Suite (1942)
for violin and viola
Duration: 10' 00"
Manuscript

Suite No. 1 (1943)
for piano
Duration: 11' 00"

Improvisationen I (1944)
for oboe and viola
Duration: 10' 00"
Manuscript

Suite No. 2 (1945)
for piano
Duration: 13' 00"

Musical Diary No. 1 (1946/60)
Based on poems by Hofmannsthal and Trakl
for alto, flute (picc), oboe, bassoon, violin, viola, violoncello and double-bass
Duration: 30' 00"

Kleines Konzert (1948)
for piano and chamber orchestra (2.0.1.0/1.0.0.0/timp.str)
Duration: 14' 00"
Manuscript

Suite for strings (1949)
Duration: 20' 00"

Musical Diary No. 2 (1950)
Based on poems by Rückert, Jacobsen and Hofmannsthal
for baritone, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, horn, violin, viola and violoncello
Texts: Friedrich Rückert, Jens Peter Jacobsen und Hugo von Hofmannsthal
Both diaries - each one with its own character - are loosely formed into sequences alternating as instrumental and vocal pieces. When heard together, the lyrical character of the whole shines through.
Duration: 20' 00"

Konrad von Donnerstadt (1950)
Musical fairytale
for singing voice and small orchestra (1.0.0.0/0.1.0.0/pf/str)
Texts: R. Juillet
Duration: 40' 00"
Manuscript

Petite Suite (1950)
for four-handed piano
Duration: 18' 00"

Der fremde Baron (1951)
Musical comedy
for singing actor and two pianos

String quartet No. 1 (1952)
Three movements, slower movement than adagietto. Based on Schubert’s adagio in the string quintet.
Duration: 18' 00"

Petite Suite (1953)
for orchestra (3(pic).2(ca).3(bcl).asx.1/0.4.2.0/2perc/hp/str)
Duration: 18' 00"

Sonatina for flute and piano (1954-1987)
Duration: 13' 00"

Divertimento (1955)
for oboe, clarinet and bassoon
Duration: 17' 00"

Inventionen (1956)
for flute, violin and violoncello
Duration: 13' 00"

Impromptu (1956)
for orchestra (2.2.2.2/2.2.2.1/3timp/str)
Duration: 10' 00"

Sonatina for clarinet and piano (1957)
Duration: 7' 00"

Lyrische Suite (1959)
for chamber orchestra (1.1.1.0/1.0.0.0/str)
This piece has no connection to the string quartet bearing the same name by Alban Berg.
Duration: 16' 00"

Ballade von des Cortez Leuten. Nach der Ballade von Bert Brecht (1960)
Based on a ballad by Bert Brecht.
for speaking voice, mixed choir, speaking choir and chamber orchestra (1(pic).1.2(2bcl).0/1.1.1.1/3perc/hp/pf/str)
Texts: Bertolt Brecht
Can be understood as a fable on the subject of mans disrespect towards nature and natures fight back. The text is set in a kind of sonata form 'Exposition' and 'Reprise' represent the basic situation and the 'Durchführungen' represents the conflict between man and his environment.
Duration: 21' 00"

Estampida (1960)
for one percussionist and seven instrumentalists (1(pic).0.1.0.bsx/1.1.1.0/db)
A virtuoso piece with a certain jazz-like flavour for a single solo percussionist.
Duration: 10' 00"

Heilige Leier, sprich, sei meine Stimme (1960)
Chamber cantata
for Soprano, flute and guitar
Texts: Altgriechisch
Text: Early Greek fragments.
Duration: 17' 00"

Improvisationen II (1961)
for oboe and viola
Duration: 12' 00"

Vier Sätze (1961)
for string trio
Very demanding in style and performance technique.
Duration: 15' 00"

Quatre Etudes (1962)
for wind quintet
Very difficult.
Duration: 14' 00"

Two pieces for harpsichord (1962)
Duration: 7' 00"

Am ungenauen Ort (1962)
radio play music
Duration: 13' 00"
Manuscript

Serenata (1963-1964)
for seven instruments: flute, oboe (oboe d'amore), clarinet (bass clarinet), harp and string trio
Requires excellent interplay. Musically demanding.
Duration: 20' 00"

Fantasia (1964-1965)
for clarinet, harp and string orchestra
Soloistic, concertante but actually symphonic.
Duration: 22' 00"

Fanfares et Pastorales (1965)
for two horns, trumpet and trombone
Stylistically demanding with technically precarious polyphony.
Duration: 12' 00"

Ein Blatt aus sommerlichen Tagen (1965-1966)
for three-part female choir
Texts: Theodor Storm
Duration: 10' 00"

Sonatina (1966)
for oboe, bassoon and harpsichord
Duration: 11' 00"

