Thomas K. J. Mejer

12.06.1961

Mejer was born in Lucerne. He studied saxophone under Urs Leimgruber at the Lucerne School of Jazz, with Marcus Weiss at the Lucerne Conservatory and with Mick Green at the Dartington College of Arts. He studied composition under Vinko Globokar, Per Norgard, Michael Finnissy, Philip Grange and received his MA in music from Exeter University. Mejer has won several awards, including a fellowship grant awarded by the Swiss Musicians Association, the Marianne and Curt Dienemann Composition Scholarship, and a financial award from the City and Canton of Lucerne. He teaches saxophone at the Lucerne School of Music and twentieth century music, instrumentation and counterpoint at the Jazz School in Lucerne, he also fulfils a variety of roles as a performer in numerous ensembles.

Thomas K. J. Mejer
Moosmattstr. 26
CH-6005 Luzern
Fon: +41 (0)41 310 05 87
E-mail: mejer@bluewin.ch
Web: http://www.thomasmejer.com


Scores


The Minstrel is Entering Virtual Reality (1989)		 8'
for instrumental ensemble (fl.ob.bcl/hn/hp/vn.va.vc)
Order No: 3401, sFr. 36.00, € 24.00
Inconclusive, trembling and weighed down with emotion, the minstrel attempts to enter through the gate of virtual reality. He fulfils his aim in the second movement; his physical trembling becomes a psychological one.

Streichquartett Nr. 1 (string quartet n° 1) (1989)		 15'
Order No: 3402, sFr. 20.00, € 13.00
Rhythmic superimpositions with simultaneous sonorous differentiation characterises the first and fourth movements. Movements two and three have song-like melodies, in which the second is slow and the third fast and very short (30").

Melius est ... (1990)		 10'
for choir (three choir parts, each with SATB)
Order No: 3403, sFr. 16.00, € 10.50
Text: Pope Gregory The choir is split into three groups and positioned in three different spaces; in several sections they are also set at different tempi. The musical vocabulary stretches from monotones to frightening clusters. The starting point of the composition was the ‘Schweizer Fichenskandal’ - this piece is a sort of parable of this scandal.

Sulpizianische Bilderwelt (1990)		 21'30
saxophone quartet N° 1 (SATBar)
Order No: 3404, sFr. 36.00, € 24.00
(Parts available form the SME: sFr. 48.-; € 32.00)
"The 'Sulpician Bilderwelt' unites Mejer's experience in the field of Jazz and electronic music in a formally convincing way. Between the multi-faceted jagged and fragmentary minimal motive in the first and fourth movements, Mejer has explored, in the organically developing middle movements, the best sound possibilities presented by the available setting." (LNN, May 1995, U. Mattenberger)

Winterlicht (1990)		 6'
for alto saxophone and violin
Order No: 3426, sFr. 10.00, € 6.60

Dark Snow Falls upon the Bagpiper (1992)		 9'
for alto saxophone
Order No: 3405, sFr. 12.00, € 8.00
The bagpiper’s songs of love, courage and energy reach us in a submerged form, soft and fragmented - even if heard from close.

Le chant des livrées (1992)		 6'20
for flute, viola and harp
Order No: 3406, sFr. 14.00, € 9.50
In ‘Le chant des livrées’, two old “chansons du mariage” were combined, rhythmically superimposed and their sounds distilled.

Three Miniature to Morton Feldman (1992/93)		 8'30
for violin and piano
Order No: 3439, sFr. 12.00, € 8.00

Amandla Awethu (1993)		 21'
for 4 wandering percussionists
Order No: 3407, sFr. 38.00, € 25.00
A ring of instruments surrounds the audience. Four percussionists swap from one instrument to the next, accelerating as they do so, seeking the point at which tone and the power of rhythm meet.

Fish and Hips (1993)		 4'50
for viola solo
Order No: 3408, sFr. 14.00, € 9.50
This composition was written for 'The International Viola Book' and is dedicated to Andrew Toovey. In this piece, loosely based on the blues, the viola must alternate (and increasingly during the piece) fulfill all instrumental functions inherent in a jazz combo.

Uroboros Sends You His Regards (1993)		 4'20
for clarinet solo
Order No: 3409, sFr. 10.00, € 6.60
"...a kind of meditation on chaos and calm. Besides the instruments, the application of the body, stamping, bells and drawn out pauses are brought together in a dramaturgical coherence..." (LZ, May 1994).

