Concerts

The USA is currently making loud, bold statements. Yet reductionism is actually part of US culture. The «New York School», to which Morton Feldman and Earle Brown also belonged, is synonymous with this «less is more» approach. Here, the smallest fragments of motifs are varied and minimal structures are created, meticulously transformed in time, form and space.

Both Feldman and Brown would have celebrated their 100th birthdays in 2026. Reason enough for a tribute, complete with some small sensations: Alongside «Dirge» by Feldman and Brown's «The Kind of Bird I Am», two excavations from the Paul Sacher Foundation in Basel will be presented for the first time. Dirge has not been performed since its premiere with Feldman conducting. When Feldman composed the work in 1943, he was still at school.

This piece bears little resemblance to his later personal style, but rather to that of Stefan Wolpe. In 1944, Feldman became his student. «Episode» from 1949 was created during his student days. The personal style is more evident here, while «Orchestra», from 1976, is a more mature work. The evolution of the composer's style is illustrated in the three Feldman works, a compelling portrait. The Brown piece from 1957, on the other hand, is a sassy replica of Max Ernst.

«What kind of bird are you?» the famous painter is said to have asked him. The result is a 20-second miniature that is now being performed as a posthumous premiere. John Adams' «Harmonielehre» is an American response to Arnold Schönberg's 1910/11 treatise of the same name. It combines Mahlerian romanticism with the striking drive and dazzling timbres of 1970s «minimal music» – an energetic, highly explosive firework display.