Sonata for piano (1966-1967)
A discourse on the traditional three-movement piano sonata stamped with a personal tonal language. Virtuosic.
Duration: 15' 00"

Sonata per orchestra (1967)
(3(3pic).2(2ca).3(Ebcl,3bcl).2(2cbn)/4.3.3.1/4perc/hp.cel/str)
In sonata form challenging the tonal language of Suter in the 1960's. Three movements: fast - slow - fast. Freely shaped symmetries make it easier for the listener to follow the form.
Duration: 20' 00"

Cinque Duetti (1967)
for flute and oboe
A virtuosic ensemble piece for lovers of canonical playing.
Duration: 12' 00"

Epitaffio (1968)
for brass (3tpt.3tbn), strings (thirteen-part) and percussion
Duration: 14' 00"

Trois Nocturnes (1968-1969)
for viola and orchestra (1.1.2.2/4.0.0.0/4perc.cym/hp.cel. /gtr/str)
The harp, guitar, celesta and cymbal lend this piece a particular sonority. Although the guitar is a kind of accompaniment to the solo part it is also allowed a special relevance.
Duration: 30' 00"

Elegie (1969)
for violoncello solo
Duration: 11' 00"

Die sollen loben den Namen des Herrn (Psalm 148) (1971)
Motet
for mixed choir
Texts: Bibel / Liturgie
A quasi pantheistic hymn where the denomination free can also partake.
Duration: 14' 00"

Pastorale d'hiver (1972)
for horn (also two bongos), string trio, piano (also crotale with metal staff and a drum brush)
From an amorphous stiffness an articulated, musical process frees itself, gradually thawing and freezing again. The horn player and pianist can handle the smaller percussion instruments quite easily.
Sponsored by the SME Lucerne.

Duration: 17' 00"

Airs et Ritournelles (1973)
for percussion and instrumental groups (six solo percussionists, three clarinets (in E-flat, B and bass clarinet), two saxophones (alto and baritone), three trumpets, three trombones, two pianos, celesta and six double-bass (including five stringed)
A concertante executed piece with multifaceted tonal and rhythmical evolvements.
Duration: 18' 00"

Postlude for organ (1974)
From the greatest sound development and tightest movements to inaudibility and complete cessation of movement.
Duration: 8' 00"

Music for flute and guitar (1975)
Duration: 12' 00"

Sonate (1975)
for violin, violoncello and percussion
Duration: 16' 00"

Selbstvergessenheit (1975)
for medium singing voice and guitar
Texts: Klabund
Duration: 4' 00"
Manuscript

Music for Orchestra (1975-1976)
(3(pic,afl).3(ca).3(bcl).3(cbn)/6.3.4.0/4perc/hp/gtr/str)
Duration: 28' 00"

"...aber auch lobet den Himmel" (1976)
Choral ballad
for Tenor, Baritone, Bass, male choir, boys choir and instrumental ensemble (0.0.0.0/4.3.3.1/4perc.8db)
Texts: Bertolt Brecht
In regard to the text and performers, singers and players this is a piece exclusively for males.
Duration: 22' 00"

Jeux à quatre (1976)
for saxophone quartet
Plays also in very contrast rich composition types: free tonal development, monorhythm, mensuration canon and a virtuosic finale.
Duration: 14' 00"

La Scesa (1977)
for three clarinet players and one guitar (clarinets in Eb, B and A, two basset horns, bass clarinet and contrabass clarinet)
Descending from an extremely high to an extremely low sound register, gradual slowing of a ground tempo, sweeps from high volume to barely audible breathing. Guitar has cadenzas in free metre.
Duration: 14' 00"

Contrapunti (1977)
3 x 2 Etudes
for violin and piano
Duration: 12' 00"

Conversazioni concertanti (1978)
for s and a saxophone, vibraphone (also a small percussion) and a twelve-part string orchestra
Both soloists require specialist knowledge of certain modern playing techniques.
Duration: 19' 00"

Sarabande (1978)
Metamorphoses of a theme
for piano
Duration: 10' 00"

"Der Abwesende Gott" (1978)
Ein (An-)Klagegesang
for soprano, tenor, speaking voice, two mixed choirs, speaking choir and large orchestra (3.3.3.3/6.4.8.0/4perc/hp/str)
Texts: Paul Celan, Carl Amery
Duration: 28' 00"

Deutsche Chansons (1978)
for singing voice and piano accompaniment
Texts: Otto Julius Bierbaum, Rudolf Alexander Schröder, Frank Wedekind
Based on poems by Otto Julius Bierbaum, Rudolf Alexander Schröder and Frank Wedekind. An attempt to arouse a little bit of a cabaret atmosphere.
Duration: 20' 00"