Dark Snow falls upon the Bagpipers (1993)		 9'
Saxophone-quartet N° 2 (4 asx)
Order No: 3430, sFr. 24.00, € 16.00

Sex Crystals (1994)		 6'30
for flute, clarinet, horn, violin, violoncello and double bass
Order No: 3410, sFr. 14.00, € 9.50
A horn line is sweet-talked with high intensity by perfect fourths and fifths, only on a low dynamic level.

Ahn - Nachtung (1994)		 16'
for chamber orchestra (2.2.2.2/2.2.0.0/8.6.4.4.3)
Order No: 3411, sFr. 36.00, € 24.00
By means of careful shading, melodic timbres with minimal dynamic variations and individual tempi, an attempt is made, using meagre materials and subtle means of figuration, to re-enact the two-liner by M. Herbener ("Nacht, dem Tag unterlegt / Der einzige Ton darüber ein Strich"). The harmony remains aleatoric but within a ‘modal’ framework.

Sternensturz (1995)		 6'
for english horn (or alto saxophone) and vibraphone
Order No: 3412, sFr. 10.00, € 6.60
This composition is based on a poem bearing the same name by Rose Auslander. It advances in stages from spoken image through associated image to aural image. Version a: English horn and vibraphone Version b: alto saxophone and vibraphone

O rubor sanguinis (1995)		 31'
for alto recorder solo
Order No: 3413, sFr. 22.00, € 14.50
An antiphon by Hildegard von Bingen is used as the basis of these 'contemplative' works. The composition is notated in 147 breaths. A recorder (440 Hz) and a Baroque flute (415 Hz) play in succession and simultaneously.

Tartarelischer Tanz I (1995)		 5'
for contrabass saxophone (also baritone saxophone)
Order No: 3414, sFr. 12.00, € 8.00
'Tartarelischer Tanz' comes from the Greek 'Tartaros' - the underworld where the souls of the dead repose in a happy and trouble-free half-state of being. Flittering 1/8 notes, only just audible as sound, build a spooky pulse which is animated in an irrational way by firmly pushed counter accents. (P.B.)

Circle Aleatorik No 1-12 (1990/94)		 42'
for 8-12 players
Order No: 3420, sFr. 18.00, € 12.00

Macula Matris (1995/96)		 72'
for seven musicians (fl(pic,bfl,cbfl).cl(bcl,cbcl).bn(cbn)/tbn/hp/perc/vc), seven speakers and seven dancers.
Order No: 3415, sFr. 158.00, € 104.00
Texts: Hermann Berger, André Gide, Marisa Holder, Elfriede Jelinek, Milan Kundera, Irmgard Morgner, Karin Struck A stage work, somewhere between performance and installation.

Frogland, No Princes! (1997)		 16'
Saxophone quartet No. 3 (SATBar)
Order No: 3416, sFr. 36.00, € 24.00
A very strong feeling of rhythm and agility in the altissimo register is required.

Recurrence of the Nymphs (1997)		 18'
for oboe (also English horn), alto saxophone, bass clarinet and bassoon (also contra bassoon)
Order No: 3417, sFr. 32.00, € 21.00
Structured in four consecutive tonal images, each one takes its inspiration from a species of nymph: Orestiads, Dryades, Naiads and Nereids.

Uroboros Awake (1997)		 10'
for bass clarinet solo
Order No: 3429, sFr. 12.00, € 8.00

Morgenstern (1996 & 1998)		 8'
Northern Lights II
for chamber orchestra (2(2.pic).2(2.ca).2(2.bcl).2(2.cbn)/2.2.0.0/8.6.4.4.3(3 five-stringed))
Order No: 3419, sFr. 42.00, € 28.00

Streichquartett Nr. 2 (string quartet N° 2) (1999)		 12'
Lux obscura
Order No: 3418, sFr. 20.00, € 13.00

Lurking Loves (1999)		 22'
Saxophone quartet N° 4 (4 bsx)
Order No: 3435, sFr. 38.00, € 25.00

Barockengel im Schuss (2001)		 8'
for counter tenor, recorder, violin and viola da gamba
Order No: 3440, sFr. 24.00, € 16.00

Einmal ich und du: Die Bombe im Herzen (1995/99/2005)		 10'
Cycle of "songs" after poems by Ludwig Fels
for flute (afl, pic), clarinet (bcl) and piano trio
Order No: 3441, sFr. 40.00, € 26.50
N° 1: Elegische Ballade N° 5: Sterbenswort N° 10: Sexuelle Panik

Turbitide (2005)		 20'
5 miniatures
for string orchestra (4.4.3.3.1)
Order No: 3442, sFr. 30.00, € 20.00
(Parts available from the SME: sFr. 72.-; € 48.00)

Pøshalsta!! (2006)		 12'
for flute and double bass
Order No: 3443, sFr. 16.00, € 10.50
"Pozhalujsta" = "thanks".


