Klaus Huber's Hostel

Started by snyprrr, December 26, 2011, 08:34:07 AM

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snyprrr

Klaus (Karl) Huber (*1924), not to be confused with either Nicholas A. Huber, or Klaus K. Hubler, is one of those mysterious figures lurking in the second tier of the Composers of High Modernism. I could never figure out where to place this guy, but, as I've been researching, I find him to be a... well... Communist,... uh,... in the Dallapiccola mold, perhaps with a similar trajectory to that of Nono. (wow, I barely made it through THAT sentence, haha)

http://www.klaushuber.com/lg_en/index.html

I've had Huber's cello piece Transpositio ad infinitum, written for Paul Sacher in 1976 (available on the Demenga set of Sacher dedications) for a while, and was always impressed with its extreme virtuosity. (Huber's Complete Cello Music is now available) So, recently, I picked up a disc of orchestral works (Timpani; conducted by the hero of this kind of stuff, Arturo Tamayo (and Luxembourg)) which proved to be a very nice overview indeed. I then happened upon an old Accord cd containing two concertos, and now have seven works with which to become acquainted with.

Starting out in the late '50s, but blossoming in the '60s, Huber's style seems like Nono, but more subdued aurally (which, frankly, I like better!). Huber has a very very refined sensibility, and his music is very...mm...'tight', and 'groomed', to always put its best foot forward. Don't let me take you of course: Huber sounds as Modern as the rest, but, from the beginning, seems to be a little more...'quiet'... than some, without sounding like Feldman.

Huber's main claim to fame are his... are they Oratorios?... works for voices and orchestra. A quick persusal of Amazon reveals a composer with a cd on Harmonia Mundi even!, and many long, cd length oratorio-like works.

Lately, he has taken to using baroque instruments in Modern ways, and I'd say he is at the forefront of this movement. His Chamber Concerto 'Intarsi' is written for fortepiano, and, even though I believe the recording uses a normal piano, the piece is definitely played in fortepiano 'style' (a very nice piece, on YT (though I don't know if it's played as well as on the Timpani)).

So, if you like Dallapiccola and Nono, Huber is the man for you! And... dig his haircut!! ;)

PaulSC

Your posts have more parentheses than most Lisp programs!

I knew Klaus K. was different from Nicholas A., but I didn't know there were two Klaus's (both with middle-initial K's)!

So which of these three is the one who mentored Ferneyhough?

Anyway, I may give the 1924 Huber a try, although I would be more eager to jump if there were a nice chamber music compilation out there.
Musik ist ein unerschöpfliches Meer. — Joseph Riepel

not edward

Quote from: toucan on December 26, 2011, 09:42:08 AM
Another thing Klaus Huber has in common with Luigi Nono is, he too wrote an "in Memoriam" for Witold Lutoslawski: Wagner eulogizing Brahms!
I think there might be a typo here, given that Nono died in 1990 and Lutoslawski in 1994. Unless there's a proactive in Memoriam I don't know.
"I don't at all mind actively disliking a piece of contemporary music, but in order to feel happy about it I must consciously understand why I dislike it. Otherwise it remains in my mind as unfinished business."
-- Aaron Copland, The Pleasures of Music

PaulSC

Quote from: edward on December 26, 2011, 09:51:59 AM
I think there might be a typo here, given that Nono died in 1990 and Lutoslawski in 1994. Unless there's a proactive in Memoriam I don't know.
Maybe it's like the big news networks keeping up-to-date obituaries on file for major public figures...
Musik ist ein unerschöpfliches Meer. — Joseph Riepel

UB

If you are interested in listening to some of his music before buying CDs there is a large amount on YouTube including the work in memory of Lutoslawski...The amount of music on YouTube - including very recent broadcast and premiere ...is rather amazing.

I recently listened to his Erinnere Dich an Golgatha from 2010 and can not say that found it particularly interesting and found myself thinking it seemed like it was really long and it turned out to be only 19 minutes.
I am not in the entertainment business. Harrison Birtwistle 2010

Sergeant Rock

Quote from: snyprrr on December 26, 2011, 08:34:07 AM
So, if you like Dallapiccola and Nono, Huber is the man for you! And... dig his haircut!! ;)

Love the haircut and white beard...reminds me of someone...someone I know intimately....oh, yeah, GMG's favorite non-commissioned officer  ;D

Sarge
the phone rings and somebody says,
"hey, they made a movie about
Mahler, you ought to go see it.
he was as f*cked-up as you are."
                               --Charles Bukowski, "Mahler"

snyprrr

Quote from: PaulSC on December 26, 2011, 09:48:35 AM
So which of these three is the one who mentored Ferneyhough?

