Around the central work of the CD, the "Friedenskonzert" by Daan Manneke, Gudrun Sidonie Otto, soprano, and the cathedral organist of the Basel Minster, Andreas Liebig, present a very multifaceted and expressive programme. The "Friedenskonzert" is part of the Baseler Psalms, which were commissioned for the millennium celebrations of the Basel Minster. In the programme, it is framed by two chorale arrangements on the Lutheran chorale "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir", one by Johann Sebastian Bach, the other by Max Reger. Furthermore, Gudrun Sidonie Otto sings two extremely demanding works, "Aus den Visionen der Hildegard von Bingen" by Sofia Gubaidulina and "Djamila Boupachà" by Luigi Nono. The whole programme is framed by two of the most important works of organ music, Bach's Fantasia et Fuga g-minor, BWV 542 and the organ sonata "Der 94. Psalm" by Julius Reubke, both masterly played at the organ of the Basel Minster by Andreas Liebig.

1. A Pierre. Dell'azzurro silenzio, inquietum (1985) for contrabass ?ute in G, contrabass clarinet in B ?at and live electronics 2. Das atmende Klarsein, fragmente (1980/87) for bass flute, magnetic tape and live electronics 3. Musiche per Manzù (1969) for magnetic tape (acousmatic version) 4. Roberto Fabbriciani: A "Omaggio a Luigi Nono" (2006) for piccolo, tape and live electronics Roberto Fabbriciani, flutes, piccolo (1, 2, 4) Ulrich Krieger, double-bass clarinet (1) Alvise Vidolin, live electronics, sound direction Alessandro Fiordelmondo, live electronics assistant Luigi Nono (1924 -1990) was a great innovator in the use of spatialization of sound and experimentation with performance space, non-linear time and the collapsing between sound and silence. Beginning in 1959, he distanced himself from serial orthodoxy and the Ferienkurse compositional scene. His new works reflected a concern in political and cultural events and introduced the use of tape and electroacoustic technology. His compositional process was increasingly involved with specific performers, whom he chose for their tone and expressive characteristics. This trust reflects on Nono's interest in collaboration, developing the idea that traditional musical notation is limited and cannot reproduce the complexity of performance he reached with every performer. This recording represents one of Nono's most fruitful collaborations, the one he developed with flutist Roberto Fabbriciani during the 1980s. The track list presented here - selected by Fabbriciani and Alvise Vidolin - explores Nono's music as it is defined by space (and/or the acoustic space) rather than time - the auditory impression of a labyrinthine acoustic environment in which the works seem to ?oat on the threshold of sound and silence and seem to fluctuate from one place to another. The creative process of A Pierre. Dell'azzurro silenzio, inquietum (1985) took place during rehearsals for the ?rst performance of Prometeo. Tragedia dell'ascolto (Venice, 1984). Fabbriciani recalls suggesting to Nono that he should write a work, based on section VIII of Io, frammento dal Prometeo because he felt that the live electronic potential explored in that work had not been completely exploited. The interplay between flute, clarinet and live electronics and their timbral fusion or a continuum of timbre, are at the core of the compositional process. Once the live electronic manipulation of sound moves above the threshold of silence, the listener should no longer be able to detect whether a given sound heard was produced by one of the two performers or reproduced by electronic/digital equipment. Das Atmende Klarsein, fragmente is a reduced version of Nono's work for small choir, bass flute soloist and live electronics. It is the first composition of the 1980s which led to Prometeo and the first outcome of the intense collaboration between Fabbriciani and Nono. In the original piece, Nono composed two distinct worlds, one of choir, the other of bass flute. As they never perform together, the bass flute part later became a solo piece after undergoing changes, cuts and transformations with the various performances by Fabbriciani (this is typical of Nono's work in progress). Musiche per Manzù, for magnetic tape (1969), was created for a short documentary that shows the work that Italian sculptor Giacomo Manzù did to realize the bronze doors of St. Francis church in Rotterdam. Space and spatialization are only illusory in the original version of the work, which antedates Nono's live electronics research. But space is so deliberate here that this piece is suitable to live electronics interpretations. Alvise Vidolin re-interprets Musiche per Manzù using the original mono version published by Ricordi, with a multichannel 5.1 surround sound system. A "Omaggio a Luigi Nono"is Fabbriciani's tribute to his collaboration and friendship with Luigi Nono. The tape part has been recorded by Fabbriciani at the Experimental Studio of the Heinrich-Strobel Stiftung in Freiburg, the same studio where he worked with Nono in his important sound research for a decade. It contains the natural acoustic sounds of the piccolo. It explores this instrument and reflects Fabbriciani's research on extended yet simple sounds. A "Omaggio a Luigi Nono"is also an homage to the last years of their friendship, which culminated in the piece Post-praeludium n. 3 "BAAB-ARR". "We got as far as the Post-praeludium n. 3 "BAAB-ARR", structured on a single note with all it's possible universes. After the performance in the Kammersaal of the Berlin Philharmonie on 4th September 1988 Gigi [Luigi] smiled and said to me, "the next time I'll write less!" (Fabbriciani, 1999). The score is so non-existent and deprived of any meaningful indications to any flutists but Fabbriciani that the Committee for the Edition of the Works of Luigi Nono set up by Casa Ricordi has decided to withdraw it from the catalogue. A "Omaggio a Luigi Nono"by Fabbriciani reflects both his own research on extended techniques, and Nono's reduction to the essential nature of sound and music. The acoustic part interacts with the tape part made with prerecorded piccolo sounds. The assembling, mixing and spatialization of the recorded sounds is conceived by Alvise Vidolin. Liner notes by Laura Zattra.

