Chronology

7 February 1990

Presentation concert for “Schönberg Improvations”

Vienna

At the Wiener Konzerthaus, one of Vienna’s two great concert halls, Wolfgang Puschnig and Wolfgang Reisinger played live along with the self-playing grand piano; Pepl operated only the sustain pedal.

Concerts

27 February 1990

Composer portrait at the Vienna Musikverein

Vienna

On Tuesday, 27 February 1990, the Ensemble Kontrapunkte under Peter Keuschnig devotes a composer portrait to Pepl in the Brahms Hall of the Vienna Musikverein, home of the Vienna Philharmonic, as part of an extraordinary society concert. Pepl plays guitar and a guitar-to-MIDI system; the piano sound comes from the Bösendorfer computer grand 290 SE. The soloists are Christine Whittlesey (soprano), Josef Pitzek (double bass) and Rainer Keuschnig (piano), with Wolf Peschl presenting. The programme comprises 15 pieces by Pepl: “Avo”, “Winds”, “The Last Bars of Mankind”, “Trio”, “String Nr. 1”, “Schikaneder Delight”, “Die letzte Bastion”, “Vibes Nr. 1” and “Vibes Nr. 2”, and after the interval “Einsicht ins mich”, “Brown Butterflies”, “Snow”, “Herbstzeitlose Arbeitslose”, “Grogos” and “Tintenfischinki”. According to the programme booklet most of the works were written „innerhalb der letzten Wochen“ [“within the last few weeks”]; “Schikaneder Delight” dates from 1988, and the Ensemble Wien had already premiered “Grogos” in December 1989. According to the booklet the ensemble includes Wolfgang Schulz (flute), Peter Schreiber (oboe), Siegfried Schenner (clarinet), Werner Krenn (bassoon), Erwin Sükar (horn), Rainer Küblböck (trumpet), Georg Sumpik (violin), Peter Pecha (viola) and Leonhard Wallisch (cello). A cassette recording from the estate with five pieces, among them “Trio”, both versions of “Tintenfisch Inki” and “Zwei Klarinetten”, is in the sound archive for signed-in users.

Works

19 March 1990

“Pizzicat” at the Musikverein

Vienna

At the second Kontrapunkte concert of the year in the Brahms Hall, Pepl's “Pizzicat” is performed on Monday, 19 March 1990, between works by Blacher, Berio and Frank Martin; the performers are the Ensemble Kontrapunkte under Peter Keuschnig with Christine Whittlesey (soprano) and Josef Pitzek (double bass).

Works

14 July 1990

“What It Is” with Thomas Pernes at the Wiesen jazz festival

Wiesen

At the Wiesen jazz festival on Saturday, 14 July 1990, Pepl played in the “Special Project” of the composer Thomas Pernes with Wolfgang Puschnig and Wolfgang Reisinger. The Art Ensemble of Chicago, the Bill Frisell Group and the Michael Brecker Band were on the bill the same day. With “What It Is”, Pernes wanted to overcome the narrowness of styles and boundaries.

Concerts

1991

Lower Austrian Culture Prize for Music

Lower Austria

In 1991 Pepl received the Recognition Prize of the state of Lower Austria in the music category (the state's culture prize). The tribute text from the culture prize brochure is now in the state's database of prizewinners. The state's press release of Wednesday, 25 September 1991, lists the prize, worth 25,000 schillings, as a Förderungspreis (promotion prize); the state government had approved it the day before, and the presentation was scheduled at the Stadtsaal in Zwettl.

Honours

1991

Recording grant from austro mechana for the Harry Pepl Quartet

Vienna

In 1991 austro mechana, the Austrian collecting society for mechanical reproduction rights, promised the Harry Pepl Quartet a recording grant of 50,000 schillings from its social and cultural funds. The report to the Austrian parliament on the blank cassette levy still lists it among the outstanding commitments at the end of 1991. In June 1992 the quartet recorded the album “N.Y.C. Impressure” in New York.

Recordings

17 February 1991

Seven works at ORF Studio Tyrol

Innsbruck

Seven works by Pepl were premiered at ORF Studio Tyrol (ORF: Austria's public broadcaster), played by the pianist Thomas Larcher.

