Swiss Review 6/2020

Swiss Review / November 2020 / No.6 38 Say to a concert promoter that you want to perform as a harp-and-piano duo on stage, and theywill probably ask youwhat your day job is. AZug-based harpist and her piano-play- ing daughter were undeterred ten years ago – and havemade a name for themselves as “Duo Praxedis”. Both are actually called Praxedis: mother Praxedis Hug-Rüti and daughter Praxedis Ge- neviève Hug. Both are trained pianists – the harp became Praxedis Hug-Rüti’s second in- strument when she was a student. After mar- rying, Hug-Rüti devoted less attention to pi- ano playing and more time to her newborn daughter. Then one day, Praxedis senior and Praxedis junior performed together at a private event. “We didn’t even knowwhat piece to play at first, but we tookMozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D major, K. 448, and managed to bumble our way through on harp and piano,” says the mother. The two of them quickly realised that there was a wealth of orig- inal works out there for harp and piano. They nowhave an extremely wide repertoire that includes original compositions fromthe 19th cen- tury as well as arrangements of famous works, contemporary music, and their own arrangements. The duo have a very eclectic discogra- phy spanning twelve recordings over the last seven years. Praxedis junior: “If you are an artist, you need to make albums. Every CD puts us back in the shop window.” Mother and daughter get on both personally and musically, but they also regard themselves as soloists. “We are two individual mu- sicians, but we support and look after each other on stage.” Regard- less of how the other is playing. “Ifmymother nails her harp cadenza, I have to nail my cadenza too. If she doesn’t, I have to up my game even more!” Individualists they may be, but it is remarkable how both adapt their own sound to that of the other. Unless you listened carefully, you would be forgiven for mistaking the harp notes for the piano notes, and vice versa. It is a seamless fusion of two instruments and two musicians. CHRISTIAN BERZINS “He is the one who knocks on the door and wakes me up. And it is barely half five in the morning.” When Felice gets up at the crack of dawn in the remote Ticino village that he calls home, he starts the day with a peculiar ritual. The first-person narrator – a young man who has fled the big city – joins the 90-year-old Fe- lice in this ritual everymorning.Whatever the weather, they walk up the mountain barely exchanging a word. They then bathe in a nat- ural pool (“la pozza” in Italian) andwalk down again. The youngman describeswhat it is like to live in the village. But, more importantly, he tells us about the time that he spends to- gether with Felice – a charismaticmanwhose life has been anything but easy. Felice’s daily routine consists of down-to-earth practicali- ties such as chopping wood, cooking, and helping the neighbours. Daily life never changes in this mountain village, where the locals are mostly elderly. Yet things take a turn for the unexpected when Felice receives a mys- terious letter. News of the letter spreads like wildfire. Soon everyone knows about it, but no one knowswhat the letter is about. Felice seems to be expecting a visit and starts getting a room ready in his house. Author Fabio Andina has a simple yet resonant writing style. His portrayal of the mountains is severe but not cold. Andina’s attach- ment to Ticino is evident in some of his more poetic prose. His de- scription of the locality is partly autobiographical and partly ficti- tious, as the author said himself in an interview. Plenty of its inhabitants are quirky, it goes without saying. Everyone helps every- one here, far removed fromthe consumerist rat race. However, there are also mentions of problems such as alcoholism or the exodus of young people into the city. Felice (meaning “happy” in English) is a wonderful character – a 90-year-old who takes care of himself but is always there when oth- ers need help. This is a very calming story about amanwho is at peace with himself. The novel was translated intoGerman by KarinDiemer- ling, who has managed to retain the feel of the original by adroitly in- terweaving certain words from the Italian. Fabio Andinawas born in Lugano in 1972 and studied filmscience in San Francisco. He now lives again in Ticino. Andina released his first collection of poems in 2005 and his first novel in 2016. “La pozza del Felice” (Felice’s pool) is his second novel and the first one to be translated intoGerman. Genevan publishing house Editions Zoéwill publish the French translation in 2021. RUTH VON GUNTEN A seamless fusion of harp and piano La pozza del Felice (Felice’s pool) Sounds Books DUO PRAXEDIS: Carl Rütti Works for Harp & Piano, Ars Produktion, 2019 Grand Duet, Ars Produktion, 2017 Dreaming, Idagio, 2010 FABIO ANDINA: “Tage mit Felice” Rotpunktverlag Zurich 2020 240 pages; CHF 28 “La pozza del Felice” Rubbettino Editore, Italy, 2018 209 pages; CHF 22