Professional activity: Composers, Interpreters, Authors
Biography
* 03. 10. 1958.
Dieter Jordi was born in Zurich, and following an initial foray into the world of jazz and other improvised music, he studied classical guitar in Winterthur (A. Valcro, K. Scheit), receiving his concert diploma in 1979. He studied composition at Freiburg im Breisgau School of Music under Klaus Huber (1981-1985). His teaching commitments include positions at Winterthur Conservatory (music theory), and since 1992 at the Kreuzlingen Seminar (guitar). He also performs as a soloist and accompanist in both contemporary and early music ensembles. He has organised numerous concerts at Winterthur's 'Theater am Gleis', and since 1991 has been president of Zurich ISCM (International Society for Contemporary Music) in Zurich and Winterthur. Apart from music for the stage, he has composed predominantly experimental chamber music with an emphasis on microtonality / harmony / tonal systems and unusual playing situations. He lives in Winterthur. He is a member of the publishing co-operative 'mikro'.
Work list
Guitar quartet (1981)
Instrumentation: for three guitars and quint guitar
Solo quint guitar against three guitars, contains varying levels of independent and coordinated play. Virtuosic.
Die Zeit verschmilzt die Gegenstände ineinander (1982-1984)
Instrumentation: For two altos, bass, two clarinets in A, bass clarinet, two violas and double-bass
Texts: Novalis, Ovid, Hermann Broch
Music based on 'Missa Prolationum' by J. Ockeghem: 9 canons (3-9 voices, in 3-9 different metres), notated in various overlapping time species. Text by Novalis, Ovid and Broch.
Instrumentation: for nine players and listeners ad lib. (cl.bcl/2vn.3va.2vc/perc ad lib.)
Twenty-eight single tones. Each harmonically and metrically 'germinating'. An exercise in higher partial tones and metres. Can be performed as individual extracts.
Duration: 15' 00" Manuscript
Qvirin Kuhlmann's XLI. himmlischer Libeskuss. 2 mal für 2 Soprane und 1 mal für 8 Stimmen a cappella gesetzt, sowie ein dazu passendes Vor-, Zwischen- oder Nachspiel für Vierteltongitarre (1985)
twice for two sopranos and once for eight a-cappella voices, including a fitting prelude, intermezzo or postlude for a quarter tone guitar
Instrumentation: total score: two sopranos, two altos, two tenors, two bass and a quarter-tone guitar
Texts: Qvirinus Kuhlmann
A radical sonnet by the Baroque poet and heretic Qvirinus Kuhlmann (twelve times fourteen strung together nouns which can be arbitrarily permutated) become four times musicalised. The guitar piece can be performed on any other quarter tone instrument (e.g. double manual harpsichord on a quarter tone staff). The pieces can be performed seperately.
Instrumentation: for variable ensemble (one keyboard instrument, one deep and one high equally tempered instrument (e.g. marimba, vibraphone, guitar, mandolin, keyboard instrument) 2-6 singing strings and/or instruments with free intonation possibilities in diverse regist
Comprises six movements all with a similar static content. They serve as an exercise in processive changes, Just intonations and improvised form in service of a tightly composed music.
Comprises six movements all with a similar static content. They serve as an exercise in processive changes, Just intonations and improvised form in service of a tightly composed music.
Instrumentation: for humming piano player solo or with any two melodic instruments ad libitum
Comprises six movements all with a similar static content. They serve as an exercise in processive changes, Just intonations and improvised form in service of a tightly composed music.
Instrumentation: for any high-pitch woodwind instrument
Music based on a text by Qvirinus Kuhlmann. The melody is constructed out of twelve short bird-like call motives. Uses quarter tones.
Duration: 3' 00" Manuscript
"weder dis noch das" (chromatische Fantasie) eine Annäherung (1990)
Instrumentation: for piano and two instruments with variable intonation possibilities
‘Chromaticism’ here means ‘micro’ chromaticism. The model-like miniature enables practice in harmony of the higher partial tones and the corresponding subtleties in the intonation scale.
Duration: 1' 00" Manuscript
"virgetheiltes Kugelrund" (1986-1991)
Instrumentation: for four small drums or drum solo
Based on a text by Qvirinus Kuhlmann. Twelve similar polymetric lines, distinguished only by dynamic changes, means of striking and tempo. A prior knowledge of classical drumming techniques is presumed.
'Chromaticism' here means 'micro' chromaticism. The model-like miniature enables practice in harmony of the higher partial tones and the corresponding subtleties in the intonations graduation.
Duration: var. Manuscript
"Ein süsser Lebens-strom" (1992)
Instrumentation: for vibraphone solo
Based on a text by Quirinus Kuhlmann, a serene flowing monophonic melody with additional tones for colouration. Relies greatly on the strike differentiation and damper technique. Highly demanding.
For ice objects by Martin Spühler - or any other objects.
Duration: 20' 00"-30' 00" Manuscript
Spiegeltanz (1993)
Instrumentation: for two recorders and one drum
In cooperation with Dieter Jordi and commissioned by Conrad Steinmann for the International Recorder Festival in Basel.
Duration: 4' 00" Manuscript
"zerkalo javlenij" ("Spiegel der Erscheinungen") #3 (1990-1994)
Instrumentation: for woodwind instrument, violin, violoncello, piano and a small drum
This very serene and flowing music is based on Ossip Mandestam’s Requiem for Andrej Belyj. All instruments with fixed pitches are notated in one system, the very sophisticated drum is notated in a second.
Parenthesis in the second sonata from Dario Castello.
This paraphrase deals with the deceleration of tempo through the reduction of note value. If I was an ant the the ant-hill would be a mountain.
Duration: 2' 00" Manuscript
Augmentation / Diminution # 2 (1996)
"... cinta d'herbe e di frond'il crin adorno..."
