Instrumentation: for four-handed piano

'La beaute retrouvée' is a piece in memory of the Swiss composer Peter Mieg: The title ties in with Marcel Proust whose novel 'A la recherche du temps perdu' provided Mieg with his most important literary influence. In a modified form, the titel of this piano piece plays with the title of the novel and also makes reference to the specific musical ideal, which Mieg felt himself commited to in the creation of his compositional oeuvre. The cross-shaped formal and harmonic disposition underlines the symbolic 'in memorium' character of the piece.
Relatively simple piano part in space notation; fragile sounds in a dialogue between the players.

Duration: 4' 00"

CHF: 13.20

Instrumentation: for violin, clarinet and piano

Impulsive, feverish movements with lyrical bright spells.

Duration: 5' 00"

CHF: 16.00

Instrumentation: for trumpet and trombone

"Bright and noble" - a festive fanfare in D flat major.

Duration: 2' 00"

CHF: 12.00

Instrumentation: for chamber orchestra

Werner Wehrli (1892-1944) was one of the most renowned interwar Swiss composers. His multifaceted body of work encompasses every musical genre and spans opera and pieces for educational use. After training in Zurich, Berlin, Frankfurt and Basel, Wehrli returned to his hometown of Aarau and developed an interest in a myriad of activities, including directing and music teaching. In 1921, Wehrli composed a piano cycle comprising 22 poetic miniatures after a trip to the Säntis mountain area of Switzerland. Colourful travel impressions were the result, each one laying testament to the composer's bond with nature and "can only be compared in their richness of reproduced sentiment to the corresponding compositions by impressionistic musicians." (Walter Labhart). This instrumentation comprises eight pieces to form a cycle for chamber orchestra, whereby the number of instruments has been purposefully reduced to six (simple woodwind section, horn and trumpet) to increase performance possibilities. A relatively comprehensive percussion part (which can be mastered by a single player) additionally accentuates the colourations found in the piano part in the orchestral version.
Can also be performed by an amateur orchestra.

Duration: 11' 00"

Instrumentation: for two flutes

"Licht über Schatten" is dedicated to Elfriede Frank, the mother of Anne Frank, in memory of her son Heinz Geiringer from her first marriage, and her two daughters, Margot and Anne, by her second husband Otto Frank: Three children who fell victim to the National Socialist's persecution of the Jews. Hounded under the Stalin regime, a poem by the Russian lyricist Ossip Mandelstam provides the motto for this piece. Powerlessness and hope are contrasted, the belief that a glimmer of resistance to totalitarianism is beginning.



Duration: 7' 00"

Instrumentation: for two pianos

The title 'Desii e terre nuove' (longing and distant worlds) brings together three pieces based on different ideas and themes, which unite to form a cohesive, tonal cycle. These pieces use virtuosic and colourful, atmospheric gestures to condense four of the composer's formative impressions into musical portraits. The enigmatic movement titles refer to non-musical impressions that formed the basis of the composing process. The vibrant, tropical atmosphere in the very northern part of Australia is the departure point for the first movement 'Voci sotto uno cielo tremolante' (voices under shimmering sky). The second movement is dedicated to the floating filigree, polished bird sculptures by the Rumanian artist Constantin Brancusi 'Satz Gli uccelli di Brancusi' (the birds of Brancusi). A homage to the Russian composer Edison Denissow forms the fourth movement. The memory of a moving visit to Denisow's Moscow apartment is combined with a quote from his orchestral piece "Glocken im Nebel": Un momento nella ulisza studentscheskaja - a moment on student street.

Duration: 10' 00"

CHF: 30.60

Instrumentation: for horn and piano

Drawn-out lines of the horn face gong-beats and dazzling interpolations of a piano prepared with two chains.

Duration: 8' 00"

CHF: 19.80

Instrumentation: for piano trio

The titel "touch(e)!" refers to variations in the participating instruments: la touche / toucher (French) or to touch (English). This piece begins with no particular pitch indications. Glissandi in the violin and violoncello create specific atmospheres, which then form into quasi-melodic sighs. There are frequent dynamic contrasts between the instruments as the piece progresses. The development leads to an expressive point of culmination and picks up on several re-evocations. The finale is a kind of elegy, initially evoked by the 1996 Dunblane school massacre in Scotland, when 16 children lost their lives.

