How did the idea of founding a festival in honor of Giacinto Scelsi come about?

The idea was born in Scelsi’s apartment in Rome, where I was practicing with Rohan de Saram in June 2013. We played Scelsi, Xenakis, and the first movement of Schubert’s Arpeggione Sonata. Right there, where Scelsi used to sit on the sofa while I played the piano. It was hot, June… and suddenly, the thought came to me: “Now I’m going to create a festival!”
The previous winter, I had already organized three evenings dedicated to Scelsi and had bought a huge crystal gong. I thought: If I’m already buying a crystal gong, I might as well organize a festival. But the real idea came to me that June.

On January 8, 2014, the first opening concert took place. It was incredible. I had called Gare du Nord to ask if three or four days were available. Desirée Meiser said: “No, it’s booked for a Stockhausen festival.” A few days later, I was told that it had been canceled—so the Giacinto Scelsi Festival took place for the first time.

 

What fascinated you most about his music and his personality back then?

It’s a long story that began in 1978. I heard a concert in Basel featuring Scelsi’s music, conducted by Jürg Wittenbach. He always enjoyed conducting Scelsi. Michiko Hirayama was singing—it was an entire evening dedicated to Scelsi. I heard it and was utterly fascinated. “Oh, if only I could one day be mature enough to play this music!”

Paul Zukofsky came to Basel and said: “You must!” But I didn’t feel ready. In 1984, I was a student in Darmstadt for the second time. Morton Feldman was there too. We played a piece by Pauline Oliveros. Suddenly, Feldman exclaimed: “What was that!!” And then, it hit me: I have to study Scelsi. Who can give me sheet music?

There was such an aura around this music—you would get immediate reactions. A month later, I called Scelsi. He said: “Yes, when will you come? Tomorrow? In a week?” Three weeks later, I was in Rome. He had caught a cold and had to cancel. Then, in 1985, four years later, I returned.

He had this incredible charisma. He made you decide on a path instantly. He demanded nothing—while everyone else always did. And yet, you immediately started digging, like a mole. His music, the sheer power of it, was something I could feel immediately. It gripped me—no matter the instrumentation. Scelsi wanted people to experience creation, to experience themselves!

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Which special moment or encounter do you personally associate with Scelsi or his work? What makes this moment so remarkable for you?

In 1987, I was invited by Nueva Consonanza to play a Scelsi evening in the grand hall of RAI in Rome. These were all piano recitals. Four days before me, Karlheinz Stockhausen was there to attend a recital featuring his own works.

By that time, I had already arrived at Scelsi’s home. I wrote to Stockhausen: “But now I am with Scelsi!” He replied: “But of course, you are with him.” And I went with Scelsi.

I introduced the two of them to each other – the small Scelsi, at 1.55m, and the towering Stockhausen, at 1.90m. Stockhausen belonged to a completely different world: one that was strongly centered on achievement and ambition. A totally different world from Scelsi’s.

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Why did you decide to establish the festival in Basel? What is your personal connection to the city?

Basel was the city where I was recommended a teacher. The composer Peter Mieg had supported me. I went there every week for piano lessons and later attended the Music Academy. I won scholarships there and then moved to Hamburg. After graduating in Hamburg, I was asked if I would teach in Basel. So I returned in 1972 – and I’m still here.

At that time, Sándor Végh was in Basel, along with many other outstanding personalities. Pierre Boulez and Karlheinz Stockhausen held courses there, Paul Sacher was still very active – the entire contemporary music scene was present in the city! The musical life during that period was extraordinarily vibrant!

 

What is the significance of Basel for the festival? What makes the city the ideal place for Scelsi’s music and ideas?

Scelsi was an independent spirit. When he organized concerts, he never programmed his own music. In Basel, contemporary music was an integral part of the city thanks to Paul Sacher. There was such a strong tradition – nowhere else had anything quite like it. Paul Sacher founded an orchestra at the age of 19, later became immensely wealthy, and supported the most important composers of the 20th century. Establishing a festival for a major composer aligns with the city’s tradition. The greatest composers of that time were present in Basel, which was an international hub for the avant-garde.

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How does the festival enrich Basel’s cultural scene? Why should Basel be proud of this festival?

Basel has produced incredible performers – Hansheinz Schneeberger, the Végh Quartet, Heinz Holliger, Klaus Huber, Ursula Hänggi, among others. These figures were strong personalities, with some actively involved. The unifying element originating from Scelsi continues to this day. The festival carries on the work that, in Paul Sacher’s time, radiated widely and, over its 10-year existence, has brought together outstanding figures from the world of contemporary music in Basel.

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Are there any special places in Basel that hold symbolic significance for you or the festival?

Gare du Nord – that’s where the first concert took place. It was a center for new and experimental music, with a unique, pioneering history. Also the Kunsthalle, all these places that had invited great improvisers. So many outstanding musical personalities had been guests at the Kunsthalle.

And then Don Bosco – a repurposed church with a very fast acoustic, which fits Scelsi’s music beautifully. A space that resonates, a space untouched by all the classical music that usually fills concert halls. Here, you enter the space – and you are someone. There are simply places like this in Basel!

