Thomas Fortmann (born 1951) is a Swiss composer and founder of the "Accademia Amiata, Toscana delle Culture", and "ClaZZ Festival".
Youth and pop career
Born in
Gerzensee
Gerzensee is a municipality in the Bern-Mittelland administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland.
The town is named after its lake: Gerzensee.
History
Gerzensee is first mentioned in 1228 as ''Gercentse''.
The oldest trac ...
Fortmann, also known as Tommy Fortmann, son of the Swiss soprano Greta Saar and the entrepreneur Rudolf Fortmann, was born in Gerzensee in the canton of Bern as the first of two children. At 17, he wrote his first pop/rock hit, which was released in 27 countries. In collaboration with the producer
Dieter Dierks, over 100 of his songs were released by United Artists, CBS, EMI, Decca-Telefunken, Ariola, Phonogram, Hansa and others.During this time he worked with
Jürgen Drews, ,
Alexis Korner, Toni Vescoli, Daniela Davoli etc. The conclusion of his rock/pop career made the music for the musical ''Tell'', in which
Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg (born 17 May 1946) is a German singer, drummer, and composer.
Career
Lindenberg started his musical career as a drummer. In 1969, he founded his first band Free Orbit, and also appeared as a studio and guest musician (with Micha ...
played the leading role.
Contemporary music career
At the age of 26 he turned to the study of classical music. He then composed mainly chamber works, but also two symphonies, an oratorio, concertos, songs and several music stage works with commissions and scholarships from the Swiss Federal Office for Cultural Affairs, Zurich Opera House etc
Constant development and the search for the appropriate form corresponding to the content of a new work allow him to develop original ideas; and through his personality, heterogeneous and often even contradictory modernist impulses can be playfully combined into a unity. Construction and vitality, logic and sensual effect are by no means mutually exclusive in his compositions.
In the mid-1980s, Fortmann moved with his family to Tuscany, where he founded the Accademia Amiata in addition to his compositional activities with musicians from the provinces of Grosseto and Siena, and directed the "Toscana delle Culture" festival for several years. In 2016, he founds the international ClaZZ Festival. All works are published by
Müller & Schade in Bern.
Work
;Duos
* Sonate ''für Violine & Klavier'' "A Southern Diary" ''16', premiere: Laufenburg,CH, (2009) Cd: Métier''
* Sonate ''für Alt Sax und Klavier,'' ''13', premiere: Wolfsburg, D, Italienisches Kulturinstitut (2006) Cd: Métier''
* "Quintcello Sonate" ''für Violoncello und Klavier16', premiere: Carnegie Hall, New York (2013), Cd: Blue Griffin''
* Duo ''für Violine & Klavier'', "Grafeneck Variazioni"
* Duo ''für Alt Sax & Klavier,'' "BachCab" ''06', premiere: Orbetello Piano Festival, 2015, Cd: Métier''
* Konzert ''für 2 Klaviere & ad.lib Schlagzeug'', "Krieger der Nacht", ''50' premiere, Salerno Piano Festival''
* Sonatina ''für 2 Saxophone (S&T)'' "The Goretti Thing" ''5' Cd: Métier''
* ''Stücke für Oboe d' amore oder Sopran Sax & Klavier'' "Aus den Tropen"'', 11‘''
;Trios
* "Prolitheus Suite" ''Klaviertrio (Vl,Vcl, Pno), 30', premiere: College Station, Texas University, USA (2010), CD Métier''
* "Con Pepe e Zucchero" ''Trio für 2 Violinen & Klavier, 16', Interharmony Festival, Arcidosso, I (2016)''
* "Schabernack Suite" ''Trio für Violine, Klarinette & Klavier''
* "Grafeneck Konzert", ''Violine, Perkussionen & Klavier plus Einspielungen, 38‘, premiere: Schloss Grafeneck, D (2015)''
* "Elena e Greta" ''Burlesque'' ''für 2 Flöten & Klavier, 7'30
'', premiere: Arosa (2016), Radioaufnahme DRS2''
* "Ladyboy" ''Streichtrio (Vl, Vla, Vcl), 13'30
'', premiere: Zyklorama, Zürich, CH, (1994), Cd: Divine Art''
