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World Premiere of "Epigramme" for
Cello Solo
by Rainer Bischof (2006)
Ten variations for Violoncello Solo composed for and dedicated to
Susan Salm (2005)
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Susan Salm | Recordings: Epigramme
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Recorded live at the World Premiere at the Austrian Cultural
Forum in New York on March 30, 2006.
Performed by Susan Salm, cello
Manuscript by Rainer Bischof (> enlarge)
Epigramme - Gouache by Friedrich
Danielis (> enlarge
painting)
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To Perform a Work for the First Time
by Susan Salm
To perform a work for the first time—for the first time in
its existence—is a great opportunity. Daunting as this may
be for a performer, it is also the ultimate challenge, and satisfaction:
to convince listeners that this very piece, never before heard,
is valuable, special and—yes, beautiful. When the composer
has managed to write something truly original, our task is far easier.
To be able then to have chosen the composer, to have a piece written
for one’s self and then to have time, to delve, to get close
to those thoughts and concepts, to learn this new language—is
a rare privilege.
It is this concept of a new language that concerns us with Rainer
Bischof, a language we are not accustomed to hearing or understanding,
and which yet holds tremendous emotional power. Bischof’s music
is exceptionally difficult to execute; whoever has performed it
is aware of that. And yet there is always a fascinating, magnetizing
joy in practicing, learning, and conquering the problems one has
to solve. As with any truly great work of art, it remains interesting
at every level, all the time - - even becoming moreso as we spend
more time with it. There is emotional intensity, honesty, delicacy,
strength, extended lines that stretch over long phrases– and
a love for the expressiveness that can be drawn from the instrument.
Every emotion is touched, every possibility explored. New sounds
are created and expand our awareness and abilities. Bischof presents
challenges that seem insoluble, demands that require a new way of
thinking and hearing and even of touching the cello.
Whenever I felt overwhelmed by the technical and interpretive problems
– first in Mutations, an unaccompanied cello piece composed
for me in 1995, he reassured me over and over: “I know for
whom I wrote this. It’s not just for anyone, it’s for
you.” His confidence in me as well as the technical challenges
and the music itself gave me tremendous strength. This was also
the case with the Epigramme. Once again I heard Bischof saying to
me “I know for whom I wrote this…” And now I feel
so close to these solo pieces that I take pride in knowing they
were indeed meant to be “mine”.
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