Swiss Review 4/2019

Swiss Review / July 2019 / No.4 30 Less than ten years ago, the past of the Zurich Chamber Orchestra (ZKO) was being cast in the best possible light. However, its future ap- peared to be unclear. Even in 2015, by which time Roger Norrington had been at the helm of the orchestra as principal conductor for four years and had spurred it on to outstand- ing performances, not many Zurich locals re- alised just how magnificent the orchestra re- ally was. It is difficult to understand as the ZKO was the contemporary ‘straight-A student’ among the Swiss orchestras of that time. And then when Norrington stepped into the hall one fine evening and said: “I’m done!”, the ZKO indirectly experienced its big bang event. Everything was set up; it just needed a new leadership to say, “Let’s get going!” In autumn 2016, the orchestra found what it was looking for in the violinist Daniel Hope, a world-renowned, ambi- tious musician who communicated with the public via many differ- ent channels. CD recordings were just asmuch a part of the business for this art- ist as taking a bow after the concert. The ZKO had barely tuned its in- struments for the first time before the microphones stood ready. Ac- colades for its performances came thick and fast after this, such as for the CD “For Seasons”. At first, it is just an extremely lively recording of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons”. However, then the year begins anew for Hope and his orchestra, and you set out on a twelve-part journey through the twelve months with music that ranges from the early 1800s to the present, and is continued in photographs and pictures. The CD “Bach & Sons 2” is more moderate. Under the leadership of German pianist Sebastian Knauer, the ZKO shows itself to be a mo- tivated baroque formation. The piano concerts of J.S. Bach are com- bined with those of his sons, Johann Christian and the wonderfully playful Carl Philipp Emanuel. Themost beautiful ZKOCD is “Journey to Mozart”, in which Hope explores the world around Mozart. “This CD is a reflection of the age as I see and hear it,” he says. Hope plays and conductsworks byGluck, Myslivecek, Solomon andMozart. Even the great Haydn is included. “Haydn’s concert in G major is a jewel,” enthuses Hope; “however, Mozart’s is a revelation. Haydn’s work re- mains rooted in beauty, whereas Mozart’s takes off”. Like the Zurich Chamber Orchestra. CHRISTIAN BERZINS Themain character in the novel “Wildwie die WellendesMeeres” (Wild like thewaves of the sea) is the shy, but headstrong Ava. During her natural science studies, she travels to a nature reserve in Scotland for an internship. She needs time away fromher partner, the police- man Paul, who remains behind at home in Switzerland. Avawants to break free fromthe constraints of the relationship and recover from childhood trauma at the same time. The story in the book plays out on two lev- els. On the one hand, Ava’s stay in Scotland is reported in the narrative present with im- pressive descriptions of the nature and her passion for birds. She gets to knowsome of the locals and deep friendships develop. On the other hand, the past is told retrospectively. The reader learns more about the trauma that she suffered, which is connected to the early death of hermother and then growing up in the same foster family as Paul. The two fall in love andmove in together; however, Ava starts to feel trapped in the relationship. During her time abroad, Paul – who has remained behind – searches for the reasons behind her trauma. When Ava has an accident during a solo hike through the Scottish mountains, Paul travels to be with her. She lies gravely injured in hos- pital, and he discovers that she is pregnant with his child. This is fol- lowed by anxious weeks as Ava lies in a coma. The young author Anna Stern is an extremely talented newcomer on the Swiss literature scene. She has composed her novel with its two narrative levels very skilfully. The photos, sketches and handwritten entries scattered throughout illustrate the story and give it the feel of an authentic account. The book casts a spell over the reader. It is easy to read, despite the appearance of a large number of secondary char- acters. The narrative style is sober, but sometimes overly detailed dur- ing Ava’s natural scientific excursions. On the other hand, the descrip- tion of the landscape and nature in Scotland have a strong effect on the reader. And why shouldn’t there be an unexpected, almost senti- mental happy end for once? Anna Stern, born in Rorschach in 1990, studied Environmental Sciences, and is currently working on her PhD at the Institute of Inte- grative Biology at ETH Zurich. She has already published two novels and a collection of short stories. In 2018, she received the advance- ment award of the St. Gallen Cultural Foundation and won the 3sat prize at the 42 Days of German literature in Klagenfurt. The author lives in Zurich. RUTH VON GUNTEN A chamber orchestra takes off Ava and Paul Sounds Books FOR SEASONS: DG 2017 BACH & SONS 2: Berlin Classics, 2017 JOURNEY TO MOZART: DG 2018 Anna Stern: “Wild wie die Wellen des Meeres” Salis Verlag 2018 320 pages; CHF 32.00, approx. € 24.00