Ammann's orchestral music in the studio

"Not a second of idleness" can be found in Dieter Ammann's works, said his famous, now sadly deceased composer colleague Wolfgang Rihm. The fact is that the creations of the composer from Aargau, who teaches composition at the Lucerne University of Music, are extremely well received by audiences. His piano concerto Gran Toccata, which he worked on for several years, has already been performed worldwide with great success - also thanks to the phenomenal interpretation by Andreas Haefliger - and his viola concerto no templates also has a great chance of becoming a repertoire piece.

However, Ammann has become particularly well-known in the last decade with four works for large orchestra, in chronological order these are Boost (PREMIERE 2002), Core (PREMIERE 2002), Turn (UA 2010) and glow (PREMIERE 2016). The first three were commissioned by the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra and the Lucerne Festival, glow The Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra and the Bern Symphony Orchestra will perform together.

Improvisational habitus and meticulous care

Their captivating effect is based on several factors: on the one hand, you can sense Ammann's past as a jazz musician and improviser. Although the four pieces do not contain any improvised or aleatoric passages, but on the contrary are "worked out" down to the smallest detail, they have a rhythmic groove that constantly maintains the tension. Pierre Boulez characterized them as follows: "Ammann's orchestral works form a synthesis of seemingly improvisational habitus and meticulous care in their elaboration." This way of working makes him one of the "slowest" composers among his contemporaries. Ammann writes that composing also means "enduring the contradiction of being a seeker in a world whose creator you are at the same time". On the other hand, the works are very varied and sensual, as Ammann exploits all the possibilities of a modern orchestra in his orchestration, with percussion often featuring prominently.

Of course, very different music has left its mark on Ammann's work; one is momentarily reminded of John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine, Mark-Anthony Turnages Three Screaming PopesGyörgy Kurtág's Stele or even Alexander Mossolov's Iron foundryi; some of the harmonies and timbres are reminiscent of works by French Impressionists or Olivier Messiaen. Ammann's music is not epigonal, however, but has its own personal signature. It is pleasing that he completely dispenses with quotations, which seem almost unavoidable with other composers at the moment.

Opulent in sound and played with brilliance

Naxos will release a CD of orchestral music by Ammann in 2023 (including Core, Turn and Boost) in outstanding, live-recorded interpretations by the Basel Sinfonietta under Baldur Brönnimann. The fact that the Schweizer Fonogramm label has now released these three works, supplemented by glowin studio recordings with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under the direction of Jonathan Nott, who is familiar with Ammann's music, can be described as a stroke of luck. On the one hand, we now have two different recordings of some of the most interesting recent orchestral works composed in Switzerland; on the other hand, the new recording, opulent in sound and played with the greatest brilliance, is a real pleasure to listen to. The CD can be warmly recommended!

Dieter Ammann: glut, music for orchestra. Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Jonathan Nott, conductor. Swiss Fonogram, SF0020