L'art pour l'art. Music for Orchestra (1979)
Music for orchestra
(3(2afl,3pic).3(3ca).3(3bcl).3(3cbn)/4.3.3.1/3perc/hp/gtr/str)
The title here stands for a sort of declaration of what music means to the author and the meaning it may portray to others. Only music can tell that which is inherent in it. Experience has shown that this is very important.
Duration: 16' 00"

De l'un à l'autre (1980)
Etude
for bassoon and piano
Duration: 9' 00"

Marcia funebre (1980-1981)
for large orchestra (3(pic,afl).3(ca).3.bthn.3(cbn)/6.4.4.1/4perc/3hp/3gtr/min:14.12.10.8.6/3 high tpt extra), three sopranos and electronic tape
Duration: 25' 00"
Manuscript

Vergänglichkeit der Schönheit (1982-1983)
for alto, tenor, baritone and nineteen Baroque instruments
Texts: William Shakespeare, Hoffmann von Hoffmannswaldau, Francesco Petrarca
Based on sonnets by Shakespeare, Hoffmannswaldau and Petrarca with an instrumental prelude and postlude.
Duration: 18' 30"

My true love hath my heart (1983)
Five English songs
for Soprano and guitar
Texts: Robert Browning, Robert Burns, John Fletcher, Benjamin Johnson, Sir Philip Sidney
A male choir stapled rondo-like as a prelude, intermezzo and postlude to the guitar play. Based on texts by Robert Browning, Robert Burns, John Fletcher, Benjamin Johnson and Sir Philip Sidney.
Duration: 17' 00"

E + A (1983)
for organ
Duration: 9' 00"

Concerto grosso (1984)
for orchestra (2.2.2.2/3.2.1.0/2perc/str)
Pastiche using typical baroque music formulae: kinetic impetus, ostinato, differing instrumentations, alternating focus on soli and tutti etc. Melody and harmony however, are freed of historic reference through a self-refined ordering of tonal intervals.
Sponsored by the SME Lucerne.

Duration: 15' 00"

Cérémonie (1984)
for six percussionists
Duration: 10' 00"

Small talk (1984)
for alto recorder and guitar
Duration: 8' 30"

Mouvements (1985)
for wind orchestra
Duration: 12' 30"

Nine Psalms. (1986)
Based on texts by Thomas Bernhard
for middle-low singing voice and piano
Texts: Thomas Bernhard
An experiment in musical dialogue with a textual challenge.
Duration: 22' 00"

Bhalt du mi allewyl lieb (1986)
for mixed boy's choir and wind ensemble
Texts: Fritz Liebrich
Duration: 19' 00"
Manuscript

String sextet (1987)
Single movement, but clearly structured by contrasting tempi throughout.
Duration: 17' 00"

Dialogo (1987)
for violin solo
A musical piece with a kind of playful discourse between two opposing characters.
Duration: 9' 00"

"Grüezi" (1987)
A Greeting Prélude
for large wind orchestra setting
Duration: 3' 10"

String quartet No. 2 (1988)
Musical ‘action’ in three movements: 1. Athematic, implements an intervallic bound motive, 2. Springs from a single melodic idea; 3. Fleeing, urgent, moving and culminating in the abrupt entrance of hard percussive chords, stagnating conclusion - no way out.
Duration: 21' 00"

Pulsation (1990)
for one percussionist
Duration: 8' 00"
Manuscript

Capriccio (1990-1991)
Concert
for marimba, piano and instrumental ensemble with wind instruments, percussion and deep strings
Duration: 32' 00"
Manuscript

5 Duos (1990-1993)
for violin and viola
Duration: 14' 00"

A la recherche du son perdu (1993)
for orchestra (2(1afl,2pic).2(2ca).2(1Ebcl,2bcl).2(2cbn)/4.2.0.0/2perc/str)
The quest by a contemporary musician for 'the sound', the one 'absolute' music, and the specific language and means of communication that lies within it.
Duration: 15' 00"

Arietta notturna (1993)
for four intrumentalists (contrabass clarinet, violoncello, guitar and percussion)
An extraordinary instrumental scoring which requires the unrehearsed fantasy of the composers.
Duration: 8' 00"

Una piccola trasformazione giocosa (1994)
for guitar solo
Once again: A theme with variations. Playful, finesse-full and guitaresque!
Duration: 11' 00"

Marcia funebre (Neufassung) (1994)
for large orchestra (3.3.3.3(almost all doubling)/6.4.4.1/4perc/3hp/3gtr/14.12.10.8.6) three soprano voices and electronic sounds
Duration: 25' 00"

Nelson-Arie "Ausania Trembling" (Joseph Haydn) (1994)
scored for a medium voice and small orchestra (2.2.0.2/2.2.0.0/str)
Duration: 12' 00"

Concertino lirico (1994-1995)
for saxophone and chamber orchestra (2.0.2.0/2.2.2.1/3perc/str)
Duration: 17' 00"

Flamme der Liebe, bleibe mein Licht (1994-1995)
for vocal quartet and organ
Texts: David Schirmer
Based on a poem by David Schirmer (1623-1686) taken from ‘Poetische Rosengepüsche’ (1657).
The first four strophes of a poem in five strophes are sung individually and in an alternating manner by the tenor, alto, soprano and baritone. It is only in the last strophe that the group unite as a quartet.

