| Pygmalion & Galatea |
"[...] his grand opera "Oblomow" after Gontscharov's novel has been wandering through the dramaturgical offices of various opera houses for a decade without once seeing the light of day, namely the public light of day and not just the darkness of the bottom drawer! And it is not only I who think this is a terrible pity after having heard just the ballet scene of "Pygmalion and Galatea". I admit that most of all I would like to found an association for the immediate productions of "Oblomow" ...This ballet scene is a rousing work for large orchetra. The composer can orchestrate excitinlgy, obviously has a sharp sense for dramatic effect and he doesn't wander so far from tonality so to upset the audience. This is music that doesn't deny or caricature love and passion, but that nearly intoxicatingly expresses it. "[...]
"[...] With "Pygmalion and Galatea", Andreas Aigmüller presents a ballet interlude for an opera (i already have a burning interest for the piece in its entirety) which is a work of the highest quality. the story of the woman-hating sculptor who creates a female statue so convincing that he, with Aphrodite's help, brings her to life, is bathed in beguiling orchestral colors and is especially sophisticated in the brass. The style is by no means contemporary and not even modern. This shimmering, lascivious tonal painting resembles Schreker's "Ferner Klang" ("Distant Sound"). An effective dance can certainly be choreographed to the sacrificing of the cows in front of Aphrodite "[...]
| „Giuramento“ |
"[...] In tis work, Aigmüller, a student in Matthus' master class, confesses his attachement to linear dramaturgy and clearly delineated forms of expression. His work (repeat performance of the premiere concert) contains elements of playful leberalness, making the most of oscillating and tingling color combinations (that tend to go offon their own in an ornamental sense) which haven't been employed so prevalantly by composers in the past. The entreaty is to recognize the danger of the threat of the self-destruction of man as well as a calling out to actively undertake something against this condition. A very suggestive end solution is provided - an extra broad crescendo that breaks off at its ultimate climax. What remains is not resignation and self-pity but, as in the entire composition, elements of a forwars-propelling and imperious agility. [...]"
"[...] Aigmüller, the brilliant solo timpanist with the Berliner Staatskabelle, pushes the envelope for musical enjoyment of rich orchestral texture in his new orchetral work, whose title means so much as "oath" or "vow". The approach is fresh and pleasant and posesses an immediately moving and energetic vigour. It's possible that the lavishness of the sound offerings plus the inclusion of melodically familiar yet hackneyed ballroom musical phrases was, by all good intensions, a bit too effusive for the musical-dramaturgical conception of the piece. The central musical impetus of the work bears witness to an imposing, creative potential. [...]"
| „Il tempo di cambiamento“ (Excerpt) |
"[...] Saucy Timpani Roll - Tate Orchestra Opens New Season. The Frankfurt State Orchestra began it's new seasn with a bang. Yes, a literal bang in the form of timpani, drum and cymbal rolls of opulent fashion and swinging elegance wich one doesn't hear every day from an orchestra that's known for its openess and dedication to seldom performed pieces. Whirring violins, a few muffed thunds on the bass drum, and then a dark motive carried by the tuba and cellos - this is how the four movement work "Il Tempo Di Cambiamento" begins which the percussionist Andreas Aigmüller composed for the 25th anniversiary of this Frankfurt Orchestra who also premiered the piece, accessing it ina thoroughly heartfelt manner and with great sensitivity for the changes in instrumental color. Aigmüller is not a disturbed creator of sound puzzles but more a carefree master of ceremonies who juggles polite but hackneyed melodic material and rhythmical pieces of scenery. His idiom is somewhere between Mahler and Stravinsky, between Bernstein, Jazz and Bolero. Several of the musicans used this golden opportunity to showcase their own homogenious and mature solistic qualities. [...]"
| Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra |
"[...] In einem rhythmisch pointierten Umfeld werden die melodischen Möglichkeiten des Instruments über die gesamte Tonskala optimal genutzt. Von neoklassizistischen Ansätzen über freitonale oszillierende Flächen bis zu Anklängen an den Sound einer Big Band. [...]"
"[...] Brilliant contemporary sounds were to be heard in the Bassoon Concerto ... the three movement opus captivates through its dynamics and clearly outlined sound collages. The percussion provides powerful accent. Jazz and modern music elements combine to creat a suspenseful and always accessible work. The difficult piece demands technical brilliance and versatile expressive abilities on the part of the soloist. [...]"
"[...] That moments of pure enjoyment were also present at the premiere of Andreas Aigmueller Bassoon Concerto is quite remarkable for a contemporarywork. Aigmueller is actually a trained percussionist. The structureof this work reflects this fact emphatically. He who sits up high at the back of the orchestra has a complete overview and ample opportunity to study the construction of the musical networks within the orchestra. Aigmuellers concerto is like a multi-dimensional patchwork tapestry. He waves from the outside in using a limited number of rhythmical patterns of ever-changing and increasing complexity. The initial kernel is astoundingly simplistic and goes on to experience gradual and continual alteration until it finally escapes immediate recognition. The harmonic structure and tonal correlation undergo constant and colorful variation through the changing of performing personnel which manages to keep the music in a continual state of suspense. Marionette-like passages, circus music and veiled ballroom sounds pass us by in an entertaining round ... the first thing Rainer Luft didat the piece's conclusion was to take a deep breath. One couldn't fit another note in this bassoon concerto if one wanted to! Luft played them all, effortlessly pouring out even the fastest runs, falling easily into the moody, continual swing of the piece and forming the lyrical partswith an enchantingly beautiful sound. Aigmüllers Bassoon Concerto is no addition to the modern Avantgarde, but that's not not whatit was supposed to be, either. Settled in the broad valley between "classical" and "commercial" music, it borrows exquisite tiny portions of each and finds a final position independent of both taste and time concerns. It is sure to be a hit with other nimble bassoonists. [...]"
"[...] Both a virtouso and orchestral bravura in one, but not solely built upon mere superficial effects. Emotional sensitivity can be heard in each phase of the piece making it both stimulating and comprehensible. There is no trace of the Avantgarde here (nor in the way of playing); the emphasis is on intricate rhythms and orchestral lure. Aigmueller has written the highly complicated solo part veritibly into Rainer's Luft's (an excellent musican and the soloist at the premiere) bassoon, so to speak. He had to prove himself repeatedly in the highly contrasting and immediately segueing three movements. [...]"