Works

4 August 1991

Opening concert of the Lower Austrian Jazz Academy with Jamaaladeen Tacuma

Zeillern

On Sunday, 4 August 1991, Pepl opened the Lower Austrian Jazz Academy in the courtyard of Zeillern Castle in a quartet with Jamaaladeen Tacuma, Alex Deutsch and Johannes Enders. Beforehand he told Der Standard, a Vienna daily, it might become „eine ganz freie Angelegenheit“ [“an entirely free affair”].

Concerts

November 1991

Closing concert of the ZeitgeNÖssischer Herbst

Lower Austria

The third concert series “ZeitgeNÖssischer Herbst” of the state of Lower Austria (20 September to 28 November 1991, around 11,000 visitors) ended with a highly successful concert by Pepl. Der Standard, a Vienna daily, counted the closing concert among the highlights.

Concerts

3 December 1991

Kronos Quartet at the Orpheum in Graz

Graz

On Tuesday 3 December 1991, as part of the Steirischer Herbst (festival of contemporary art in Graz), the internationally renowned Kronos Quartet performed “Moving Navel”, “String Quartet No. 8” and “Obsession”. The concert was arranged by Heimo Steps of gamsbART (Graz concert promoter); the pieces were transcribed from Pepl's recordings. The earlier website gives 1990 for “Moving Navel”.

Works

11 March 1992

Premiere of “Anspannen, Überspannen, Abspannen”

Graz

STUDIO PERCUSSION graz performed the commissioned work for five percussionists with pre-recorded tape at the Orpheum, a concert venue, Graz, alongside works by Armin Pokorn and Wolfgang Muthspiel. The CD was released in 1995.

Works

June 1992

Harry Pepl Quartet at the Knitting Factory

New York

In early June 1992, shortly before the recording of “N.Y.C. Impressure”, the quartet played at the Knitting Factory (New York music club for jazz and the avant-garde) in New York. The club's invitation gives 2 June, Nikolaus Kohler the day before the recording.

Concerts

4 June 1992 to 5 June 1992

Recording of “N.Y.C. IMPRESSURE”

New York

A few days after a concert at the Knitting Factory (New York music club for jazz and the avant-garde), the album was recorded in New York with Claus Stötter, Paul Nowinski and Jojo Mayer. In the liner notes Pepl speaks of his “Realtime-Composing”. The album was released in 1994 on Extraplatte (Vienna independent label); the dating varies between 1992 and 1994.

Recordings

7 June 1992

Harry Pepl Group at the Raab jazz festival

Raab, Upper Austria

On Whit Sunday, 7 June 1992, the Harry Pepl Group played its new programme at the jazz festival in Raab in the Innviertel, on the same evening as Wolfgang Puschnig’s “Alpine Aspects” and Ronnie Burrage’s band.

Concerts

17 July 1992 to 18 July 1992

Pori Jazz Festival with John Purcell’s Blue Brass Connection

Pori, Finland

At the 27th Pori Jazz Festival in Pori, Finland, one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe, Pepl plays in the band listed in the festival archive as “John Purcell´s Blue Brass Connection”: with the Upper Austrian trombonist Paul Zauner, whose Blue Brass Connection had been touring with US jazz musicians since 1985, and with John Purcell, Graham Haynes, Ron Burton, Kenny Davis and Ronnie Burrage. The archive lists three performances: on Friday, 17 July 1992, on the main stage at Kirjurinluoto, in a programme starting at 5 pm that the archive also lists for Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band, in the evening at the Village Gate, and on Saturday, 18 July 1992, at the Nuorisokeskus, the youth centre. A few months later Purcell, Davis, Burrage, Zauner and Pepl formed the core of Abstract Truth.

Concerts

26 July 1992 to 31 July 1992

Teacher at the International Jazz Academy in St. Pölten

St. Pölten

From 26 to 31 July 1992 Pepl taught at the International Jazz Academy in St. Pölten, alongside Butch Morris, John Purcell, George Lewis and Toshiko Akiyoshi, who led the closing concert in the Stadtsäle.

