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Tschiritsch’s Urwerk #3 , from Austrian instrument maker Hans Tschiritsch, is currently my favorite CD in the world. (OK, tomorrow I’ll probably have a different favorite, but still…) Hans plays a variety of his own oddities including Klang-Trag (foot-noodle), Teufelsgeige (devil’s fiddle), Singende Sage (musical saw), Obertondrehleier (overtone something-or-other; my German fails me) and more. He’s accompanied by the other five members of his septet playing mostly conventional instruments. The tunes are full of odd time signatures (“I Wanna Hold Your Hand” in 7/4, but that’s just the most obvious example), all with an irresistible, manically alive feeling. Many of the pieces have a carnival tinge of calypso or salsa. Some of the compositions come from Hans; others from classical, traditional, or pop sources. All are presented in carefully wrought, virtuosic and precisely executed arrangements – but never stiff. This CD will stretch you, and at the same time it’s so much fun.
The CD label is GECO Tonwaren H 185; vertrieb@hoanzl.at.
