Karl Heinz Stockhausen

France Roche

Another name which will certainly figure in the big encyclopaedia if it doesn't already, is the name Stockhausen, Karl Heinz, whose first name is Karl Heinz. He is a dominant personality in modern music. The festival of contemporary music which has just taken place two weeks ago and has organised fifty musical events of which twenty-five are concerts, has paid homage to the personality of this musician who at forty-three has already been making music for twenty years.

Karlheinz Stockhausen

You don't choose music, you have musical visions and you make note of them, that's all. Generally, each new work poses problems which you have never resolved before .

1st musician

I believe that it's music which is necessary, in order to play well, I believe that you have to believe in it.

2nd musician

Most of the time, it's a hotchpotch where you can't find yourself.

3rd musician

I'm not afraid to say that I don't believe it, not at all, not for an instant.

Karlheinz Stockhausen

Music will evolve very quickly now, much more quickly than it has done before, due to technical developments and especially due to human development itself.

4th musician

From a technical point of view, that still causes unknown difficulties even now.

5th musician

Very difficult, very difficult but makes for good technical work.

France Roche

Do you manage to play all the notes?

6th musician

It's a problem. Clearly, we try to play all the notes, but I believe that in certain pieces, the author prefers sound effects. So, of course we do what we can to play all the notes. But of course in the heat of the moment, some don't come out as they should do.

Journalist

Do you manage to play all the notes?

4th musician

In the case of the contrabassoon, yes almost.

Karlheinz Stockhausen

The difficulty is not only a technical difficulty, but even more a psychological difficulty. That is, people haven't learnt to do what I ask. Even I haven't. It's necessary to study each new work as you study a new language.

Journalist

Do you find that interesting?

3rd musician

Interesting for the instrument.

Journalist

Do you think that this music is difficult for the public to access?

Karlheinz Stockhausen

Yes and no. The public, as a homogenous public does not exist, there are always people who are very advanced, that is to say that they are very open, and at the other extreme, there are people who are never open to the unprecedented, to the unexpected.

2nd musician

I'm convinced that three quarters applaud because the people next to them applaud, but I'm convinced that at the end of the day, they don't know really why they are applauding.

Journalist

You are, as every artist who is at the forefront of progress, often very controversial.

Karlheinz Stockhausen

That's a good sign, because people who are violently against something for example music, they are extremely touched by this music. They are waking up in a surprising way and don't know what to do, they have lost their balance, they have lost their equilibrium if I can say so, and that is an extremely fertile state.