Paul Dirmeikis

Paul Dirmeikis (born 1954) is a French-speaking poet, composer, singer, and painter who lives in Brittany, France. He is of Lithuanian ancestry, and a member of the Lithuanian Composers Union.

Dirmeikis was born in Chicago, Illinois. As a writer, in the 1990s he began a large cycle of poems inspired by the German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen's entire musical output.

Compositions (selective list)
Seventy compositions are now listed in his catalogue, including:
 * Message laissé à Pondichéry le 18 novembre 1973 (Message Left in Pondicherry on 18 November 1973), for voice, saxophone, electric bass, vibraphone, crystal glasses, percussion, and piano
 * Papier à musique (Music Paper), for voice and papers (4 performers)
 * Un seul or, for voice, flute, saxophone, electric bass, tampura, and piano
 * J. C., for voice, electric guitar, intratonal carillon, and computer-generated sounds (1983)
 * String Quartet No. 1, op. 1 (1984)
 * Le ciel sous la terre (Heaven in the Earth), String Quartet No. 2, op. 10 (1985)
 * Un unique corps (A Unique Body), for overtone singer, flute, tampura, mugaveena, and electric bass
 * Nous, les esprits, nous dansons (We, the Spirits, We Dance), for voice, two saxophones, percussion, electric bass, and synthesizer
 * Lame d'orage (Storm Blade), for voice, two saxophones, percussion, electric bass, piano, and synthesizer
 * Octa, op. 6, for two pianos in quarter tones (1984)
 * Le monde dans notre maison (The World in Our House), for voice, flute, saxophone, electric bass, percussion, piano, and synthesizer
 * Le serpent, for voice and computer-generated sounds
 * Visur (Everywhere), for soprano and computer-generated sounds
 * Dienaktis, electronic music for Lithuania (1988)
 * Motina (Mother), op. 18
 * Tevas (Father), op. 19
 * Krastas (Country), op. 20
 * Pavasaris (Spring), op. 21
 * Laikas (Time), op. 22
 * Susisristi (Links), op. 23
 * Gimimas (Birth), op. 24
 * Ausra (Dawn), String Quartet No. 3, op. 27 (1996)
 * Karma, op. 67, for string quartet and electronic and concrete music (2004) premiered by the Kaunas String Quartet at the "Is Arti" International Contemporary Music Festival in Kaunas
 * Entre Parenthèses, 31 songs on poems by René Guy Cadou, for baritone voice and various instrumental ensembles, op. 68 (2005–2007)
 * Sukaktuvès (Celebration), op. 70, for 3 oboes, 3 trumpets, and 3 bassoons, op. 70 (2007)
 * Aster (Star), op. 71, for wind quintet (2010) premiered by the Quintette à vent de Bretagne

Dirmeikis has been working since 2003 on a 22-part cycle, TAROT, for various instruments and/or electronic and concrete music.

Discography

 * Loup Rouge (LP – 1984) – L'Eveilleur EVE 001
 * Message laissé à Pondichéry le 18 novembre 1973 (CD – 1988) – L'Eveilleur EVE 002
 * 17 Metacompositions – Electronic and concrete music (Audio DVD – 2002) – L'Eveilleur EVE 003
 * Entre Parenthèses – 31 poèmes de René Guy Cadou (2-CD set – 2009) – L'Eveilleur EVE 004

Writings

 * Limbres creusées – poems – Editions St Germain (1975)
 * La Peur – short stories – Editions Le Cherche-Midi (1978)
 * "Three Poems", Perspectives of New Music 36, no. 2 (Summer 1998): 41–52.
 * Le Souffle du temps (Quodlibet pour Karlheinz Stockhausen) – Editions Telo Martius (1999). This is a conversation book with the German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen whom Dirmeikis had known for 30 years.
 * L'Epaule d'Orphée – poetry – Foreword by Salah Stétié – Editions L'Eveilleur (2012)
 * Gwerz – poetry – Editions L'Eveilleur (2013)
 * Les Belles Choses – poetry – Editions L'Eveilleur (2014)
 * Je te réunirai – novel – Editions L'Eveilleur (2015)