ROLF LIEBERMANN / GEORGE GRUNTZ / PIERRE FAVRE / DANIEL HUMAIR

LES ECHANGES, KOMPOSITION FUR 156 MASCHINEN 7" 

Turicaphon 

Gatefold cover 

Early 60's futuristic music work, using as sound source typewriters, calculation machines, claxons, telephones and other machines. Original Swiss Pressing on Turicaphon.  

Some info on the release: Futuristic wacko work from swiss composer Rolf Liebermann. Following the steps of futurists Luigi Russolo, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, Francesco Balilla Pratella and the like, Liebermann introduced what had been his era's intonarumori, that is to say, machines of his time. In this Liebermann's art of noises, the composers uses 156 machines, amongst which one can find 16 typewriters, 18 calculator machines, 8 accounting machines, 12 office perforators, 10 caisses enregistreuses, 8 humidificateurs-colleurs, 8 tele-scripteurs, 2 metronomes, 4 bells of signalisation, 2 entrance door gongs, 10 claxons, 16 telephones, 40 experimental signal receptors, a duplicator and a monte-charge. The piece is a conceptual one, trying to translate in musical terms the notion of "echanges". The machines were controlled at distance through the use of an electronic system. 2 versions of the piece are presented, one on each side of the record. The second version is a jazz transcription of the piece for prepared piano and double percussion, performed by Pierre Favre, Daniel Humair and George Gruntz. This is an original swiss pressing on Turicaphon dating back to 1962. A piece of history sounding really very fresh until today and a big must to discover.  

Rolf Liebermann was born on September 1910 in Zurich, studied law at the university of his home town from 1929-1933, and music at José Berr's private conservatory. His first compositions (chansons) date from 1933-1936; at the time Liebermann was studying conducting with Hermann Scherchen. He worked as Scherchen's private secretary in Budapest and Vienna in 1937-1938, where Scherchen had founded the "Musica Viva" orchestra (mainly with Jewish musicians who had fled into exile from Germany). In Switzerland Liebermann gave tuition to refugee children, and wrote music criticism. He did his military service in Ascona. There he also studied composition from 1940 on with Vladimir Vogel. From 1945 to 1950 Liebermann worked as a recording engineer with Radio Zurich; from 1950 to 1957 he headed the orchestra department of the Swiss Radio (now called Radio DRS Zurich). From 1957 to 1959 he was head of the main music section of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk and from 1959 to 1973 General Manager of the Hamburg State Opera. He made this a contemporary centre of contemporary music theatre (with 23 first performances, of which 21 were commissioned works). He filled a similar position in Paris (Administrateur Général du Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris). At this time he wrote a number of books: Actes et entractes, Paris 1976 (Opernjahre, Bern/Munich 1977) and En passant par Paris. Opéras, Paris 1980 (Und jedermann erwartet sich ein Fest. Musiktheater, Frankfurt.a.M – Berlin – Vienna 1981). With the director Joseph Losey, in 1979 Liebermann produced a film version of Mozart's opera "Don Giovanni", which Lorin Maazel conducted. As a composer, Liebermann attained international renown, not least for his one-act operas Leonore 40/45 (première: Basel 1952), Penelope (première: Salzburg 1954) and Die Schule der Frauen (première: Louisville,Kentucky 1955), which had its the first European performance in a complete three-act version at the Salzburg festival. There followed the operas La Forêt (Hélène Vida, after the comedy by Aleksandr Ostrovskrij, première: Geneva 1987) and Freispruch für Media (première: Hamburg 1995). Liebermann's Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra (première: Donauschingen 1954, directed by Hans Rosbaud). an early attempt to combine jazz with dodecaphony, also met with interest and recognition.

Condition: The vinyl looks to be in excellent condition, very clean and shiny and keep in mind that it's a +50 year old record. On the other hand, the cover lies in very good++ to excellent- condition with minimal storage wear and a pen writing in the inside of the gatefold. 

Tracklist

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