8 Pieces on Paul Klee

8 Pieces on Paul Klee is the debut album of the Ensemble Sortisatio. It was recorded in February and March 2002 in Leipzig, in August 2002 in Lucerne, and released in 2003 by Creative Works Records.

Background

All compositions on the CD 8 Pieces on Paul Klee, with the exception of Christian Henking's Sillis, are commissioned by the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk.[1]

The Groupe Lacroix are the composers. It consists of well-known Swiss and Austrian composers of the contemporary music scene. Its members attended master classes with the renowned Russian composer Edison Denisov as part of the Lucerne Festival. The group was born at the Centre musical de la Fondation Hindemith Chalet de Lacroix, the last residence of Paul Hindemith in Blonay.

In addition to the chairman of the Swiss section of the International Society for Contemporary Music, Jean-Luc Darbellay, the internationally successful musicians John Wolf Brennan and Marianne Schroeder count themselves among its members. In addition, the composer group Christian Henking, Michael Schneider, Michael Radanovics and Alfons Karl Zwicker play also on the recording

Except for Henking's Sillis (DSE), the compositions were premiered in 1999 at the MDR Musiksommer at the Museum der bildenden Künste in Leipzig and in 2002 at the Hindemith-Musikzentrum in Blonay.[2]

The music

The following creations were inspired by the Swiss painter Paul Klee and his paintings:

  • Besessenes Mädchen

Thuring Bräm occupied himself with Klee's portrait painting. Klee painted both positive and negative faces. He particularly devoted himself to feminine figures. Demonic Lady (1937) and Obsessed Girl (1924) are examples of his honestly depressive attitude. Bräm acquired knowledge of the painting at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel in 2000. The entire quartet was considered in 2001. Bräm acquired knowledge of the painting in 2000 at the Fondation Beyeler in Basel. The entire quartet was considered in 2001.

  • Shark Turtle Ray[3]

During a stay in Sydney, (1998/99) Schneider was overwhelmed by the creative urge. Through the sea animals shark, turtle and rays he felt inspired to three pictorial sentences. Oboe, viola and guitar play.

  • Wie der Klee vierblättrig wurde

In 1999 Schroeder was influenced by the watercolours Hat Kopf, Hand, Fuss und Herz (1930) and Mr. Z (1934). All movements are in one piece and the instruments act in mutual exchange.

  • N-gl

Brennan refers to the Angelus Novus (1920) by Paul Klee. The painter saw numerous angels, still groping from 1939. The short expression N-gl (1999) is a reference to three instruments, without guitar.

  • Sillis

Sillis is the only work that was not explicitly composed for the ensemble, it was written in 1992, but nevertheless it refers to Hauptweg und Nebenwege (1929). It is one of Klee's most famous paintings and was created after his journey to Egypt. Henking created a guitar work that refers to structures.

  • Trauernd

Trauernd refers to the painting of the same name from 1934, in which Klee reveals his deep concern about experiences after his release from National Socialist imprisonment. Zwicker's composition was written in 2002 for the entire sound picture.

  • Entweihte Sphinx, Die Sphinx geht

Michael Radanovics interpreted the sketches Entweihte Sphinx (1939) and Die Sphinx geht (1939). Klee became mysterious as an artistic senior. Radanovics tried to capture exactly this mood in 1999.

  • Sozusagen

The painting Sozusagen (1933), and thus Darbellay's last composition, traces in 17 miniatures the dots and strokes of Paul Klee after the forced new beginning in Switzerland. The piece from 1997 has a motivating and forward-looking effect.

Success

The works embodied on the CD have been performed on several tours in numerous cities in Switzerland. The ensemble has given concerts in Bern, Lucerne, Lausanne and Winterthur. In 2004 the works were broadcast at the Dutch Concertzender.[4] In 2008 there were readings with Alexander Klee, Paul Klee's grandson. In addition, other composers felt inspired to compose on Klee. The Ensemble Sortisatio was invited to the People's Republic of China and is looking forward to further cooperation with international composers.Vgl. Programm der Musicarama 2009.

Review

A pleasure without quotation marks.

— Maria Künzli, Berner Zeitung[5]

And Matthias Sannemüller, viola, Walter Klingner, oboes, Axel Andrae, bassoon and guitarist Thomas Blumenthal interpreted this distinctive sound show with unparalleled mastery, exquisite sensitivity and perfect interplay.

— Rita Wolfensberger, Der Landbote[6]

In the first of the eight pieces [...] a special quality [...] was immediately apparent [...], resulting from the exclusive cast of the Ensemble Sortisatio Leipzig.

— Jürg Huber, Neue Zürcher Zeitung[7]

Cover

On the cover are Klee pictures of school children from Weggis.[1]

Track list
  1. Besessenes Mädchen (ein musikalisches Skizzenblatt für Paul Klee) – 5:15
  2. Shark Turtle Ray – 7:00
  3. Wie der Klee vierblättrig wurde – 6:49
  4. N-gl – 11:13
  5. Sillis – 5:46
  6. Trauernd – 6:51
  7. Entweihte Sphinx, Die Sphinx geht – 7:25
  8. Sozusagen – 9:25

All compositions are by the Groupe Lacroix, except title [1], which was written by the guest composer Thüring Bräm.

Further reading
  • Michael Heisch: Farben, Linien, Punkte. In Schweizer Musikzeitung 4 (2004) 1, p. 39.

References
  1. Stephen W. Ellis: Booklet-Text, CD 8 Pieces on Paul Klee, 2003, CW 1035
  2. Vgl. Programm des MDR Musiksommers 1999.
  3. Cf. work commentary by Michael Schneider: Shark Turtle Ray (PDF, 14 kB) for oboe, viola and guitar].
  4. Bijdetijds: Paul Klee].
  5. Maria Künzli: Klees Bilder werden hier zu Musik. CD-Taufe im Museum: Im Rahmen der Spectrumkonzerte spielt das Ensemble Sortisatio im Kunstmuseum Werke, die von Bildern Paul Klees inspiriert wurden. Dabei stellen die Leipziger ihre neue CD vor. In Berner Zeitung 25 March 2003.
  6. Rita Wolfensberger: Geschmackvolle Klangbilderschau. An unusual cast has transformed eight paintings by Paul Klee in the Kunstmuseum into a resounding picture show. In Der Landbote 22 April 2004.
  7. Jürg Huber: Doppeltes Glück. Hommage à Paul Klee im Kunstmuseum Winterthur. In Neue Zürcher Zeitung 22 April 2004.
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