LEONARDO IDROBO
COMPOSER
«kerekere»
for ensemble (2023)
written for Ensemble Phoenix Basel
premiered in April 2023 at Gare du Nord, Basel.
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The concert was recorded by the Swiss Radio and can still be heard at
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Christoph Bösch (flutes), Toshiko Sakakibara (bass clarinet), Carlos João Pacheco (percussion), Miguel Pisonero (prepared piano) and Aleksander GabryÅ› (double bass). Jürg Henneberger (conductor).
«law abiding citizens»
for ensemble and electronics (2022)
composed for Soyuz21 as a result of the residency Polytempo at ICST Zurich
premiered in November 2022 at Walcheturm, Zurich.
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Sascha Armbruster (alto sax), Philippe Meier (keyboard), Mats Scheidegger (e-guitar) and Isaï Angst (electronics, objects, drums - for this version)
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A video recording is available at
«snerade»
for ensemble and electronics (2020)
commissioned by neuverBand
premiered in March 2021 at SMC Lausanne.
Video and sound provided by RTS Radio Télévision Suisse
«Unspoken (scene V)»
for vocal ensemble and percussion (2017)
commissioned by Basler Madrigalisten and Trio Klick
premiered in August 2018 at Lucerne Festival.
«wood table stainless steel»
for alto saxophone (also baritone), prepared piano, percussion, violoncello, and electronics (2018)
commissioned by ensamble vertixe sonora
premiered in June 2018 at Centro Galego de arte contemporánea in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
«macchina»
for ensemble (2015-2016)
commissioned by Ensemble Aventure Freiburg
premiered in April 2016 at Florian-Waldeck-SaalReiss-Engelhorn-Museen, Mannheim.
«macchina» is my critical approach on a hideous aspect of our modern societies' development namely that of our way to build things which are going to last for 3, 4 or 5 years top. Quantity; not quality. We don't fix things anymore, it seems. We just throw them away.
My goal with this composition was, thus, to "compose" a believable "defect". The machine was never supposed to work; it fights against all odds, 'cause it doesn't want to "die".
«pareidolie»
for chamber orchestra (2015-2016)
commissioned by Geneva Camerata and Festival Archipel premiered by Geneva Camerata conducted by Ludovic Morlot in March 2016 at Alhambra, Genéve (Switzerland).
[excerpt]
«murmullos»
for string quartet (with tape) (2015)
commissioned by Teatro Colón Bogotá and premiered in November 2015 at Teatro Colón, Bogotá, Colombia by Quatuor Voce Paris.
«adrift»
for ensemble (with tape and images) (2015)
commissioned by Musikfestival Bern and premiered in September 2015 at Dampfzentrale Bern, Switzerland by ensemble proton bern.
Matthias Kuhn, cond.
Texts by Rainer Maria Rilke («Ur-Geräusch») and Paul Klee («Das bildnerische Denken»)
«serpens cauda»
for soprano, trombone, percussion, piano and cello (2013) was commissioned by Eunoia Quintett and premiered in January 2014 at Gare du Nord in Basel, Switzerland.
Full recording played by Eunoia Quintett.
«serpens cauda» is dedicated to the Eunoia Quintet. It is based on a personal opinion on the socio-political situation of the last few decades in my home country. Especially that situation, where the voices of those people trying to defend themselves, and those who wanted to help out and protest, were silenced by extortion, oppression and other violent methods.
It is the second composition, in which I consciously deal with this topic. The first being called «entrelineas», written for the ensemble proton bern. A concrete aspect of this broad topic dictates the structure or the behavior of the compositions.
In «serpens cauda» is the singer the one being "suppressed". She tries to liberate herself out of these circumstances.
«entrelineas»
for ensemble and dictaphones (2012-13) was commissioned by ensemble proton bern, conducted by Matthias Kuhn and premiered in January 2013 at Dampfzentrale Bern, Switzerland.
«entrelineas» emerges as a residual product of an unfinished composition, which deals with the situation "not to understand oneanother, although we're talking about the same thing". It relies on newspaper articles in a highly politically tense and polarized time in my home country, Colombia. It has to do with news manipulation up to "brainwash" in that particular periode of time, whereas the few independent information channels were treated as cranks and terrorists.