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What were the biggest challenges in the early years of the festival, and how did you overcome them? Is there a story that shows how the festival has grown beyond itself?

I played in almost every concert and later had to learn that it was too much. Gabriel Josipovici’s book about Scelsi, Infinity. The Story of a Moment..., had just been published at the time and became a bestseller. And against all expectations, Josipovici came to Basel! Incredible things came together!

 

How has the festival evolved over the years? What were the most important milestones or highlights for you?

Each edition of the festival has had a highlight that seemed to emerge by chance. For example, the first concert with Michiko Hirayama, which was also the last of her career. There has always been a connection with important composers, whom we have tried to bring into the spotlight through the different editions of the festival – whether with Morton Feldman, Karlheinz Stockhausen, or with artists like Jackson Pollock and writers like Henri Michaux. And at the same time as the festival, there were often exhibitions in the city dedicated to these artists.

 

How does Giacinto Scelsi’s music and philosophy shape the identity of the festival? How do you carry forward his ideas – such as openness to improvisation and other cultures?

I have a deep connection to his poetry – he wrote in French. Some say his poems are impossible to read. But they carry ancient wisdom within them, particularly from Indian culture. The fact that I engage with these poems is no coincidence. There is an extraordinary spirituality in them, one that became known in the 1960s. A connection between ancient philosophy and the idea that sound should not be confined within forms, but rather dissolve into them.

To perceive sound as if it were a seed – and before your very eyes, a plant begins to grow. It shows that a sound unfolds. Not: “You first create a form, and the sound spreads within it.” But rather: “The form emerges – and you embrace it.”

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What do you want people to take away from the festival? What should they experience when attending a concert?

Many say: “I felt such energy that I could still feel it for days. The concerts moved me deeply.” Many were profoundly touched by the music, a sound vibrates within you like an echo! The spirituality conveyed through this music is real. Through this music, one can feel a center within oneself. One can even experience a sense of power—but not by delivering a slap, rather through the inner balance one perceives within.

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What does the festival mean for the connection between artists, the audience, and the city of Basel?

The connection is there! An electrifying bond! Everyone is at their best, the audience actively participates, even late into the night. They are completely drawn in!

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Why is the festival also an important project for companies and sponsors? What values and messages does it convey that might interest them?

Music connects! It changes how your ears perceive! You sit in the concert, not knowing what’s coming, and your senses unfold more than ever! What matters to you, what arises within you, what you perhaps couldn’t even put into words – you experience it. Musicians and listeners encounter something they have never known before.

People learn about themselves or, through a piece of music or an experience, suddenly move forward. They find themselves or continue to grow. "You discover yourself! What have you seen?"

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How does the festival contribute to Basel’s cultural diversity and innovation? Why is it important to support such unique projects?

The Scelsi Festival brings people together. It is a place of discovery, with a level of excellence that stands on its own. An event that is closer to other artistic expressions, perhaps even more than to other music festivals. An experience where one feels a kind of resistance, much like in the arts.

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What role do partnerships and sponsorships play in the development of the festival? What kind of collaborations would you like to see in the future?

There must be openness to exploration and spontaneity.

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How do you see the future of the festival? What goals and visions are you pursuing?

I would love to have an orchestra that performs major works! Every year! And with enough rehearsal time to do them justice. Since Scelsi’s music is so unique, it would be great if the festival became a place where the culture of in-depth rehearsal is truly cultivated.

Nowadays, budgets are getting tighter, and it has become common to perform with only the absolute minimum amount of rehearsal. But that leads to a superficial approach. We want to push against this trend and dedicate ourselves to the deep exploration of works in their full richness of nuances.

What do you wish from the city of Basel, the audience, and potential sponsors for the coming years?

That the audience becomes more captivated by the festival’s attraction. That younger people also get the opportunity to be drawn in by this energy. More capacity for participation.

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If you had to describe in one sentence what makes the Scelsi Festival so special, what would it be?

You are drawn to yourself, discovering the power within you.

 

Is there a story or anecdote from recent years that best captures the essence of the festival?

Michiko Hirayama confirmed her participation and arrived in a wheelchair on an EasyJet flight, wrapped in her fur coat. She had bronchitis. “I need a bottle of whisky and a hot water bottle,” she said. As the festival’s first artist, she stayed at the La Vie en Rose guesthouse. At 90 years old, she arrived in high heels and rehearsed so intensely, despite her bronchitis, that all her colleagues were exhausted. She pushed beyond her limits—even at such an advanced age!

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What does this festival mean to you personally – and why should it matter to others?

Everyone can overcome their own impossibilities through the experiences at the festival. To seize the impossible, again and again, year after year. At first, you don’t want to, but it happens. And each time, it is a new opportunity to surpass yourself. Rekindling this potential every time creates an energy that is communicative! Everyone knows these moments. And this is what I want to do - so I do it.

Basel is a gong! A metaphor for the city of Basel, where traces of its rich history in contemporary music can be found at every corner. And the gong was one of Scelsi’s favorite instruments.