Duration: 10' 00"

CHF: 18.60

Instrumentation: for Soprano and wind quintet

Texts: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Emily Dickinson

"Colors" and "Countenance": central terms in the sensitive American natural poetry of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Emily Dickinson.
Colors = the colors and moods of light and nature's power.
Countenance = the processes of nature moving the human soul are reflected in human countenance.
The human state is inseparable from the incidents of nature, human destiny is bound in the charming and mysterious course of the seasons.
In the first movement ("In May when south winds pierced our solitudes" [sic!]) the voice is bound in a net of a max. of 4 of the 5 wind instruments. In the second movement ("A light exists in spring"), the voice alternates with the wind quintet in flowing, declamatory gradations. Vocal effects, together with the timbre, tracing and accentuation of the wind quintet - Colors and Countenance.

Duration: 8' 00"

CHF: 21.60

Instrumentation: for string trio

Twelve bars taken from Schubert's abandoned Impromptu D 946/I form the material for this string trio, which was composed for the "Sarine's Pilgrim" festival during the Schubert Year in 1997. Each of the attacca-performed, overlapping sections I-VIII uses the 142 notes of this fragment only; after the Schubert fragment (IX) there follows an epilogue (X) using all the notes of the chromatic scale except for c and f. Through the interlocking of each of the successive sections using motive-like elements, a metamorphosis takes place at the interface between the rapidly-changing scene sections.
The title plays with Siegfried Lenz's narrative "Einstein überquert die Elbe bei Hamburg". Schubertian parallels are exhibited in Lenz's story of an apparently insignificant old man on a ferry on the river Elb near Hamburg, who, using the power of his mind, is able to stop time and, similar to a concave mirror, in whose person all events are concentrated. The title "Schubert überquert die Donau bei Wien" plays symbolically on this reference: A single musician, insignificant to the surrounding world, was the central musical crystalisation point for the classic to romantic transition.

Duration: 7' 00"

CHF: 16.80

Instrumentation: for soprano, alto, mixed choir (SATB) and four-handed piano with small percussion

Texts: Wissenschaftssprache

A lyrical and atmospheric piece about the world of mountain gorillas. The choir parts can be performed by a good amateur choir, the small percussion (cymbals, small tam-tam, wood blocks, glass rattle) are to be played by the pianists.

Duration: 10' 00"

CHF: 32.40

Instrumentation: for eight-part choir (SSAATTBB), basset horn and vibraphone

Texts: Vincent van Gogh, Pieter Teding van Berckhout, Dirk Hannema, Catharina Bolnes, Alltagssprache

Very little is known about the life of Jan Vermeer (1632-1675). There exists nothing but a scattering of contemporary articles and absolutely no personal testimonials with regard to the artist, who rarely left his hometown of Delft. Despite this, and a relatively small oeuvre of approximately 35 paintings known to exist, Jan Vermeer exposed new dimensions in the field of light, perspective and colour, and is regarded as one of the most outstanding painters of his era. Using compositional methods, 'Licht bei Vermeer' attempts to transpose the characteristic light and colour concepts of seven Vermeer paintings onto a musical level. While the basset horn and vibraphone generally represent the only painting depicting a view of Vermeer's hometown (View of Delft, ca. 1660/61), the choir tackles six genre scenes situated within this city: Woman with a Lute [ca. 1659-60], Lady and Gentleman Drinking Wine [undated] The Girl with the Wine Glass [ca. 1659-60], A Lady Standing at a Virginal [ca. 1672-1673], Woman with a Pearl Necklace [ca. 1664] and Woman Holding a Balance [ca. 1664]. Each of these genre scenes is assigned a text fragment, like tesserae in the mosaic of Vermeer-reception, where the musical reference to the picturesque work of Vermeer is coupled with exemplary statements about his life and impact.


