New Music by Karlheinz Essl

Live recording, performed by Karlheinz Essl at Museum Liaunig on June 20th, 2026. https://www.essl.at/works/zuschreibung Using synthesisers he has developed himself, composer Karlheinz Essl explores the sculpture gallery at the Museum Liaunig and the art work by Robert Tauber on display there. Using sounds never heard before, he makes his mark on this gigantic space with its extraordinary acoustics and sets it vibrating. In doing so, the gallery becomes an integral part of a hybrid instrument that combines analogue electronics with acoustic resonators. Instead of the usual mixing desks, amplifiers and loudspeakers, Essl uses equipment stripped down to the bare essentials, with which he embarks on a tentative and exploratory journey through space and time.

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.

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.

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.

Karlheinz Essl's last piece for toy piano. Performed live by himself during his farewell concert on May 5th, 2025 at the Klangtheater of the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst Wien. https://www.essl.at/works/ bricolage.html https://www.essl.at/concerts/2025.html#mdw

Binaural production - listen with headphones! Generative soundscape based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Brno, Czech Republic on Feb 6th, 2025: 1) A walk through Brno's main station 2) Garbage collection in the morning 3) Soundcheck on the stage of Divadlo na Orli with Karlheinz playing the toy piano 4) Listening to cars and trams from above Info: https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html

Free improvisation on a MakeNoise 0-COAST modular synthesizer in four parts, dedicated to the four seasons. Performed live at Studio kHz on Dec 19th, 2024. No overdubs, no MIDI, no sequencer, no arpeggiator - just manual control in real time! Watch: https://youtu.be/Htd_AuqimMk https://www.essl.at/works/coastlines.html

Generative sound environment for an art installation by Beat Zoder, written in MaxMSP. 6-channel live performance with Max9 at Studio kHz on 12 Dec 2024. Binaural rendering with REAPER and dearVR. Listen with headphones! https://essl.at/works/hirsch-roehren.html In 2006, Swiss artist Beat Zoderer and Austrian composer Karlheinz Essl were commissioned to create a collaborative work for the music festival Stanser Musiktage. In an abandoned repository situated in the heart of the Swiss alps, both artists were setting up a room installation made of sewer pipes. Those plastic parts of different lengths were equipped with funnel speakers driven by a customized computer program written in MaxMSP by Karlheinz Essl. Utilizing realtime composition algorithms which the composers develops since 1985, his software created an ever-changing sonic environment which never repeated itself. Seen from outside, the structure resembled a giant jackstraw heap which invited the public to explore the space. Sounds that were projected from the loudspeakers through the pipes commuted through the air, creating a mysterious atmosphere as if some hidden creatures were talking to each other in an incomprehensible, yet compelling language.