Like hardly any other personality in music history, Harry Partch has freed himself from the constraints of musical conventions. He has not only left the beaten paths of the conservatories, but has also developed his own microtonal sound system, which he has captured in spectacularly beautiful, archaically wild yet angularly modern instruments that are indispensable for a live performance.

Since 2013, Ensemble Musikfabrik has been the only ensemble in possession of a full set of replica Partch instruments. These are not used solely for the performance of Partch’s own music, however; through numerous commissions in the context of their project "pitch 43_tuning the cosmos", they have inspired composers from all over the world to immerse themselves in these fantastical musical sculptures and their world of microtonal sounds.

This CD presents three outstanding examples of the many and varied ways in which the Cologne-based ensemble has taken up Partch’s legacy:  Sampo Haapamäki’s "Heritage", "Wooden Clouds" by Martin Smolka and" Voices for Harry Partch" by Carola Bauckholt.

The booklet poster shows Gerhard Richter's "Betty" from 1988, which artistically comments on the thematic bundling of the programme from the highlights of the series "Musikfabrik im WDR". Richter has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ensemble Musikfabrik since 2009.

First recordings
Production: WDR Köln, licensed by WDR mediagroup GmbH
Initiative project by Kunststiftung NRW with Ensemble Musikfabrik | Landesensemble NRW