That must be Klaus K. Hubler, whose String Quartet by the Arditti is a tough nut indeed!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_FiQxKfNFg


Quote from: PaulSC on December 26, 2011, 09:48:35 AM
Anyway, I may give the 1924 Huber a try, although I would be more eager to jump if there were a nice chamber music compilation out there.

There are two Accord cds of Chamber Music (in addition to the concertos disc) which are in various states of availability, but I'm hoping that Accord will re-release them as a two-fer, as they have with other items in their catalog. These two cds have a few vocal chamber works, along with a few small ensemble pieces,... a few are on YT already.

I heartily recommend the Timpani disc. I think it would pique your interest (also on YT, along with the concertos disc).

snyprrr

Quote from: toucan on December 26, 2011, 09:42:08 AM
Good post, BTW. A welcome change from OP's that ask for opinion & info, instead of providing them.

haha, thanks for noticing. You really have no idea how lazy I am. I really had to gear up for it haha,... yeesh, I'm a mess, haha!! ;) ::) ;D But, as long as all it takes is a good website, hey,...!!

The Thread Title's the most important thing anyhow, haha!

But, I din't know if I wanted to like Huber, but, he proved himself to me to the point where I had to do something about it.

snyprrr

Quote from: UB on December 26, 2011, 01:28:12 PM
I recently listened to his Erinnere Dich an Golgatha from 2010 and can not say that found it particularly interesting and found myself thinking it seemed like it was really long and it turned out to be only 19 minutes.

I have the original version on the Accord concertos disc. It's a concerto for double bass (written in memoriam Fernando Grillo) which, I agree, is pretty spare, with lots of scraping and tapping and bonking and banging, but, in the all important context of all his other work, it fits in quite nicely. Perhaps it wouldn't be the first piece to listen to,... Protuberanzen, in its 'simultaneous' version, is short and sweet High Modernism:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMocID1O5G4

snyprrr

Quote from: Sergeant Rock on December 26, 2011, 01:36:55 PM
Love the haircut and white beard...reminds me of someone...someone I know intimately....oh, yeah, GMG's favorite non-commissioned officer  ;D

Sarge

One 'Page Boy', please! ;)

snyprrr

This might be his most well known recording, on Auvidis:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaF6Q86yP5w

PaulSC

#11
Aha! The plot thickens: it turns out this is the Huber who taught Ferneyhough! The brief biographical "portrait" on Huber's website was written by the latter composer.

I'll have to try and track down those Accord CDs with chamber music.
Musik ist ein unerschöpfliches Meer. — Joseph Riepel

snyprrr

Quote from: PaulSC on December 26, 2011, 03:07:53 PM
Aha! The plot thickens: it turns out this is the Huber who taught Ferneyhough! The brief biographical "portrait" on Huber's website was written by the latter composer.

I'll have to try and track down those Accord CDs with chamber music.

Huh, that's interesting. The Hubler guy, though, did you check out that String Quartet? Wow! :o

You'll probably have to go to Europe Amazon for those. The one can only be brought up with 'huber tamayo' (Tamayo also conducts on the chamber disc)

chadfeldheimer

Just bought this fine CD with 4 orchestral works Huber composed between 1966 and 1994 and after a few spins I have to say I like every piece on that very much, particularly Tenebrae and Intarsi, which are radical, lyrical, subtle and playful . The performances are very good too.
[asin]B00BURKF8Y[/asin]

Also love the fine Aeon release "The Complete Cello Works" with Alexis Descharmes and the recording of his massive oratorio "Erniedrigt - Geknechtet - Verlassen - Verachtet" on Neos. Despite of  some prizes he got, this composer seems to me still massively underrated and regarding the fact that he is in his 90s now, it is really time for changing this. Besides Boulez and Kurtag he is among the few living ones from the great generation of composers born in the 1920s.


snyprrr

Quote from: chadfeldheimer on April 18, 2015, 06:56:26 AM
Just bought this fine CD with 4 orchestral works Huber composed between 1966 and 1994 and after a few spins I have to say I like every piece on that very much, particularly Tenebrae and Intarsi, which are radical, lyrical, subtle and playful . The performances are very good too.
[asin]B00BURKF8Y[/asin]

Also love the fine Aeon release "The Complete Cello Works" with Alexis Descharmes and the recording of his massive oratorio "Erniedrigt - Geknechtet - Verlassen - Verachtet" on Neos. Despite of  some prizes he got, this composer seems to me still massively underrated and regarding the fact that he is in his 90s now, it is really time for changing this. Besides Boulez and Kurtag he is among the few living ones from the great generation of composers born in the 1920s.

yesyesyes

That Timpani disc should be acquired by all interested parties here. Neos, Aeon, and Timpani are all doing some good work...

