teacher, we get the following from effective learning: "Moments of happiness, immersion in the sound and real listening, dialog and devotion, absorption in self-forgetful playing, emotional breakthrough and creation, embodiment and physical being, almost spiritual experiences, as-if, transformations." Yes, if those aren't arguments!

Corina Nastoll: Practicing is easy! Practicing efficiently and with joy, 44 p., € 18.50, Schott, Mainz 2023, ISBN 978-3-7957-3094-9

Here Johann Nepomuk Hummel, there Franz Schubert. The two composers are contemporaries, but stylistically distant from each other. Hummel, a former pupil of Mozart, wrote in an elegant post-classical style, spiced with a virtuosity that was in vogue in Viennese concert halls and music salons around 1800. Schubert's music is comparatively more subtle and enigmatic, and also harmonically richer. Listening to the CD La Contemplazione by the Spanish pianist Eloy Orzaiz, it is easy to understand why Schubert was the forerunner or pioneer of the 19th century.

Orzaiz is a specialist in historical performance practice, trained at the Schola cantorum in Basel, among others. He plays Hummel and Schubert's piano works on a fortepiano from the workshop of the extremely popular Viennese piano maker Conrad Graf. It sounds much slimmer and more subtle than a modern grand piano. Orzaiz elicits rich tonal colors from the instrument, built in 1826 or 1827, which would have developed even more if he had not strained the tempi so much. In Hummel's Grande Sonate Brillante op. 106, he emphasizes the virtuoso aspects too much. And it is precisely in Schubert's enigmatic late work, to which the Three piano pieces D 946, the tempo is a neuralgic point. The first piano piece in E flat minor seems somewhat rushed. And in the second, in E flat major, the music lacks a light springiness, and thus also the tempo variation.

Nonetheless, this attractively designed CD is a joy to listen to with its varied music - also with its historical qualities, which make it possible to immerse oneself directly in the "Viennese sound" of the 1820s.

La Contemplazione. Hummel, Schubert. Eloy Orzaiz, Fortepiano Graf. lbs classical 182023

A jewel of harp literature are the Danses (with the two parts "Danse sacrée" and "Danse profane") by Claude Debussy for harp and string orchestra. The colors, the nuances and the unique dynamics created by the fusion of plucked and bowed strings are unsurpassed.

The work was commissioned by the Pleyel company in 1903 for their chromatic harp built at the time. The idea for it - in competition with the constantly expanding mechanics of the Erard double-pedal harp - arose from the increasing chromaticism in the music of the time, which meant that the pedal work was becoming ever more extensive and difficult to perform. Pleyel tried to solve the problem by building a harp with crossed strings (diatonic and chromatic string rows) and to promote this instrument by commissioning works from renowned composers. The advertising strategies went as far as a class for chromatic harp at the Conservatoire in Brussels around 1900 and later in Paris.

Debussy accepted the commission, but another year passed before the matter became more concrete. The decisive factors were probably the insistence of the commissioner and the competition of the Revue musicale. Debussy chaired the jury. One of the nominated works was by the composer Lacerda. It bore the title Danse du voile as part of a suite of Danses sacrées.

In mid-May 1904 Debussy's Danses then finished. He had had some difficulty with the instrument and the whole composition, as we learn from his letters. The first performance took place in Paris in November 1904, praised by the public, but rather critically received by the critics, above all Fauré, for whom the work "...revealed nothing of Mr. Debusy's very own talent that was not already known".

The pedal harp becomes standard

The chromatic harp, also due to its thinner and drier sound, was not able to establish itself. Already in the reprint of the Danses In 1910, "chromatic or pedal harp" was added. Henriette Renié, harp virtuoso and composer, performed the work that year on the double pedal harp, which was only right for Debussy, as this instrument had more sonority and expressive possibilities. When he composed his Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp in 1915, the chromatic harp was hardly in use anymore. The Danses was one of Debussy's most frequently performed works during his lifetime.

The new Henle edition, edited by Peter Jost, will certainly be able to replace Durand's first edition in many respects. The notated chromatic harp part can be transferred directly to the modern double pedal harp, the legibility is exemplary and many long-standing printing errors have been corrected. The preface (dt/fr/en) summarizes well how this work came about and what significance the chromatic harp had. The notes (dt/fr/en) are very detailed and informative.

I have the study score; a piano reduction is also available (HN 1584). It is pleasing that the harp part is free of fingering or pedal suggestions, as these are realized individually by the harpists.

Claude Debussy: Danses, for harp and symphony orchestra, edited by Peter Jost, study score, HN 7584, € 11.50, G. Henle, Munich

On April 21, 1914, the futuristic Intonarumori were presented at the Teatro Dal Verme in Milan. However, Luigi Russolo's sound machines were not well received by the audience. The second piece, Si pranza sulla terrazza del Kursaalwhich, from the title, is a rather idyllic scene, there was a tumultuous riot. Italy also had its scandal, but it remained far less well known than Stravinsky's Sacre or at the Vienna Watschenkonzert in 1913. Yes, it has something picturesque about it.

The topic was a natural choice for a musicologist who wrote his doctoral thesis on animal music and has devoted himself to the musical environment of hotels and spas for some time now: Mathias Gredig. Taking this scandal as his starting point, he explores the contrasting context in which Futurism is to be understood, not only as an art that pushes boundaries, but also as one that sees itself as part of tradition. Russolo, for example, vehemently resisted understanding his sounds as naturalistic. The critic Agostino Cameroni received a slap in the face for this.

In seventeen chapters, Gredig succeeds in placing Russolo's work between extremes, between a peaceful hotel lobby and the war enthusiasm of Marinetti, the founder of Futurism, between pleasant sonority and an orgy of noise, between seclusion and provocation. Russolo's radicalism was perhaps not so radical after all, but also a biography, as was not entirely unusual at the time.

You have to love the art of digression to fully enjoy this little book. Gredig likes to digress, for example to delve into cooking risotto or throwing bombs. Sometimes he gets into speculation, sometimes he is a little hasty and you want a few more explanations, and a few times he is a little too casual, for example when he writes about musicians who were killed and ended up in a coffin. An underlying irony can be felt almost throughout, for example towards the initially not so anti-fascist Toscanini.

At the end is a destroyed idyll: the shattered musical instruments in the Hotel Kursaal Diana in Milan after the explosion on March 23, 1921.

Mathias Gredig: Grandhotels, Risotto und Bomben, Geschichte der futuristischen Geräuschkunst, Fröhliche Wissenschaft 232, 173 p., € 15.00, Matthes & Seitz, Berlin 2024, ISBN 978-3-7518-3012-6