In December 2022, Bruno Schneider described in the Swiss Music Newspaper his plan: "I am therefore launching the idea of a Swiss orchestra of retired professionals, open to all musicians who have worked at a musical institution in Switzerland and receive AHV. The aim would be one or two projects under an orchestra director to be found, i.e. one or two concerts a year, the proceeds of which we would donate to a charitable organization."

A first concert

The idea was realized in spring 2024. Roland Perrenoud writes: "The AHV-Philharmonie was born and christened on Friday, April 19, 2024, at 7 pm. The music hall in La Chaux-de-Fonds was packed for the occasion. An astonished audience watched and listened to the grey heads, who played a magnificent program of Mozart (Sinfonia concertante) and Dvořák (Symphony No. 8) with fiery enthusiasm. The success was commensurate with the performance. Even during the interval, the musicians' joy, their warm contact with each other and the audience and their professionalism were palpable. With Nandingua Bayarbaatar, they had chosen a young conductor from Ulan Bator. She had studied at the conservatory in Geneva and her elegance and efficiency impressed everyone."

The next concert is planned for December 15 this year in Bern.

Future pensioners are very welcome and can contact Bruno Schneider, brubru@swissonline.chreport.

Chouchane Siranossian, You are at this year's Lake Constance Festival (April 27 to May 20) Artist in Residence. What is your relationship to this area?
I lived near Lake Constance for two years when I was concertmaster of the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra. I have very fond memories of a boat trip with my grandparents. And I often went mountain climbing on the Säntis.

You play baroque violin on your most recent albums, then Mendelssohn on a modern instrument in the upcoming opening concert in Friedrichshafen. Isn't this change difficult?
No. At the solo recital in the Münsterlingen monastery church, I even play both instruments in one concert. They are different worlds that I like to move back and forth between. The baroque instrument has gut strings and is tuned differently. The bows are also different, of course. In the Baroque period, musicians often played different instruments.

You completed your soloist diploma in modern violin with Zakhar Bron in Zurich. Afterwards, at the age of 23, you were the youngest member of the St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster. What was that time like for you?
I have learned a lot - musically, but above all as a person. You have a lot of responsibility in this position. You are the link between the orchestra and the conductor. Now I conduct many orchestras from the violin.

Were you accepted by the orchestra straight away?
It wasn't easy at the beginning as a young woman and a foreigner at that. For me, it was always about the music. But every orchestra is a microcosm that you have to get to know. I really learned how to deal with people. I always tried to motivate everyone to give their best.

You gave up your permanent position to study early music again with Reinhard Goebel at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.
David Stern, the chief conductor in St. Gallen at the time, recommended him to me because I asked a lot of questions about the music. And also questioned myself. When I got to know Reinhard Goebel, I was immediately fascinated by his enormous knowledge of early music. In my first year with him, I only read books and studied manuscripts before picking up the violin again. This intensive research not only had a great influence on my music-making with the baroque violin, but also on every one of my interpretations.

What did you learn from him?
Everything (laughs). Thanks to him, I understood that there are big differences between modern violin playing and historically informed violin playing. The expression in early music is done much more with the right hand, i.e. with the bow stroke. I learned to ask the right questions and always go to the source - the autograph or the first print.

What do you prefer to play? Baroque violin or modern violin?
I can't say. If you ask me whether I'm French, Armenian or Swiss, I can't say that either. I am all three. It's similar with the violin. I particularly enjoy playing Italian baroque music. But it's the change that appeals to me.

You were born in Lyon, have Armenian ancestors and have lived in Switzerland for a long time. Where is your home?
I've lived in Switzerland for twenty years. I was often there as a child because I had lessons with Tibor Varga in Sion. Switzerland is the center of my life, even though I am often in France and occasionally in Armenia.

What role does Armenian music play in your life?
Armenian music was always present. My father is also a musician and a specialist in Armenian music. My grandparents often sang Armenian songs. Armenian culture is endangered - not only by the Turkish genocide in 1915, but also currently in Nagorno-Karabakh, where Armenians have been expelled by the occupying power Azerbaijan. They also want to wipe out our culture, but they cannot destroy our music. That is why it is important to cultivate this music and make it public.

What characterizes Armenian music?
Armenia was the first country to become officially Christian in the year 301. Religious music therefore plays a major role. Folk music is also very important. The composer Komitas wrote a lot of it down before he went mad because of the genocide he had to experience. Armenia has always been a bridge between Europe and the Orient - you can hear that too.

On your website, you can be seen in an evening dress with a violin in your hand on a mountain peak. Is the photo real or a montage?
Real, of course. Mountaineering is a great passion of mine. I've also played the violin on Mont Blanc. In 2020, I was still on the Matterhorn before I got pregnant for the first time.

What do you like about mountaineering?
Freedom. The contact with nature. In the mountains you are away from the noise, away from people. I really enjoy this silence. Mountaineering is also a kind of meditation for me - back to my roots. With two small children, I still have to do without it, but one day I'll be able to take them into the mountains with me. And they're already in my rucksack for smaller tours.

What connections do you see between playing the violin and mountaineering?
When I spend hours out in nature, I get the best musical ideas. This fresh air is simply good for me. Being alone in nature really is a great inspiration for me. Music also always means telling a story. After a mountain hike, I have a lot of new energy in my soul - that's good for my music-making.

