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Gisela Horat Trio: What's behind "Live in Leipzig"

Angela Ballhorn09-30-20252 min. read

Everyone associates composition titles like "Einfach Müde" (Simply Tired), "Die Gedanken drehen sich im Kreis" (Thoughts Go Round in Circles), and "Ein Schmerz" (A Pain) with something. For pianist Gisela Horat, who hails from a small mountain village in Uri, it's important to bring listeners along for the ride. It was a big step for her and her trio to release an album on the Troxler Art Edition on Unit Records instead of on their own label, as they usually do.

For Gisela Horat, sound is the most important parameter. Long, decaying notes define her music. Sometimes her notes sound like bells; other times, she prepares the piano with table tennis balls. In "Ein Augenblick," there are ping-pong balls on the strings. "The effect is random. I play after the balls. I throw the balls into the piano one by one. Sometimes they bounce; often, they just roll over the strings."The album began with a Blüthner concert grand piano and a good concert hall. The organizer at the Villa Ida Media Campus in Leipzig records all the concerts. We hadn't considered the recordings beforehand because I had already booked the studio for the next CD recording in November. That's why we played freely, but we knew immediately afterwards that it was good. After listening to the recording, we knew we had to release it."The trio has been together since 2015 and only had limited time to test the acoustics of the hall. Gisela Horat explains that they did the sound check before the grand piano was even tuned. Still, the grand piano sounded better than many others.
Although the music is very free-form, the trio takes the stage with a set list. The pianist believes it is important to tell the audience something about the pieces. "It's precisely because I think it's very abstract music. If someone knows that the theme is fear, for example, they can connect with it more. 'Thinking of My Sister,' 'Lost,' or 'Sisyphus' — you can get more out of the music if you have that information."The pianist considers her collaboration with Samuel Büttiker and Simon Iten to be very important. The two were recommended to her after another lineup disbanded. "We had an audition, a rehearsal, and then our first concert. The chemistry was there immediately. Everyone notices how the others are doing. Simon and Samuel notice if I'm tired from traveling. We can play in a way that reflects my understanding of a trio. We're all on the same level; everyone takes on every function, and we take turns. It happens intuitively; nothing is planned out ahead of time.The trio often doesn't know where the journey will take them, and the improvisations sound different each time. The starting points for the eight tracks can be snippets of melody, rhythmic instructions, or mood. "Those were my only guidelines for my latest album. Mutual inspiration is important; otherwise, I could limit myself to solo concerts. That's exciting too, but it's different because there are no fellow musicians to help me. I don't have great ideas every day. But when I play, I immerse myself in the sound. I bathe in the notes and enjoy every single one."Angela Ballhorn, Jazz'n'moreThis article appeared in the September/October 2025 issue of Jazz'n'more.

The Gisela Horat Trio at Moods

  • Album Release «Live in Leipzig»

    • Gisela Horat Trio

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