In the February 2010 Horn Call, I explored numerous occasions on which a composer quoted an
alphorn motif as an evocation of an Alpine landscape.
But consider what awaited those of us making the trip in reverse: In the departure area, against a backdrop of Alpine scenery and Swiss and American flags, an oompah band serenaded us with relentlessly upbeat music, often accompanied by that incredibly long, traditional wooden
alphorn.
And Anderson reveals that there is a direct link to the Alps through the sound of the
alphorn in its many variations.
But his quest for different nuances also led him to experiment with such unorthodox "instruments" as the French trompes de chasse, post horns, Swiss
alphorns, Nordic lurs, various conches and seashells, and even a length of kelp he found on the beach in South Africa.
On the roof of the container, accessible by ladder, is a platform where several
alphorns stand propped for neighbour-proof practice sessions.
Several bands, including the Mainfloesser Band from the Franconia region of Germany, will play, and the hand-carved
alphorns - horns up to 13 feet long traditionally played in the Alps - will sound as well.
The Rogue Valley
Alphorns played Alpine Cowboy by Glenesk Mortimer with the Ashland City (OR) Band in July.
The
alphorns are a familiar sight at many of the traditional Swiss festivals held throughout the year.
A fifteen-minute suite of four "sequences" for four
alphorns by Jean-Michel Defaye displays the possibilities of this folk instrument.
Along with chocolate, gold, watches,
alphorns and yodelling, there is the common preconception of the Swiss themselves as a nation of precise but dull bankers and insurance salesman.
The building has a lot of charm and is very, very strong; local musicians come to practice
alphorns in the theatre alongside the hotel and you cannot hear it in the hotel bedrooms.
15 Aug "
Alphorn concert" with 18
alphorns at the Bergstation Diavolezza, Tel.