Teaching

12 August 1992

Faculty concert of the Lower Austrian Jazz Academy

Zeillern

At the Lower Austrian Jazz Academy at Zeillern Castle (9 to 15 August 1992), Pepl played in the faculty concert (“Jazzakademie All Stars”) on Wednesday, 12 August, with Claus Stötter, Bobby Dodge, Martin Fuss, Joris Dudli and Ines Reiger. The Kurier, a Vienna daily, called him the „Gitarrenguru der österreichischen Jazzszene“ [“guitar guru of the Austrian jazz scene”].

Concerts

31 October 1992

Frankfurt-Wien-Connection at the Deutsches Jazzfestival Frankfurt

Frankfurt am Main

At the 24th Deutsches Jazzfestival Frankfurt (Germany’s oldest jazz festival, organised by the public broadcaster Hessischer Rundfunk) the Frankfurt-Wien-Connection plays the second concert in the Bockenheimer Depot on Saturday, 31 October 1992: Harry Pepl (guitar), Stefan Lottermann (trombone), Michael Riessler (bass clarinet), Claus Stötter (trumpet), Bob Harrison (bass) and François Laizeau (drums), with compositions by Pepl. The hr produces the recording itself and, according to its archive, broadcasts it on hr2 the same day. Details from the database extract of the hr media archive (case AS_2026_0421, Tuesday, 20 October 2026); the copy of the recording remains in the family archive.

Concerts

December 1992

Cover of Jazzlive

Vienna

The Viennese jazz magazine Jazzlive shows Harry Pepl on the cover of its issue no. 99, photographed by the publisher Rainer Rygalyk; in the issue, Hannes Schweiger reports on the New York Knitting Factory (New York music club for jazz and the avant-garde) and Pepl's appearance there.

Media

May 1993

Air Mail re-forms

Vienna

In May 1993 Air Mail performed again after a long break, at the Vienna jazz venue Reigen with Wolfgang Puschnig, Harry Pepl, Wolfgang Reisinger and Palle Danielsson. Der Standard, a Vienna daily, wrote that almost everything this country had to offer in jazz of international quality was gathered there. The concert at the Raab jazz festival followed at the end of May.

Concerts

5 May 1993

Concert in the former synagogue in St. Pölten

St. Pölten

On Wednesday, 5 May 1993, Pepl played in the former synagogue in St. Pölten with John Purcell, Paul Zauner, Jeff Andrews and Ronnie Burrage, a line-up from the circle of Abstract Truth.

Concerts

6 May 1993

Premiere of “Über Kurz oder Lang” by the Artis Quartet

Vienna

The string quartet in three movements was written in February 1993 and premiered on Thursday 6 May 1993 in the Brahmssaal of the Musikverein (historic concert hall of the Society of Friends of Music). The ORF (Austria's public broadcaster) recorded the concert; a quiet passage is accompanied by a thunderstorm.

Works

28 May 1993 to 30 May 1993

Last Air Mail concert in Raab

Raab, Upper Austria

At the Whitsun jazz festival in Raab (Friday, 28, to Whit Sunday, 30 May 1993), later known as INNtöne (jazz festival in Diersbach, Upper Austria), Air Mail played for the last time, with Jean-Paul Celea on bass (Palle Danielsson had been announced) and the piece “Dinozzo”. Shortly before, the band had re-formed after a long break at the Reigen in Vienna. A professional recording exists.

Concerts

23 September 1993 to 25 September 1993

“Die Innviertler Seele” at the Festival der Regionen

Aspach, Obernberg, Zell an der Pram

For Paul Zauner’s project “Die Innviertler Seele” at the Festival der Regionen (Upper Austrian arts festival), George Lewis, Gene Jackson, Harry Pepl and Christian Radovan met Innviertel zither music and a traditional brass band: on Thursday, 23 September 1993, at the Gasthof Zwink in Aspach, on the 24th in the multi-purpose hall in Obernberg and on the 25th at Zell an der Pram Castle.

