here that Joseph Haydn served as court composer in the 18th century, writing and performing many of his works. A fire destroyed the music room at Eszterháza in 1779, but the actual room plans still exist. “These plans allow us to reconstruct the room and then recreate its acoustics,” explains Strauss, who is a fan of classical symphonies and is looking forward to hearing the results. From physics expert to audio pioneer Strauss wants SE Musiclab to be a place where people engage in production work, R&D, further education and team-building events. In particular, there is still a lot to discover in the area of psychoacoustics, the scientific study of sound perception and audiology, he says. The facility has attracted great interest since it opened last spring. According to experts, there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world. Strauss manages SE Musiclab in a private capacity, with funding coming from a joint-stock company in which he and four other locally based individuals own all the shares. He comes across as a knowledgeable, busy, ambitious but easygoing guy. By his own admission, he is constantly drawn to the beauty of audio. “Even just a sonorous string instrument sends me into raptures.” When you listen, you enter into your own little world. Strauss, who is qualified to work in a physics laboratory, founded his own audio electronics company at a young age. Not only does he now advise and supply international customers, but he also lectures at Swiss universities. Creating the perfect soundproof wall while sharing the larger philosophical-historical context. One of the pictures at the entrance to SE Musiclab is a painting dating back to 1753. Called “La Serinette”, it depicts a lady sitting and playing a small barrel organ, or serinette, while looking at her pet canary. Strauss says that the work is a metaphor for culture, the natural world, reciprocal interactions, and the relationship between humans and machines. “SE Musiclab is stateof-the-art, but these themes are even more relevant 270 years later.” www.semusiclab.com revue.link/musiclab Clay on the outside, cutting-edge audio technology on the inside. The central listening spot in the music lab. Photo: Roger Huber Swiss Review / December 2022 / No.6 30 Culture
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