* "Etude Pytagorienne No.3" ''Klaviertrio, UA: Centre Culturel Suisse, Paris, Radioaufnahme: RSI''
* "Catholic Blues" ''Trio für 2 Saxophone (A&B) und Klavier, 6'07
''. premiere: Europäisches Kulturzentrum Erfurt", Cd: Métier''
* "Three Piggies in Clover" ''Trio für 2 Saxophone (S&A) und Klavier, 4'40
'', Cd: Métier''
;Quartets
* Streichquartett, "Tango Catolico", ''20','' premiere: Kulturviertel, Kiel, D, (1993) Cd: Divine Art und Pentaphon''
* Saxophonquartett, "Songkran", ''4’30’’, premiere: Mozartfestival Rovereto, I, (1995), Cd: Métier''
* Saxofonquartett, "A little American Night music", ''6’30’’, premiere: Mozartfestival Rovereto, I, (1995) Cd: Métier''
* Saxophonquartett "Pop Oh Kakapitl"'', 2'45
'', premiere: Mozartfestival Rovereto, I, Cd: Métier''
;Lieder cyclus
* "Requiem für ein ungeborenes Kind", ''Klar, Vl, Vcl, Pno und mittlerer Stimme, 30‘, premiere: Musikakademie Basel, CH, (1990) Cd: Divine Art und Pentaphon''
* "Geschichten" ''Klaviertrio (Vl, Vcl, Pno) und hohe Stimme''
* "Hoffmannsthal Verse", ''Klaviertrio (Vl, Vcl, Pno) und hohe Stimme''
* "Schuberts Winterreise" ''Streichquartett mit Bariton, 60‘, premiere: Basel-Riehen, CH (2012)''
* "Der Süsse Ton", ''Streichquartett mit Bariton, 15‘, UA: Basel-Riehen, CH (2012)''
* "Am Ende des Flurs, 4. Stock" ''für Tenor, Via & Uno, 8', premiere: Laufenburg, CH (2017) Cd: edition.vokalmusik''
;Ensembles
* "Concertino Gregoriano" ''Septett für Ob(EH), Cl(bsCI), Fag, Pno, Vl, Vla, Vcl, 15‘, premiere: Interharmony Festival Arcidosso, I (2014)''
* "Die Ermordung einer Butterblume" ''für Flöte und Streichquintett (ad.lib. mit Pantomime od. Tänzer), premiere: ClaZZ Festival, I (2017)''
* "Burlesque" ''für Flöte, Streichquintett und Klavier 7'30
'' premiere: Gaia Festival, CH (2017)''
* "Andante for a Somersault" ''für Flöte, Streichquintett und Klavier 4' premiere: Gaia Festival, CH (2017)''
* "Rag'n Blue" ''für Violine, Alt Sax, Schlagzeug, Klavier, Akkordeon & Bass''
* "Arenal Fantasy" ''für Violine, Klarinette, Perkussionen, Klavier & Akkordeon, 30‘''
* "Suite für Leontine" ''für Fl, Kl, Pno, Vl, Vcl, KB''
* "Pinocchio Suite no.2" ''für 2Trp, Hrn, Pos, Tub, 15‘''
;Orchestral pieces
* Symphonie no.1 "Pythagorian", ''SATB - Chor ad lib. - 2F l(Pic), Ob, EH, Kl, Bs.Kl, S.Sax, B.Sax, 2Fg, 2Hrn, 2Trp, 2Pos, Pkn, Perk, Pno/Cel, Vl1&2, Vla, Vcl, KB, 35‘, premiere: Toscana delle Culture, Orbetello, I,''
* Symphonie no.2 "Etruria", ''2.1(EH).1.(BKlar).2 - SSax.BSax - 2.2.2.0. - Pk - Perc(2). - Streicher, 35’, premiere: Moores Opera House, Houston USA, Cd:Métier''
* "Oratorio Francescano", ''Solist & Chor (5-stimmig), Fl, Ob, Kl, aS, Fg, Pkn/Perk, Org, Vl1, Vl2, Vla, Vcl, KB, abendfüllend, (premiere ancient version: Magadino, CH 1982) premiere new Version: Zürich-Wollishofen, 2016''
* "Arenal Concierto" ''-2Fl(Pic), 2Ob(EH), 2Kl(Bs.Kl), Sax, 2Fg, 2Trp, 2Hrn, Mba, Sch.zg, Pno, Vl1&2, Vla, Vcl, KB, 20‘''
;Theatre music
* "Schabernackoper", 3 schauspielende Musiker (Vl, Kl, Pno), abendfüllend
* "Collodis Pinocchio", 5 Musiker (Vl, 2Sax, Schlzg, Pno) & 6 singende Schauspieler/innen, abendfüllend, UA: Nuithonie, Fribourg,CH, (2005) Cd:Klick Records
* "Vaudeville für Leontine", Fl, Kl, Schlzg/Perk, Pno, Vl, Vcl, Bs, Mezzosoprano, Tenor, Bariton, abendfüllend, UA: Murten Classics, CH, (2017)
* "Pinocchio" Musical, Fl(Pic), Ob, EH, Kl, Bs.Kl, Sax(S&A), Fg, Hrn, 2Trp, Pos, Bs.Pos(od.Tb), Pkn, Perk, Pno, KB, Sänger & Chor, abendfüllend, premiere: Opernhaus Zürich,CH, 1989, Vergriffen und nur auf Anfrage erhältlich
* "Tell Musical", 2el.Gtr, Pno, Schlzg, el.Bs, Orchester, Sänger, Chor & Ballett, abendfüllend, premiere: Zürich,CH, 1977 LP: Telefunken-DECCA.
Thomas Fortmann: Sax Music
on Divine art
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortmann, Thomas
1951 births
Living people
20th-century classical composers
Musicians from Bern
Swiss classical composers
Swiss record producers
20th-century Swiss composers