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#SUISA100

A musical legacy for the future

A musical legacy for the future
Günther Giovannoni (Swiss National Sound Archives) and Johannes Rühl (Associazione Olocene Onsernone – casadirosa.ch) at the handover of the time capsule.
Photos: Erika Weibel
Text by Erika Weibel
On Sunday, 16 February 2025, the Lugano Arte e Cultura provided the festive setting for the conclusion of a unique project: “Future sounds – echos du future – utopie sonore”. Musicians from all regions of Switzerland developed musical concepts for an audience that is only going to exist in the future. The works will be premiered in the year 2123 – in a world which we can only imagine today.

The visionary project was initiated by ethno musicologist and music programme curator Johannes Rühl to celebrate SUISA’s centenary: Rühl invited Swiss composers to create new works that would only be heard in a century. During a festive ceremony, the entire sound material, including 40 unique compositions, was sealed in a specially designed “time capsule” and handed over to the Swiss National Sound Archives in Lugano.

Festive handover ceremony of the time capsule to the Swiss National Sound Archives in Lugano Arte e Cultura (LAC).

Sound art for future generations

The project came to life in 2023 as part of the celebrations “SUISA100” and is a sonic heritage for the future. Along with time documents, among them magazines, a book on SUISA’s 100th anniversary and a letter to the future generation, 40 compositions were placed into the time capsule that had been designed by SUPSI (Scuola professionale della Svizzera italiana). It is kept at the National Sound Archives and is intended to provide support for the sonic journey through time into the “Città della musica” of Lugano.

The time capsule, designed by the Scuola professionale della Svizzera italiana including 40 compositions for the year 2123 has now been sealed and is kept in the archives of the National Sound Archives.

With this unique project, a bridge was built between generations, linking past, present and future with music. The sounds of today will be carried forward into the future and invite us now to think about the music of tomorrow.

To conclude, let us quote an excerpt of Johannes Rühl’s letter to the music lovers of the future who are going to deal with the content of the time capsule in 100 years’ time:

“We wish SUISA all the best to its 200th anniversary and express our thanks to SUISA, without its support all of this would not have bene possible.
Enjoy!
Safe travels, music!”

The handover ceremony involved the following:

  • Chuchchepati Orchestra (speaker installation from Nepal)
  • Patrick Kessler (double base, orchestra conductor)
  • Camilla Sparksss (singer, musician and visual artist)
  • Francesco Giudici (electric guitar)
  • Martina Berther (electric bass)
  • Andrea Amarante (LAC)
  • Günther Giovannoni (Swiss National Sound Archives)
  • Stefano Keller (SUISA)
  • Johannes Rühl (Associazione Olocene Onsernone – casadirosa.ch)
  • Christian Gilardi (RSI Radiotelevisione Svizzera)

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