Between 1989 and 2013, Swiss composer Andreas Pflüger composed a series of works for violin and piano that are highly divergent in style. These works are brought together in this recording and range from a virtuoso piece “...Steine...” (Stones), which exhausts virtually all possibilities of violin playing, to the Sonata 1993, in which the composer applies the sonata form in direct and pure tonal language, and also includes his most recent work, “Fünf Stücke” (Five Pieces) for two violins and piano. In each of them complex musical sequences develop from motivic cells, or “nuclei” in a certain sense.

Several of the works on this CD are dedicated to violinist Katharina Schamböck, who recorded them for this album. “Fünf Stücke” was composed in response to a commission from the concert series “musica viva Basel”, received its world premiere in 2013 on the occasion of a portrait concert exclusively dedicated to chamber works of Andreas Pflüger.

It consists of five brief movements: each one originates in various types of “musical nuclei” made up of small pitch and/or rhythmic cells which can consist of as little as one note. Out of these develop more complex musical processes which either unfold or fall back again into the simple opening situation. “noch ein Wind” was the first piece of chamber music that Andreas Pflüger composed for Katharina Schamböck in 1898, with the virtuoso piece “...Steine...” (Stones) for violin solo following in 1996.

Born in Basel in 1941, Andreas Pflüger made a name for himself internationally not least as a composer for the stage (with seven operas and two ballets), although he has also composed numerous works for orchestra and chamber music ensembles, as well as about 120 film scores. He has been invited as a composer and guest lecturer to many European countries, Japan, South America and the US.