Zither & Zitronen. Aktuelle Kompositionen für Zither [Konzert]

Leopold Hurt (zither)

Leopold Hurt, composer and zitherist, has been an essential contributor to why the zither currently has a permanent place in new music. As both an interpreter and a composer, he has shown how the zither can be handled experimentally; and has thereby enriched contemporary music composition with striking colors and opened up new possibilities. The cliché of the zither in Central Europe as an Alpine music-making practice and parlor music can thus be safely pushed aside. Hurt performs with both the traditional zither and the electric zither, as a soloist and in different groups such as the Hamburg Decoder Ensemble or the Greifer Trio.

In this program, he explores the sonic and technical playing possibilities of the traditional zither. The strings and body of this instrument are tapped into in diverse ways: sometimes theatrically-symbolic, sometimes mechanically, or, in a highly contrasting fashion, manually. Along with compositions from Hannes Seidl, Bernhard Lang, and Leopold Hurt himself, there is also an installation with a bass zither that has cords tied to its strings, and are played over and over like a tremolo with the help of small fans.