The CD Kinetic Valves offers a listening journey inspired by the pluralism of contemporary languages, in a mix of different styles and poetics, between the sounds of the euphonium and the ophicleide. A listening journey dedicated to the new Italian compositional panorama that unfolds through the works of Matteo Tundo (Innesti e Germinazioni), Pasquale Punzo (Mirrored in the brass), Maria Vittoria Agresti (Mutea: I, II and III) and Daniele Vulpiani (Inventario di oggetti introvabili), all in firstever recordings. The conclusion of this journey into a world of rarely heard sounds is the reinterpretation of the piece PostPraeLudium per Donau by Luigi Nono. The protagonist of the recording is Marina Boselli, a virtuoso of the instrument who, after her studies, perfected herself with internationally renowned teachers. Winner of numerous national and international competitions, she is active in Italy and abroad as a soloist. Since 2018 he has been the first euphonium soloist of the Civica Filarmonica di Lugano and collaborates as a guest musician at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia for the creation of new repertoires for euphonium and electronics, also holding masterclasses on composition for brass and extended techniques in conservatories and international composition campuses.

The starting point for Barbara Hannigan’s third recording for Alpha is a work by Gérard Grisey (1946-98) that is particularly close to her heart. Grisey wrote: ‘I conceived the Quatre Chants pour franchir le seuil [Four songs for crossing the threshold] as a musical meditation on death in four parts: the death of the angel, the death of civilization, the death of the voice and the death of humanity... The texts chosen belong to four civilizations (Christian, Egyptian, Greek, Mesopotamian) and have in common a fragmentary discourse on the inevitability of death.’ Luigi Nono (1924-90) was a politically engaged composer. His stunning monody Djamila Boupacha, a heart-rending cry for solo soprano, pays tribute to a freedom fighter tortured by French paratroopers during the Algerian war; Picasso also portrayed her in charcoal. Once again Barbara Hannigan both sings and directs this pair of twentieth-century works with her friends of the Ludwig Orchestra. She has chosen to couple them with a Classical symphony by the master of the genre, Joseph Haydn, which also deals with the theme of the Passion. Her interpretation is extremely intense and highly personal.

The 1960s were a period of revolution in classical vocal composition, a time of re-inventing and re-creating the classical voice's sound world that inspired the generation of composers featured on this album. Spear-headed by such imaginative singers as Cathy Berberian and Michiko Hirayama, and inspired by the simultaneous developments in Early Music, technology and an awareness of world music singing styles, the long-established Bel canto singing tradition was extended in new, imaginative and extraordinarily virtuosic ways. This collection is widely diverse in style from the simple (yet so complex) simple vocals by the two American composers, to a variety of extended-technique songs by the notoriously modernist Europeans, Kagel, Scelsi, Bussotti, Nono, Berio, and Castliglioni. fSara Stowe is one of Britain's most versatile and inventive performers with a repertoire ranging from medieval song to the present day. She began studying as a prize-winning harpsichordist and piano scholar at the Royal College of Music. On leaving she decided to pursue singing and studied in Italy where she sang for Luciano Berio and studied Scelsi's vocal music with Michiko Hirayama. In Britain Sara's performances include work with The Academy of Ancient Music, New London Consort, Sirinu, James Wood and the Taverner Consort.

Intolleranza 1960 was Nono's first work for the opera stage, and is a flaming protest against intolerance, oppression and the violation of human dignity. Premiered in 1961, the premiere night was interrupted by neo-facists shouting "Viva la polizia!" during the torture scene.

This disc of chamber works by Luigi Nono is most definitely not easy listening, and will not fade quietly into the background. It is, however, a fascinating collection of works which owe at least some debt to Anton Webern in the composition of their sound worlds. The titles evoke the most basic elements of Western music: polyphony, monody, rhythm, songs. Yet none of these appears in its traditional sense in the music--Nono is more interested here in suspended or fractured songs, rather than a style of sustained lyricism. 'Polifonica-Monodia-Ritmica' begins with echoes of unheard pitches which coalesce into undulating almost-harmonies before breaking into a halting movement forward.
Peter Hirsch and his Ensemble United Berlin have mastered this music and found Nono's broken and echoed melodies along with his polyphony, monody, and the rest. Whether a group of seven or of thirteen or of only two, they play with excellent ensemble. Soprano Angelika Luz gives the haunting, stratospheric 'Canciones a Guiomar' appropriate voice, giving beauty and life to "un-pretty" vocal writing.