...the music of Morton Feldman and Amelia Whiteheart

Sculptures in the Desert

Thursday, April 22nd, I attended a concert at Alte Schmiede in Vienna with piano music from two of the most enigmatic composers of the 20th century: Morton Feldman and Amelia Whiteheart.

Swiss pianist Iris Gerber was playing Piano Piece 1952, Nature Pieces, and Intermissions by Feldman. She combined pieces from the Fifties with one of his very last works, Palais de Mari. It is astonishing, that Feldmans style apparently did not change significantly over the course of more than thirty years. Even the earliest piece, Piano Piece 1952, features the same erratic succession of isolated tones and chords which also characterizes Palais de Mari. Nevertheless, Feldman refined his style, meaning that he dismissed certain techniques and means bit by bit. Piano Piece 1952 starts with a cluster which is not heard anymore in Palais de Mari or similar pieces from this time (like Coptic Light, or For Samuel Beckett). He also limits himself to one dynamic level: While certain tones are emphasized in his early pieces, in his late works a soft atmosphere is predominant.

Morton Feldman, 1976. Credit: Nationaal Archief Netherland, via wikimedia

This does not mean that his music is easy to hear. On the contrary, the discreet tone puts the listener at unease. There is no progression in the music by Feldman, no target, no teleology, even the ends are somewhat arbitrary. His music can be extremely long: Palais de Mari lasts 30 minutes, what is only half the length of his composition For Bunita Marcus. His music raises difficult questions and provides no answers. During the concert I had the illusion of walking through a desert while watching strange sculptures made by an unknown civilization. The have no apparent use nor seem they made for men. They are alien but with an strange fascination.

Who is Amelia Whiteheart?

I have never heard the name Amelia Whiteheart or music by her. Iris Gerber played a selection of approx. 35 pieces out of more than hundred. In contrary to Feldman, the pieces only last for ten seconds or so and are not longer than four bars. In analogy to Feldman, they feature erratic chords and tones ordered to no apparent rules.

Almost nothing is known about Whiteheart. The only source for her music appears to be a website by Russian composer Jashiin, who claims to have gotten the sheet music by Whiteheart through a now deceased friend of his (or hers). According to Jashiin, Whiteheart pieces were composed around 1900. They are the only known trace of this woman which is, as I already wrote, otherwise unheard of. An Internet search unearthed only Jashiin's website as well as the concert announcement of the Alte Schmiede, so there probably weren't other performances, at least not announced via the Internet. The complete set of 123 pieces can be downloaded form Jashiin's website. (I am not sure about the copyright situation, therefore I will not attach any snippets from the score.)

Like Feldman, Whiteheart's music is exceedingly alien, which makes me suspicious about the provenance of the music. Not that there weren't any anomalies in music history, like Italian composer Gesualdo and his strange chromaticism. As a matter of fact, there are composers who worked in perfect isolation (at least in their imagination) like Galina Ustvolskaya. 

My concerns with the music of Whiteheart is that she anticipates the style of Feldman and even more of György Kurtág by fifty to seventy years but is otherwise completely unknown. It is not so much her harmonic style but the way she questions the form of an artwork. Form is a parameter dismissed much later than harmony and certainly not before the 1940's.

Her contemporary would be Charles Ives, and even he did not write as fancyful as Whiteheart. Ruth Crawford Seeger, born in 1901, features a style remotely common to Whiteheart's but not at all that radical.

So the main question is: Is Amelia Whiteheart an unknown genius, a forerunner of modern music? Or is she a hoax? As a musicologist I feel the urge to rise this question, but as an artist I also feel the appeal of inventing a composer to test reactions of the audience.

With all due respect, it is certainly questionable to take Jashiin's website and his statement about the provenance of the Whiteheart-Pieces as the only valid source. A thorough analysis has to dig much deeper and try to discover for example the teachers of Amelia Whiteheart, where she has lived and was educated. How come that she was undiscovered until recently? What is the role of Jashiin, who appears to be an equal enigmatic person in terms of taciturnity?

There are questions even more unsettling: If Amelia Whiteheart did exist, she would be one of the most radical composer of her time and deserved a place between the finest composers of the 20th century. But if she is a hoax, would that diminish the quality of her music? If someone assumed Whiteheart's identity and composed the pieces five years ago under her name, would that make the music bad? Is quality tied to its time? There are difficult questions lying on the bottom of that well that touches our approach to the relationship between time, identity, work, and gender.

