Just Flutes: Matthias Ziegler

Just Flutes: Matthias Ziegler - Sonic Visions

Special amplification and custom-made microphones allow Ziegler to approach his instruments with an acoustic magnifying glass  - amplifying the details of the acoustic sounds inside the tube of the flute, his percussive effects, and enhancing the various tonal colors he produces. This reveals sounds that are reminiscent of trombone movements or an a-capella choir in one passage, and sine tones of electronic music in the next. This new level of sounds - the bass flute contains an entire orchestra - opens up new improvisational and compositional possibilities.

Matthias Ziegler, flautist and Professor at the Zurich University of the Arts, is one of the world’s most versatile and innovative flautists. He is committed both to the traditional literature for flute as well as to contemporary music. Concert tours have brought him to the US, Japan, Australia, South America and Israel. Many recordings on CD document his inclusive musical interests.

Matthias Ziegler was co-founder of the ”Collegium Novum Zurich“, where he has worked with Mauricio Kagel, Heinz Holliger Luciano Berio and George Crumb. Searching for new sounds he enormously broadened the expressive potential of the traditional flute and the electroacoustically amplified contrabass flute. Amplifying the flute allows him to increase the volume of the microsound structures of the flute to an audible level.

Inspired by these instruments' new dimensions of sounds, composers such as Michael Jarrell, Daniel Schnyder and George Gruntz from Switzerland, Benjamin Yusupov from Tadjikistan and the American Mark Dresser have written flute concertos for him.

Since 2013 Matthias Ziegler has been leading a research project for developing a telematic performance format at Zurich University of Arts with partners from San Diego, Stanford University, Baptiste University Hong Kong, and others.