You also give concerts with your sister, the cellist Astrig Siranossian. Is it easier or more difficult to play with your sister?
Both. It's easier because we know each other so well and complement each other wonderfully. But we are also each other's biggest critics and are particularly strict with each other in rehearsals.

What does family mean to you?
Everything. I can go on stage today because I have my family to support me. I'm always on the road with my two children. I also grew up with a very large family. When we have a family party, there are quickly over a hundred of us.

In its press release dated April 24, the University of Zurich (UZH) writes that during his exile in Zurich from 1849 to 1858, Wagner worked, among other things, on The Ring of the Nibelung also wrote seminal works on music and drama theory. "The original working manuscript of one of these writings, entitled A message to my friends has now returned to its place of origin after around 170 years." Wagner wrote it in Zurich Enge in 1851. "The text was published in the same year as a supplement and preface to the libretti of the operas The Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser and Lohengrin. The book is a kind of autobiographical assessment of the works before the revolution and the great post-revolutionary Ring-project."

Handwriting as an object of study

The Zentralbibliothek Zürich (ZB) preserves the manuscript. Scholars at the University of Zurich are researching it. Until now, the text was "only available in the first print and in the version of Richard Wagner's collected writings and poems. The manuscript, on the other hand, reveals intensive work." It is expected that the research "will provide new findings and insights into the work, thoughts and influence of Richard Wagner in Zurich. Once the research has been completed, the manuscript will be made available by the ZB."

Foundations made the purchase possible

The acquisition of the manuscript at Sotheby's was made possible thanks to donations from the UBS Cultural Foundation in Zurich and the Bareva Foundation in Vaduz. The purchase of this manuscript is of great importance for Zurich, the UHZ and academia, says UZH Rector Michael Schaepman in the press release. Laurenz Lütteken, Co-Director of the Institute of Musicology at UZH, where Wagner is one of the main areas of research, says: "Such top-class manuscripts by Wagner are otherwise hardly available on the open market". The working manuscript of the Message to my friends is "another pearl in the important Wagneriana collection at the ZB, which includes music and text manuscripts, music prints, printed matter and letters", the UHZ summarizes.

Link to the original press release from the University of Zurich

Founded in 2011 by Andreas Wiedmer and Regula Schneider, the Boys Choir Lucerne can look back on a short and impressive success story. Invitations to the European Youth Choir Festival in Basel, the performance of Carmina Burana 2021 at Maihof Lucerne, the Swiss premiere of Les Choristes at the KKL 2023 and much more are evidence of targeted choral work. The identification factor is high. The children stay with the choir until they have broken their voices and usually transfer seamlessly to the men's choir. Thanks to competent and ambitious development work, the boys' and men's voices now form a children's and youth choir that is one of the best in Europe. Especially recently, it has been raining awards. Winning competitions and gold medals at home and abroad has almost become a matter of course.

Converting energy

Today, getting boys to sing in a choir requires a different approach than keeping a fidgety bunch quiet and having them recite children's songs from the songbook. "Boys in years 4 to 6 who sing are considered extremely uncool among their peers," says Regula Schneider. She therefore believes it makes sense to look after this age group separately in order to promote their special talents and needs in the best possible way. Boys of this age have a lot of energy. It is important to harness this and convert it into musical energy.

Choirmaster Andreas Wiedmer said in a portrait of the choir in the Star hour music of Swiss television (23.09.23): "Singing has long been a by-product for the boys, they could actually play football as well. It's about being together in a group, being challenged and competing with the others." If they work on the same thing for too long, they quickly get bored. Working towards a goal and being on the same page frequently are important to keep them focused.

Gentle sounds to kick things off

The main event of the concert evening at the Maihof was the world premiere of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures of an exhibition in the adaptation by Regula Schneider. It was preceded by the Mass of the Children by John Rutter (world premiere, New York 2003), a catchy, musical-like work with the traditional Mass texts, supplemented with additional religious texts. In his time as a boy soprano, Rutter had always found it exciting to be able to take part in a concert together with adults. He therefore later wrote this piece for mixed choir and children's choir.

The ad hoc orchestra under the direction of Philipp Hutter sounded precise and blended very well with the singing. Soprano Samantha Herzog, baritone Andreas Wiedmer and choir members Loris Sikora and Jonathan Kionke had melodious solo parts. The character of the piece was illustrated by the mostly soft, graceful movements of the choir. The "Qui tollis" was given a special touch through striking arm movements. The natural stage presence of the young people was striking, which was to become even more accentuated in the following work.

Musical image viewing

For its 10th anniversary in 2021, the choir performed Carl Orff's Carmina Burana on. As an additional challenge, the choir members took on the choreography themselves. Particular emphasis was placed on realizing the imagery of the work. The success of the performance awakened the desire to create another piece in the same style. The path to Pictures of an exhibition of Mussorgsky was not far away, especially as this is a kind of musical visual contemplation. Movements and interpretations of images are already inherent in the music.

