Experimental? Unconventional? Yes, please!

The Sonic Matter festival of experimental music, themed ‘drift’, begins on 26 February. The theme reflects the wavering and drifting of our times in unexpected directions. This year’s artist in residence is the Vietnamese artist Nguyễn Thanh Thủy. She will open the festival at the Rote Fabrik with the Swedish-Vietnamese quartet The Six Tones. Not only concerts, but also party evenings such as the one on 27 February under the name Borderline Club Culture at Umbo, or the documentary film “Salamaiyah – Lady of the Land” on Saturday at the Filmpodium, are formats that the Sonic Matteris offering this year for a wide variety of guests.

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Immediately following this, from 3 March, Close Encounters will take place at various venues across Switzerland. This Swiss-Georgian festival promotes exchange between performers across geographical distances and offers a counterpoint to traditional institutions. Particularly recommended is the event on 5 March at Kunstraum Walcheturm: Giorgi Koberidze’s sound installation and performance presents his composition as the installation ‘MurMUr’, which creates a space for reflection and listening. Furthermore, on this evening Alexandre Kordzaia will present a video game concert entitled “Speedrun”: a gaming atmosphere that serves as both a game and a composition kit. The evening concludes with “Stones”, featuring Karolina Öhman and Tamriko Kordzaia, a programme of compositions from the Caucasus.

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To ensure our ears don’t miss out on classical music, I’d like to draw your attention to the Alte Musik Zürich festival, which is now in its 44th year under the title ‘Passaggio – Of Transitions and New Paths’. A particular highlight is Franz Schubert’s ever-popular “Winterreise”, performed by tenor Julian Prégardien on Sunday 1 March at the Johanneskirche. Other programme highlights include: the Solomon’s Knot ensemble; works by the Swiss Baroque composer Johann Melchior Gletle performed by Voces Suaves and Les Cornets Noir under the baton of Jörg-Andreas Bötticher; and the wind ensemble Into the Winds.

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The action continues at Kunstraum Walcheturm with the Taktlos Festival, curated by Joana Aderi, from 12 March. The festival explores the question of what ‘music on stage can and wants to do’. It’s about the musical moment, the interplay between performers and audience. With artists such as Andreas Tschopp, we’ll hear South African sounds; Stian Westerhus will showcase his virtuoso electric guitar playing; Tom Haugerud, as a percussionist, introduces us to Norwegian jazz improvisation, and with the work “HIKIKOMORI”, we will also hear Joana Aderi’s composition and voice at this festival.

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A special evening will take place on 21 March as a season concert at the City Church of St Jakob with the ensemble ö! Around Berio II brings together works by Berio, Sciarrino, Soper and Vassena, ranging from intimate solo performances to dialogues between the musicians, text, music, sound and silence. The Ensemble ö! aims in its programmes to bring together new music works into a full-length programme – on this evening with the theme ‘Music from Italy and Switzerland’.

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Under the title “überwinden”, the Collegium Novum Zürich will perform a concert focusing on the relationship between film and music on 16 April at Brunnenhof Studio 1, conducted by Zoi Tsokanou. The world premiere of composer Jannik Giger’s “ADDIO” is written for film and ensemble. In collaboration with the ZHdK, silent films will also be re-scored with a wide variety of world premieres. Another exciting highlight: commissioned by the CNZ, the artist Monster Chetwynd will use her fantastical imagery to cast Liza Lim’s music in a new light.

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The ensemble ö! is also drawing attention to film music with its evening programme Cinema II – Film Music from Italy. On 29 May at the Citykirche Offener St. Jakob, the ensemble will perform Italian film music compositions alongside the composers Yiran Zhao and David Sontòn Caflisch, accompanied by a big band.

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With temperatures on the rise, it might be worth pop into Sihlhölzlipark in Zurich on 30 and 31 May, where the Ensemble Tzara is presenting a happening by Dorothea Rust and Jörg Köppl featuring Saadet Türköz. ‘Tipping Points – Into the Void’ is a performance set between the park and the motorway, combining play, song, dance, gesture, resonance and thought.

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For further reading, I’d like to draw your attention to two more organisations:

NOIIS – an association founded in 2022 that organises concerts in and around Zurich and supports young, up-and-coming artists.

DAS INSTITUT – The association as a space for the arts, offering a transdisciplinary platform within the cultural landscape of the city of Zurich.<