Sabine Liebner - Stockhausen: Klavierstücke - Piano Pieces I-XI (2018)

Karlheinz Stockhausen was one of the foremost proponents of the radical 'music of the future' envisioned by young composers after the horrors and destruction of World War II. In 1955, Stockhausen declared that music would have to be created anew amid the rubble of the past. His Klavierstücke I-XI for piano are not based on a linear belief in progress, but on a personal mix of scientific knowledge and religious conviction. The underlying theme of this music is the tension between objectively measured time versus our subjective experience of time. Stockhausen deliberately restricted himself to a single instrument, believing that the neutrality and universality of the piano’s sound allowed a comprehensive and transparent exploration of sound colours and structures. In Sabine Liebner’s precise and sensitive interpretation, the fascination of these piano pieces is apparent. The intensity of the individual sound events and our experience of the dual nature of time allow us to truly 'hear' – the ultimate goal of Stockhausen’s art.