Now it was time to incorporate vocals and texts. Regula Schneider took Bruno Peterschmitt's arrangement for chamber orchestra as a template and arranged a vocal score from the melody lines, mostly in unison with a few polyphonic sections. Co-conductor Marcel Fässler wrote a poetic text that could have come from Mussorgsky's imaginary museum visitor. Schneider added vocals to all but one of the images - and it worked! The original keys of the piece proved to be easy to sing. Where it got a little high, the gentlemen elegantly used falsetto. In addition to the 45 or so boys' and men's voices, a women's project choir with a further 25 voices made an appearance.

Clear movement patterns, expressive gestures

Although the music is easy to sing, it is always a challenge to sing and move at the same time. Choreographer Yvonne Sieber refrained from overly complex dance figures and mostly limited herself to clear movement patterns and expressive gestures that clarified the content of the images. A strong lighting direction perfectly emphasized the stage action. After an effective parade of choirs, dwarves scurried across the spacious playing area of the Maihof in the first picture, "Gnomus". In "Tuileries", the boys made a refreshing appearance, while the men and women in "Bydlo" made an impact with the simple motif of hinking.

In the "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks", the boys once again took center stage. Although they were initially positioned behind the orchestra, their singing sounded present and compact. "Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle" was performed by nine men. Jonathan Kionke took the solo with his flawless counter voice. He has been a member of the choir for years and is now studying singing at the Zurich University of the Arts. With expressive arm movements, the performers in the picture "The hut on chicken legs" created associations with the content. "The Great Gate of Kiev" was designed as a monumental final image.

 

Table of contents

Focus

Like two sides of a single instrument
The Tchiki Duo plays Bach or Scarlatti on marimbas - Interview

Origin and spread of the mallet instruments
Short compact history

The lesser-known relatives of the drum set
Mallets at music schools

From exploring to making music
The role of the mallet instruments in the Orff instrumentarium

 (italics = summary in German of the original French article)

Critiques

Reviews of recordings, books, sheet music

Echo

Artificial art
Interfinity Festival in Basel

Partitions d'occasion en mobilité douce
Vendre par un triporteur

The pandemic is followed by a heyday
26th edition of m4music

God save the "young talent"
Young choir Solothurn

Radio Francesco
The promise

The voice of a "silent nation"
The Afghan Youth Orchestra in Geneva

Chatting about instrumental lessons in Aargau
Valentin Sacher and Andreas Schlegel

Carte blanche
for Jürg Erni

Base

Articles and news from the music associations

Swiss Federal Orchestra Association (EOV) / Société Fédérale des Orchestres (SFO)

Konferenz Musikhochschulen Schweiz (KMHS) / Conférence des Hautes Ecoles de Musique Suisse (CHEMS)

Kalaidos University of Music / Kalaidos Haute École de Musique

Swiss Music Council (SMR) / Conseil Suisse de la Musique (CSM)

CHorama

Swiss Society for Music Medicine (SMM) / Association suisse de Médecine de la Musique (SMM)

Swiss Musicological Society (SMG) / Société Suisse de Musicologie (SSM)

Swiss Musicians' Association (SMV) / Union Suisse des Artistes Musiciens (USDAM)

Schweizerischer Musikpädagogischer Verband (SMPV) / Société Suisse de Pédagogie Musicale (SSPM)

SONART - Musicians Switzerland

Swiss Youth Music Competition Foundation (SJMW)

Arosa Culture

SUISA - Cooperative Society of Authors and Publishers of Music

Swiss Association of Music Schools (VMS) / Association Suisse des Écoles de Musique (ASEM)

 

The Xylophone in the Glaspalast
Puzzle by Pia Schwab

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Order issue for CHF 8.- (+ CHF 2.- shipping costs)

Beni Santora founded Musikwerk Luzern in 2015 to perform modern classics such as Béla Bartók and Igor Stravinsky in innovative concert formats. He has always been interested in the cinematic element. As a cellist, he also studied film directing and trained as a cameraman. His multimedia collage on the Orpheus mythology ... and he looked back testifies to this dual talent. The music is given time and space to take effect.

However, the technical effort involved is enormous. Santora and his team found the necessary infrastructure in the former Moderne cinema. The conversion into the "Moderne Karussell" has created a spacious room with three cinema screens. Five high-performance projectors are available to enable 360-degree projections.

Gently animated images

For his cinematic realization, Santora searched the world for depictions of Orpheus from 4000 years of cultural history. This most famous love story of antiquity has always inspired artists. Orpheus is the Greek hero who descended into the underworld to bring his beloved Eurydice back from the realm of the dead. On his return, however, he should not have looked back at her. He did, however, and lost her a second time.

Santora projects the selected images side by side on the three walls as if in a gallery: an antique bronze, an early Byzantine mosaic, Greek statues, a 17th century tapestry or oil paintings from the Romantic period. This gallery perspective is the common thread running through the production. Similar to Mussorgsky in the Pictures of an exhibition Santora returns to her again and again.

He generally works with still images, which he gently animates. He zooms in on one of the subjects, enlarges sections or moves individual figures across the three screens. The Lucerne agency 360 Emotion has implemented this "exhibition in moving pictures" using state-of-the-art technology.