Duration: 12' 00"

CHF: 24.60

Four miniatures

Instrumentation: for Soprano and piano after text by Ulrich Suter

Texts: Ulrich Suter

Filigree sketches where the almost obligatory piano sparingly adds shades to the central Soprano.

Duration: 7' 00"

CHF: 16.70

Instrumentation: for soprano saxophone solo

'Mandorla' for soprano saxophone is a transcription of the identically named piano piece created in Sydney in 1998. Although some liberties have been taken with the saxophone version when compared to the version for piano, many characteristics of the original version have been preserved. The structure of the piece, based on the almond-shaped halo (mandorla), is largely determined by the (holy) numbers 3 and 7, complimented by the numbers 8 (mandorla) and 12 (total number of tones in the chromatic scale). A musical reference to the medieval mandorla form is found in the rapid, melodic phrases of the upper voice, which pertains to characteristics of the medieval two-voice spiritual song (organum).

Duration: 5' 00"

CHF: 14.70

Instrumentation: for piano

The piano piece 'Mandorla' was composed in Sydney in 1998 at the request of the Swiss organist and pianist Helene Thürig, who commissioned a "sacred piano piece". The piece is based on the mandorla form, a medieval halo, which is reflected in the arching form of the composition. Central elements include the (sacred) numbers 3 and 7, as well as the numbers 8 (=mandorla) and 12 (the number of notes in the chromatic scale) upon which the structure of the piece is based. A musical reference to the medieval representation of the mondorla is evident in the piano's upper voice. To be played as a 'lontano' vision, the rapid, melodic phrases use the perfect 8th, 5th, 4th and unison tones to adopt characteristics of the medieval two-voice spiritual song (organum).

Duration: 3' 00"

CHF: 13.80

Instrumentation: for oboe, viola and guitar

I was spending a year in Sydney when I recieved an offer by Mid-German Radio (MDR) to write a piece after Paul Klee for the 1999 MDR Summer. Being surrounded by such unique flora and fauna reminded me of the strong affinity to life on and in water expressed in the paintings of Paul Klee, his numerous harbour scenes, and above all his fish pictures. What would Paul Klee have painted on a visit to the 5th Continent? "Shark", "Turtle", "Ray" are three such imaginary images, Australian scenes after Paul Klee and inspired by Klee's own related motives. Each of the three movements begins with a core instrument and a specific musical material. The multiple oboe tones in "Shark", the guitar's natural flageolet tones in "Turtle" and the viola's tight chord glissandi in "Ray" initiates the character and development of each respective movement.

Duration: 7' 00"

CHF: 17.40

Instrumentation: for vocals and piano

Texts: Hans Arp

A text by Hans Arp on the emergence of Dada in 1916. Contains numerous musical cross references and aleatoric passages, with ambitious a-a" vocal range.

Duration: 3' 00"

CHF: 13.30

Instrumentation: for saxophone quartet and piano

Right up until the beginning of the 20th century, the Tasmanian Tiger, a wolf-like mammal not related to the tiger at all, but with fur markings similar to the tiger, traversed the archipelago of Tasmania off the Southern coast of Australia. After decades of being hunted, it disappeared from the face of the earth in 1936. Exterminated because of its alleged inclination to tear up sheep, a price was offered for every one of these animals shot. Since then, people have continued to claim having seen a Tasmanian Tiger: They nourish the persisting hope that Tasmanian Tigers have survived in some inaccessible areas. The mystery of the Tasmanian Tiger has emerged as a parable for modern man, and his wish to reverse the destruction of the Garden of Eden.
The piece 'Distant Calls' was inspired by the 'The Mystery of the Thylacine' exhibition shown in Hobart/Tasmania in 1998/99. The structure of the piece is based entirely on the Tasmanian Tiger's charachteristic fur markings and its singular ability to open its jaw to an angle of 120°.

Duration: 11' 00"

CHF: 21.60

Instrumentation: for a-cappella choir (high register)

Texts: Franz Hohler

I giganti nell'autosilo - Una storia misteriosa - Il maiale di marzapane.
Three absurd stories are narrated in a paradoxical spectrum of sung, spoken and whispered passages. A small percussion played by a choir member is also in the score.