Iris Gerber's performance of the pieces by Feldman and Whiteheart was brilliant. She was heavily acclaimed by the few listeners, and rightly so.

...WANDA "Schickt mir die Post"

Release Party

On Sunday 20th, Easter, WANDA released the first Single "Schickt mir die Post" ("Send me the mail") from their upcoming (yet, as far as I know, untitled) album. To celebrate this undoubtedly important event for this young band, they gave a concert at Fluc, like Rhiz one of the most distinguished venues for new rock music.

Marco Michael Wanda, Ray Weber (Image: B. Meyer-Plutowski)

Before the concert I talked to Stefan Redelsteiner, CEO of Problembär Records,  the label WANDA has a contract with. He told me that "Schickt mir die Post" will be a probe to prepare the world for WANDA. It is one of their more accessible songs, a carpe diem-kind-of composition that follows the last hours of a terminally ill (played by M. M. Wanda in the video) who want to ascend to heaven as soon and convenient (meaning with a party) as possible.

Unfortunately, due to technical reasons, it was not possible to screen the video clip, what was really a pity and should not have happened on a release party.

Nevertheless, the video is now available via Youtube.

It is very interesting to see and hear the difference between the studio version and the live version. The environments in which WANDA is performing provide a distinct layer of authenticity which the studio version definitively lacks. It seems to me that the dust and the darkness of the venue is a vital ingredient of the music by WANDA.

A new Account on WANDA

I already wrote a review on WANDA some weeks ago, when I first attended a concert of them in Rhiz. On this occasion, I was extolling the band, writing "Austrian pop music taken to a new level", which was subsequently cited plenty of times to characterize the music of WANDA. But as the weeks went by, I wasn't so sure that my high estimation of WANDA could stand another concert.

The main question was whether the music by WANDA is for the drunk or the lovelorn and sad. After the last concert, I can say, it is for the latter. But why these concerns in the first place?

With "Bologna", WANDA has a signature song. The fans know the lyrics by heart, and the performance of this song is available on Youtube. Thus, "Bologna" is more than a song, it's a hymn, although the lyrics doesn't make much sense, at least not to me. (It is about a man who fell for his cousin. Though he did not have the courage to love her, he dreams of Bologna, where Aunt Ceccarelli probably once did what he longs to do.) I do not think that lyrics necessarily have to make any sense, but they should at least give one or two contact points for free associations. If not, they are just songs for chanting along, quickly learned and ever quicker forgotten.

M. Chr. Poppe, M. M. Wanda, Chr. Hummer, R. Weber (Image: BMP)

This concerts proofed, that WANDA avoids that pitfall. Maybe due to the acoustics in Fluc, I was able to understand the lyrics much better than in Rhiz. One of my favorite songs, together with "Sterne", (which they omitted sadly), is "Niemand weiß, dass es uns überhaupt gegeben hat" ("Nobody knows that we have ever existed"). It is literally impossible to describe the "sense" of this song, since it is full of meaning. This makes WANDA outstanding and much more interesting than, for example, Christina Stürmer. They don't sell out the audience with asinine lyrics, and the audience appreciates to not be put off.

The lyrics by WANDA are often depressing, but they do not immerse in depression. They are complex, but they do not reject the listener. Accordingly, the music is packing the lyrics like gift-wrapping paper is packing barb wire.

A huge portion of the success of project WANDA is due to singer, composer, and lyricist Marco Michael Wanda. He certainly is born for the stage and is visibly enjoying every moment of it. He sometimes oversteps his role, when he is burping into the microphone or spitting tap water into the audience. But every performance is filled and fueled with his respect for the the music. During the performance of "Meine beiden Schwestern" ("My two sisters") the monitor ceased to work, but instead of delivering a weak song he insisted on an immediate solution before proceeding. He might be playing a role - the steady smoking on the stage, the drinking, occasional swear words - but he is also a pro. He does not sacrifice the music for his behavior.

This lust to perform is also kindling his fellow musician. Especially Lukas Hasitschka (drums) and Ray Weber (Bass) are visibly enjoying playing in this band. 