As a viewer, you sit right in the middle of the action in comfortable movie seats. Thanks to the calm dramaturgy, you have enough time to take a closer look at the images. The enlargements bring the characters to life and bring them close to you. Times long past appear to fill the room.

Live music and sound recordings

And the music? Here Santora ventures a dialog between the live performance of Jacopo Peri's opera Euridice and recordings that he plays to accompany the pictures: ancient Roman festive music, polyphonic madrigals, symphonic works by Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Hans Werner Henze and Philipp Glass, always with reference to the Orpheus theme.

Even if this tour d'horizon through music history is tailored to the art being presented, the constant stylistic changes are exhausting. The juxtaposition of live music and surround sound via loudspeakers is particularly tricky. No sooner have you listened to the peculiarity of Renaissance music than you are abruptly torn out again by a sound recording.

But you get used to it over time. Peri's opera is the musical instance to which you return again and again, it forms the narrative framework. First performed in Florence in 1600, it is the oldest completely preserved opera in the history of music. Surprisingly, this simple work can unfold well in the multimedia "Gesamtkunstwerk".

The Basel vocal ensemble Domus Artis sang the five parts at the premiere on April 11 with committed dedication, accompanied by Guilherme Barroso on the theorbo and Inés Moreno Uncilla on the harpsichord. The concertante singers captured the audience's attention with their lively articulation and natural phrasing.

In the main role of Orpheus, the tenor Cyril Escoffier moved the audience with a devoted lament. His warm timbre also went well with the clear, bright soprano of Jaia Niborski, who sang the proud Eurydice. And the rich color palette of the ensemble was impressively shown to advantage in the more upbeat choral songs. As enormous as the effort for this Orpheus production was, it gave the ancient material a coherent, modern face.

Further performances: April 24 and 25 and May 2, 3 and 5. From April 25 to June 13, a shortened version without Domus Artis can be seen Thu to Sun, 4 to 9 pm.

musikwerkluzern.ch

As a double bass player, producer and composer Eldhwrites the ZHdK"created a unique style that transcends the boundaries of any musical genre." As a bandleader and collaborator, he has worked with artists such as Django Bates, Kit Downes, Jameszoo and Christian Lillinger, resulting in groundbreaking albums that "showcase his broad spectrum of artistic abilities, ranging from electronic music to avant-garde jazz."

The electric bassist Linley Marthe transcends borders and genres with his work: his "cultural heritage serves as a rich tapestry that weaves groove music and the multi-layered rhythms of jazz with the melodies of Africa and the complex compositions of India. Since 2003, Linley Marthe has been a permanent member of the Joe Zawinul Syndicate, where he has captivated a global audience with his unique performances. Of particular note is the Grammy Award he received for the Zawinul Syndicate's 75th Birthday Tour in 2007. Shortly before his death, Joe Zawinul appointed Linley Marthe as the future leader of the Syndicate. Since then, Linley Marthe has been on the road with the most renowned jazz & world artists around the globe."

Under the title You highly praised, perfect virtuoso: Jan Dismas Zelenka and his time offered the Meeting on March 16 Insights, classifications and new aspects to the many unanswered questions surrounding Zelenka's life and work: Who was this composer who gave himself the nickname of the "penitent thief", Dismas? What musical developments did Zelenka, who was highly esteemed by his contemporary Johann Sebastian Bach, bring to Dresden? In six lectures, social history, the history of ideas, music theory and performance practice were traced.

In her introduction, Esma Cerkovnik (Zurich) shed light on the topos of virtuosity based on a poem of praise by Johann Gottlob Kittel, a contemporary of the composer, who described Zelenka as a "consummate virtuoso" in the "Wettstreit der Music". Jóhannes Ágústsson (Reykjavík) then presented new sources on Zelenka's early years in Dresden, with a particular focus on Jesuit contexts. Thomas Hochradner (Salzburg) critically assessed the significance of Zelenka's apprenticeship with Johann Joseph Fux. He took previous research, namely the studies of Friedrich Wilhelm Riedel and Wolfgang Horn, as a starting point for a new weighting of the known written evidence. Václav Kapsa (Prague) presented the composer's Bohemian networks, focusing on the musical exchange between Prague and Dresden - both of Zelenka's places of activity - in addition to Czech elements in his music.

Angelika Moths (Zurich) presented music-theoretical considerations in Zelenka's oeuvre. Against the background of Johann David Heinichen's basso continuo treatises, she emphasized the composer's innovative harmonies. Laurenz Lütteken (Zurich) examined the overture Hipocondria from the perspective of the history of ideas. Contemporary definitions of hypochondria and insights into Athanasius Kircher's philosophy of music offered new aspects of Zelenka's understanding of music in this work. Finally, the organist and conductor Adam Viktora (Prague) reported on the references to ecclesiastical contexts with a view to the reception of Zelenka at the time of the socialist Czechoslovak Republic and presented practical performance considerations on Zelenka's music.

The speakers at the conference brought the "ausbündigen Meister" to life as a multifaceted figure in the musical culture of his time and provided plenty of food for thought for future music research in their contributions and the subsequent discussions.

