New Music By Karlheinz Essl

"vingt secondes" is Karlheinz Essl's shortest composition. It lasts only 20 seconds - the guideline for washing one's hands during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was written during the lockdown in the Easter holidays of 2020. Originally written for melodica, this version was performed on the organ of the Hofburgkapelle Vienna by Wolfgang Kogert. Compositionally, the piece expresses a harmonic spread from a single note to three octaves at the end. More information and free score download: http://www.essl.at/works/vingt-secondes.html

"vingt secondes" is Karlheinz Essl's shortest composition. It lasts only 20 seconds - the guideline for washing one's hands during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was written during the lockdown in the Easter holidays of 2020. Originally written for melodica, this version was performed on an accordion by Dorrit Bauerecker who also made this recording. Compositionally, the piece expresses a harmonic spread from a single note to three octaves at the end. More information and free score download: http://www.essl.at/works/vingt-secondes.html

Binaural recording: listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in spring 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Vienna and its surrounding: 1) a railway crossing gate in Klosterneuburg, 2) Kongresspark in Vienna on Saturday noon, 3) animal cemetery in Vienna, 4) pedestrian bridge in the swamps of Stockerau.

Karlheinz Essl's contribution to the Beethoven Year 2020: an immersive composition for mixed choir with 16 voices based on Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" from his 9th symphony. Realized with the a-capella-chor tulln (dir. Gottfried Zawichowski). Composed in April 2020 during the quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic. More information and score available for download from http://www.essl.at/works/freude-funken.html

Meditation for piano solo, dedicated to Karlheinz Roschitz, performed by Kaori Nishii. Recorded live during an online concert on April 29th, 2020 at Alte Schmiede, Vienna. Score download: http://www.essl.at/works/roschitz.html

Binaural recording - listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on Nov 18th, 2019 at the Nijo Palace in Kyoto, Japan. 1) the so-called Nightingale Corridor 2) tea garden 3) cherry grove 4) construction at the Honmaru Garden Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html

Binaural recording - listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between Nov 17-24, 2019 in Kyoto, Japan. 1) playground near the Nijo Palace 2) street scene with cars, bikes and joggers 3) ritual music at the Higashimaru Shrine 4) rehearsal of J.B. Staudt's Mulier fortis at the Museum of Kyoto. Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html

Christmas greetings to all my loves! Dronification of a well-known Christmas carol by Karlheinz Essl, produced on Dec 18th, 2019 at Studio kHz.

Extreme time stretch of the well-known Christmas carol "Silent Night", playing forwards and backwards in exactly 24'12". Created on 21 Dec 2019 with Karlheinz Essl's granular sound file shredder REplay PLAYer. http://www.essl.at/works/replay.html

Binaural recording - listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded between Nov 23-24, 2019 in Seoul, Rep. of Korea: 1) Buddhist chanting at the Jogyesa temple, 2) anti-government demonstration in front of the Gyeongbokgung Palace, 3) moments of silence at the old city wall, 4) at the backside of Zaha Hadid's Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Info: http://www.essl.at

Live recording of the premiere, performed by students of the Kyoto City University of the Arts (conductor: Ingomar Rainer) on 21 Nov 2019 at the Kyoto Museum. This piece is a composed comment to the baroque opera "Mulier fortis" by J. B. Staudt, premiered 1698 in Vienna, Austria. Info: http://www.essl.at/works/constantia.html

Binaural recording - listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in February 2019 at the following locations in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, South India: 1) Thanjavur: hotel window 2) Varkala: fishermen at the beach 3) Alleppey: house boat 4) Ooty: garden of Hotel Savoy Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. (Hearing Entirely Artificial Dreams) http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html

