Fritz Hauser
The high priest of percussion
Born in Basel in 1953, Fritz Hauser is a drummer, percussionist, composer, improviser, ideator of interdisciplinary projects bringing together architecture, theatre and dance, and an author of music for films and installations. In this multilateral approach to musical creation, the salient feature may be the coherency that runs through all of Hauser’s productions, marked by precision, gestural minimalism, and a near-priestly purity which translate into a magical stage presence.
He has written compositions for percussion ensembles and soloists, chamber orchestras and choirs; created sound installations for places such as the Thermal Baths of Vals, the Museum of Architecture in Basel, Castel di Burio in Piedmont, the Kunsthaus Zug, the Fondation Vincent van Gogh in Arles and Zurich University; initiated interdisciplinary projects with lighting designer Brigitte Dubach, director Barbara Frey, architect Boa Baumann and choreographers such as Kinsun Chan, Joachim Schloemer, Heddy Maalem and Anna Huber.
These transversal experiences have been condensed into his last album “Spettro”, produced in 2021, defined a “necromancy for percussion”. He was awarded the Culture Prize of the City of Basel in 2012, and the Culture Prize for Music of Basel-Landschaft in 1996. In 2018, he was resident composer at the Lucerne Festival.
