Copyright © Markus Brönnimann 2015-2023
Markus Brönnimann Flötist
Personal thoughts on
musical topics
How should a good concert programme be constructed?
I like programmes that have an inner coherence, in which a common theme can be followed
throughout different pieces of music. I also find it rewarding when works from the 20
th
and 21
st
centuries are juxtaposed with older music. This antithesis makes it possible to hear old works with
“new” ears, and new music with “old” ears. In every concert programme, I try to play at least one
work from the late 20
th
or early 21
st
century. It strikes me as important that music should not only be
perceived from one aesthetic angle, but rather be an expression of the present day.
Music that speaks of our modern condition is contemporary music. To concern ourselves with the
musical present is worthwhile and opens up new perspectives. Yet engaging with new music can also
be uncomfortable at times. Some pieces even leave you baffled.
I also like to programme “outsiders”; composers who, for whatever reason, have not received the
recognition they deserve. I count amongst these Joseph Martin Kraus, Wilhelm Stenhammar and Erwin
Schulhoff, for example. Ultimately, a programme has to be designed in such a way that even a
listener with no interest in historical or extramusical correlations can be offered a diverse mix of
good quality music.
What is the purpose of arranging and what is the appeal of this occupation?
Arranging is a creative undertaking with music that for once does not involve an instrument, and
whose result remains forever visible in black and white. The trigger for my own work in this field was
my involvement with Ensemble Pyramide. The sextet’s unusual combination of instruments meant
that there were hardly any original compositions for the group, apart from our occasional
commissions, and so we increasingly sought to expand our repertoire with quality works that already
lent themselves to the sound of our instrumentation.
Through my arranging, I have learned a huge amount about the individual instruments that is now of
constant benefit to me. Instrumentation can be seen as a technical exercise, which guarantees a
certain degree of success if building upon an already successful composition. Unlike composing, one is
not forced to make every single decision oneself, and the effort is rewarded by the fact that there is
an actual demand for what is being created. We have performed some arrangements with Ensemble
Pyramide several times, and it is very satisfying that an exercise of this kind can have such a practical
purpose. As a flautist, I am very aware of the limits of my repertoire, and take a mischievous pleasure
in every opportunity to enrich it with another valuable work. In this way, I have become a close
companion of many older composers, and am constantly fascinated how near it is possible to get to
the thought processes of a long deceased composer by transferring one of his works, note for note,
into another medium.
I am frequently irritated, however, when reputable musicians and concert promoters turn up their
noses at the mention of the word “arrangement”. I experience arranging as a dynamic and creative
interaction with music history that proves that these pieces continue to speak to us.
Is composition the natural and logical continuation of arrangement?
The challenge of composing is considerably greater than that of arranging. To stare at a blank piece of
paper and create a work out of nothing is a situation that can fill you with fear. On the other hand,
classical musicians find themselves in the unnatural situation of only ever having played music
thought up and written down by others. These were mostly the giants of the past, who set the bar
correspondingly high. Nonetheless, I find it very worthwhile to once pose the question, “What does
my own music actually sound like? Is there even such a thing?” You don’t need to measure your first
attempts at composition against Beethoven, but equally that doesn’t mean that everything has
already been said.
Musicians, too, live in a world of specialisation. Performer, composer and musicologist are completely
separate professions. My wish would be for these distinctions to become permeable once more, as in
Baroque times when every good musician was able to compose a simple piece. Today there are very
few performers who set themselves that double challenge. I admire them hugely.
Since writing a couple of pieces of my own, I now see the works of other composers from all periods
through different eyes. On one hand, my respect for their creative powers and their unfathomable
labour has grown even more, and on the other hand, I can contemplate the musical text from a fresh
perspective. I have experienced that every transcript of a piece is an imperfect attempt to capture
the composer’s idea in sound. If we bear this in mind as a performer, we begin to search more
intently for this idea behind the notes than just being satisfied with the correct rendition of the
score.
How should my own music sound? What does it mean to compose contemporary
classical music?
Of course I have role models amongst the composers - Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach for his clear,
energetic gestures, and Maurice Ravel for his ability to conjure a wonderful palette of colours from
every instrumental combination. George Crumb and György Kurtág impress me with their openness
and their skill in writing new music that speaks directly to the listener.
The interaction between instruments and their players is very important to me. I want to create a
musical conversation. This is also the reason why chamber music is my preferred form of expression.
Music that translates an abstract idea without culminating in an aurally appealing result is something I
don’t much like. For my taste, music needs a sensual quality. Furthermore, I do not believe it is
possible to write music that reflects our time by drawing on old idioms.
Contemporary classical music is in a precarious situation. It has lost the connection to large swathes
of music-loving audiences. Initiatives that attempt to bridge this gap are very valuable. I am thinking
of moderated concerts, introductory lectures, but also programmes combining old and new music,
showing that whilst the semblance of the music has changed, its core message often remains very
similar. In spite of the marginalisation of comtemporary music, every composer should pursue the
idiom that is most appropriate to them, and that they believe in. Anyone eyeing a quick audience hit
is generally rumbled pretty quickly.