The pianist, organist and composer Pia Blum was born in Dagmersellen/LU in 1967. She attended piano courses at the Lucerne Conservatory while still training as a kindergarten teacher and then studied music in Zurich (MHS) and Lucerne, where she obtained her piano teaching diploma in 1995 (E. Serman). She then continued her studies at the MHS Bern with E. Rademacher (piano improvisation) and U. P. Schneider (composition). She attended master classes in New York, Darmstadt and Vienna and won the "Emmy-Henz-Dièmand-Preis" for a rendition of a contemporary composition at the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Künste in Vienna. Years of performing at home and abroad followed - and she taught at music schools and privately; she also gave courses at the Instrumentalfortbildung BL, and at the MHS Basel. Finally, she learned to play the organ (S. Doll and B. Müller), which led her to numerous premieres of pieces by Swiss composers and also much traditional music. She also composes and participates in interdisciplinary projects (with Copa&Sordes); she lives and works in Basel.
Work list
Adagio (1998)
Instrumentation: for flute and piano
This piece is reminiscent of Erik Saties music and minimal music in the sense that it uses minimum material for maximum effect.
The piano is somewhat pedalled and the melody of the flute reserved but tone sensitively reproduced.
Texts: Adolf Wölfli, Erich Kästner, William Shakespeare
Commissioned by Claudia Brunner for her contrabass class. This piece consists of musical material which can be compiled either freely or based on certain rules. Aesthetically it is a homage to John Cage and Christian Wolff.
With text from the Vulgate.
This piece is in the first part experimental, that means each interpreter must find his/her own way of arranging and choreographing the speaking and performing. The middle part should sound like an ecstatic dance. The third part presents very little rhetorical material to be performed affectionately with the utmost intensity. It disapears into silence.
Instrumentation: for keyboard instrument e.g piano, harpsichord or clavichord
Texts: Jürg Laederach
This piece is a kind of scene and parodies historical musical material (chromatic scale). The performer must approach the score in the same manner as an actor acquires a role.
Instrumentation: for violin, piano and electronic tape
Relates to a picture by Christian Gusenski whereby the colours and forms of the 'portrait' are set in music.
Stop watches are required in the realisation of this piece because the timing is seperated into seconds.
To receive the CD you can contact Pia Blum (pia-blum@bluewin.ch) directly.
Sieben Lieder zu Gedichten von Meret Oppenheim (2006)
Instrumentation: for mezzo-soprano and piano
The lieder are based on limited sound material that I developed by means of the Fibonacci series. This is enriched here by quarter tones in the voice. To all intents and purposes the lieder are in the spirit of a Meret Oppenhein surrealism.
48 Taoist paintings, in order to improvise over them
Instrumentation: for two pianos
Duration: 48' 00" Manuscript
Projektion (2005-2007)
for Bea
Instrumentation: for trombone
"Projektion" ist ein Versuch, den Vorgang einer Projektion musikalisch darzustellen. Meist steht als Projektionsfläche ein 4/4-Takt, gegen den sozusagen gespielt wird. Oder anders ausgedrückt: hier wird auf ein Raster eine den Puls umgebende Klangfläche, die auf der 12-Ton-Reihe des Konzertes Op. 24 von A. Webern beruht, projiziert. Die rhythmische Struktur besteht aus einem "freien" Vorspiel, aus figurativen Teilen und einem Nachspiel. Zwischen Vorspiel I und Vorspiel II darf ausgewählt werden.