What happens on the Stage, stays on the Stage

Before the concerts I talked to some members of the audience, who told me that WANDA is not receiving only positive reviews. They were accused of being "macho assholes." I could not confirm this so far, but want to counter this so-called criticism anyway. I do not know any member of this band personally; I talked to Wanda and keyboarder Christian Hummer only briefly. They seemed to me, as far as I can tell, like easy-going guys. This may or may not be true - I don't care. The only thing that counts is their music. Their stage appearance has nothing to do with what they are beyond it. If we use personal credibility as a means to measure artistic credibility, everybody would have to submit a resume and a certificate of personal liability prior to entering the stage. What should we think of Richard Wagner, who betrayed his friend by sleeping with his wife? It should be clear by now that this kind of criticism is nothing more than an insult.

I always wish that Wanda would introduce his fellow band members to the audience. He did not do it in Rhiz nor in Fluc. I have no idea why, for me it is a little bit odd.

However, I am glad that WANDA reached the next step of their career. On May 15th they play at WUK as support for "Der Nino aus Wien." I certainly will be there.

Chr. Hummer, M. M. Wanda, Ray Weber (Image: BMP)

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...the George Crumb Trio

Music by Austrian and American Composers

On Wednesday, April 9th, I had the luck to attend a concert of the George Crumb Trio in the Alte Schmiede Wien (Old Smithy), together with the "Porgy & Bess" one of the most famous location in Vienna to listen to new music.

The Alte Schmiede has a strange atmosphere - located several stairs under the ground floor it seems to be part of the old Vienna, besieged by the Turks, haunted by the Pest, and reigned by one of the Emperors of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (though not necessary at the same time). The ceilings are low, and the lighting is rather dim, so the over-all character of this venue is either creepy or intimate.

For the concert of the George Crumb Trio I am going to write about, the latter applies. The Trio, founded in 1992, consists of Norbert Girlinger, flute, Andreas Pözlberger, cello, and Sven Birch, piano. They play their instruments as masterful as the composers write for them, all three are teachers at Bruckneruni in Linz.  On this occasion, they played music by the Austrian Composers Rudolf Jungwirth (*1955) and Michael Amann (* 1964), and paired them with two compositions by the Americans Ned Rorem (* 1923) and the name-giving George Crumb (*1929).

Rudolf Jungwirth: "Mandorla"

All four compositions had in common, that their composer were masters of instrumentation. Especially George Crumb is capable of conjuring sounds out of certain instruments that are almost impossible to trace back to its source. Rudolf Jungwirth, as well teaching at Bruckneruni, called his piece "Mandorla" and doubled the flute with a rare-heard (and seen) bass flute. According to the composer, this piece is inspired by poet Paul Celan, although this influence was not (and was maybe not intended to be) perceptible. The multi-movement work (approx. 20 minutes) featured a highly delicate sound quality, reminding me both harmonically and rhythmically of Olivier Messiaen and his chamber pieces, especially his "Quartet for the end of time", and his solo piano work "Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jesus." The use of added values by Jungwirth, and the highest and lowest register of piano played at the same time might be responsible for this impression.

Flautist Norbert Gerlinger with Bass Flute, Sven Birch, piano

Michael Amann: "Sonett 116"

In contrast to that, Michael Amanns "Sonett 116" (premiere), inspired by the Sonett 116 by Shakespeare, though without the lyrics, was sparse, discreet, and even more intimate. Amann almost never reached for the sonority or the kind of sound Jungwirth achieved, instead he managed to combine a collection of small figures that established a high-tension network of sound. Amann's and Jungwirth's compositions were not consecutive but devided by Ned Rorem's "Trio for Flute, Violoncello, and Piano" from 1960.

Michael Amann, Composer

Ned Rorem: "Trio"

Rorem's Trio in four movements (Largo misterioso - Allegro, Largo, Andante, Allegro molto) was the perfect intermission for the quaffable "Mandorla" and the fragile "Sonett 116." Playful and virtuosic, it nevertheless immersed in the spirit of the sixties. The music of this Trio is in stark contrast to his fellow composers like Elliott Carter, Morton Feldman, or La Monte Young. Rorem does not seem interested in algorithmic conceptions or minimalistic patterns but rather writes melodies and climaxes. In this sense, Rorem's music alludes to a Third Stream, though not in the way proclaimed by Gunther Schuller.