Discs


Kontra-Trio: Vulnerable Spaces
Thomas K.J. Mejer: Rural Bleep
Hae-Kyung Choi: Otium
Hans-Joachim Hespos: Ilomba
Alvin Lucier: Sestina
Thomas K.J. Mejer: Vulnerable Spaces
(Kontra-Trio)

earup CD 1009
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 201
Price CHF: 29.-    Price EUR: 18.-

Nashi dela- po-russki
Ilja Komarov, Thomas K.J. Mejer, Beat Unternaehrer:
Po-russki
(Nashi dela)

earup CD 1008
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 180
Price CHF: 29.-    Price EUR: 18.-

masul - the arousal city
Thomas K.J. Mejer, Paul Giallorenzo:
The Arousal City
(Mejer, Giallorenzo)

creative sources recordings cs 084
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 179
Price CHF: 29.-    Price EUR: 18.-

Momentum 4 - Rising Fall
(John Wolf Brennan, Gene Coleman, Thomas K.J. Mejer, Marc Unternährer)

Leo Records LR 440
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 169
Price CHF: 29.-    Price EUR: 18.-

774th Street Quartet - A Rare Thing
(Guillermo Gregorio, Keefe Jackson, Thomas K.J. Mejer, Aram Shelton)

Bloody Murder BM 101-1
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 168
Price CHF: 29.-    Price EUR: 18.-

Thomas K.J. Mejer, Peter A. Schmid - Nautilus, Music for Contrabass Saxophones
Mejer / Schmid:
Diverse Kompositionen (Mejer, Schmid)

earup CD 1007
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 167
Price CHF: 29.-    Price EUR: 18.-

Ines Herbener - Ueberfahrten
Thomas K.J. Mejer: Spiritus sonorus
(Madeleine Bischof, Thomas K.J. Mejer)
(+ Gedichte von Ines Herbener, gelesen von Christiane Moreno)

earup CD 1004
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 165
Price CHF: 29.-    Price EUR: 18.-

Compositions for Contrabass-Saxophone
Mani Planzer: The Awakening of Atman
Michael Finnissy: Quelle
James Clapperton: Hjalmundalsa
Urban Mäder: Lieber ein Saxophon
Thomas K.J. Mejer: Tartarelischer Tanz I
Leo Bachmann: Schwarzer Schatten
Ulrich Krieger: Midnight Siblings
Frank Denyer: Resonances o Ancient Sins
Andrew Toovey: Fall
Franco Tosi: Concerto Grosso
(MorschAchBlasorCHester, Mani Planzer; Thomas K.J. Mejer)

earup CD 1003
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 127
Price CHF: 29.-    Price EUR: 18.-

Musik in 12 + 1 Borsari Tanks
Thomas K.J. Mejer: Musik in 12 + 1 Borsari Tanks
(Mejer; 12 Mitwirkende)

earup CD 1001
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 126
Price CHF: 29.-    Price EUR: 18.-

Madame Claude - Music for Harp Trio
Claude Debussy: Sonate
Leif Thybo: Flarva I
Thomas K.J. Mejer: Le Chant des Livrées
Jesper Koch: Dream Child
Hermann D. Koppel: Patchwork
Thomas Clausen: Impressões Brasileiras
(Madame Claude)

RAP Procuctions Denmark RAPCD 130-618-1
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 125
Price CHF: 29.-    Price EUR: 18.-

KONTRA-Trio: diligent places
Thomas K.J. Mejer: Diligent Places
Leo Bachmann: Multiplex
Thomas K.J. Mejer: Tartarelischer Tanz II
(Madeleine Bischof; Thomas Mejer; Leo Bachmann)

stv/asm 005
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 101
Price CHF: 30.-    Price EUR: 19.-

Kontraste - Gregorianik und Jazz im Dialog
Gregorianik und Jazz
(Schola Romana Lucernensis; Pater Roman Bannwart; Thomas K.J. Mejer; John Voirol; Roland von Flüe)

Musiques Suisses MGB 6214
SME/EMS Order Nr.: 61
Price CHF: 29.-    Price EUR: 18.-



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