Sound explorer from Toggenburg
The musician, composer and choir director Peter Roth was born in 1944 and has devoted his life to sounds. His fascination with musical traditions from Toggenburg dates back to his early childhood. To this day, he experiments with sounds from nature, overtones and yodelling, expanding them to new tonal patterns by integrating contemporary elements.
Sounds have a lot more than mere entertainment value for the soundsmith Peter Roth. By interweaving the folk music sounds of the Alpstein with elements of classical and contemporary music, he brings to life the original spiritual music experience. At various times Peter Roth has made use of religious themes in his compositions. One of his best-known works is the “Toggenburger Passion”, for which Peter Roth received inspiration from the passion cycle painted by the Wattwiler artist Willy Fries.
As choir director, Peter Roth has for 20 years been organising concerts with the Choir Project St. Gallen, in which music of different eras and styles converge. He performs his own compositions with the Evangelical Church Choir of Alt St. Johann. As co-initiator of the “KlangWelt Toggenburg” and, until the end of 2011, as its artistic director, Peter Roth has rendered outstanding services in teaching and further developing indigenous music culture between Säntis and Churfirsten.