Rolf Riehm is an unconventional artist, a radical composer, and a politically engaged human being. His compositions reject tradition, yet draw on the entire historical spectrum of expressive possibilities. Sceptical of systematic organization, Riehm’s music tells stories in sound for attentive listeners, stories that deal with mythical, psychological, and political themes. The two pieces by Riehm on this CD evoke archaic and archetypal situations.

O Daddy (written in 1984) reflects on the true story of Marco Caruso, a young Italian who killed his father in 1977 and became the recipient of a remarkable outpouring of public support. In the course of Riehm’s music, it is impossible for the listener to predict whether any particular musical constellation will be followed by rapid movement in the strings, by the electronic sounds of a recorded voice, or by percussive rhythmic figures.

Die schrecklich-gewaltigen Kinder ('The Terrible and Violent Children') from 2003 is based on an excerpt from the ancient Greek poet Hesiod’s Theogeny. Riehm drew inspiration for compositional structures and details of his music from this work and its history of adaptation by contemporary authors, transforming the material into archetypal worlds of sound.