Roland Moser
musical alchemist
With his never-ending thirst for discovery, Roland Moser, born in Bern in 1943, explores new tonal systems, the Romantic era, and the dialogue between sound and language. Like an alchemist playing with sounds, he develops novel techniques that unveil new acoustic phenomena: In his solo piece "Sehr mit Bassstimme sanft" 2012, he released undiscovered polyphonies from the massive sound chamber of the double bass. One of his formative experiences was the performance of Igor Stravinsky’s "Threni" in 1958 directed by the composer himself. Under Theo Hirsbrunner he studied the works of Arnold Schönberg and Anton Webern. And he refined his tonal expression with Sándor Veress. From 1966 to 1969, his studies led him to Wolfgang Fortner at the Musikhochschule in Freiburg im Breisgau and to the Studio for Electronic Music in Cologne. Roland Moser taught music theory and composition at the Winterthur Conservatory, and later at the Basel Music Academy. His extensive Oeuvre includes refined solo pieces, chamber music, and large-scale operas. He lives with his wife, cellist Käthi Gohl Moser, in Allschwil near Basel.
