Erratischer Block / Dead Reckoning / August Frommers Dinge / Seuring/Schalter

The music of Leopold Hurt is characterized by findings of a both musical and non-musical nature: In two of the four pieces on the present portrait CD, the composer deals with a music tradition that has been mostly neglected in contemporary compositions up to now – the traditional music of the Alpine area. The findings sometimes shine through in the original, e.g. in “Erratischer Block” as historic shellac recordings of Alpine music, or sometimes serve, inaudibly, as background, like the Ländler melodies in the orchestral work “Seuring | Schalter”. By using the zither, Hurt also sets an unmistakable accent which points far beyond regional references, while being heard as a zither player himself.

The non-musical findings, coming from filmic and technical realms, reflect Hurt's enthusiasm for conceptual design. The discovered supply of forms and material dictates rules and structures which, however, are broken up again and again by the composer who, thus, surprises the listener with unexpected turns.

The present titles with their varying instrumentations – from string trio (Mondrian Ensemble Basel) via ensemble pieces (ensemble mosaik, Ensemble Resonanz) to orchestral work (Philharmoniker Hamburg) – provide an insight into the various facets of Hurt's oeuvre.

co-production with Deutschlandradio Kultur and Radio SRF 2 Kultur