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Sontòn Caflisch David

(1974)

Sontòn Caflisch David
Webergasse 2
CH-4058 Basel
Schweiz



Biography
David Sontòn Caflisch was born in Basel and raised through his childhood and early youth in Grisons. He received his first instruction on the violin at the age of eight. He discovered his passion for composing at an early age and put together an ensemble for the performance of a theatrical musical at his secondary school in Andeer. During 1992 in Chur, he founded the "Kammerensemble musicuria" whose work has been continued since 2002 by the "Ensemble für zeitgenössische Musik ö!" and the concert series "ö!". Per season, "ö!" organizes 6 programmes, each with 2-3 concerts in Switzerland and abroad. Following his graduation with a teacher's diploma and a concert diploma (1997/1998) for violin under the tutelage of Michael Gebauer in Zurich (both diplomas with distinction), he continued his violin studies with Ingolf Turban in Stuttgart and Hansheinz Schneeberger in Basel. With the latter he specialized in the interpretation of contemporary music. In 2004 he resolved to intensify his work in composing and, in addition to his activities as a freelance violinist for contemporary music (solo and as a member of chamber music ensembles), which he did in addition to his activities as the artistic director of the emsemble "öl", he began studies in composition under the tutelage of Isabel Mundry at the MHT in Zurich, which, following a residency with Frederic Durieux in Paris from the Autumn of 2006 to the Summer of 2007, he will complete in the autumn of 2007.
The focuses of this course were, until present, the architecture and precisely calculated form of the large-scale composition, repetition and a special microtonal harmony based on numeric proportions. These three focal points precipitated after intensive collaboration with Isabel Mundry in the first large "educational piece" "Kilroy - eine Sprechoper". The present topic is "Intuition and Orgasmised planning in Relation to Form".
"At the moment I am grappling with the carefully planned structure of a piece of music and the simultaneous integration of intuitive forming. I have additionally, since the beginning of the course, been occupied with the further development of a microtonal harmony and the possibilities for its instrumental realization."
In 1998 David Sonton Caflisch received an endowed promotional prize from the canton of Grisons and the main prize offered by the Eliette-von-Karajan-Kulturfonds in 2002. He has been the house composer of the Therme Vals since 2000. As a violinist he performs as a soloist, in chamber music formations and in various ensembles including the collegium novum Zürich, Ensemble ö! and the basel sinfonietta.
He has a desire to perform the world premiere of new works.

Work list
Klaviersonate op. 1 (Alban Berg) (1996)
adaptation for string orchestra
Duration: 12' 00"
Sonus Mundi Musikverlag
Thierschstr. 41
D-80538 München
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)89 210 25 972
info@sonusmundi.de
www.sonusmundi.de/
gèlido tùrbine (2006)
for string orchestra (6.6.4.3.2)
Duration: 8' 00"
Sonus Mundi Musikverlag
Thierschstr. 41
D-80538 München
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)89 210 25 972
info@sonusmundi.de
www.sonusmundi.de/
"... mo-rbido'..." (2006)
for violin and piano
Duration: 8' 00"
Sonus Mundi Musikverlag
Thierschstr. 41
D-80538 München
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)89 210 25 972
info@sonusmundi.de
www.sonusmundi.de/
Fair mate (2007)
for soprano, piano and trumpet
Texts: Klaus Merz
This song is a setting to music of the novel "Kommen Sie mit mir ans Meer, Fräulein?" by Klaus Merz.
Two important aspects served as a foundation: the convoluted yet very clear form and the perspective of the writer, who speaks almost always in the second person but changes to the first person at one very intimate point.
The novel plays on three levels: The account of the writer's situation in hospital, his car journey before the accident and his digression into the past during this journey. It is so that the three complex perceptions of time take place simultaneously. What is lineal in the text can also occur simultaneously in the music.
Duration: 6' 30"
Manuscript
Gezeiten (2008)
for violin, viola, violoncello, double bass and piano
Duration: 16' 00"
Sonus Mundi Musikverlag
Thierschstr. 41
D-80538 München
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)89 210 25 972
info@sonusmundi.de
www.sonusmundi.de/
Schwarze Engel (2008)
for violin and piano
Duration: 11' 00"
Sonus Mundi Musikverlag
Thierschstr. 41
D-80538 München
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)89 210 25 972
info@sonusmundi.de
www.sonusmundi.de/
Kilroy (2005-2009)
A spoken opera
for 2-8 speakers and orchestra (1.1.1.1/0.1.1.0/perc/pf.hpd/str)
Texts: Jürg Federspiel
Duration: 75' 00"
Sonus Mundi Musikverlag
Thierschstr. 41
D-80538 München
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)89 210 25 972
info@sonusmundi.de
www.sonusmundi.de/
Fieber (2010)
for large orchestra (3.3.3.asx.3/4.3.3.1/timp.perc/2hp.pf.hpd/13.10.8.6.4)
Duration: 12' 00"
Manuscript
Ausdehnung (2010)
for flute (or piccolo) and double bass
Duration: 12' 00"
Sonus Mundi Musikverlag
Thierschstr. 41
D-80538 München
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)89 210 25 972
info@sonusmundi.de
www.sonusmundi.de/
Implosion (2010)
for flutes (also piccolo flutes and bass flutes), percussion and piano
Duration: 10' 00"
Sonus Mundi Musikverlag
Thierschstr. 41
D-80538 München
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)89 210 25 972
info@sonusmundi.de
www.sonusmundi.de/
Drei Märchen (2012)
for chamber orchestra (2(pic).2.2.(bcl).2/4.2.0.0/timp.perc/str)
Duration: 12' 00"
Sonus Mundi Musikverlag
Thierschstr. 41
D-80538 München
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)89 210 25 972
info@sonusmundi.de
www.sonusmundi.de/
Märchen und Sagen (2012)
for violin, violoncello and piano
Duration: 30' 00"
Sonus Mundi Musikverlag
Thierschstr. 41
D-80538 München
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)89 210 25 972
info@sonusmundi.de
www.sonusmundi.de/
MRI 1499 (2012-2013)
for piano, clarinet (also bass clarinet) and string quintet (2 violins, viola, violoncello and double bass)
Duration: 20' 00"
Sonus Mundi Musikverlag
Thierschstr. 41
D-80538 München
BRD
Tel. +49 (0)89 210 25 972
info@sonusmundi.de
www.sonusmundi.de/
Repertory
Béla Bartók: Sonate für Violine solo
John Cage: Freeman-Etuden
Elliott Carter: Omaggio a Petrassi
Patrick N. Frank: Projekt Limina for fl, cl, vn, vc, tbn, gamma synthesizer, perc, black box and 3 further rooms, light installation
Heinz Holliger: Trema for viola (or violoncello or violin) solo
Isabel Mundry: Balancen for violin
Salvatore Sciarrino: 6 Capricci
Iannis Xenakis: Mikka
Iannis Xenakis: Mikka "s"
Isang Yun: Königliches Thema
Isang Yun: Kontraste
Ensembles