After graduating from college Thüring Bräm was educated in piano, conducting and composition in his birth town of Basel. He also studied musicology at the Universities of Basel and Heidelberg. He lived in the USA from 1970 until 1973 where he worked as a conductor and coach at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, at the Santa Fe Summer Opera, at Aspen Music Festival and studied at the University of California in Berkeley where he graduated with a Master of Arts degree in composition. He was head of the music school of the 'Musik-Akademie Basel' (Basel Academy of Music) from 1973 until 1987. Since 1987 he is director of the Lucerne Conservatory. He is active as a conductor in Switzerland and abroad.
During his years as a student the most crucial influences he received were from Anton Webern and Pierre Boulez (primarily as conductor and analyst). After visiting America he became more involved in improvisational music having been influenced by John Cage, during the mid eighties this became more structured music when he was using plain traditional material to produce new sound effects, for example in the Oratorio 'Litteri un Schattä - Lucie Ombre' or in the orchestral work 'Florestan und Eusebius'. He has received several important commissions and prizes for composition including from Pro Helvetia, the city of Basel, IMF (International Music Festival in Lucerne), Radio DRS, Danzig, BBC Singers, Edwin Fischer recognition prize, University of California and others. He has published and lectures as a guest.
Work list
3 Kanons (1965-2006)
Instrumentation: for two pianos
Duration: 6' 00" Manuscript
Klangfelder (1965)
Instrumentation: for organ
Manuscript
7 Duettini (1967-2006)
Instrumentation: for 2 violins
Duration: 8' 00" Manuscript
Chant (1967)
Instrumentation: pour clarinette seule
Manuscript
5 Duette (1967)
Instrumentation: für zwei Violinen
Manuscript
6 Miniaturen (1967-1968)
Instrumentation: for string trio
Short characteristic pieces in a transparent, countrapuntal dodecaphonic Webern style.
"... dass es nichts Neues gibt unter der Sonne..." (1970)
Instrumentation: for Soprano, viola and bassoon
Texts: Dieter Fringeli
Four songs in the original scoring: Soprano, viola and bassoon. Text by the Basel poet Dieter Fringeli. There are more free passages in addition to the through-composed parts.
The title plays with Prousts 'A la recherche du temps perdu'. This through-composed piece requires flexibility due to improvisation-like parts. Satisfying for the flutist who plays on the background of an often noise like sliding sound carpet.
Instrumentation: for violin and violoncello (or 2 violoncelli)
Manuscript
Cat Songs / Katzenlieder (1977)
Instrumentation: for voice, children's choir, violin, 4 percussionists, xylophone, tubular bells and harp (piano)
Duration: 20' 00" Manuscript
Drei Lieder (1978-1979)
Instrumentation: for mixed a-cappella choir
Texts: Lajzer Ajchenrand
These three songs, based on a text by Lajzer Ajchenrand, were composed for Eric Ericson and his chamber choir. Because of the high demands in rhythm and intonation, this piece is best suited to a very well schooled, at least semi-professional ensemble (min. sixteen solo singers or a large choir).
These short, pregnant pieces are cloudy images from Beethoven and Webern. Precisely notated, they require certain technical enhancements such as 'cluster play'. One piece is graphically notated.
Instrumentation: for clarinet or violin (or any other melodic instrument) and piano
This cycle of seven pieces encompasses mostly notated memories: a (quasi) summary of the seventies. Where one movement requires the courage to improvise, another contains a sung alternative version.
Instrumentation: for mixed a-cappella choir (five groups, each with eight voices- register score ad libitum)
Texts: Bibel / Liturgie
A good amateur choir can tackle this spatial work for sub divided groups. It uses many vocal facets including sounds, screaming, speaking and singing. Text from the Old Testament.
Four characteristic pieces. The last of which requires (in an ideal situation) grand rubber mutes in the piano but an alternative version can be played on the keys.
A very diversified and animated work with a large cello solo (Er-Innerung 4 1/2), which can also be played as an individual piece. A commission for the International Music Festival, Lucerne.
Instrumentation: for violin, viola and string orchestra or version for piano, violin an viola
Duration: 14' 00" Manuscript
im schweigen (1990)
Instrumentation: for voice and string trio
Texts: Katharina Sallenbach
Manuscript
Er-Innerung (1990)
Instrumentation: for cello
Duration: 4' 30" Manuscript
Three Pictures of Georgia o'Keeffe (1991)
Instrumentation: for violin and percussion
A rewarding piece for a new genre: violin and percussion (uses instruments: flexatone, vibraphone, bongos, woodblock). Based on the pictures by the American painter: Two Jimson Weeds, The Winter Road, Red Poppies.