Instrumentation: for violin and mid-range organ
Sopra 'vestiva i colli' del Palestrina.
This paraphrase deals with the deceleration of tempo through the reduction of note value. If I was an ant the the ant-hill would be a mountain.
Duration: 8' 30" Manuscript
KlangZeiten (1996)
Concept
Instrumentation: for four performers
Based on an installation by Ute Klein.
Duration: 10' 00"-15' 00" Manuscript
Rezepte (1996)
Nine concepts
Instrumentation: for any instrumentation
Extracts can be performed separately.
Duration: var. Manuscript
Kaspars Tänze (1998-1999)
Instrumentation: for vocal quartet and grand piano with two players
Texts: Georg Friedrich Dauemer, Kaspar Hauser
For the scoring and based on texts by the poets from Brahms’ ‘Liebesliederwalzer’.
Throughout his short life It seemed that Kaspar Hauser danced between extremely hard times and their extreme opposite. Caught between his sufferings (every cognition generated pain and often illness) and his sensitivity (every perception was a unique occurrence, which held his concentration with such force, that nothing else was able to exist) He was fired driven and to learn everything by his dauntless will. The musical structures, composed of few elements and accessory to the texts by Daumers / Hausers, attempt to arrange a small number of tonal relations and time relations detached from their traditional context. The expression they create is such that it could "mean" everything or nothing.
The ten pieces have, by mirroring the texts, the character of memories, this is underlinded with two quotes by Brahms.
Duration: var. Manuscript
Acht schmelzende Schneeflocken, mit Meisenschlag (1999)
Concept piece
Instrumentation: for piano
Duration: var. Manuscript
DER AMEISENHAUFEN, VON INNEN (1999)
Nine movements
Instrumentation: for piano and a sixteenth-tone piano (piano duo)
1. WECHSELSATZ, through all tonality types (for Tom Johnson)2. KEIMLINGE, four short mysteries (for Ivan Vysnegradskij)3. TRAUBEN, filtered (for György Kurtág)4. VERWANDLUNG, atonal - tonal (for Joseph Matthias Hauer)5. WENDUNG, euphuistic (for Urs Peter Schneider)6. TORKELN, precise (for Viktor Jekimovskij)7. ZENTRUM, approximated (for Peter Streiff)8. CARILLON, over the thirteenth tone (for Julian Carrillo)9. TRAUM, reminiscent (for Regina Irman)The sixteenth tone piano which is mentioned here is one produced by the firm Sauter, under the initiative of Julian Carrillo. It was produced for the world exhibition in Brussels in 1957 and has a range of one octave (c1 - c2) and ninety-seven keys. The claviature looks the same as a normal piano with a _C - c5 range.
Duration: 10' 00" Manuscript
Chromatische Fantasie # 1 (1986-1987)
Instrumentation: for two woodwind instruments
‘Chromaticism’ here means ‘micro’ chromaticism. This model-like miniature enables practice in harmony of the higher partial tones and the corresponding subtle intonation scales.
# 1a: Transcription for two violins
# 1b: Transcription for two violoncelli
Duration: 2' 00"-10' 00" Manuscript
Chromatische Fantasie # 3 (1987-1995)
Instrumentation: for melodic instrument and piano
‘Chromaticism’ here means ‘micro’ chromaticism. This model-like miniature enables practice in harmony of the higher partial tones and the corresponding subtle intonation scales.
Duration: 2' 00"-10' 00" Manuscript
Chromatische Fantasie # 4 (1987-1989)
Instrumentation: for overtone singing
‘Chromaticism’ here means ‘micro’ chromaticism. This model-like miniature enables practice in harmony of the higher partial tones and the corresponding subtle intonation scales.
Duration: 3' 00" Manuscript
Chromatische Fantasie # 5 (1996-1997)
Instrumentation: for orchestra, band I (2.2.2.2/1.2.0.0/timp.perc/hp/6.5.4.4.3)
‘Chromaticism’ here means ‘micro’ chromaticism. This model-like miniature enables practice in harmony of the higher partial tones and the corresponding subtle intonation scales.
Duration: 7' 00" Manuscript
Chromatische Fantasie # 6 (1998-1999)
Instrumentation: for orchestra, band II (2.2.2.2/2.2.0.0/timp.perc/hp/4.3.4.4.3)
‘Chromaticism’ here means ‘micro’ chromaticism. This model-like miniature enables practice in harmony of the higher partial tones and the corresponding subtle intonation scales.
Duration: 10' 00" Manuscript
Chromatische Fantasie # 7 (1996-2000)
Instrumentation: for chamber ensemble (fl(pic, fl-g).ob(ca).cl(cl-a, Bcl).bn(cbn)/hn.tpt.tbn/perc/hp) and string quintet
‘Chromaticism’ here means ‘micro’ chromaticism. This model-like miniature enables practice in harmony of the higher partial tones and the corresponding subtle intonation scales.
Duration: 8' 00" Manuscript
Chromatische Fantasie # 8 (1986-2000)
Instrumentation: for flute (pic, fl-c, fl-g) and guitar
Also for other suitable melodic instruments. Guitar with seventh string H.
‘Chromaticism’ here means ‘micro’ chromaticism. This model-like miniature enables practice in harmony of the higher partial tones and the corresponding subtle intonation scales.
Duration: 4' 00" Manuscript
"Ein Liquedamber=fluss" (1999-2000)
Instrumentation: for piano and sixteenth-note piano (piano duo)
Based on a text by Quirinus Kuhlmann.
Duration: 3' 00" Manuscript
Discography
Regina Irman (Grammont Porträt Musikszene Schweiz Nr. MGB CTS-M 62, 2001)