New Music by Karlheinz Essl

Binaural production - listen with headphones!

What a remarkable day in Vienna! After the dress rehearsal with Punctum Collective, a new music ensemble, where Nava Hemyari rehearsed my piece Sequitur IX, I ventured into the forest and listened to people rushing along the main avenue of the Prater. I finally arrived at the terminus of tram number 1. In this piece, everything happens simultaneously, constantly shifting between different spaces and situations, like in a dream.

Part of the work-in-progress H.E.A.D. (2018 ff.)
https://essl.at/works/HEAD.html

This generative soundscape is based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes that were recorded in Vienna, Austria, on 4 November 2026.

1) Nava Hemyari rehearsing Karlheinz Essl's 'Sequitur IX'.
2) Punctum Collective doing a soundcheck at Haus Wittgenstein.
3) People rushing through the main avenue of the Prater in the evening.
4) Tram No. 1 at the "Prater Hauptallee" end station.

Premiere, performed by Karlheinz Essl on Oct 22nd, 2026 at Festspielhaus St. Pölten on his self-developed modular electronics with acoustic resonators.

The town of St. Pölten, where the Lower Austrian Cultural Awards are presented annually, is named after its patron saint, St. Hippolytus. His name literally means 'the horse-unleasher'. According to legend, this martyr was dragged to his death by horses that had been set loose.

This story is closely linked to the venue where this piece is premiering. Karlheinz Essl himself appears here as the 'horse-unleasher'. Using his homemade modular synthesiser, he creates impetuous, wild soundscapes full of power and unpredictability.

Physical gestures play a central role in Essl’s live performances: the skin resistance of his left hand influences sound generation. Using his right hand, he modulates the sound waves from the loudspeaker with acoustic resonators made of metal, wood, and stone. Using these two controls, he reins in the runaway horses and allows their impetuous power to carry him to new shores.

Binaural production - listen with headphones!

The Lower Austria Cultural Awards are presented every year at a gala ceremony at the Festspielhaus St. Pölten. We eavesdrop on the dress rehearsal of the evening show, then have a bite to eat in the canteen, and afterwards pop into the cathedral, where an organ lesson is currently taking place. Finally, we join the catering team as they serve up the culinary delights.
All this takes place not one after the other, but simultaneously – in an ethereal dream beyond time and space.

This generative soundscape is based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded on 22 October 2026 in St. Pölten (Lower Austria).

1) Dress rehearsal for the evening show
2) Lunch at the cantina of the Festspielhaus St. Pölten
3) An organ lesson in the baroque dome of St. Pölten
4) The catering crew preparing to serve their guests

Part of the ongoing work-in-progress H.E.A.D. which was started in 2018.

Binaural production - listen with headphones!

Everything's moving. Everything' on the move. Transferring and transmutating: with the bicycle across the Danube, on a motorcycle jumping over the hills, through a private space of a mysterious figure called Miryam van Doren under the guidance of the artist Jack Hauser, and finally a trip back home on the train.

This generative soundscape is based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded on 19 September 2026 during a bicycle trip.

1) A cross-Danube ferry ride.
2) Motocross track near Pulkau.
3) A walk through "Wohnung Miryam van Doren" with the artist Jack Hauser, who is preparing a cucumber salad.
4) A train ride back home.

Released: 21 September 2026

Binaural production - listen with headphones!
A tribute to Edvard Munch, the inventive Norwegian painter.
This generative soundscape is based on a two-dimensional random walk between four binaural soundscapes recorded in Oslo, Norway, between 31 August and 1 September 2026:
1) A virtual visit to Munch's villa in Ekely.
2) A museum room displaying Munch's monumental works.
3) People working at the Munch museum's woodcut workshop.
4) The Badstuforening sauna near the museum, where you can swim in the sea.