Would you be trying some of his other vocal works? I'm verrry curious- he seems to be the one modern who is composing "serial sacred", with bizarre instruments and... isn't he into the viola d-amour?

(rustles through collection)

chadfeldheimer

Quote from: snyprrr on April 20, 2015, 06:11:02 AM
yesyesyes

That Timpani disc should be acquired by all interested parties here. Neos, Aeon, and Timpani are all doing some good work...

Would you be trying some of his other vocal works? I'm verrry curious- he seems to be the one modern who is composing "serial sacred", with bizarre instruments and... isn't he into the viola d-amour?

(rustles through collection)
I thought about purchasing the recording of "Miserere Hominibus" on Soupir Editions that indeed contains some kind of serial sacred music, with arabic influences (!) which should be recognizable in much of his latest output. The sound bites sound very promising and the performing vocal ensemble "Les Jeunes Solistes" know Huber and his works pretty well. Unfortunately I missed an occasion to buy a cheap used copy because I hesitated too long. Next time I will not hesitate. And yes - according Wikipedia there are several of his works involving the viola d-amore. I don't know about recordings in that regard though.

snyprrr

Quote from: chadfeldheimer on April 18, 2015, 06:56:26 AM
Just bought this fine CD with 4 orchestral works Huber composed between 1966 and 1994 and after a few spins I have to say I like every piece on that very much, particularly Tenebrae and Intarsi, which are radical, lyrical, subtle and playful . The performances are very good too.
[asin]B00BURKF8Y[/asin]

Also love the fine Aeon release "The Complete Cello Works" with Alexis Descharmes and the recording of his massive oratorio "Erniedrigt - Geknechtet - Verlassen - Verachtet" on Neos. Despite of  some prizes he got, this composer seems to me still massively underrated and regarding the fact that he is in his 90s now, it is really time for changing this. Besides Boulez and Kurtag he is among the few living ones from the great generation of composers born in the 1920s.

lISTENED AGAIN TO THE pIANO cONCERTO 'iNTARSI' ON THE tIMPANI DISC (aarrrggh)....

Anyhoo... yes, such a great work- I like it better than Kurtag- it sounds more like the murmurings of the forest than just about anything I can think of, and the piano solos are so beautifully divided, so one hears the "two" things going on very well.

I'd suggest this to anyone curious - as a place to start.




The 'Joyce' music, I believe, which seems to be an oboe and harp concerto, has a particularly overcast sound I like, very "pale landscape"...


I think many of you would like that Timpani- best introduction imo.

nathanb

I love Klaus Huber! I also like K. K. Hubler and N. Huber, but straight up Klaus Huber is the way to go.

snyprrr

Quote from: nathanb on February 08, 2017, 09:25:08 AM
I love Klaus Huber! I also like K. K. Hubler and N. Huber, but straight up Klaus Huber is the way to go.

tELL ME MOAR!!

Got a Top5? I was interested in the Wergo disc which has a Violin Concerto...

You'd say he's just a basic good all around 'Master of High Modernism' or do you think he specifically sounds more like, say, Ferneyhough, or Lachenmann...??...

I thought the 'Instarsi' had some Lachenmann type sounds??.... maybe not??...


And what of the Hubler guy? Can't find anything....


Nicolaus A Huber seems more like Kagel?

nathanb

Quote from: snyprrr on February 08, 2017, 10:29:35 AM
tELL ME MOAR!!

Got a Top5? I was interested in the Wergo disc which has a Violin Concerto...

You'd say he's just a basic good all around 'Master of High Modernism' or do you think he specifically sounds more like, say, Ferneyhough, or Lachenmann...??...

I thought the 'Instarsi' had some Lachenmann type sounds??.... maybe not??...


And what of the Hubler guy? Can't find anything....


Nicolaus A Huber seems more like Kagel?

IMO Klaus Huber is somewhere in between Nono/Berio and Sciarrino/Lachenmann/Ferneyhough. Certainly nowhere near as dated as a guy from 1924 could be,  ya know what I mean?

Interesting. I went to find you a blurb about Klaus K. Hubler. Looks like the New Complexity page was trimmed a bit on wikipedia since the last several times I read the thing. Anyway, probably the most significant source of notoriety, for me, was that Hubler was cited as an influence amongst a sort of second wave of New Complexity composers. The ones coming primarily from outside the UK, that is. You know. Mahnkopf, Wohlhauser, Cassidy, Eckardt, etc.

As for Nicolaus Huber, he always sounded most like Rolf Riehm to me. Which is, imo, a little closer to a Lachenmann/Hespos hybrid, perhaps with sprinkles of that whole Kagel, Schnebel, Globokar, etc kind of thing.