Concerts

1994

“Beginnings” with Abstract Truth and a personal showcase at the Porgy & Bess

Vienna, New York

Pepl recorded the album “Beginnings” with Paul Zauner, John Purcell, Kenny Davis and Ronnie Burrage (Amadeo, former Vienna label for jazz and classical music, PAO Records (label of the trombonist and INNtöne festival founder Paul Zauner)). In the same year he had a three-day personal showcase at the Porgy & Bess (Vienna jazz club) in Vienna; on one of the evenings he played with Wolfgang Mitterer, according to Mitterer's chronology also with Gene Jackson.

Recordings

1994

Concerts with Labarrière, Jackson and Mitterer

Kyiv, Graz, Vienna

Harry Pepl plays one of his last concert series with Hélène Labarrière (double bass), Gene Jackson (drums) and Wolfgang Mitterer (synthesizer), among other places in Kyiv (Ukraine), there according to Mitterer also with Paul Zauner, probably in Slovakia, in Graz with Wolfgang Puschnig and at Porgy & Bess (Vienna jazz club) in Vienna. No recording has survived in the family archive; of the Graz concert at the Graz Meeting, the Austrian Mediathek holds a recording that can only be heard on site.

Concerts

18 April 1994

“Porträt Harry Pepl” at the Porgy & Bess

Vienna

In the portrait series of the Vienna jazz club Porgy & Bess, Pepl was presented on several evenings in mid-April 1994. On Monday, 18 April, he played solo in the first part, then with Gene Jackson (drums) and Wolfgang Mitterer (keyboards).

Concerts

20 April 1994

Harry Pepl Quartet at the Graz Meeting “Strings”

Graz

At the third Graz Meeting (jazz festival of the Graz music academy and gamsbART, dedicated to string instruments in 1994), the Harry Pepl Quartet with Wolfgang Puschnig played at the Orpheum, a concert venue in Graz, on Wednesday, 20 April 1994, on the same evening as Derek Bailey, Dieter Glawischnig’s Cercle and the double bass duo Ewald Oberleitner and Wayne Darling. The Österreichische Mediathek (Austrian Mediathek), Austria’s archive of sound and video recordings at the Technisches Museum Wien, holds an unreleased recording of the concert and the broadcast “Aus dem Konzertsaal: Graz Meeting 1994” by Ö1, ORF’s cultural radio station, featuring the quartet, both on cassette and available only on site; the catalogue does not name the other musicians.

Concerts

May 1994

CD recording for STUDIO PERCUSSION graz

Straßengel near Graz

At the OPUS studio in Straßengel near Graz, STUDIO PERCUSSION graz recorded the three works by Pepl, Muthspiel and Pokorn (Extraplatte (Vienna independent label) EX 242-2).

Recordings

22 May 1994

Duo with Jack DeJohnette at the Innviertel jazz festival

Raab, Upper Austria

On Whit Sunday, 22 May 1994, Pepl played a duo on guitar synthesizer with Jack DeJohnette, switching between piano and drums, in the Rothuberhalle in Raab. The Kronen Zeitung, Austria’s largest-circulation daily, Der Standard and the Salzburger Nachrichten singled out the duo. The Slovak music magazine “Hudobný život” also lists the duo in June 1994 among the festival’s performances, alongside the Brecker Brothers, the Dave Holland Quartet and David Murray.

Concerts

31 July 1994

Opening concert of the Lower Austrian Jazz Academy with the Harry Pepl Quartet

Zeillern

To open the sixth Lower Austrian Jazz Academy, the Harry Pepl Quartet played at Zeillern Castle on Sunday, 31 July 1994, at 9 pm, with Claus Stötter (trumpet) and Jojo Mayer (drums) among others. Pepl taught guitar there until 6 August.

Concerts

August 1994

Second brain haemorrhage

Upper Austria

In August 1994 Pepl suffers a second brain haemorrhage. From 1994/95 he then withdraws completely from life on tour and from public view; only a few performances follow. For him, who lived from playing together in the moment, this is deeply painful and tragic. Yet he makes the best of it, first at the piano, then with the Lonely Single Swinger Band.

