Matthias Löscher

In the organizer's words:

The new program by Austrian guitarist and composer Matthias Löscher is dedicated entirely to the tradition of the Lied.
Growing up as a child in the Salzburg region, he was surrounded by Bach, Mozart and Beethoven in his parental home. Schubert Lieder were a formative part of his youth and left a deep impression and fondness for the Lied and its intimate forms. The Lied remained Löscher's focus when he studied jazz guitar with Andreas Schreiber and composition with Christoph Cech at the Anton Bruckner Private University. Subsequently, he deepened his knowledge as a Fulbright student at SUNY Purchase College (NY, USA), where he further explored the song in the "Great American Songbook" as well as in RnB and soul compositions. His master's thesis included detailed analyses of Thelonious Monk songs.
Further research led Löscher to some of the oldest surviving sound recordings and the roots of much American music: the Mississippi Delta Blues and its icons such as Robert Johnson or Skip James. The ambivalence of this music, the quality of uniting opposites, made a deep impression on Löscher.

"Songs of Life" marks a milestone in Matthias Löscher's development. In contrast to earlier productions, in which he fully exploited the advantages of modern studio technology, this production is dedicated to the pure and unprocessed recording and documentation of the music. No edits were made in the studio, everything is played and sung "live".
However, as a guitarist, Löscher does not forgo the use of live electronics, resulting in a fusion of opposites, the merging of past and future in the present.

Both as a composer and guitarist, Matthias Löscher has earned a reputation as someone who moves far beyond stylistic boundaries.
He was awarded the "Salzburg Annual Scholarship for Music" in 2011, and the jury's statement emphasized his already independent "Matthias Löscher Sound":
"He has now matured and perfected this to such an extent that one can actually speak of an unmistakable style, his own distinctive form of musical expression, regardless of whether Matthias Löscher is involved in jazz, hip hop or pop projects."

"Songs of Life" is a further step in this direction.
The song cycle is an ode to life: Gratitude for nature and the eternal circle of life ("Birds & Bees"), honoring the mother who never gives up and constantly fights for the good ("Boxes"), the borderline walk between happiness and ruin ("Skip Harbor"), but also the capacity for the worst cruelty ("Unseen") or the human virtue of constantly reinventing oneself like the Phoenix from the ashes (FLY Blues) are some of the themes Löscher deals with in his lyrics.

Organizer: Capitol Betriebs GmbH