Tosende Stille - Beethoven: The Heiligenstadt Testament (Thunderous Silence) Bernd Ruf, Danny Fresh, Ilja Ruf

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Klaviersonate No. 30, Op. 109: III. Thema:
• 1Beethoven: Klaviersonate No. 30, Op. 109: III. Thema: "...Und ich endigte selbst mein Leben..."01:48
• Streichquartett, Op. 133: Overtura:
• 2Beethoven: Streichquartett, Op. 133: Overtura: Prelude I - Overtura, Grosse Fuge, Op. 13300:24
• Sturm I - Op.31 No.2, Sonata No.17 - Improvisation:
• 3Beethoven: Sturm I - Op.31 No.2, Sonata No.17 - Improvisation06:22
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Danny Fresh (b. 1978): Ich schreibe mein Testament:
• 4Beethoven, Fresh: Ich schreibe mein Testament03:06
• Streichquartett, Op. 133:
• 5Beethoven: Streichquartett, Op. 133: Overtura: Prelude II - Overtura, Grosse Fuge, Op. 13300:15
• Vom Tode, Op. 48 No.3:
• 6Beethoven: Vom Tode, Op. 48 No.3: Vom Tode, Op. 48 No.3 - Improvisation06:51
• Streichquartett, Op. 133:
• 7Beethoven: Streichquartett, Op. 133: Overtura: Prelude III - Overtura, Grosse Fuge, Op. 13300:39
• Klaviersonate No. 17, Op. 31 No. 2:
• 8Beethoven: Klaviersonate No. 17, Op. 31 No. 2: Sturm II - Op.31 No.2, Sonata No.17 - Improvisation06:36
• O welche Lust, Fidelio, Op. 72c:
• 9Beethoven: O welche Lust, Fidelio, Op. 72c: O welche Lust, Fidelio, Op. 72c - Improvisation & Rap05:06
• Streichquartett, Op. 133:
• 10Beethoven: Streichquartett, Op. 133: Overtura: Prelude IV - Overtura, Grosse Fuge, Op. 13300:56
• Sinfonie No.2, Op. 36, Larghetto, Piano Trio No.12:
• 11Beethoven: Sinfonie No.2, Op. 36, Larghetto, Piano Trio No.12: Sinfonie No.2, Op. 36, Larghetto, Piano Trio No.1202:00
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Ilja Ruf (b. 2001): Tosende Stille
• 12Beethoven, Ruf: Tosende Stille02:52
• Ludwig van Beethoven, Bernd Konrad (b. 1947): Waldruf:
• 13Beethoven, Konrad: Waldruf02:17
• Ludwig van Beethoven: Streichquartett, Op. 133:
• 14Beethoven: Streichquartett, Op. 133: Overtura: Prelude V - Overtura, Grosse Fuge, Op. 13301:01
• 15Beethoven: Streichquartett, Op. 133: Fuga: Hörverlust - Fuga, Grosse Fuge, Op. 13308:27
• Klaviersonate No. 30, Op. 109:
• 16Beethoven: Klaviersonate No. 30, Op. 109: III. Andante molte cantabile: Licht - Op.109, III. Andante molte cantabile - Improvisation06:57
• 17Beethoven: Klaviersonate No. 30, Op. 109: III. Andante molte cantabile: "...Nur sie, die Kunst, sie hielt mich zurück." Op.109, III. Andante molte cantabile, Thema01:03
• Streichquartett, Op. 133:
• 18Beethoven: Streichquartett, Op. 133: Fuga: Bonustrack: Beethoven Opus 133: Fuga - Improvisation06:45
• Total Runtime01:03:25

Info for Tosende Stille - Beethoven: The Heiligenstadt Testament (Thunderous Silence)

At the age of 28, Ludwig van Beethoven was hard of hearing; in the end he was deaf. The composer withdrew more and more from the hearing world and had suicidal thoughts. Only his art saved him. Only 32 years old, Beethoven wrote his "Heiligenstadt Testament", a farewell letter to his brothers, during a stay at a health resort in Heiligenstadt near Vienna in 1802. Never published during his lifetime, Beethoven describes the onset of social isolation and hearing loss with its symptoms under the impression of the news, which was traumatic for him, that his hearing condition was incurable.

Bernd Ruf spent a long time on the subject: "Why does a person compose? Does art stand for itself or can it not arise and exist without a social context? To imagine that Beethoven composed his great works in deafness and that they were only audible to him in his inner imagination remains a mystery to me." The jazz professor from Lübeck has created a comprehensive art project consisting of a music film, CD album and live concert: Beethoven's journey from despair to hope is realised with musical, cinematic and theatrical elements.

The music film "Tosende Stille - Beethoven: Heiligenstädter Testament" has already been released on YouTube: to accompany it, the music album and audio book with Bernd and Ilja Ruf's conceived music ranging from original works by Beethoven to newly composed pop and hip hop songs and jazz improvisations will be released on 17 February 2023. Ludwig van Beethoven's lyrics are read by TV actor Jonas Nay ("Deutschland '83").

Bernd Ruf continues: "Musically, it was clear from the beginning that Beethoven's original music and improvisations as an expression of today's reading, typical pop studio equipment and traditional instruments would meet. I have been making music intensively in the field of classical crossover for about 35 years. Therefore, a genre confrontation is no longer interesting for me. I'm looking for thematic subjects and themes that make use of the stylistics necessary for them in their realisation in a self-evident way, whether classical, hip-hop, jazz, pop or free improvisation."

Jonas Nay, recitation
Danny Fresh, rap, music, lyrics
Bernd Ruf, idea, music, saxophone, clarinet
Ilja Ruf, music, lyrics, piano, vocals, clarinet
Sirius Quartet (New York):
Bernd Konrad, saxophone, clarinet
Sophie Kockler, clarinet
Florian Galow, double bass

Bernd Ruf
is currently one of the most creative musical personalities in the field of Classical Crossover. He developed the Crossover Symphonies, special orchestral programmes with African, Asian and Latin American musicians, with jazz and rock musicians. He has worked on rock symphonic projects with Jon Lord (Deep Purple), Roger Hodgson (Supertramp), Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Bobby Kimball (Toto), Jimi Jamison (Survivor), Paul Carrack (Mike & the Mechanics), Steve Hackett (Genesis) and Sir Paul McCartney. An experienced interpreter of contemporary music, he regularly conducts world premieres in close collaboration with composers. As a guest conductor, he has conducted the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra New York, the Tonkünstler Orchestra Vienna and the radio orchestras of the ORF, NDR and SWR, among others. As a musical conductor, he has conducted performances of Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast, Dance of the Vampires and The Lion King, among others. Bernd Ruf is a regular guest conductor with the Staatskapelle Halle. For the Handel Festival in Halle he conceives and conducts the annual open air event Bridges to Classics. From 1997 to 2004 Bernd Ruf was a regular guest conductor with the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra. During this time he presented symphonic world music and jazz programmes.

In addition to his activities as a conductor, Bernd Ruf has been playing in the ensemble "Tango Five" (since this year under the name ASSAI) for more than 25 years and is duo partner of the bandoneon master Raul Jaurena in the Jaurena-Ruf-Project.

Bernd Ruf has received various awards, including from the Karajan Foundation Berlin, the Kunststiftung Baden-Württemberg and a Grammy nomination. In 2004, Bernd Ruf was appointed professor for popular music, jazz and world music at the University of Music Lübeck.

This album contains no booklet.