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AVAILABILITY

Bella Musica Edition
Eisenbahnstr. 30
D-77815 BÜHL
BADEN
Phone: 07223 98 55 0
Fax: 07223 98 55 66
e-mail: info@bella-musica.com

Malte Burba website

Malte BURBA (b.1957): Duos: 1995-2000
Harald "Sack" ZIEGLER (b.1961) Maltematik
J.S. BACH ‘Air’; Nikolaus Heyduck (b.1957) Duo
Claus KUHNL (b.1957) Morceau 1995
Felix HOCHULI (b.1954) Alp-Pong
Giulio CACCINI (1545-1618) Amarilli mia bella
Heiner GOEBBELS (b.1952) Nachtstuck II
Hans Joachim HESPOS (b.1938) splisse
Erwin STACHE (b.1960) atme
Malte BURBA (b.1957) AxAl
Adriana HOLSZKY (b.1953) Duo
Helmut W. ERDMANN (b.1947) and Till BRONNER (1971) Lari-Fari
Christoph FLUELER (b.1967) DidoMadgedgteril
Rudolf LINDER (b.1952) Iso-Starr
Malte Burba (trumpet)
Recorded in 2002 - no other details supplied
THOROFON CLASSICS CTH 2470 [51.15]

 

A friend of mine boasts that he never reads a CD booklet, he plays the disc, listens but wants no more. Well I think that even he might look inside the pages of this CD even if out of sheer curiosity and bemusement. Mind you if he did he wouldn’t get very far because there is very little said and what is said, is either uninformative or quaintly translated from the German. It’s worth searching out the CD just for the quote "this piece is scored for bras"!

This is the most bizarre CD I have ever encountered and for almost the first time I am speechless. To describe music in words anyway is a thankless task but this music is virtually impossible. However I will attempt, as far as I can, to explain to you what is going on. If you are interested in exploration, eccentricity and ‘off the wall’ music then this is most definitely for you.

Malte Burba is a composer, in case you wondered, and a versatile, virtuoso brass player. The short CV tells us that he ranks amongst the most interesting brass players of our time. We are also told, intriguingly, that "he put together an entire scientific puzzle of anatomy, physiology, pneumatics, acoustics and neurology to develop his innovative training concept which, when combined with sensitive artistic intuition, leads to extraordinary musical experiences". So, now that’s clear.

The inspiration behind this disc is Frank Sinatra’s first ‘Duets’ record in which the great man is joined by friends with whom ... well ... he duets. Burba, who is pictured within, thought that this idea should extend to new music as well. His project took ten years to mature. Sadly the booklet tells us nothing at all about the other composers and musicians involved and about the inspiration behind each piece. Some last not much more than two minutes and none more than five so is it entirely possible that the listener will be totally bewildered by the plethora of new and weird sounds which unaccountably passes by.

All fifteen of the works on this CD therefore, were written for Malte Burba with one other player, or with sampled electro-acoustic noises or for duetting with himself. In one, by Hans Joachim Hespos he makes burps, raspberries, various other mouth noises and possibly farts. I can’t, I’m pleased to say, be sure. He mixes these noises with the odd similarly sounding one which comes I believe from a trumpet.

It is almost as if the composers are trying to outdo each other in trickery. It is presumably helpful that several of the composers, for example, Harald "Sack" Ziegler, act as his duet partner. Burba plays on four instruments including apparently the Didgeridoo, which I simply cannot hear. This curiosity makes a later appearance in Flueler’s ‘Dido Madgedgteril’ where it can certainly be heard. More conventionally, Adriana Holszky accompanies her piece on the concert grand. However this grand has been so prepared that it manages to sound like an electronic instrument. Erwin Stache is one of several composers who partner Burba with sampled electronic sounds during the performance and recording process. This gives the impression of creating composition ‘on the fly’. It is typical in that he takes one basic soundworld lets it grow to a small climax and then phases out.

And then in the midst of these series of rather similar sounding pieces consisting of blips and blops and burps comes, quite out the blue, Caccini’s ‘Amarilli mia bella’ and the ‘Air on a G string’ by Bach. These are in anonymous dis-arrangements: the first for trumpet and organ; the second mostly reharmonized for various brass instruments with sampled noises in the background. Incidentally this last piece makes a strong contrast - following without a break after Ziegler’s piece with its ostinato rock beat and high repetitive trumpet glissandi.

Towards the end of the CD we are suddenly and unexpectedly treated to a bit of what I believe is now termed ‘lounge jazz’ in Lari-Fari by Bronner. This offers an opportunity, in its middle section, for Burba to produce some very authentic jazz improvisation. The last work is scored for four trumpets (Burba triple tracked) bird noises and siren. The latter ends the piece and therefore the CD followed by the loud ‘clank’ of I think a prison door shutting. A somewhat intimidating ending.

The disc is quite bewildering and absurd, witty, ridiculous and pretentious; and a complete waste of time. You can dine out on it for months, buy it.


Gary Higginson

 

Full Listing

Harald „Sack“ Ziegler (*1961): Maltematik
für Trompete, Euphonium, Alphorn, Didgeridoo
Partner: Harald „Sack“ Ziegler

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750): Air
für Trompete & gesampelte sounds von Trompete, Euphonium, Alphorn
Partner: Chris Walden (*1966)

Nikolaus Heyduck (*1957): Duo
für Alphorn und Klavier, Partner: Nikolaus Heyduck

Claus Kühnl (*1957): Morceau 1995
für Trompete & Konzertflügel, Partner: Claus Kühnl

Felix Hochuli (*19544): Alp-Pong
für 2 Alphörner, Partner: Lutz Mandler (*1967)

Giulio Caccini (1545-1618): Amarilli mia bella
für Trompete & Orgel, Partner: Otto-Jürgen Burba (1929)

Heiner Goebbels (*1952): Nachtstück II
für Trompete & gesampelte sounds von Trompete, Alphorn, Euphonium
Partner: Heiner Goebbels

Hans Joachim Hespos (*1938): splisse
Duett für Trompete Solo

Erwin Stache (*1960): atme
für Euphonium & gesampelten Atem, Partner: Erwin Stache

Malte Burba (*1957): AxAl
für Trompete & Percussion
Partner: Axel Dörner (*1964) & Albrecht Riermeier (*1951)

Adriana Hölszky (*1953): Duo
für Trompete & Konzertflügel, Partnerin: Adriana Hölszky

Helmut W. Erdmann (*1947): SOUNDING PICTURE
für Alphorn & Flöten & Live-Elektronik, Partner: Helmut W. Erdmann

Till Brönner (*1971): Lari-Fari
für 2 Trompeten & Combo, Partner: Till Brönner

Christhop Flueler (*1967): DidoMadgedgteril
für Didgeridoo & digitale Elektronik, Partner: Christoph Flueler

Rudolf Linder (*1952): Iso-Starr
für 4 Trompete (gleichzeitig), Partner: Rudol Linder


 

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