Ruedi Häusermann

Ruedi Häusermann’s compositions melodies surface to be swallowed again, a breeze rises and gets lost in sounds, impulses, thunderstorms; melodies are created, are allowed to happen, and you find yourself listening raptly to their dis- integration. For building his worlds of sound the Swiss composer and theater maker has collaborated with the piano. He decided that this polyphonic instrument with its usually clearly defined tone and set ways of being played should be put on wheels so as to be moved about and enacted. Like in a string quartet, he assigns just one voice to each of the four pianos, while modifying their structural sound qualities by way of physical manipulations of the instruments’ mechanism. A challenge for the pianists!


The result are de-sentimentalized pieces full of a rugged charm, fascinating us by their musicality, their humor, the variety of sounds and tones, and their intelligence. And everything remains in motion all the time – like the weather.