Duration: 11' 00"

CHF: 26.40

Instrumentation: for orator, bass clarinet and guitar

Texts: Andreas Neeser

Composed during the 'Last Minute. Eine Ausstellung zu Sterben und Tod' exhibition at the Stapferhause in Lenzburg, this piece touches on eight poems by Andreas Neeser (*1964), an author from Aarau. Published by pendo-Verlag, his 'Triebholz' collection of poems deals with the death of his brother. The texts reflect personal experiences with respect to coping with dying, death and transiency. Formally, this piece is based on the multi-part structure of the traditional Requiem text, which leads to a sort of mini-cycle consisting of short, merging single movements, where each section makes musical reference to the poems' structures, characteristics and emotional levels.

Duration: 14' 00"

CHF: 24.00

3 Sketches

Instrumentation: for three oboes

Three different 'veils' for oboe trio which attempt to avoid the typical oboe stereotypes.

Duration: 6' 00"

CHF: 14.70

Instrumentation: for viola solo

"Es werde Licht", after a photograph by Silvia Kamm, relates to the situation immediately before (and during) a concert: From tuning the strings, the soloist is catapulted into the musical stream and simultaneously 'explores' the instrument in a quasi '3-dimensional' manner (longitudinal: chords; latitudinal: glissandi; vertical: pizzicato). A theatrical gesture throughout the performance is desirable. Like the photograph of Silvia Kamm, with the lit note stands in an empty, darkened room, the title of the piece symbolises this polarity (pre concert/during concert). With the piece's increasing 'internalisation', an additional content-related level picks up on the aspect of light. The frequency of the individual tones found in the melodic gestures of the final part are taken directly from the wavelengths of visible light (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet).

Duration: 7' 00"

CHF: 14.70

Instrumentation: for string orchestra

Beguiling musical fragments of the duet "Sancta mater istud agas" from Pergolesi's Stabat Mater emerge from the musical flow... intrumented anew, they are found at the original position in the score, while the passages between the duet are "filled" with new ciphers/gestures over the Stabat Mater motive. The tonal material is developed from and leads to this original quote. Short episodes by the solo violin and string quartet serve to remind of an over-the-top concerto manner, which was pointed out by contemporary critics in Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. The "newly composed" movement in its original length is framed by symbolic parts. At the beginning stands an "inclined plane" of Pergolesi fragments, which is penetrated "cross like" by a rising bourdon. The 2 x 7 "accents" of the coda represent the 14 Stations of the Cross.

Duration: 11' 00"

CHF: 25.30

Chamber opera

Instrumentation: for two deep voices and chamber ensemble (cl(bcl).asx(barsx).bn(cbn)/egtr/perc(two players)/vc.db)

It's 1920's England and two men meet in the broadmoor asylum, an institution for the criminally insane. William Minor, a former doctor during the American Civil War and one of the most important contributors to the Oxford Dictionary of English is amongst the inmates. John Ruskin, the symbolistic painter and writer is a guest. Both are helplessly exposed to the storms of the twentieth century. The world, so they believe, can be saved only when both have freed themselves from sin. A fragile balance between life and death develops over the four dramatic scenes of this chamber opera. The dense and complex libretto by the Australian author Jen Craig highlights obsessions, memories and hopes in a world caught between reality and delusion, guilt and expiation. The music is built upon keywords from the text (rolling, spitting, gliding, breathing) and evokes, in addition, contrasting sound worlds: pitch-black waves, grotesque accents, erotic and fear associations, breathing as life's essence.

