Celebrate Another Timbre's two hundred and fiftieth release

The two Another Timbre albums below have been carefully selected from the latest batch of the label's releases, for several reasons. Firstly, the Jürg Frey album Je laisse a la nuit son poids d'ombre ("I leave to the night its weight of shadow" in English) and the Jakob Ullman album Solo I / Solo IVare Another Timbre's two-hundred-and-forty-ninth and two-hundred-and-fiftieth releases respectively, so they mark a landmark for the label. Secondly, the Frey album is his thirteenth for the label, some as composer, some as musician, while the Ullman album is his very first for the label, yet they are treated as equals...

Jurg Frey
Je laisse à la nuit son poids d'ombre
Another Timbre
2025

Impressive as Frey's tally of releases with Another Timbre is, it is worth remembering that in his earlier years from 1996 to 2010 most of his releases were on Edition Wandelweiser, which also catalogues his compositions (currently up to 188 of them) varying from many compositions for a single piano up to several compositions for a full orchestra. The composition which gives this album its name dates back to 2019-20 and was written for two soprano voices, cello, violin, trombone, clarinet, tuba, flute, percussion and analogue synthesizer. The composition comprises five parts, each of which makes reference to one or more poetic texts in French—sung by Helene Fauchere and/or Geraldine Keller. Those who do not speak or understand French need not worry as the pure sounds of the voices are just as enjoyable as their contents. Likewise, despite the number of instruments listed, they do not overwhelm the sound of the women's voices but allow them to be heard clearly and savored. This is not surprising as all ten of the musicians are members of the French-based group ensemble]h[iatus who commissioned this composition and recorded it in Studio Cesare, Reims, in May 2021. A triumph for all involved. Highly recommended.

Jakob Ullmann
Solo I / Solo IV
Another Timbre
2025

Jakob Ullmann was born in July 1958, in Freiberg, Saxony, East Germany, the son of theologian and politician Wolfgang Ullmann. After Jakob refused to serve military service in East Germany, he worked as a groundskeeper, boilerman and house painter in Dresden from 1978 to 1982. From 1979 to 1982, he studied church music in Saxony. He was denied official enrolment in Berlin's Academy of Fine Arts and so he studied composition privately with Friedrich Goldmann until 1984. Since the early eighties, Ullmann has been working as a freelance composer and author of self-published writings, also teaching classes at different universities on New Music, mediaeval music, history of Byzantine music as well as music philosophy. His works have ben performed at festivals of new music in Donaueschingen, Witten, Zurich and Paris.

Solo I / Solo IV is a first-rate example of Ullmann's work. The album was produced (recording, diffusion, mixing, mastering) by Sam Dunscombe in Berlin in 2024. "Solo I" was written in 1992/93 for flute and later a version for oboe da caccia; for this recording, Rebecca Lane played the original version on quarter-tone flutes. "Solo VI" was written in 2013/14 for a low stringed instrument; here it is played on double bass by Jon Heilbron. The versions that Lane and Heilbron recorded in Berlin were also used as playback -as it says on the back of the CD, "simultaneous realization for instruments and playback." Whatever the methodology in creating it, the album's forty-eight minutes make riveting listening which can be repeated again and again. On the evidence of this album, we must hope that Another Timbre releases more Jakob Ullmann music.

Tracks and Personnel

Je laisse a la nuit son poids d'ombre

Tracks: Je laisse a la nuit son poids d'ombre (2019-2020)

Personnel: ensemble]h[iatus:-Helene Fauchere: voice; Geraldine Keller: voice; Martine Altenburger: cello; Tiziana Bertoncini: violin; Fabrice Charles: trombone; Isabella Duthoit: clarinet; Laurent Guitton : tuba; Le Quan Ninh: percussion; Thomas Lehn: analogue synthesiser; Alessandra Rombola: flute.

Solo I / Solo IV

Tracks: Solo I (1992/93 -2010 for flute Solo IV (2013-14 for low strung instrument (simultaneous realisation for instruments and playback).

Personnel: Rebecca Lane: quarter-tone flutes ; Jon Heilbron: double bass.

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