Andreas Stahl was born in Frauenfeld and grew up in the canton of Zurich. He studied composition under Hans Ulrich Lehmann at Zurich Conservatory and later studied theory and composition under Mathias Spalinger, Peter Foertig and Cornelius Schwehr at Freiburg im Breisgau Music School. He has produced various works for film and theatre and teaches music theory at Bern Conservatory. In 1995 he was awarded a grant by the Stuttgart 'Schloss Solitude' Academy.
Work list
schneller werdender blues (1983-1984)
Instrumentation: for flute, clarinet, violin, double-bass, marimba, percussion and orator
Texts: Robert Peterhans
Quasi-accompanied readings of texts by Robert Peterhans. Mini-overture; country life; city life (the eventful 80's); love; music.
A. Virtuoso piece. Caution: strings may break during intensive performance.B. Music film: b/w, 16mm, 11', production: Martin Rengel, cello: Conradin Brotbeck (film available on loan).
Instrumentation: for clarinet, horn, viola, cello and percussion
Duration: 20' 00" Manuscript
im selben raum (1989)
Instrumentation: for Tenor and piano
Texts: Konstantin Kavafis
The Tenor sings the text of the Greek concerning his love of the male to the generally steady and soft sounds of the piano part (very resonant, many fermata, a few rough edges, a lot of time),
First movement intensive, passionate as an "... ever turning circle", but with some clearly defined cuts. The second movement is very slow and steady, utmost strain in the ppp.
Instrumentation: for male choir (min. sixteen singers)
Texts: Roberto Succo
The condemnation to life with all its difficult to digest contradictions is the topic of Roberto Succos poems and the basis of this piece. Its coordination without a conductor and its demand for the highest and deepest tones and plucky soli parts make it a demanding piece for the choir. Dedicated to the Zurich Gay Male Choir and supported by the SME Lucerne.
Instrumentation: for three percussion and 12/11/10 stones
Two versions: one is based on a sculpture by Heinz Häberli; it consists of twelve stone pillars (roughly life-size), amongst which the percussionists shuffle about while playing. The other version is played in any combination on any twelve stones, slabs, pipes, bricks etc. With each performance of a series, one of the stones is destroyed, in this way a variety of interpretations is achieved.
"aso muesch entschuldige da ischte schlüssel" (szene VI) (1992-1993)
Instrumentation: for three orchestral groups, altus and electronic amplification (3.3.3.3.3sx/3.2.3.2/timp.4perc/hp.pf.acn/ebgtr/10.8.1.0.8.4)
Texts: Martin Frank
One of the seven planned musical scenes from the musical theatre project ‘la mort de chevrolet’, based on a book bearing the same title by Martin Frank. Spatial distribution can be realised on a normal stage. Scene VI a permanent ritardando with augmentation from all in all directions.
Instrumentation: for three orchestral groups, altus, tenor, and electronic amplification. (3.3.3.3.3sx/3.2.3.2/timp.4perc/hp.pf.acn/ebgtr/10.8.10.8.4)
Texts: Martin Frank
One of the seven planned musical scenes from the musical theatre project 'la mort de chevrolet', based on a book bearing the same title by Martin Frank. Spatial distribution can be realised on a normal stage. Scene V an impossible unisono.
Instrumentation: for two identical saxophones (a, t or bar)
The sounds and differences in articulation result from the use of different mouthpieces or reeds. Through the further use of a variety of playing techniques (tooth tone, high register, ff in the low register, different slaps etc.) they become the central focus of the piece itself.
Instrumentation: for orchestra (2.2.2.2.sx/3.2.2.2/3perc/hp.pf.acn/18.8.5.4)
A spatially distributed orchestra, with ever changing group assemblage who (independent of the conductor) move between individual solo and various tutti-attempts. Critical questions of identity, individuality, coherence and unity are central in this composition.
rufen wir charon? - und wenn er nicht kommt? (1997-1998)
Instrumentation: for altus, bass clarinet, double-bass and piano
This piece, without text, was written for the altus Luiz Alves da Silva. It works primarily with oscillating, non transition forming elements such as register change, upbow - downbow, to and fro movements etc. Continually changing parameters such as dynamics and tempo transitions are to be avoided in so far as they are not induced by the instrument or the human being itself.
Instrumentation: for violoncello, double-bass, baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, two tenor-bass trombones and two percussion
An initial piece based on repetition in such a way that the repeated elements, located on many different levels, are not always immediately recognizable. This gives the impression of a loosely fabricated form. It is sonorously very soft, with lots of sounds and lots of interlocking rhythms. Requires a conductor.
Instrumentation: for violin and piano, with or without amplification
This open-form piece (with three piano and twenty eight violin parts) in techno-tempo, can be assembled in accordance with the performers own preference for bodily movement. Because all the violin parts must not necessarily be played it can, to a certain extent, be adapted to the performers technical skills. In opposition to music in the disco, upon which it is based, the non-amplified version is almost inaudible. This work takes as its central theme time related categories such as duration, pulse, metre, rhythm, continually questioning and changing them.
Instrumentation: for orchestra (2.2.2.2/2.2.0.0/1perc/8.6.4.4.3)
Initially planned as a constituent piece of a ballet, this piece accentuates the rhythmical arrangement of time and highlights the first violin and the percussion as soloists.
Not only the musicians are connected in a very tight, quasi-breathless time structure and intimately interwoven quartet movement, but also the musical form, which, with its ever-changing background also looses its unique identity.
For the 'Aleph Guitar Quartet'.
Instrumentation: for female voice, flute, oboe, violin, violoncello and piano
Written for the ensemble 'pre-art' for the 1700 anniversary of the Christianisation of Armenia. Text (mostly spoken) and music refer to the processes of memory and remembrance (resp. forgetting). Formally it is a triple duet (fl/vn, ob/vc, voc/pno) and is, as usual, situated on the rather extreme sector of sound production.
Instrumentation: for flute, oboe, clarinet and accordion
A piece about pitch, almost about melody. But certainly so that the borders between identical, similar and different dissolve leaving one finally hearing melodies where no melodies exist (?).
Instrumentation: for four large drums with auxillary instruments (four players)
A permanent accellerando, an initial eight bar metre is compressed into 2 1/4 notes at the end. Rather quiet - the membranes should be stroked rather than beaten. For the percussion art ensemble, Bern.