The career of his co-leadership is indicative of the new project choir: Having been infected with a passion for choral music and singing together as children themselves, they are committed to Lea Scherer and Joël Morand for years at the two large local choir schools. Almost all of the singers in the Young Choir have been trained in the Solothurn Girls' Choir or the Boys' Choir of St. Ursus Cathedral and some of them are active there - and what an asset this is could be heard at the concert in the Franciscan Church in Solothurn on April 4.

Just Good Music

A sophisticated British-Swiss a cappella program under the title God save the Queen music! was put together by Lea and Joël, and in front of a packed audience of young listeners, it quickly became clear that this was music of a high standard.

Martha von Castelbergs O bone Jesu clear high notes and an astonishingly velvety low register, good diction and clear vocal lines in I raise my eyes by Willy Burkhard. In the challenging church acoustics, two movements of the Mass pour double chœur by Frank Martin, the young ensemble mastered the task with flying colors. With a homogeneous sound (and obvious training in Renaissance vocal music), the Music divine by Thomas Tomkins, as well as the Pyramid Song by Radiohead.

The ensemble interpreted the Advance Democracy by Benjamin Britten from 1938, a work that called for the defense of democratic values in the run-up to the Second World War. It is also worth mentioning that there was no staging "frippery" (quote from the audience) and that the music was the "queen" of the evening.

Basic training pays off

The Young choir Solothurn shows in a touching way how valuable all efforts in the musical education of children and young people are. The countless hours of vocal training, rehearsals and project work form the basis for the impressive level of music-making here.

Even if the resources are perhaps not yet too plentiful and there is a lack of time for two projects per year in the future: The young singers radiate a high level of ambition and confidence to prove themselves musically in a harmonious environment. The Solothurn Young Choir can count on a supportive environment in the city and is a member of the cantonal choir association.

Between youth choir and 60+

The offer closes a gap that many young (semi-professional) singers encounter as soon as they outgrow the youth choirs: where can they continue to sing to a high standard, continue their musical training with their peers (in any case with "non-60+" singers) and present good programs? University choirs may not be at the level hoped for, and the "gap" to existing adult choirs and traditional amateur choirs sometimes seems large.

The modest and obviously dedicated leadership of the Young Choir enables the singers, only a small number of whom aspire to a professional musical career, to establish their own musical home. The possibility of an identity-forming musical activity in the supposedly depreciated "choral society", and for an enthusiastic audience to boot, is now available in Solothurn.

The next generation is preparing to further develop choral life in Switzerland and enrich regional cultural life.

youngchorsolothurn.ch

Over 6,000 people attended m4music, the pop music festival organized by the Migros Culture Percentage, at the end of March 2024. According to festival director Philipp Schnyder, the Swiss music scene has shown that it is thriving again one year after the pandemic, presenting itself creatively and full of drive. "Despite some structural problems, professionalization is progressing," he says with conviction. This was also reflected in the discussions at the conference program, which was attended by around 1600 professionals. "There is a great will to make progress together on issues of diversity and awareness, sustainability and social justice, but also on economic issues."

The various panels discussed topics such as "Fair pay in the music scene" and "Tiktok as a career booster" and also took a look behind the scenes of funding institutions. Under the title "Festival Utopias", representatives of small music festivals from Switzerland reported on how they are responding to the ongoing climate crisis: While Facciamo la Corte, which takes place near Lugano, only engages musicians from Switzerland in order to minimize its ecological footprint, the three-day Buatsch Festival in Tersnaus, Graubünden, focuses on sustainable infrastructure and producing as little waste as possible.

The region as a target audience

"One of our aims is for our audience to feel connected to the venue and the people who live there," explained Eli Müller, who is part of the Buatsch organizing collective. "Our event primarily appeals to people from the surrounding valleys and the region."

"We see our festival first and foremost as a gift to the hamlet of Le Cerneux-Godat, on whose soil the event can take place," emphasized Loris Vettese, the artistic director of the Tartare de Miettes Festival in the Jura. It is characterized by the fact that the public can decide for themselves how much they want to pay for admission.

The Tartare de Miettes does not receive any sponsorship, but does receive 6,000 francs from the state, which corresponds to a tenth of the budget. "We live mainly from what our visitors are prepared to pay - including for drinks," adds Vettese. The structure works because no one except the technical staff receives a salary. "Which ultimately proves that we are all very privileged. Otherwise it wouldn't be possible for us to do so much voluntary work for the festival."

Propere music on SRF 3?

The panel "A love story: SRG and the Swiss music industry" lived up to its title: Gilles Marchand, Director General of SRG, and four of his program directors were initially full of self-praise. "The diversity of our program corresponds to the diversity of Swiss music," said Marchand, praising the work of his company. It became clear that not everyone shares his view when Chris Wicky, Co-CEO of the Swiss music agency Irascible, took to the stage. Although what SRG achieves is certainly impressive, the music played by SRF 3 seems decidedly harmless to him.

Michael Schuler, Head of Music at SRF, defended the programming and explained that the audience should not be irritated. "Otherwise they will quickly switch to streaming services like Spotify." Presenter Maria Victoria Haas pointed out that songs by Swiss musicians are mainly played at night on SRF 3. When asked why music by local artists is not played more often during the day, Schuler answered evasively: "We have improved a lot in this respect." Nevertheless, all those present agreed that SRG and Swiss music creators are dependent on each other. "I hope that we will work more closely together in future," concluded Schuler.

