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Schneider, Urs Peter : Klavierwerke 1971 - 2015 [2 CDs] (Edition Wandelweiser Records)

Four compositions for solo piano from Swiss composer Urs Peter Schneider, founder of Ensemble Neue Horizonte Bern, with four accompanying prose pieces with text in German from Schneider himself, Martin Luther, and Ita Wegman; unusual words to accompany Schneider's minimalist works of clear progressions, thoughtful direction and interesting concepts.
 

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Urs Peter Schneider-piano, composer


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UPC: 4011778041269

Label: Edition Wandelweiser Records
Catalog ID: EWR 1921/22
Squidco Product Code: 28588

Format: 2 CDs
Condition: New
Released: 2019
Country: Austria
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold 3 Panels
Recorded in Berlin, Germany, from 1980 to 2019.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"A two-CD set of four solo piano works by Schneider, recorded between 1980 and 2019, played by the composer.

'Clavierübung' (1971 - 79), for mildly prepared piano, bears a striking resemblance to some of Tom Johnson's pieces or, rather, given its compositional dates, one might say the reverse. There's an accretive kind of effect, as if the modules of the basic form are being slightly altered with each iteration (dynamics, stress, gradually augmented pitch, etc.) according to some hidden system. The theme itself has a wonderful, surreptitious, kind of creeping aspect, as of some slightly disreputable character skulking around the perimeter. Lasting over an hour, the permutations it goes through are many, if subtly deployed. The material is just a pair of nine note sequences but they're manipulated in a manner that makes it (for this listener) surprisingly difficult to count and seemingly possessing a greater variety of arrangements than I would have thought possible. Or maybe it just appears that way.

'So Beseelte' (2008 - 14), dedicated to Martin Luther, indeed has a kind of staggered processional feel, something of Satie's 'Ogives'.

'Ein Jahreslauf' is a more disparate work, difficult to describe. Sort of like a prelude that, over its 34 minutes, keeps building then gently fragmenting, spaces between "clumps" lengthening as the piece develops. It's oddly entrancing. The final selection,

'Aus der Tiefe' (2013 - 15) returns a little bit to the general structure used in the first, here sequences of light, almost playful, three and four chord segments, rearranged, re-accented, and otherwise shuffled, strung in a kind of bracelet.

Entirely engrossing music, start to finish."-Brian Olewnick


Get additional information at Brian Olewnick's Just Outside

Artist Biographies

"Urs Peter Schneider was born in Berne. He is a composer, interpreter andeducationalist.
1959 until 1966 - studies under the tutelage of Walter Langand prof. Bruno Seidlhofer (piano), prof. Sandor Veress and KarlheinzStockhausen (composition) in Berne, Cologne and Vienna.
1968 - founds theEnsemble Neue Horizonte Bern (over 800 concerts, radio recordings andperformances)
1967 until 2007 - a total of fifteen recordings, partly withcomposed programmes
1983 - receives canton Berne's music prize
1964until 1987 - receives a further six prizes as a composer and pianist
Since1966 - lives in Biel, where he was awarded the city's culture prize in 2006.
1955 until 2004 - twelve dozen compositions encompassing all genres (over 2000performances in Europe, America and Russia)
Until 2002 - professor fortheory and ensemble music at the Musikhochschule Bern
Urs Peter Schneiderincreasingly appears as a performer, often with his own text compositions. He isa specialist in (pre)classical and conceptual music. He received the SwissAssociation of Musician's composition award in 2009 and has over 200 works with"aart-Verlag" (since 2002)."

-Last.FM (https://www.last.fm/music/Urs+Peter+Schneider/+wiki)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



CD1



1. Clavierubung (1971-79) 63:32

2. So Beseelte (2008-14) 05:06

CD2



1. Ein Jahreslauf (1976-80) 34:06

2. Aus der Tiefe (2013-15) 14:59

Related Categories of Interest:


Compositional Forms
Piano & Keyboards
Instruments with Preparations
Solo Artist Recordings
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
New in Compositional Music

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