Press archive
What was written and broadcast about Harry Pepl: reviews, portraits, interviews and obituaries, with summary and source. The originals are protected by copyright and kept in the archive; we provide them to researchers and the press on request.
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December 2005 · Obituary
Intervals, Newsletter von David Liebman (Website): „Passings: Harry Pepl“, Intervals Volume 14, Nr. 1
Dave Liebman
Obituary by the American saxophonist Dave Liebman in the “Passings” section of his newsletter “Intervals”, published on his website upbeat.com/lieb (later daveliebman.com) a few weeks after Pepl’s death. Liebman calls Pepl a “groundbreaking guitarist” with whom he recorded several times and recalls their first recording together with the drummer Wolfgang Reisinger: from his guitar, via the computer, Pepl played a Bösendorfer grand piano (Bösendorfer is the Viennese piano maker) whose keys were moving by themselves. He is referring to “Schönberg Improvations” (recorded in November 1989). His verdict: “This was in the 80’s-far ahead!!” In the same section he pays tribute to Shirley Horn, Steve Marcus and Richard Pryor. The page survives only in the Internet Archive.
a groundbreaking guitarist that I had the pleasure to have recorded with several times … He had a Busendorfer piano playing music programmed from his computer-the keys were moving, the sound was a piano but it had come from the guitar. This was in the 80’s-far ahead!!
The American saxophonist Dave Liebman in December 2005, a few weeks after Pepl’s death, in the obituary section of “Intervals”, the newsletter on his website. He recalls recording “Schönberg Improvations” in 1989 with Wolfgang Reisinger: Pepl played a Bösendorfer computer grand piano (Bösendorfer is the Viennese piano maker) from his MIDI guitar, its keys moving by themselves (Liebman spells it “Busendorfer”)
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February 1990 · Report · DE
Tschin Bumm (music magazine, technology column, p. 52): „Harry Pepl im Studio: Das Bösendorfer-Projekt“
Studio report on the recordings for “Schönberg Improvations” (PolyGram) at the SingSang studio in Vienna: six studio days, pieces averaging 15 minutes with borrowings from Arnold Schoenberg, entirely without guitar tone, on the Bösendorfer (Vienna piano maker) computer grand piano, with David Liebman, Mino Cinelu and Wolfgang Reisinger. Pepl had played in the parts at home on the Roland MIDI guitar; the studio head Richie Österreicher jr. explains the technology. Only page 52 has survived; the continuation is missing from the scan.
Harry Pepl is a man like Albert Einstein, a genius whom probably only a handful of people can still follow in his work.
Richie Österreicher jr.
The latest LP by the guitarist, acclaimed worldwide, is: a piano record.
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1990 · Other
Amadeo (CD-Booklet): Liner Notes und Credits zu „Schönberg Improvations“
Harry Lachner
Harry Lachner's English booklet text for the CD “Schönberg Improvations” (Amadeo 843 086-2, PolyGram Vienna, 1990). Lachner describes the record's paradox: Pepl, once recognisable by a modified Ovation guitar, later worked with samples on the MIDI guitar; here, however, he plays a real Bösendorfer grand piano from the guitar, and only “The Last Bars Of Mankind” sounds different. He calls this “a most radical use of technology” and quotes Dave Liebman on the urge to go beyond the limits of the instrument. The piano track is completely improvised, inspired by recordings of Arnold Schoenberg's piano works; the lyricism of “Alone Is A Golden Stone” and the trance-like 4/4 groove of “Magnet Resonance” stand amid highly abstract, atonal pieces. It closes with Glenn Gould as another source of inspiration. Plus the credits: recorded in November 1989 at the Sing Sang studio, Vienna, recording engineer Richard Österreicher jun., digital editing “Ton Eichinger”, produced by Harry Pepl, executive producer Wulf Müller, published by Antenna Music; thanks to Peter Lemell and the technicians of Bösendorfer and to AKG; front cover concept Marie-Luise Rausch, photography and design Wolfgang Plenk, booklet photos Fischnaller. The scan lacks one page of text between “(hence” and “deconstruction of old and worn-out musical patterns”.
a most radical use of technology: to play on a midi guitar connected to a computer just to return to a natural, acoustic sound
The simulation is complete, the circle is fullfilled and we should not be puzzled by the technical method but by the musical result.
Austrian guitarist Harry Pepl has gone a long and imperturbable way.
And yet, it is not a sampled sound, it's a Bösendorfer grand piano - played on the guitar.
the lyricism of "Alone Is A Golden Stone", the trance like 4/4 groove of "Magnet Resonance" are organically embedded into a context of highly abstract, atonal pieces.
If you're a great instrumentalist, you want to be able to express anything of the instrument, even beyond the instrument. It's not an instrument any more but an expression.
Dave Liebman
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1 November 1987 · Radio · FR
France Musique, „Jazz vivant“ (broadcast listed in the INA catalogue): „Festival Le Temps du Jazz : extraits du concert du multi-instrumentiste Michel Portal“
André Francis (production and presentation)
Broadcast by France Musique on Sunday, 1 November 1987, at 1.07 pm in the series “Jazz vivant” (52 minutes, nationwide): excerpts from the concert of Michel Portal’s “Sextet Unit” on 30 May 1987 at the Maison de la Culture d'Amiens during the festival “Le Temps du Jazz”, with Dave Liebman, Jack DeJohnette, Mino Cinelu, Harry Pepl and Jean-François Jenny-Clark: “Ahmad the terrible”, a trio improvisation, “Changement” and “Easy”. Record PHY11005821 in the catalogue of the INA (Institut national de l'audiovisuel), the archive of French radio and television; the broadcast can only be heard on site at the INAthèque, which does not provide copies.
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30 May 1987 · Radio · FR
Radio France, „Le temps du jazz“ (live recording, im INA-Katalog): „Concert du Michel Portal Unit 87“
André Francis (production)
Concert recording by Radio France of Saturday, 30 May 1987, at the Amiens jazz festival, the evening of the live album “Men's Land”: Michel Portal, Dave Liebman (soprano saxophone), Harry Pepl (guitar), Jean-François Jenny-Clark (double bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums) and Mino Cinelu (percussion), 1 hour 18 minutes. The recording is longer than the album: besides “Ahmad the terrible”, “Easy” and “Pastor” the record lists a trio improvisation, “Changement” by Joachim Kühn, “Bandolina”, “Jack” and a piece “Comète” by Harry Pepl, according to Daniel Pepl “Halley's Comet Light Blue Blues”, which is not on “Men's Land”. Record PHY14005763 in the catalogue of the INA (Institut national de l'audiovisuel), the archive of French radio and television; the recording can only be heard on site at the INAthèque, which does not provide copies.