Apply AI

One of the hotly debated topics at m4music was artificial intelligence (AI) and its effects. In his keynote talk "Music and AI", German musician and label operator Florian Kreier (aka Angela Aux) focused not least on the question of how AI can be used by artists. "Anyone who uses a cell phone is already using AI," emphasized the 41-year-old, trying to allay his audience's fears of the new technology. In particular, he praised the benefits of software components such as stem separation tools, which use AI to isolate the individual instruments in a track so that they can be studied. Surprisingly, the new single by Angela Aux, Traveler of the MindBut it doesn't sound like science fiction at all, but rather like a catchy but harmless sound potpourri that draws on the pop of the seventies.

 

The vernissage of the exhibition "Armin Rüeger - more than the lyricist of Othmar Schoeck" will take place on April 19 at 6 pm in the Schniderbudig Bischofszell near the museum at Marktgasse 4. On rueeger-schoeck.ch information about the friendship between the two, as well as detailed information about the exhibition and accompanying events.

Christa Liechti, President of the Bischofszell Museum Society, is quoted in the press release of April 3 as follows: "They [Rüeger and Schoeck] took different paths and yet always remained close. This is what makes the special exhibition so exciting."

Further information via this link.

 

Founded in 2018 in Basel under the name Basel Infinity Festival, the series under the direction of pianist and music manager Lukas Loss is committed to organizing interdisciplinary events between music and science. This year, a three-day cycle within the renamed Interfinity Festival from March 18 to 20 was dedicated to the topic of "Artificial Art", the possibilities of modern artificial intelligence (AI) and its effects on art and society. As there is still a great need for information on this topic, the most important aspects and problems of AI were discussed in a high-profile panel discussion in the new Novartis Pavilion on the first evening. Moderated by Gerd Folkers (ETH Zurich), Bianca Prietl and Heiko Schuldt (University of Basel), Damir Bogdan (CEO Quantum Basel), Frank Petersen (Head of Research Natural Products Novartis) and Jan Mikolon (Quantum Basel, IBM) took part in the discussion.

Unimaginable without it

It is a fact that AI has established itself in many areas. The revolution is as significant as the invention of the photocopier, the internet or the smartphone, for example, and there is no telling where the journey will take us. There is no way back and society is forced to come to terms with it. Whether strict regulation would make sense is debatable, as there are always loopholes. Ethical rules are usually short-lived in science.

AI is also used differently in different social models: In China, "social scoring", i.e. the total surveillance of citizens, is already a reality, while in Europe AI tends to be used to save time in job applications and tenders. AI has already established itself in science worldwide, but in the very near future, schools will also have to think hard about how AI can be used in a meaningful way. The University of Basel explicitly promotes the use of AI, and members of all faculties should be able to use it. Transparency should be a magic word in dealing with it; its involvement and contribution should be made clear.

Heiko Schuldt stated in an interview with the Basler Zeitung: "There is no need to be afraid [of AI]. However, it is very important to understand how AI works and what its limits are. What AI can do: correlate different pieces of information within large data sets. What AI cannot do: distinguish between true and false." AI cannot trigger creative processes on its own either, but could at least theoretically generate an exciting crime novel based on all existing crime novels. It was also agreed that AI should not be used unquestioningly, as we can see from the AI-supported career advice that women are advised to study psychology, while men are advised to study IT and engineering. The fact that AI will make various professions obsolete is a problem that should not be neglected, just like the reduced working week in the future. Will people be able to do something useful with the time they "save"?

Artificial paradises

On the second evening, the Swiss writer Alain Claude Sulzer presented a witty text on the subject of "Artificial paradises". Paradise can present itself in very different ways: For the aged François Mitterand, it was probably an Ortolan dinner, for which fat bunting, small birds, are prepared in a grotesque, animal-torturing ritual to satisfy exquisite cravings. The three androids presented to the public in 1774 by the Neuchâtel watchmakers father and son Jaquet-Droz and their employees represent the pinnacle of sophisticated artificiality. These automatons, a scribe, a draughtsman and an organist, delighted European onlookers for decades.

August Engelhardt created a rather absurd artificial paradise for himself in the South Seas around 1900, where he only wanted to eat coconuts, which promised eternal life. He died prematurely - suffering from malnutrition and scabies - and the "cocovorous" sect he founded disbanded. Albert Hofmann's LSD, invented in Basel, was also a path to a problematic artificial paradise.

A counterpoint to Sulzer's essay was provided by piano works by Bach (arr. Siloti), Bartók, Ornstein and Scriabin, which were not created by the effects of drugs, but owe their independence to their preoccupation with folk music, the experience of emigration and an esoteric world view. The outstanding performer was the Belarusian pianist Denis Linnik.

Man vs. machine

The event concluded in the Voltahalle with a very well-attended evening of over 300 people, opened by Basel's Director of Education Conradin Cramer with a short speech and an interesting concept: five composers each created five-minute works in the style of Bach, Chopin, Brahms, Messiaen and Bartók for different ensembles. The Latvian composer Platons Buravickis "composed" counterparts with AI, interpreted by the same musicians. The interpretations were excellent throughout. Between the performances, Henry Legg gave a spectacular introduction to AI, supported by video art.

