Andacht is a 10 minute fixed media piece commissioned by the Institute for Art in Public Space Graz as part of the Sonic Transitions program at the Elevate Festival 2022, played in the Graz Mausoleum.

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Andacht

LUX:NM, violin, cello, accordion, synth, and electronics
Recorded on May 10, 2025. Intersonanzen Potsdam

Transkript (2025)

Binaural production - listen with headphones!
Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded at the Conservatorio di Milano on May 27th, 2025:
1) Inside the conservatory yard
2) Walking through the conservatory
3) In the cafeteria of the conservatory
4) On the roof terrace of Babila Hostel, next to the conservatory
Info: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html

Info

C.O.N.S. (Come On, Nice Stud!) - BINAURAL

Binaural production - listen with headphones! A generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, which were recorded in Pécs, Hungary, between 27 and 28 June 2025:
1) A performance on a broken electronic organ in Toplje Church.
2) Walking through Pécs city centre at noon.
3) A restaurant with a nice view of Pécs at night.
4) A bottle return machine at a supermarket in Pécs.

H.E.A.D.

P.E.C.S.

P.E.C.S. (Precious Energy Creates Sound) - BINAURAL

Free improvisation on a MakeNoise 0-COAST modular synthesizer, patched as a chaotic feedback system. Recorded during rehearsals for the MAPPER conference on live electronics at the Klangtheater of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw) on 2 July 2025.

Coastlines

Coastline #79

Coastline #79 (THE MAPPER) - modular synth performance

I spent the last weeks in Apulia, a beautiful landscape in Southern Italy, charged with history and stories. The symbol of this region is the Pumo - a traditional ceramic figurine which depicts a stylized flower bud. This gave the title of a new piece for my H.E.A.D. cycle: a immersive sound portrait of this landscape. When listening, you will visit a street market in Ostuni, witness a procession with a marching band in Cisternino, hearing the organ of the Basilica of Lecce and some school girls in the historic center of Grottaglie. Put on your headphones and dive in!

A generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, which were recorded in Apulia (Italy), in September and October 2025.
1) A procession of a marching band in Cisternino.
2) Schoolgirls in the historic centre of Grottaglie.
3) An organ rehearsal in Lecce's Basilica.
4) A street market in Ostuni.

P.U.M.O. (Power Up My Organ) - BINAURAL

Binaural production - listen with headphones!
Mixed impressions of Dortmund, an industrial town in the German Ruhr area where a ten-hour concert took place at the Petrikirche. While Wolfgang Kogert was rehearsing my organ piece, 'Partikel-Bewegung', the city was celebrating Halloween.

A generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, which were recorded in Dortmund (Germany) on 31 Oct and 1 Nov 2025.
Released: 7 Nov 2025

1) Wolfgang Kogert rehearses my organ piece, "Partikel-Bewegungen," at Saint Petri Church.
2) The minutes before Mass starts at the Probstei Church with the evening bells.
3) A Christmas market in the town center.
4) Midnight in the pedestrian zone on Halloween Eve


D.O.R.T. (Demanding Organist Requires Tension) - BINAURAL

Binaural production - listen with headphones for full immersion!

I embarked on a dreamlike journey through Cologne when I visited the Museum Ludwig that presented collaborative works by John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns, Cy Twombly and Robert Rauschenberg. An interactive installation by the latter encouraged visitors to engage in unusual activities such as clapping, shouting, singing and whistling. Occasionally, you would also hear the gentle voice of John Cage. Afterwards, I immersed myself in the cathedral, which resonated with the sounds of its visitors.

A generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes, which were recorded in Cologne (Germany) on 2 Nov 2025.
Released: 10 Nov 2025

1) The gallery rooms at the Museum Ludwig, which feature videos of John Cage and Merce Cunningham.
2) An interactive installation by Robert Rauschenberg that responds to visitors' sounds.
3) Inside Cologne Cathedral.
4) The cathedral's crypt.

K.Ö.L.N. (Karneval Öffnet Lustige Narren) - BINAURAL

A composition for melodica and live-electronics by Karlheinz Essl. It was commissioned by the Non-Piano/Toy Piano Weekend and premiered by Steven Tanoto on November 22, 2025 at Resonanzraum St. Pauli in Hamburg. Recorded and produced by Karlheinz Essl.

If we think of the organ as a giant mountain, then we can think of the melodica as a kind of shrunken-down version of that - a tump.

In my piece, this weak and humble instrument is given a powerful voice so that it can match with her great ancestor, the organ. The play on a melodica is manipulated by a sophisticated computer program (written in Max) that expands the sound in many dimensions. It is controlled by the player while performing the meticulously notated score. However, the musical result is not just an "orgified" version of the melodica. It is full of microtonal deviations, harmonic shifts and glissandi that are difficult to achieve on an organ. In a mesmerising interaction between the melodica, the performer and the computer software, we can listen to the mysteries of the reeds...

In a certain sense, the piece can be heard as a parable, telling the story of weakness and strength through the language of sound.

T.U.M.P. (The Ultimate Melodica Piece)

T.U.M.P.  (The Ultimate Melodica Piece) for melodica and live-electronics  (2025)

Nava Hemyari (voice) & Karlheinz Essl (electronics). Part of the album "Karanava" (2025).
Two composers, differing in terms of gender, age, cultural background and instrument, leave their writing desks and venture into the unknown. Despite — or perhaps because of — these differences, they create something genuinely new together: songs composed instantly, without any prior planning, in the moment.
https://www.essl.at/div/karanava.html

Karanava

Pancakes

Karlheinz Essl & Nava Hemyari: Pancakes (2025)

Free improvisation on a MakeNoise 0-COAST in two parts, using the two generators of a KORG NTS-2 oscilloscope as modulation sources. A passive Doepfer A-183-1 dual attenuator is used to attenuate certain signals. Performed live at Studio kHz on 30 December 2025. Recorded with an iPhone.
https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html

Coastline #81 (Review & Outlook) - modular synth performance

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Profile photo by Clara Wildberger.