University (1978-85)

Studied musicology at the University of Berne (under Prof. Dr Stefan Kunze, Chair of the department)
Specialized in the study of opera history and the symphonic repertoire of the 19th century, with Prof. Kunze, Dr Peter Ross (Verdi), Dr Victor Ravizza (Mahler) and Dr Jürgen Maehder (Puccini; Maehder was later appointed professor at the Free University of Berlin).
Final dissertation on the compositional process of Verdi, with reference to the sketches of Rigoletto (supervisor: Prof. Kunze); ‘Lizentiat’ (Master’s equivalent) awarded together with the Diploma ‘School Music II’ in 1985.

During the work on his dissertation, Danuser had research contact with Prof. Pierluigi Petrobelli (of the Verdi Institute in Parma/University of Rome) and Prof. Harry Powers (Princeton University). An invitation from Prof. Powers to continue his studies at Princeton University was turned down in order to focus on singing studies in Italy.

In 2001-2003, Danuser further undertook studies in music management at the University of Basle.

 

Music criticism (1977-87)

From his last year at high school until the end of his studies in Italy, Claudio Danuser worked as a music critic for the main Bernese daily newspaper, Der Bund, for which he wrote some 200 reviews.
During his studies in Italy, Danuser regularly wrote reports on opera productions for Der Bund, for the Berlin opera magazine Orpheus and for the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik.

 

Radio journalism (1983/86)

At the invitation of the radio station Radio Swiss International, Claudio Danuser designed and presented radio programmes on various musical topics (e.g. literary figures in music).
At the invitation of the Italian state channel RAI (Studio Pescara), he in 1986 designed a six-hour radio programme on the topic ‘Gabriele D’Annunzio and music’, which he presented in dialogue form in Italian with a radio journalist from RAI.

 

Programme texts

During his studies, Claudio Danuser wrote various programme texts for the concert series of the Berne Symphony Orchestra.
From 1990 to 2000 he wrote the programme texts of the ‘Klubhaus-Konzerte’ (the orchestra tours organized by the Migros-Kulturprozent).
He further wrote programme texts for the Zurich Opera, the Grand Théâtre in Geneva, the Paul Sacher Foundation and for CD booklets in the series Musiques Suisses.

 

Lectures / courses

Claudio Danuser is passionate about communicating music to a broader public by means of lectures and courses. He is thus particularly attracted by invitations to lecture on unusual topics for audiences not usually closely involved in matters musical.
His talks have included:

  • Pre-opera and pre-concert talks at the Zurich Opera House, the Berne City Theatre and for the Berne Symphony Concerts.
  • An introduction to all 26 operas by Verdi at the VERDI Restaurant in Berne
  • An analysis of all the death scenes in Verdi’s operas (a marathon lecture of 6 hours on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Verdi’s death on 26 January 2001, at the VERDI Restaurant in Berne).
  • ‘Wine and music’ for the wine merchant BINDELLA
  • ‘Bridges in music’ for the Business Women’s Association in Zurich
  • ‘Music and medicine’ for Lion’s Clubs and other such institutions
  • ‘Richard Strauss in Pontresina’ for the hotel guests of the Saratz Hotel in Pontresina
  • ‘Swiss Music: a potted history’. Lecture in English, given at the universities of Honolulu, Pretoria and the Witwatersrand and at the Mongolian music festival ‘Roaring Hoofs’ in Ulan Bator and in the Gobi Desert
  • Courses in opera history for the Migros Klubschule and the Zentrum Obertor in Winterthur
  • Course in music history at the literary grammar school of Rämibühl in Zurich (since 2004)

 

Swiss Caruso Society

1993: Founding of a Swiss Caruso Society as a ‘Swiss branch’ of the Associazione Museo Enrico Caruso of Milan.
Its goal is to promote the Italian art of singing in Switzerland. It organises and runs various master classes with Italian singing teachers, concerts with Swiss tenors (including in the Zurich Tonhalle) and public round-table talks with well-known singers (such as Carlo Bergonzi).

 

CD Producer

Since 1990, Claudio Danuser has been the production manager for the CD series of the Migros-Kulturprozent entitled Musiques Suisses that specializes in Swiss music. See: www.musiques-suisses.ch