The audience could use a QR code to vote on which version of a piece they thought was man-made. It was interesting to see whether it would be possible to differentiate between them. In the end, however, the audience was not wrong about any of the works, although there were some excellent bars in the AI version of Messiaen, for example, that could have been written by the French master. The piano quintet in the style of Brahms by Johannes Raiser and especially the quartet for violin, clarinet, piano and percussion by Amador Buda in the style of Bartók were so convincingly composed that they could easily be played in a "normal" concert. Although this conclusion may seem like a platitude: one had the impression that the AI pieces sounded student-like and lacked emotional depth. But AI can still make progress ...

The field of early music education is generally limited to the period from the early Middle Ages to the 19th century, i.e. to the field of "old instruments". With the development of modern instruments in the course of the 19th century, a suitable reason arose to narrow the field forward. But Brahms, Mahler, Stravinsky and Boulez are also early music. The music of the late 19th and 20th centuries should therefore also be researched, taught and performed with an awareness of its historical context. For the 20th century, this claim has been fulfilled for good reason from the very beginning. All that is missing is the late 19th century. The scope of historically informed performance practice and the historically informed training that goes with it must, I am not alone in thinking, necessarily be extended to the period from the early Middle Ages to the present day. The combination of research, teaching and performance, which Paul Sacher once postulated as the basic concept for the Basel Schola, seems to make sense for any music education. Even in the field of jazz, which has long since been academized. If a big band plays a piece by John Coltrane, then the solos must be performed in the Coltrane style. The soloists must be capable of such historical performance practice (technically and aesthetically), i.e. they must be trained.

What knowledge is needed to be able to

Teachers need to know a lot. However, they must above all teach their students the ability to act. In my opinion, this is a major misunderstanding when it comes to the claim of historical information in education. It is of course (also!) a discipline of scientific-historical research and is dependent on it. However, the results of such research are propaedeutic for the training of prospective musicians. They should not simply be passed on and taught in words, their results must above all be put to practical use by the students and thus made fruitful. Once a learner has acquired "musical competence" in this way, he will also be able to recognize, assess and evaluate the composers' formulations in a completely different, namely direct way. In other words: for budding musicians, training to think in terms of sounds is more important than training to talk or to know a lot about music. This is by no means intended to minimize the importance and value of speaking and knowledge. It is simply a question of priorities. Implicit knowledge should be promoted in lessons as a priority and explicit knowledge only secondarily.

Farewell to prefabricated theoretical instruments

Colleagues from neighboring countries tell me how this approach is being discussed at their universities and how much its realization is being pursued as a desired goal in some places. This not only requires the formulation of new curricula and the gradual recruitment of appropriately trained teaching staff, it also means saying goodbye to many still rather sacred cows. This includes, for example, the theoretical system of harmony theory, which is used in some places to analyze music between Monteverdi ("it's already getting a bit tonal") and Mahler. This includes the systematic theory of form, which is still used to measure works of art. Most of the prefabricated theoretical instruments simply belong to this. It inevitably leads to a narrowing and not infrequently also to a permanent deformation of the perspective or listening angle.

Interrelated subjects convey an overall picture

The teaching curricula at institutes for historical performance practice differ not only in the main subjects (old instruments, playing techniques, aesthetics), but also and especially in the compulsory subjects, from those of standard music academies. This is illustrated by the example of the Basel Schola: here the core subjects of composition, ear training, notation and music history follow a uniformly historically differentiated training plan. Thanks to the chronological approach in all these subjects, many internal relationships are created and the same subject is examined and considered from different points of view. These subjects are supplemented by the subjects of source and instrument studies, which are also offered in a chronological approach, the compulsory subjects of Gregorian chant (modality in monophony), historical dance, improvisation and ornamentation theory and, depending on the field of study, basso continuo playing. For all students, there is also the compulsory subject of singing (voice training, historical singing practice). The canon of interrelated subjects provides students with an overall picture in which they can place their work in the major subject. They have a detailed background and a familiar environment at all levels. This provides them with the necessary foundations for their aesthetic decisions as performers.

The overall area is divided into the style-specific fields of work or courses of study: 1) Medieval/Renaissance, 2) Renaissance/Baroque/Classical and finally 3) Baroque/Classical/Early Romantic. (This training concept goes back to a design by Wulf Arlt in 1970 and was subsequently expanded and supplemented by Peter Reidemeister and later by his successors).

The areas mentioned could be further developed as follows: 4) Classical music/early Romanticism/high and late Romanticism, 5) Romanticism/new music in the first half of the 20th century/music after the Second World War. Areas 1) and 2) would probably remain the preserve of specialized institutes, while at most conservatoires the standard offer would continue to consist of areas 3), 4) and 5). Training programs could be freely compiled as modules.

 

Markus Jans taught historical composition at the Schola Cantorum Basiliens from 1972 to 2010.

