At the end of 1969, Karlheinz Stockhausen was commissioned by Heinrich Strobel, then head of music at Südwestfunk, to write a new work for two pianos for the 1970 Donaueschingen Music Festival. Stockhausen had previously told Strobel about a vision he had during a flight to Los Angeles. The two pianists were to perform pianistic movements in the air as they entered the stage, which would then become sound once they reached the instrument. On the occasion of Expo '70, Stockhausen traveled to Osaka in March 1970 to present his music in the German Pavilion, which he had helped to design. The “VISION for 2 Pianos,” as the work was originally to be called, became MANTRA for 2 Pianists, and the visual idea was abandoned in favor of an electronic extension. The visible non-sound of “VISION” thus became an invisible electronic sound extension, which could at least be guessed at here due to the positioning of the electronic devices near the pianists.
Now the GrauSchumacher Piano Duo has re-recorded the work with sound engineering by Michael Acker from the SWR Experimentalstudio. Andreas Grau, Götz Schumacher, and Michael Acker have been friends for many years through numerous performances of this work, MANTRA.
The production was included in Quarterly Critic’s Choice 3/2024 in the “Contemporary Music” category:
When the digital ring modulator precisely matches the pitch of the piano sounds and the sine wave generator and loudspeakers no longer produce noise, and when this technology (controlled by sound designer Michael Acker) is in the hands of the GrauSchumacher duo, then MANTRA (1970) finally achieves the perfection that Karlheinz Stockhausen struggled for throughout his life, even in rehearsals with the piano duo. As a result, GrauSchumacher delicately explore transitions between harmony and disharmony, show their enjoyment of witty interjections, and playfully develop a colorful, glowing picture book."
For the jury: Margarete Zander