Star DJ breathes new life in Romansh musical tradition

The world-renowned Austrian DJ and producer Richard Dorfmeister ventures into new terrain as he remixes works by a Romansh choir song composer. 

More than 20 years ago, Richard Dorfmeister, co-founder of the electro duo ‘Kruder & Dorfmeister’External link, with his blend of electro-jazz, made pioneering strides in the world of music.

He recently embarked on an experiment that sees him reinterpret the choral song ‘Allas steilas’ by Tumasch Dolf, set in Romansh language.

City groove meets mountain atmospheres

In the eastern canton of Graubünden, Tumasch Dolf (1889-1963), who worked as a school teacher, is considered one of the most important composers of Romansh traditional music.

As a musician, Dolf was exceptionally versatile as he conducted choirs, composed songs and worked as a collector of folk songs. From his oeuvre, the songs “La notg ei vargada”External link (The night has gone by) and “Allas steilas”External link (To the Stars) are his most important works.

Dorfmeister’s remixExternal link, “Look allas steilas”, blends tradition and modernity by combining the atmosphere of a mountain village with the groove of a cosmopolitan city. The DJ recorded and performed the classic with two choirsExternal link: “Cor maschado Donat a danturn” and “Cor maschado calandaria” of the Beverin Regional Nature Park.

An initiative of the Federal Office for the EnvironmentExternal link, the project is part of a national campaignExternal link to draw the attention of the Swiss public to the role of the 18 Swiss parksExternal link from a cultural, economic, environmental and educational point of view.

The Swiss National Park is the best known and oldest of these parks, which are part of the natural and cultural landscapes of Switzerland. The federal government labelled the Beverin Regional Nature ParkExternal link as a park of national significance in 2013.

(SRF, swissinfo.ch)