Life

5 November 1994

With Harry Sokal and Friedrich Gulda at the Brucknerhaus Linz

Linz

On Saturday, 5 November 1994, after “A night with Friedrich Gulda”, “The Harry Sokal Quartet feat. Harry Pepl” played at 10 pm in the Brucknersaal of the Brucknerhaus Linz, with Friedrich Gulda as guest.

Concerts

1995

End of teaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (KUG)

Graz

Teaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz ended in 1995 according to Heckel, the Musikergilde, Jazz thing and nmz; the information sheet and Kohler give 1994.

Teaching

1995

Home studio in Hernstein: the Lonely Single Swinger Band

Hernstein

From the mid-1990s Pepl recorded a large number of multitrack recordings in his home studio in the cellar in Hernstein, Lower Austria (“Ich geh jetzt ins Bergwerk”, I’m off to the mine now, as he used to say), and catalogued and rated them. He played all the instruments himself and called the project “Lonely Single Swinger Band”; the earlier website gives 1996 as the start. From 1995/1996 his son Daniel Pepl assisted him as sound engineer with recording, mixing and mastering.

Ensembles

November 1995

Piano album “Consequence”

Vienna

In November 1995, twelve freely improvised piano pieces were recorded at the Bösendorfer (Vienna piano maker) factory in Vienna. The album remained unreleased during his lifetime and was released on 15 May 2020.

Recordings

12 November 1995

Abstract Truth at the Reigen in Vienna

Vienna

As part of Johannes Kunz’s Vienna “Jazz-Herbst”, Abstract Truth with Harry Pepl was announced for the Reigen on Sunday, 12 November 1995, together with the Archie Shepp Quartet (announced by APA, trend and Kronen Zeitung, Austria’s largest-circulation daily; no report of the concert is known, and Daniel Pepl has questioned the year). A concert by the band scheduled for Tuesday, 24 October, at the WIST in Graz had been cancelled.

Concerts

1996

Withdrawal from the stage

Hernstein

After the two brain haemorrhages of 1989 and 1994 Pepl has withdrawn from life on tour and from public view; the earlier website gives 1996. After 1994 there are no more planned concerts of his own; in December 1997 he joins in once more at the INNtöne festival in Upper Austria, in changing line-ups, mainly on piano and drums. He makes the best of it: first at the piano, because the guitar has become too analytical for him, then in his home studio in Hernstein, Lower Austria, with the Lonely Single Swinger Band, highly productive until 2005. Peter Paul Skrepek records his words: „Jetzt, wo ich alles spielen kann, was ich will, darf ich nicht mehr.“ [“Now that I can play everything I want, I’m no longer allowed to.”]

Life

1996

Federal composition grant

Vienna

The Austrian federal government supports Pepl as a composer with a composition grant of 60,000 schillings (about 4,360 euros). The Kunstbericht 1996, the government’s annual report to the Austrian parliament on federal arts funding, lists it among the individual grants of the department for music and the performing arts.

Kunstbericht 1996 at the Austrian Parliament, p. 140

Works

10 March 1996

Piano album “Flow”

Vienna

Twelve real-time compositions were recorded in a single take on the Steinway in the Brahmssaal of the Vienna Musikverein (PAO Records, label of the trombonist and INNtöne festival founder Paul Zauner). It is the last album he oversaw in his lifetime.

Recordings

19 October 1996

Premiere of “Exzentrik Egometrik” in Deutschlandsberg

Deutschlandsberg

At the 13th Jugendmusikfest Deutschlandsberg, part of the steirischer herbst (festival of contemporary art in Styria), Pepl’s “Exzentrik Egometrik” was premiered at the Laßnitzhaus on Saturday, 19 October 1996, played by the Altenberg Trio Wien, whose members from 1994 to 2004 were Claus-Christian Schuster (piano), Amiram Ganz (violin) and Martin Hornstein (cello), and repeated on Sunday, 20 October. In the second part of the evening the Österreichisches Ballett Theater presented Ernst Widmer’s “Die letzte Blume”. The archive of the steirischer herbst lists the evening as “ballett theater” with the Altenberg Trio and choreography by Christian Martinu, but names only Ernst Widmer and Mauricio Kagel as composers.