Instrumentation: for female a-cappella choir (SSAA)
Texts: Anna Katharina von Greiffenberg
Written for the 'Vepatechor'. In addition to the through-composed Baroque text from Anna Katharina von Greiffenberg it contains a middle part without text, which evokes the title of the poem 'Im Atemhaus' by Rose Ausländer. This part (in space notation) requires flexibility in respect to rhythm and metricity.
In one movement. A harmonic work in memory of Carl Phillip Emanuel Bach, with a solo viola part (cadenza), which can be performed as an individual piece.
4 Stücke aus Krajiny Snu ("Traumlandschaften") (1992)
Instrumentation: for piano trio
The ‘Traumlandschaften’ for piano trio is in four short movements and corresponds approximately to the solo parts of the same concert for piano trio and chamber orchestra.
Instrumentation: for horn solo and string orchestra
This piece, written for the Lucerne Festival Strings, can be easily introduced into a 'normal' string orchestra programme. It does, however, require great solo skills from the horn player.
Instrumentation: for piano trio, chamber orchestra (2.2.2.2/2.2.0.0/str) and one crotale
The title 'Krajiny Snu' means 'dreamlandscape' and represents shreds of the composers associations with his work as a conductor from 1985 to 1995 in Pardubice. This work, originally dedicated to the 'Guarnieri Trio', Prague and the Pardubice Chamber Phillharmonic, enriches the category of concert for piano and orchestra.
Instrumentation: for soprano saxophone, oboe, violin, violoncello and vibraphone
Duration: 2' 00" Manuscript
Piccoli Madrigali (1996)
Instrumentation: for mixed a-cappella choir
Texts: Anna Maria Bacher
The ten a-cappella songs based on the Italian version of poems by Anna Maria Bacher are derived from the oratorium 'Litteri un Schattä / Luci e ombre'. They can be performed separately. They are linear, melodic and varied in form.
Instrumentation: for mixed choir (twenty four-part, six per SATB with a minimum of sixteen voices)
Texts: William Blake
A work dedicated to the BBC Singers. Blake's plain but simultaneously complex text is translated into simple musical choir language representing the 'fin de siècle' of the 20th century. The work requires particular professionalism in regard to the intonation.
Instrumentation: for solo voice (T possibly S) and orchestra (2.2.2.2/4.2.3.1/ timp.2perc/str)
Texts: Josef Freiherr von Eichendorff
Written for the 1000-year anniversary of the city of Danzig. A representation of five poems by the romantic poet Josef Freiherr von Eichendorff for high voice (tenor, at all events soprano) and orchestra with transparent texture.Todeslust - Im Alter - Die Zeit geht schnell - Memento - In Danzig.
Instrumentation: for orchestra (3.3(poss.4).3.3(poss.4)/4.2.2.0/timp.2perc.echopiano.cymbalom/hp/str)
Commissioned by the Basel Academy of Music. Variations on the choral from the 'Album für die Jugend' by Robert Schumann. This piece is relatively simple on the technical side and achieves differentiated sound effects through a spatial distribution of groups.
Streichquartett Nr. 3 "als Zuschauer am Rande des grossen Festes" (1997-1998)
'as an onlooker on the outskirts of a large celebration'
'As an onlooker on the outskirts of a large celebration' (therein adagio (4') for string orchestra, for the 80th birthday of Rudolf Baumgartner). Striking piece in four movements with extremely quiet and kinetically excited parts.
A version for string orchestra is also available.
... als Zuschauer, am Rande des grossen Festes... (1997-1998)
Instrumentation: for string orchestra (also as string quartet No. 3)
Duration: 13' 00" Manuscript
Postcards from the Past oder Six pieces for piano and violoncello (1997-2010)
Neue Version der 5 Adagios plus neu ein Presto
Instrumentation: für Violoncello und Klavier
UA: in dieser Fassung: Moskau, 20. Mai 2011, EA Deutschland: Brigitta Erichson, Festeburger Konzerte, Frankfurt a.M. 28. Okt.2012, EA: USA 2. Dez. 2012
Duration: ca. 7' Manuscript
Dix Préludes: Le pas s'est éloigné - le marcheur s'est tu (1998)
Instrumentation: for piano
Duration: 12' 00" Manuscript
Dix Préludes (1998)
Instrumentation: for piano
Duration: 12' 00" Manuscript
Cartoons (1998)
Instrumentation: for violin and double-bass
A cycle of seven very different (not always serious) pieces, which narrate in a similar way to a picture story. It is possible to play certain parts separately.
Instrumentation: for violin, violoncello and piano
Duration: 10' 00" Manuscript
La sonate derrière la lune (2011)
5 chansons noires
Instrumentation: for voice and accordion (perc/e-gtr/sousaphone/db)
Texts: Aloïse Corbaz
L'étoile du matin dans son lit terrestre si noir... - Je l'écoute chanter atala... - au lit des roses... - L'immense manteau de la nature - Miserere...