Binaural recording - listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on Nov 7th, 2019 in Vienna at Kunsthistorisches Museum (exhibition "Caravaggio & Bernini") and the Italian Cultural Institute (finissage Andreas Lunghi "TACET" with Karlheinz Essl's sound installation "Checkin' my Shrutis"). 1) Kunsthistorisches Museum, Saal IV (Caravaggio) 2) Kunsthistorisches Museum, Kunstkammer 3) Italian Cultural Institute: sound walk 4) Italian Cultural Institute: exhibition space

Studio recording of a dance performance with live-electronics, performed by Andrea Nagl (ocean drum, shrutibox, Klangfeile, voice, bells & dance)and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics, composition). More info: http://www.essl.at/works/forms-of-life.html

A short excerpt of the dance performance "Forms of Life" feat. Andrea Nagl (voice) and Karlheinz Essl (live-electronics). Recorded live at Studio kHz on Oct 31st, 2019.

Recorded live at INTONAZIONE festival on 20 Sep 2019 at Eremo Santa Caterina in Rio nell'Elba, performed by Rafał Zalech (viola & live-electronics)during a dance performance of Andrea Nagl. Mixed and produced by Karlheinz Essl. Sequitur is a series of compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics which I started in 2008. Somehow it can be seen as a reference to Berio’s famous “Sequenze” cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument. All Sequitur compositions use a software written in MaxMSP which creates an electronic accompaniment from the instrument’s live input; the player is confronted with his own playing, and this creates a situation like moving in a house of mirrors where the identities become blurred. Each piece can be performed by the player alone who just has to press a key on the computer keyboard whenever this is indicated in the score. The software generates a complex canon on the fly, the temporal structure and density of which be

Recorded live at INTONAZIONE festival on 20 Sep 2019 at Eremo Santa Caterina in Rio nell'Elba, performed by Rafał Zalech (viola & live-electronics)during a dance performance of Andrea Nagl. Mixed and produced by Karlheinz Essl. "Sequitur" is a series of compositions for various solo instruments and live-electronics which was started in 2008. Somehow it can be seen as a reference to Berio’s famous “Sequenze” cycle of solo pieces which focus on specific playing techniques of the respective instrument. All Sequitur compositions use a software written in MaxMSP which creates an electronic accompaniment from the instrument’s live input; the player is confronted with his own playing, and this creates a situation like moving in a house of mirrors where the identities become blurred. Each piece can be performed by the player alone who just has to press a key on the computer keyboard whenever this is indicated in the score. The software generates a complex canon on the fly, the temporal structure and density of whic

„Prends le Fa” consists of three movements which have to be played attaca after each fermata. I. Trois cent notes II. Tremblant III. Le même, différent... The sustain pedal has to be depressed throughout the piece and should not be lifted between the movements. Although notated solely in quavers, the tempo encompasses a wide range from very slow to extremely fast. Despite its strict structure, the piece should be played in a fluent rubato attitude with lots of espressivo. And don’t forget: it’s a sound piece, not a piano etude. Recorded by Karlheinz Essl in January 2019 on a virtual Steinway grand piano (binaural).

Binaural recording - listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded on November 17th, 2018 at the premiere of Georg Nussbaumers "Atlas der gesamten Musik und aller angrenzenden Gebiete", performed by 300 students of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna during the festival WIEN MODERN: 1) four groups of wind instruments at the foyer 2) a walk from a clarinet quartet towards a cello ensemble at Haydnsaal 3) a salsa group alternating with and harpist Luise Adler and the so-called "piano hell" 4) people walking through the campus park. Mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Komponisten Georg Nussbaumers, der MDW (Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien) und des Festivals WIEN MODERN.

Binaural recording - listen with headphones! Dedicated to Jörg Duit and his festival INTONAZIONE. Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, recorded in September 2019 on the Island of Elba, Italy: 1) Piazza del Popolo in Rio nell'Elba 2) the Elba Rally witnessed from afar 3) breaking of waves at Spiaggia del Cannello 4) a nightly thunderstorm in Rio nell'Elba More information: http://www.essl.at/works/HEAD.html