infotext:
He is an engineer, a constructor of fragile structures. His "sound actions" do social work: professional musicians and amateurs work together, playing on self-made and traditional instruments. Disabled people can communicate with non-disabled people. Graphic, gestural and acoustic forms of expression intertwine. Skepticism and joy in playing, and a fascinating transparency in thinking characterize the work of Josef Anton Riedl. He likes to ask us to examine our own perception: "Perhaps it is so, but maybe it is not so?"
In this edition for his (presumed) 80th birthday, long-time companions can be heard: Stefan Blum, Michael Hirsch, Michael Lentz, Carin Levine, Jan Philip Schulze and many others. The recordings were made in Munich between 1979 and 2009.
program:
Joseph Anton Riedl (*1927/29?) [01] bchat, terSchieder (2006/2007) 04:50 [02] Glass games version 2 (1974-1977) 13:13 [03] Maybe - duo (1963/68/70/2008) 03:34 Discharge, trace, precipitation, reverberation (2001-2003) 13:02 [07] Piece for guitar, crotales, hand drums 06:10 Invention in 5 installments (extended version 2004) 07:10 [13] euceureadäangle (2006/2007) 04:37 [14] sequence of phonemes h) (2006-2007) 08:21 [15] Glass games version 1 (1974-1977) 14:13 total time 75:38 |
Press:
Siren songs, shadow sounds, gargle music A selection of works by Josef Anton Riedl from the years 1960 to 2007 offers a representative cross-section of the eighty-year-old composer's original work. Glass noises, gurgling music and sound poems alternate with instrumental pieces enriched by knocking and pounding. A bizarre rhythm, the sound of the pure material and the renunciation of any musical-language tradition characterize the appearance of this music, which has remained undauntedly true to the law of refusal to this day. (Neo 10925) Max Nyffeler
sound actions The Munich-based Josef Anton Riedl is one of the composers who expanded their music into the stage. Dieter Schnebel once said about this type of music that it is music 'in which the scenic takes on its own value, and where the gestures and gaits of musicians play a special role'. The visual part of a performance of music is consciously co-composed; the term 'visible music' is sometimes used for this type of music. An example are Josef Anton Riedl's optical sound poems and abstract drawings. For example, in 'Drawing-Clapping/Drawing-Drawing', the performers have to transfer these sound poems onto blackboards with chalk so that the audience can see them. The drawing sound is amplified and played back through speakers. Two of these sound poems are shown on the cover of this CD, but it appears - the booklet text is wordy but not very helpful - that none of these sound poems were recorded here. Unfortunately, the booklet reveals little about the visual parts of Riedl's recorded compositions, the only exception being the 'Glas-spiele', a composition from the 1970s, which was recorded in two versions. According to the booklet, 'glittering, transparent courses are walked and played on'. The rest of the compositions were only completed after the turn of the millennium, including some that are based on sound poems. But these sound poems also have a visual part, at least that of being able to see a speaking musician. For the living moment Since crucial parts of the composition are missing on the present CD, the recorded works cannot be judged. The only thing that can be said is that they sound incomplete, that the tones appear to be produced without a frame of reference, with the result that each tone is just as meaningless as the one before it. The listener hears into a great nothingness. One can imagine that these compositions convey a completely different impression live, that they might well be worth seeing and therefore also hearing as a performance or installation. But without the visual part, they're as incomplete as a saltless soup. A DVD might have been a better solution, although Riedl's compositions seem best suited to the living moment. Patrick Beck Interpretation: |
