Darmstadt Sonicals #1: The Electric Guitar Diaries
An anthology of sonic transformations in contemporary music
The early 1960s marked the rise to glory of the electric guitar in popular culture. At the same time, a humbler undercurrent began taking shape at the reputable Mecca of European Avantgarde, the Darmstadt Summer Course, in which classically trained composers were gradually including the electric guitar in groundbreaking works whose impacts are etched in our musical present.
Documenting these developments The Electric Guitar Diaries represent the first attempt to trace the evolution of the electric guitar within the contemporary music canon, as experienced through the prism of activities held at the Darmstadt Summer Course from 1946 to the present and documented in the institute’s archive.
In headphones reach The Electric Guitar Diaries offer enthusiasts from around the world a rare access to the archive, in both physical and digital formats: one, a three vinyl boxset accompanied by an expansive booklet with essays, photographs, sketches and music commentaries; second, a digital edition featuring an extended audio listing of twenty-eight live performances – mostly never published before – of pieces by composers like: Mauricio Kagel, Lukas Foss, Horațiu Rădulescu, Costin Miereanu, Christian Fennesz, Jagoda Szmytka, Clara Iannotta & Chaya Czernowin to name a few.
Curated by guitarist Yaron Deutsch, this is the first edition of a multi-pronged collaboration between the International Music Institute Darmstadt (IMD) and the Basel Music Academy (Sonic Space Basel), resulting in a biannual publication series, each time focusing on a different theme, titled Darmstadt Sonicals, an anthology of sonic transformations in contemporary music.
Track list see below
The Electric Guitar Diaries | Press clip
Track list Vinyl Box
Mauricio Kagel: Sonant (1960)
for guitar, harp, double bass and percussion
Performed by Karl-Heinz Böttner, Dodo Metelmann, Georg Nothdorf, Siegfried Rockstroh, Mauricio Kagel
Recording: 13 July 1964
Mauricio Kagel: 4 Teile (from Sonant) (1960/65)
version for electric and Spanish guitar
Performed by Karl-Heinz Böttner
Recording: 21 July 1965 (concert)
Lukas Foss: Paradigm (1969)
for percussionist/conductor, electric guitar and three other instruments capable of sustaining a sound
Performed by Karl-Heinz Böttner, Hermut Gießer, Christoph Caskel, Saschko Gawriloff, Siegfried Palm
Recording: 30 August 1969
Hugues Dufourt: La Tempesta d’après Giorgione (1975/76)
for eight instruments
Performed by Ensemble L’Itinéraire
Recording: 14 July 1982
Alexander Schubert: Bird Snapper (2012)
for voice, saxophone, electric bass, electric guitar, drum kit and keyboard
Performed by Ictus Ensemble
Recording: 28 July 2012
Lois V Vierk: Red Shift (1989)
for keyboard, cello, electric guitar and percussion
Performed by Bang on a Can All-Stars
Recording: 3 August 1996
Clara Iannotta: Outer Space (2018)
for saxophone, electric guitar, percussion, one objectperformer, film and electronics
Performed by Ensemble Nikel
Recording: 20 July 2018
Alexander Schubert: Point Ones (2012)
for augmented conductor, ensemble and live-electronics
Performed by Nadar Ensemble
Recording: 18 July 2012
Simon Løffler: b (2012)
for three musicians
Performed by Curious Chamber Players
Recording: 6 August 2014
Elena Rykova: Know-how to skyrocket your Stratocaster and Zigzag to Callisto (2018)
for electric guitar
Performed by Thilo Ruck
Recording: 25 July 2018
Chaya Czernowin: Black Flowers (2018)
for electric guitar
Performed by Rubén Mattia Santorsa
Recording: 25 July 2018
Kelley Sheehan: hot guts (2023)
for electric guitar and violin
Performed by Kornelia Radziszewska, Marco Abisso
Recording: 18 August 2023
Online bonus tracks (available 15 September 2025)
Mauricio Kagel: 4 Teile (from Sonant) (1960/65)
for electric and Spanish guitar
Performed by Karl-Heinz Böttner
Recording: 21 July 1965 (rehearsal)
Costin Miereanu: Labyrinthes d’Adrien (1981)
for ensemble
Performed by Ensemble L’Itinéraire
Recording: 14 July 1982
José Evangelista: Clos de vie (1983)
for ensemble
Performed by Ensemble Modern
Recording: 20 July 1986
Horațiu Rădulescu: Subconscious wave (1985)
for guitar and digital sound
Performed by Jean-Luc Mas, Horațiu Rădulescu
Recording: 29 July 1986
Tom North: Zerrissenheit (1988)
for electric guitar and tape
Performed by Tom North
Recording: 8 August 1988
Christopher Brandt: Quicksilver Moon (2004)
for electric violin and electric guitar
Performed by Hubert Steiner, Susanne Zapf
Recording: 13 August 2004
Christian Fennesz: Black Sea (2008)
for electric guitar and electronics
Performed by Christian Fennesz
Recording: 18 July 2010
Stefan Prins: Fremdkörper #1 (2008)
for flute, electric guitar, percussion, cello and live electronics
Performed by Nadar Ensemble
Recording: 21 July 2010
Peter Evans: Agents of Mechanization (2010)
for trumpet, amplified steel string guitar, piano and percussion
Performed by International Contemporary Ensemble
Recording: 24 July 2010
Øyvind Torvund: Themes from Neon Forest Spaces (2009)
for clarinet, cello, electric guitar, percussion and tape
Performed by Ensemble Asamisimasa
Recording: 24 July 2010
Brian Ferneyhough: Renvoi/Shards (2008)
for electric guitar and vibraphone
Performed by Mørch Håkon Stene, Anders Førisdal
Recording: 24 July 2010
Jagoda Szmytka: For travellers like angels or vampires (2012)
for amplified chamber ensemble
Performed by Ensemble Besides
Recording: 18 July 2012
Matthew Shlomowitz: Avant Muzak (2010)
for flute, soprano saxophone, drums, electric guitar, amplified harp, violin, cello and sampler
Performed by Ensemble Besides
Recording: 18 July 2012
Christopher Trapani: Anyplace Else (2012)
for ensemble
Performed by Ensemble Dal Niente
Recording: 21 July 2012
Mark Barden: Witness. (2012)
for electric guitar, saxophone, piano and percussion
Performed by Ensemble Nikel
Recording: 16 July 2018
Elena Rykova – Asymptotic Freedom II (2020/21)
for six electric guitars
Performed by UFA sextet
Recording: 10 August 2021