SYLVIE COURVOISIER direction, composition

SIMON HEGGENDORN violin

CARLO NIEDERHAUSER viola

RAPHAEL HEGGENDORN viola

LUKAS FREI trumpet

NIKLAUS HURNY trumpet

ANDREAS TSCHOPP trombone

MARC UNTERNAHRER tuba

URS VOGELI guitar

LUZIUS SCHULER piano

CLAUDE MEIER baritone

FLO REICHLE drums

Sylvie Courvoisier’s music is fierce and loud, fulminating and imminent – and suddenly quiet, dazzling and mysterious. The swiss pianist and composer living in New York is one of the most important voices of our time. She utilizes the full sound spectrum of her instrument and unites the worlds of classical, contemporary, jazz and folk music in her work.

Personal Remarks

“I was commissioned by the Bern Jazzwerkstatt 2015 to create a composition for twelve musicians who were selected by Marc Stucki for their unique qualities. My first thought was to reuse various ideas that existed in my earlier compositions. After hearing the diversity of the twelve musicians work through their websites, I became inspired to write a new piece and conduct a new composition, «Engrenages», with the twelve musicians specifically in mind.

«Engrenage» is a French word which has two meanings: a gear (a wheel with grooves) and an inescapable sequence of events.

I scored the piece for twelve musicians organized into six duos: two trumpets, two cellos, a trombone and a tuba, a violin and a baritone violin, a piano and a guitar, and a bass and drums.

Each pair operates as a gear in a bigger mechanism.

Each gear (or event) is conducted, and can be shaped according the conductor.

The conductor can also improvise the sequences of the events.

Each musician can be independent and be free of the form.

I was so thrilled with the March 1, 2015 performance at the Turnhalle in Bern. It is an honor to work with so many talented and serious musicians. I was also moved by the energy and support within the whole community at Jazzwerkstatt. I’m looking forward to more adventures in the future!