Table of contents

Focus

We work together in Schaffhausen, the distances are short
Interview with Annedore Neufeld, active in the Musik-Collegium and Bachfest, among others

Schaffhausen Jazz Festival
Mirror of Swiss creativity

Small town with a big heart for crazy music
Schaffhausen as a stronghold of do-it-yourself pop
Link to Hanspeter Künzler's Schaffhausen playlist

It's about something really bigs
The Schaffhausen Music School and its Singing School

Chatting about ... the cultural atmosphere in Schaffhausen
Sonix and Joscha Schraff

 (italics = summary in German of the original French article)

 

Critiques

Reviews of recordings, books, sheet music

 

Echo

Beethoven lives in the Emmental
The Langnau orchestra and its major Beethoven project

Radio Francesco
Accoucher | Giving birth

"Smell a bit of the Basel madrigalists"
First Swiss choral conducting prize "Swiss Made"

Un parcours hors du commun
Raymond Meylan

Il faut arrêter d'être obsédé par la question de la modernité
Entretien avec Karol Beffa, compositeur, pianiste et écrivain

Equitable instrumental lessons in Aargau
Contribution to the discussion by Andreas Schlegel
Link to musikbildung-aargau.ch

Old or new music: lessons in historical performance practice
Reflections on the future of Markus Jans

Carte blanche
for Werner Bärtschi

Base

Articles and news from the music associations

Swiss Federal Orchestra Association (EOV) / Société Fédérale des Orchestres (SFO)

Konferenz Musikhochschulen Schweiz (KMHS) / Conférence des Hautes Ecoles de Musique Suisse (CHEMS)

Kalaidos University of Music / Kalaidos Haute École de Musique

Swiss Music Council (SMR) / Conseil Suisse de la Musique (CSM)

CHorama

Swiss Society for Music Medicine (SMM) / Association suisse de Médecine de la Musique (SMM)

Swiss Musicological Society (SMG) / Société Suisse de Musicologie (SSM)

Swiss Musicians' Association (SMV) / Union Suisse des Artistes Musiciens (USDAM)

Schweizerischer Musikpädagogischer Verband (SMPV) / Société Suisse de Pédagogie Musicale (SSPM)

SONART - Musicians Switzerland

Swiss Youth Music Competition Foundation (SJMW)

Arosa Culture

SUISA - Cooperative Society of Authors and Publishers of Music

Swiss Association of Music Schools (VMS) / Association Suisse des Écoles de Musique (ASEM)

 

Gender pay gap in the 19th century
Riddle by Rudolf Baumann

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Order issue for CHF 8.- (+ CHF 2.- shipping costs)

As Arthur Furer's nephew, I was already able to benefit from the composer's great knowledge of music theory as a teenager. To this day, I still benefit from the foundation in harmony and analysis that my uncle taught me. While he was still alive, I was able to return the favor and explore his work in numerous concerts and recordings. In doing so, it was always important to me to win over performers from the younger generations.

As Arthur Furer only composed sporadically from the 1990s onwards due to a hearing impairment, he was actually most pleased to see his earlier works performed again. He then sat in the concert with his hearing aids switched off and attentively observed the stage and audience. He used to thank the musicians with an undiminished charming smile.

Composer, violinist, violist

The performers were very often his friends. First and foremost the violinists Rudolf Brenner and Ulrich Lehmann, but also the Bern Symphony Orchestra, where Brenner and Lehmann worked as concertmaster and Furer himself as violinist. Then there was the Bern Chamber Orchestra, where Furer was principal violist, the Radio Bern Chamber Ensemble, of which several recordings for solo instruments and chamber orchestra exist, and the Camerata Bern, for which he composed a virtuoso Music for strings wrote.

On the occasion of the inauguration of the new Inselspital, his work was Portum inveni premiered. For the 800th anniversary of Bern, he wrote the cantata Out of time and sufferingwhose premiere performance by the choirs of Neufeld Grammar School (conductor: Döfe Burkhardt) and the BSO was an event. Furers Solo Sonata and the Musica per Viola sola were the compulsory pieces at the first Max Rostal Competition for violin and viola.

Arthur Furer was a Bernese in Bern and for Bern. He was awarded the Grand Music Prize of the Canton of Bern in 1984.

Conductor, music teacher

From his marriage in 1951 until his death in 2013, he lived in the Petrus parish, where he also directed the church choir for many years. For decades he worked as a music teacher at the Marzili Municipal Teachers' Seminary. The exemplary recordings of the cycles date from this time Seasonal songs, Flower songs and Cathedral for elite women's choir. Furer was an extremely strict but also charismatic teacher, musician and conductor. His magnificent performances of Bach's Mass in B minor and Schubert's Mass in A flat major took place over 40 years ago, but remain unforgettable to me. In his late works, namely in Praise of the deity Furer expresses a pacifist and pantheistic world view.

Arthur Furer's music was never avant-garde, but always meticulously thought through, demanding in every respect and masterful in sound. He himself commented: "Not affiliated with any contemporary school, for each new composition I look for a personal style that serves the content of the work and suits me at the moment."

Association Music Research & Discoveries

The festival is organized by the Music Research & Discoveries association founded by Kaspar Zehnder in September 2023. The aim of the association is to research and discover new, little-known or forgotten music and to publish, perform and/or record it, which is a major concern of the association's founder. The association's activities are financed by voluntary contributions from members, donations and grants from third parties, income from events, sponsorship contributions and contributions from the public purse.

Further information and detailed program: kasparzehnder.com