Works

5 December 1997 to 6 December 1997

INNtöne Festival with Michel Portal

Zell an der Pram

According to Daniel Pepl, once he had withdrawn from the stage after 1994, there were no more planned concerts of his own. At the INNtöne festival weekend (Paul Zauner's festival of contemporary music) on Friday, 5, and Saturday, 6 December 1997, in the baroque hall of Zell an der Pram Castle, Upper Austria, he nevertheless took part in the changing line-ups; the previews had announced him by name. On the Friday, according to the OÖ Volksblatt, an Upper Austrian daily, he played “first on the piano, then on the drums”, together with the trumpeter Franz Hackl; on the Saturday he joined the group around Michel Portal and Stephen Kent, with Wolfgang Reisinger on drums and Steve Shehan on percussion. Whether he also played guitar remains open: in its preview the Wiener Zeitung, the Vienna daily founded in 1703, had written, in connection with his new CD on PAO Records: “Pepl is not playing guitar but piano”. The OÖ Volksblatt, by contrast, lists “piano, guitar” for the Saturday, and the OÖ Nachrichten, another Upper Austrian daily, wrote that “as a string player” he had created “fabulous special moments” with Portal. Toninho Horta and Alvin Batiste also played at the festival. It was his last concert appearance covered by reviews.

Concerts

April 1998

Interview in Concerto

Vienna

In the interview „Man könnte Klavierspielen müssen“ [“One might have to play the piano”] in the magazine Concerto (no. 2/1998), Pepl talks to Martin Schuster about his work, Benny Goodman, ECM (the renowned European jazz label) and the piano, above all about his solo piano album “Flow”, recorded in March 1996. The conversation took place in early 1998: Pepl already speaks of the INNtöne festival “last autumn” (December 1997), and the table of contents of the issue calls it “the comeback of Harry Pepl”.

Media

May 1998

“Anspannen, Überspannen, Abspannen” at the Stefaniensaal in Graz

Graz

At the jazz subscription concert of the Graz music academy (today the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz) in the Stefaniensaal in early May 1998, STUDIO PERCUSSION graz under Günter Meinhart played Pepl’s “Anspannen, Überspannen, Abspannen” and Minoru Miki’s “Marimba Spiritual”; Graham Collier then led the academy’s big band.

Works

21 October 1998

Lower Austrian Prize of Honour for Music

Lower Austria

Pepl received the Würdigungspreis (prize of honour) for music of the state of Lower Austria (150,000 schillings), approved by the state government on Tuesday, 8 September 1998. Governor Erwin Pröll presented the culture prizes on Wednesday, 21 October 1998, in the Shedhalle in St. Pölten's cultural district; in the musical programme Pepl’s “Tintenfishinky” was played from tape; Pepl himself did not perform that day (information from Daniel Pepl, who was present, 20 October 2026). The state press office had also announced the “Mostviertler Birnbeitler”, a wind octet conducted by Robert Pussecker. On 3 November 1998 the Kurier, a Vienna daily, reported an award for the jazz musician from Hernstein, Lower Austria, without naming the prize.

Honours

1999

“Frischwärts” and the Christmas CD

Hernstein

In his cellar studio Pepl recorded “Frischwärts”, playing everything himself: drums, and while drumming he also struck a drum sample pad with additional sounds, which makes the recording very dense and intense. On top came electric guitar with distortion and a MIDI trumpet sound, and acoustic guitar. He burned the “Weihnachts-CD 1999, Vol. 1” with ten titles, including “Fugendichtung”.

Recordings

1999 to 2001

Jury member in federal music funding

Vienna

From autumn 1999 Pepl sits on juries of the arts section of the Federal Chancellery, each time together with the composer Paul Hertel and the composer and organist Michael Radulescu: in 1999 on the jury for the Förderungspreis für Musik (a federal music prize) in the category of orchestral works, in 2000 on the jury for the Staatsstipendien (state grants) for composers and in the second half of 2001 on the jury for the composition grants. This is recorded in the Kunstberichte, the government’s annual reports to the Austrian parliament on federal arts funding.

Kunstberichte at the Austrian Parliament: 1999, p. 106; 2000, p. 100; 2001, p. 95

Life