WOLFGANG MITTERER (b.1958): Im Sturm for Baritone, Prepared Piano and Electronics, Leblos for Prepared Piano. Im Sturm is a contemporary reimagining of the world of Schubert's Lieder.

Description: The cycle consists of Mitterer's text, which refers to various poems set by Schubert, as well as other materials and quotations, sung in a wide range of styles from imitation to parody of the Romantic style, to sprechstimme, speech and vocal acting. Meanwhile, the traditional role of the piano accompaniment is expanded, through preparation of the instrument and the addition of live and recorded electronic material, into a matrix of sound effects, allusions to other kinds of music, and sometimes, a nostalgic reminiscence of the traditional relationship between singer and accompaniment. Both here and in Leblos for prepared piano, the frequent unexpected emergence of fragments of lush Romanticism, like artifacts of a half-forgotten civilization, produces a surprising degree of emotional connection, despite the free-ranging avant-gardism of Mitterer's sound effects. German-English texts. Georg Nigl (baritone), Wolfgang Mitterer (piano, electronics).