Music News - Modern Gods: A percussive collaboration between Fabian Ziegler and John Psathas
07 May 2022 - 0 Comments
Drummer Fabian Ziegler is a talented young musician who has already received numerous prizes and awards and is known for offering listeners a unique acoustic experience. He fascinates audiences with his varied and imaginative programming as well as the new and fresh acoustic landscapes he creates. Fabian’s multifaceted repertoire ranges from Bach all the way through Cage, Xenakis, and contemporary composers.
"In my view, this young drummer clearly belongs to the Swiss soloists with the profile for an international career. He is not only musically convincing, but has a very captivating stage presence." - Thomas Pfiffner
Born and raised in Switzerland, Fabian completed his Bachelor of Arts in Music at Zurich University of the Arts and graduated in September 2019, also in Zurich, with a Master of Arts in Music (Performance Soloist)
He has already debuted with the Argovia Philharmonic, the Musikkollegium Winterthur and the Tonhalle Orchester Zürich
In April of this year, the percussion trio he is a part of, Trio Colores , won the Lerman Gold Prize and the Audience Choice Award at the 10th International Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition for Young Professionals in the United States. Furthermore, Fabian recently received one of six sponsorship prizes from the Swiss canton of Thurgau
Fabian Ziegler frequently performs the world premieres of renowned composers, such as, Christos Hatzi's Tongues of Fire (percussion concerto) in 2017, Emmanuel Séjourné's double concerto for vibraphone, marimba and wind orchestra in 2016, and Circles by the young Polish composer Arkadiusz Katny for choir and solo percussion in February 2022
Additionally, in his young career, the percussionist has already commissioned stunning new repertoire for percussion in collaboration with leading composers of the international music scene, such as John Psathas, Avner Dorman, Serj Tankian, Arash Safaian, and Daniel Schnyder. The expansion of the modern percussion repertoire is something very close to Fabian’s heart
Currently, the percussionist is working together with the Iranian composer Arash Safaian on a new percussion concerto, and work has been completed on adouble percussion concerto by the New Zealand composer John Psathas.
The world premiere of this double concerto The All-Seeing Sky, for marimba and vibraphone, will be presented by the young Swiss on May 14, 2022 in Christchurch, New Zealand, in collaboration with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and conductor Benjamin Northey. Fabian will also be doing a concert series as well as masterclasses in May in other cities of New Zealand, such as Wellington, Auckland, Hamilton and Waikato
But the collaboration between Fabian Ziegler and John Psathas is not limited to this concert series - it is also at the core of Fabian’s second solo album Modern Gods, scheduled for release on October 28, 2022
Modern Gods consists entirely of pieces composed by John Psathas specifically for Fabian Ziegler. For the young drummer, this album is a documentation of his collaborative work with the New Zealand composer. All pieces on the album are being recorded here for the first time
"John Psathas’ music has a very special quality for me. I've always been very interested in that special energy, and his energetic yet deeply emotional compositions have really captivated me."
The collaboration between the two began in 2018 when Fabian asked the composer to write a work for piano and percussion (Atalanta) while on tour in the U.S. This spawned the idea for a solo piece for percussion, electronics and visuals (RealBadNow), but also for an electronic version of View From Olympus, a double concerto for percussion, piano and orchestra. Both pieces can be heard on the new album
In this new release, Fabian Ziegler invites the listener to reflect on the topic of surveillance. He draws parallels between the gods of Greek mythology, the role of parents in watching over their children, and our current technological "surveillance society"
Surveillance is a topic that is very present in our society. Especially due to the pandemic, this topic and the discussion around it has become even more deeply entrenched [in society]. But is surveillance always bad? It can also contribute to a safe coexistence and protect us. It’s very interesting to discuss where we see the positive as well as negative aspects of surveillance.
In addition to the tour in New Zealand and the album release in October, Fabian Ziegler and his longtime percussion partner Luca Staffelbach were on the road in April at several locations in Switzerland with their Swiss Tour 2022
Upcoming concert dates- additional dates to come
*14.05.2022 | 7.30pm - WORLD PREMIERE, Percussion Double Concerto The All-Seeing Sky by John Psathas – Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, Benjamin Northey, Conductor; Douglas Lilburn Auditorium, Christchurch, NZ
*21.05.2022 | 7.30pm - Percussion Double Concerto The All-Seeing Sky by John Psathas – Orchestra Wellington, Marc Taddei, Conductor; Michael Fowler Centre, Wellington, NZ
*22.05.2022 | 3pm- Chamber Concert – Orchestra Wellington; Wellington College, NZ
*26.06.2022| 6.30pm - Percussion Double Concerto “The All-Seeing Sky” by John Psathas – City Light Symphony Orchestra; KKL Luzern, Switzerland
*04.09.2022 | 7pm - Séjourné Marimba Concerto – Zurich Chamber Orchestra; St. Martin's Kirche, Zillis, Switzerland
*08.10.2022 | 7:30pm - Percussion Concerto – Arash Safaian;Samy Moussa, Conducting / Musikkollegium Winterthur; Stadthaus Winterthur, Switzerland
More information about tickets and Fabian’s upcoming concert dates can be found here .
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