George Crumb: "Vox Balaenae"

The approach to avant-garde of Rorem is, in my opinion, similar to that of George Crumb. In his composition "Vox Balaena" (1971) he freely mixes tonal and atonal content to generate a multi-stylistic and even multi-dimensional work. Crumb depicts a submarine landscape, in which he sets the different ages of the earth into music. Starting with a "Vocalise (...for the beginning of time)", followed by a Sea Theme with five variations (five ages) it ends with "Sea-Nocturne (...for the end of time)" and reaches overt tonality. Crumb employs almost every playing technique imaginable, from "singing into the flute", prepared piano to plucking strings inside the piano. He even breaks up the limitations of the trio by using Crotales, played by the Cellist.

Cellist Andreas Pözlberger, with Crotales (left)

Crumb also calls for electric amplification and blue stage light, what was dismally omitted this time due to the limitations of the venue, and asks the players to wear masks. The masks were also omitted, but with the consent of the composer, as flautist Girlinger told me, since they were to seventy-ish. 

Crumb goes a step farther than Rorem. He not only allows tonality, he actually seeks the allusion to tonal music, like through the citation of Strauss' "Also sprach Zarathustra" in the beginning. It also occurred to me, that this music might be better watched on larger space with more distance to the musicians which are also, in part, actors. The multitude of playing techniques requires much more movements than a Quartet by Schubert, which have to be staged. The George Crumb Trio earns the credit to be not only fully aware of that but also able to perform this movements. Thus they transport this piece from the early seventies into the 21. Century, which sees completely different listening (and watching) habits. Remember, that "Vox Balaenae" is from the same time as works by other composers, who also call for "acting", e. g. Hans Werner Henze and Maurizio Kagel. To perform this piece without the dust of the seventies and dissolving the awkwardness of playing and acting at the same time seems to me the major challenge of "Vox Balaenae."

Andreas Pözlberger, Sven Birch, Norbert Girlinger (from left to right)

The Alte Schmiede and the George Crumb Trio deserves the respect for providing the audience with such a (free of charge) venue and superb performed music.

Note: All images are take by the author. They are removed immediately by request of the depicted individuals or by Alte Schmiede.

...John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble

The "John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble"

After I returned from the concert of the John Hollenbeck Large Ensemble in the Wiener Konzerthaus I listened to a couple of songs with his Claudia Quintet. I was instantly struck by the huge difference of this music compared to that I had just listened to at the Konzerthaus. Apparently, John Hollenbeck, drummer of his band, has a variety of styles at his disposal.

At their Konzerthaus performance the band played six pieces, which were similar to the title song of their album "Eternal Interlude" quite long. The most prominent trait of the music presented that evening was its continuous smoothness: this music had almost no rough edges. After listening to his other compositions on CD this characteristic became even more prominent.

Neither Fish nor Fowl

The music of the Konzerthaus performance lacked spontaneity to be jazz, lacked ambition to be classical avantgarde music, and was way too long to be recognized as pop music. Nevertheless, it kept my attention for the whole concert, and I wondered why. It is certainly Hollenbeck's strength to maintain a certain atmosphere over a long period of time, which is a task not easily accomplished by any composer. The music, especially the aforementioned "Eternal Interlude", is in itself not particularly interesting but can serve as an outstanding model for a medium scale composition. It does not break apart into fragments, it rather maintains tension over the whole distance, though on a low level. 

Jazz-aficionados and Hollenbeck disciples might be disappointed by my conclusion as well as by the evening itself. More than a few cleared the hall (which was not sold out) between the last piece and the encore. The mere working off of compositional paradigms apparently was not enough for them.

No need for disappointment

"Der Standard", one of Austria's most important newspapers, cited Hollenbeck with the words, that "jazz only is a part of a whole." That is certainly true and a valid starting point for compositional ambitions. But Hollenbeck still owes me a musical explanation what he considers to be "whole".


In an article on WQXR's website Hollenbeck presents his mixtapes, containing music by the finest composers of the 20th century, ranging from Georg Friedrich Haas, György Ligeti, Steve Reich to Meredith Monk and others. Strange enough, almost nothing of this influences were perceptible in the Konzerthaus concert.


I am really looking forward to listen to Hollenbeck's other recordings with his "Claudia Quartet." The few pieces I've already heard are completely different to yesterday's concert. I guess these are the ones where he carries through everything he is famous for.

...WANDA

Austro pop taken to a new level

On February 11th the Austrian band "Wanda" gave their first official concert under their new label "Problembär Records" at rhiz, a small but nevertheless prestigious venue for new pop music.