Duration: 25' 00" ((bei konzertanter Aufführung))

CHF: 99.00

Instrumentation: for baritone solo

The originally intended world-premiere venue for this piece at the Mongolian 'Roaring Hoofs' festival left me searching for an adequate text to suit this special location. And so I turned to the Central Swiss world of legends, whose archetypical elements are found in similar forms in many areas of the world: Rules that must be obeyed to appease the wrath of nature/gods - the blessing, which protects one's property from evil - the forbidden crossing of frontiers, which leads to punishment. The mountain herdsman sings an 'Alpsegen' or mountain prayer each evening in order to pull a symbolic blanket of protection over the alp, a 'golden ring' that serves to protect man, animal and property from evil. A mountain prayer form Urnerboden sounds twelve times in this piece, perambulating the circle of fifths thus symbolically closing the blessed circle. Spectral glissandi, outbreaks of 'fury' and a wave of catharsis develop out of the mountain prayer's three-tone motives - archetypical consequences of crime and punishment. The fatalistic punishment following sin is completed after 12 systems of notation: the circle closes. In order to symbolically define the mountain prayer's 'golden ring', the singer can (ad lib.) trace a circle around the audience during the performance. Out of regard for the underlying tradition, this piece can be performed outside; the acoustics should not be too dry if performed in a concert hall. The title 'Gand' (known in the dialect native to the canton of Uri as 'Geröllhalde') stands as a symbol to the fatalistic world of sung legend.

Duration: 5' 00"

CHF: 10.00

Instrumentation: for organ and saxophone

This piece makes reference to a picture by one of Australia's most outstanding modern painters, Brett Whitely. It mirrors the intensity of the picture's colour effects and addresses the physical process of painting in five scenes (primer - gestures - colours - birds - varnish).

Duration: 8' 00"

CHF: 20.70

Instrumentation: for flute, saxophone and vibraphone

The structure and course of this piece is based on the periodic table of chemical elements. The three instruments represent specific groups of elements within the seven periods of the periodic system (metals, transition metals, non-metals, noble gasses). Small variations in playing technique and "plasticity" represent the chemical properties of each single element in one-bar 5/4 "portraits", which are linked to form a suspended tonal stream.

Duration: 7' 00"

CHF: 18.70

Instrumentation: for violoncello solo

Järvi (Finnish = the lake) relates a single cycle of the seasons from January to December based on the average temperatures and precipitation volumes in Punkaharju/Southeast Finland. This piece was created for performance at the Schweizerischen Jugendmusikwettbewerb and offers within its dramaturgical arc an introduction to various contemporary playing techniques for the violoncello.

Duration: 8' 00"

CHF: 14.00

Instrumentation: for vocal quartet (SATB)

Texts: Mani Matter

Arrangement after Mani Matter.

Duration: 3' 00"

Instrumentation: for vocal quartet (SATB)

Texts: Mani Matter

Arrangement after Mani Matter.

Duration: 3' 00"

Instrumentation: for wind septet (fl, ob, cl, bh, bcl, bn, hn)

"The seagull continues to play. But she is no longer alone. They came one after the other, against the wind. A bassoon is here, a long, thin lament; an oboe, guttural; a horn, horns, various colours, dry in the brass; a deep voice, a sonorous bass draws long, thick threads through the sound carpet. Above me on the craggy ledge sit thirteen seagulls, each with a tone of its own. Highs and lows, warmth and coolness, a mystical choir, a serenade from within the wind."
The number of seagulls in this excerpt from a short story by the Swiss author Andreas Neeser makes reference to the number of instruments in Mozart's famous wind serenade 'Gran Partitia', which also lends its name to Neeser's short story. Published in a volume of stories entitled 'Unsicherer Grund' or 'Unsafe Ground' (Haymon, 2010), Neeser's 'Gran Partita' pays homage to nature and the legends of Bretagne: An observation made at the westernmost side of Bretagne and a metaphor within which man and his emotions are mirrored.
Commissioned by the Bläsersolisten Aargau, my 'Gran Partita' reflects the music in Neeser's text and the nature it evokes - the structural elements of the short story and also the geology and fauna of Bretagne. The instrument's scales symbolise granite, the predominant stone in this area, and the vegetation and topos of the sea and the call of the seagulls. Non-musical parameters define the musical material, the form of which offers absolute priority to the melodic line. This leads to an autonomous sound metaphor comprising lines and colours, that makes the underlying substance as an explanation no longer necessary.

Duration: 13' 00"

CHF: 28.70