Duration: 13' 00"

Darf ich bitten (1995)
for flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet
A playful, dance-like homage.
Duration: 7' 00"

Music for violoncello and piano (1995)
A music piece in free form developed as a dialogue between two instruments using the characteristic sound and technique possibilities of the respective instruments as a means of communication.
Duration: 14' 00"

Arie e Danze (1996)
for oboe and cymbal
Duration: 15' 00"

Une petite poesie intime (1997)
for flute
Duration: 10' 00"

Musikalisches Tagebuch Nr. 3. Nach Gedichten von Szymborska, Loerke und Neruda (1998)
Based on poems by Szymborska, Loerke and Neruda
for two singing voices (ST) and ten instruments (fl(afl).ob(obdam).cl(bcl).bn/hn/perc/gtr/va.vc.db)
Duration: 25' 00"

Concertino (1998)
for piano and chamber orchestra (wind quintet, percussion and strings, min. (10.8.6.4)
Duration: 17' 00"

Notturno appassionato (1998-1999)
for alto solo
Duration: 5' 00"

Jeux d'après un ballet imaginaire (1999)
for percussion solo and large orchestra (3.2.3.4sx.2/0.3.3.1/4perc/12.12.10.8.8)
An improvising soloist (Fritz Hauser) with a severely through-composed orchestral piece.
Duration: 25' 00"

Brecht-Lieder (1992-1999)
for four-part male choir and two percussion players
Duration: 16' 00"
Manuscript

Oh-Boe (1999)
for oboe solo
Duration: 6' 00"
Manuscript

Coming together (2000)
for violin, trombone and piano
Duration: 10' 00"
Manuscript

Quartet (2000)
for clarinet, violoncello, guitar and percussion
Duration: 14' 00"
Manuscript

Siamo in tre (2001)
for clarinet, violoncello and piano
Duration: 16' 00"
Manuscript

Aria per archi (2001)
for string orchestra (6.6.4.4.2)
Duration: 18' 00"

Musik für Kammer-Ensemble (2002)
for baritone and string sextet (2.2.1.1)
Texts: Achim von Arnim
Duration: 17' 00"

Improvisation 21/11/03 (2003)
for percussion and piano
Duration: 12' 00"
Manuscript

Sinfonietta (2004)
for chamber orchestra (0.2.0.1/2.0.0.0/2.1.1.1)
Duration: 11' 00"
Manuscript

Das Spiel der Holzbläser (2004)
for oboe, clarinet and bassoon
Duration: 11' 00"

Liebeslieder (2004)
for tenor and guitar
Texts: Erich Fried
Duration: 11' 00"

Pourquoi pas? (2004)
for flute solo
Duration: 6' 00"

Eduard Brunner (Grammont Porträt Nr. MGB CTS-M 108, 2007)

Interpreters:

Brunner, Eduard

Works:

Kelterborn, Rudolf: Vier Stücke (1969)
Lehmann, Hans Ulrich: Duplum II (1999)
Suter, Robert: Sonatine pour clarinette et piano (1957)
Wildberger, Jacques: Diario per Clarinetto (1971-1975)
Moeschinger, Albert: Sonate pour clarinette et piano, op. 87 (1959)
With more works of: Heinrich Sutermeister, Conrad Beck

Info: www.fonoteca.ch

Werke für Klavier und Orchester (VDE Gallo Nr. CD-1217, 2007)

Interpreters:

Fink, Hans Joerg

Works:

Suter, Robert: Concertino (1998)
Bolli, Frédéric: 3 Nocturnes (2006)
Meier, Jost: Esquisses (1991)
Bolli, Frédéric: Klakofonie (2001-2003)

Robert Suter (Grammont Porträt Nr. 6-2, 1992)

Interpreters:

Holliger, Heinz

Works:

Suter, Robert: Musikalisches Tagebuch Nr. 1 (1946/1960)
Suter, Robert: Sonata per orchestra (1967)
Suter, Robert: La Scesa (1977)

Info: www.fonoteca.ch

Haefeli, Anton: Der Komponist, Musikdenker und Lehrer Robert Suter (1919-2008), in: Dissonanz 103 (2008), S. 48f [Internet]

Moser, Roland: Kleine Laudatio für Robert Suter, in: Dissonanz 85 (2004)