I'd never heard of "Wanda" before, which is a shame, and if not after this concert than after their performance as support for "Der Nino aus Wien" on May 13th at WUK everybody interested in fresh Austrian pop music should (and will) know about them.

From the first chord of the first song "Tu' mir weh, Luzia" ("Hurt me, Luzia") it was clear that the evening would be a success. This is easy to say, since most of the audience was already familiar with the music - thus fans - but even fans might be disappointed if the performance does not match their expectations. But the presence of lead singer (and name donor) Marco Michael Wanda was inescapable as well as the joy the band apparently had throughout the concert, visible even for Wanda first timers like me.

From left to right: Lukas Hasitschka, Christian Hummer,
Ray Weber, Marco Michael Wanda, Manuel Poppe
Photo Credit: Benjamin Meyer-Plutowski

Marco Michael Wanda, who writes most of the songs and lyrics, is already a master of ear-catching melodies. He proves that in almost every song (like "Bologna"), but especially in those which were accompanied by the audience. They gave two frenetically acclaimed encores ("1 2 3 4 - Es ist schön bei dir zu sein" "1 2 3 4 - It is good to be with you" and "Schick mir die Post schon ins Spital" "Send me the mail to the hospital"), the latter almost completely sung by the audience.

The rhiz is admittedly only a small venue, there were a approximately hundred guests or so. But nevertheless, to muster such a dedicated fan base is not a small achievement for a band that young.

Learning from the best

All songs were skillfully produced by Paul Gallister, who, according to their Facebook page, met Wanda and his companions at a cab drive, where they arranged their future collaboration. This is a fortune for us, since Paul Gallister himself possesses plenty of experience as lead singer on the stage. He is not only a scholar of classical rock music like "The Beatles" but also a professional educated composer. Therefor the collaboration of "Wanda" together with Paul Gallister is a perfect match.

It is always difficult to write about the actual sound of the music. There are a couple of videos on Youtube, which deliver a better impression than words can do. About the song "Easy Baby" a commentator wrote that this music reminds him of "Falco", which is an impression I share. There is definitively something 80-ish to this music. The music of Marius Müller-Westernhagen came to my mind, but the lyrics of "Wanda" are much better, either funny or intelligent (often both), than those sometimes asinine or even insulting ("Dicke" "Fat guys") by Westernhagen. Maybe the resemblance is merely physical, since Wanda, as well as Westernhagen, knows how to appear on the stage.

It is about time for "Wanda" to play at greater venues and hopefully on the radio. Paul Gallister told me, that they played half of there oeuvre on this evening. So maybe the best is yet to come.

"Wanda" is Christian Hummer, keyboard; Manuel Poppe, git; Ray Weber, bass; Lukas Hasitschka, dr; Marco Michael Wanda, voc.

...the "Dickbauer Collective"

Yesterday I attended the first concert in a series of three of the Session Work Festival at "Porgy & Bess", one of the most distinguished concert venues for jazz music in Vienna.

The first concert comprised three sets, starting with the band Luna*Lab and ending with the presentation of four new works composed by Viola Falb and Phil Yaeger for the "Session Works Composers Orchestra."

However,  I liked the second set, the "Dickbauer Collective", best. The core of this band is formed by Klaus Dickbauer (alto sax and bs clarinet) and his two nephews Stephan (tenor sax/clarinet) and Johannes (violin). This party of three is rounded up with Christian Wendt (bass) and Patrice Heral (drums).

What makes the music of this band outstanding, at least for me, is the constant evasion of listening expectations. That starts already with the instruments they chose, as violin and cello might not be what comes first to mind for jazz music with saxophones. But of course, it's not only the instrumentation that sticks in mind. It fact, it is the personal style of the band that allows a broad width of music that sounds completely different yet coherent with their other pieces.

The "Dickbauer Collective" presented music from their new album "Mosquito Warrior", which was also the last song they played that evening. This song, compared with their songs "Damals mit 4" or "Increments of Cool" are perfect examples for the variety of expressions they are capable of. In addition, the beat-boxing of drummer Patrice Heral added a good portion of humor to their performance.

Of all three bands of this evening, they also had the most congenial stage appearance. Especially the casual and easy-going announcements of Johannes Dickbauer between the songs made the audience enjoy their set probably as much as the band itself.