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TOMMY FORTMANN
was born in Switzerland and became a successful songwriter during the 70s. He wrote his first "Hit" at the age of 16, which was followed by over a hundred titles released in more than 27 countries. Famous German Rock stars such as Udo Lindenberg, Love Generation, Jürgen Drews and others, but also British artists such as Alexis Korner or Italian singer Daniela Davoli recorded his songs. He composed the music for the musical Tell (1977), which created a scandal amongst the Swiss. The record made it into all German-speaking charts.
At the age of 26, Thomas abandoned his career as a Rock musician and dedicated himself to further studies in composition and instrumentation. This period formed the foundation for the following various chamber works, the two symphonies Pythagoras and Aion, the Oratorio Francescano, and the three music-plays:Sommerfrau & Winterwolf, the Cross and the Rooster and Collodis Pinocchio. He received scholarships and commissions from the towns of Zurich and Bern, the Swiss government, the European Union, the Opera of Zurich, Open Opera St.Gallen, Mozart Festival Trento and many others. In the mid’ 80s Thomas and his family moved to Tuscany where he founded the Accademia Amiata and its Festival "Toscana delle Culture".
The music of Thomas Fortmann does not subscribe to any particular school of thought. He studied the various composition techniques, but being the autodidactic person he is, he maintained a critical point of view towards them. It lead to the development of a notably personal style, often uniting different, sometimes even contrary impulses of the modern. Formalistic ideas seem to serve him mainly as a method of transportation and play, resulting in very original ideas, like for example: the ‘complementary twelve-tone technique’. It is, however, always important to him, despite the frequent use of complex structures, to directly communicate with the listener and make an emotional impact:
"Composing is an adventurous journey. However, street signs should not be the nucleus of sucha journey. Therefore, form has to serve the structure and expression of a piece, not vice versa!"
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