«Ein Kinderlied»
for ensemble and tape (2012) was commissioned by Ensemble Phoenix Basel conducted by Jürg Henneberger and premiered in March 2012 at Gare du Nord in Basel, Switzerland. (Excerpt) Recorded by Alex Buess for the Swiss Radio DRS2.
«faux»
for two voices, wind instruments, accordion, percussion and electronics (2011) was composed for the composition competition of Musikfestival Bern 2011, and was awarded the 3rd prize ex-æquo. In this excerpt you hear Ilektra Platiopoulou, Matthias Horn and Ensemble Vertigo conducted by Mark Foster. Premiered in September 2011 during the festival at Grosser Saal Konservatorium Bern, Switzerland. Recorded by Roland Handschin.
«Keramik»
for alto saxophone, piano, percussion and tape (2009) was commissioned by Trio Red Poles and premiered in November 2009 at Gare du Nord in Basel, Switzerland.
In this excerpt you hear Trio Red Poles (Remo Schnyder, sax; Eduardo Vallejo, piano; and Dominik Dolega, percussion).
«Air»
composed in 2008, is the last chapter of "Don Quijote de la Mancha" put in tones, and the last piece of a big project called "Don Qvixote Ready-Made" by José Javier Navarro, a guitarist and sound designer, who commissioned the piece. In this excerpt: Javier Hagen, countertenor; Aleksander Gabrys, double-bass; José Javier Navarro, guitar and electronics. Played and recorded in 2009 at Forum::Wallis in Brig, Switzerland.
«weder ... noch» (2007) is the result of my first encounter with CSound. It was first publicly performed 2007 at ZKM in Karlsruhe, Germany, during a festival called "next::generation". It uses the ambisonics-application developed at ICST in Zürich by Peter Färber and Philippe Kocher. In this audio file, thou, a the stereo version.
«I scarcely breathed» (2006). I like to think of it as a kind of opera written for solo female voice and electronics. It's based on the "The tell-tale heart" by Edgar A. Poe. The singer interacts with 3 loudspeakers on the stage, whereas the rest is sounding around the audience through 8 more loudspeakers. In this excerpt you hear Camilla de Falleiro singing - (Brain Robison, taped voice). Premiered in june 2006 at Neuer Saal der Musik-Akademie Basel.(taken from the video recording ... sorry!)
«Canto lejano»
for ensemble and electronics (2005)In this excerpt you hear the Ensemble Phoenix Basel conducted by Jürg Henneberger.Played and recorded in June 2005 at Grosser Saal der Musik-Akademie Basel.
«En agua nueva»
for string trio, harp and percussion (2004) was composed during a composition workshop given by Klaus Huber at the Musik-Akademie Basel, and premiered that year by Ensemble Phoenix Basel conducted by Jürg Henneberger.(Excerpt)
«Un camino es un camino»
for flute, clarinet and piano (2002) was written for Ensamble3 from Mexico, and premiered by them during the festival "Foro internacional de música nueva Manuel Enriquez". In this recording you hear: Anne-Laure Pantillon, flute & alto flute; Etele Dosa, clarinet & bassclarinet; Tiffany Butt, piano. Performed in June 2006 at Neuer Saal der Musik-Akademie Basel.
«Esther se llamaba»
for violin and cello (2003) was composed during the composition workshop "Bartók Seminar" in Szombathely, Hungary. It was premiered at the closing concert and then again in Budapest later on the same year.Recorded by Silvia Hunziker, violin; Camille Boff, cello - june 2006 in Basel.
«Figuras»
for percussion quartet (2000) was composed for the fabulous Tambuco Cuarteto de percusiones de Mexico during my artistic residency awarded by the Colombian Ministry of Culture and FONCA of Mexico.This excerpt was taken from the CD "Serie Iberoamericana Vol. I" released by Quindecim Recordings in 2001.
«casual symmetry?»
for female voice, flute, viola and percussion (1998-99)
Juanita Delgado, voice
ensamble CG
WP at Sala de Conciertos Luis A. Arango, April 2001