1997 | DUE BAGATTELLE II | solo cl + 3 or more background instruments 7’
comment
Due Bagattelle for clarinet were composed in 1987. Each of them is based on a spectre of pitches which remains immobile through the whole movement, but moves around these pitches in a certain way. They have been performed in various places in the original version, but in 1997 I thought of adding slight external resonances to the solo part to mark the underlying pitch structure, also introducing some repetitions in the solo part.
For performers: There are various ways of realising the background parts, which are divided in three voices: vla. Vc. Pno. or vn. Vc. Vib (or guitar or harp or cymbalom) etc. A couple of instruments with sustained notes (strings) and at least one with plucked or stricken notes, and also with more than one instrument per voice.
main performances
Amsterdam, May 30, 1998 (Gino Sgroi/Zephyr Ensemble)
Montepulciano, July 1998 (Gaspare Tirincanti/Ensemble MusicAttuale)
Palermo, December 14 1998 (Gino Sgroi/Zephyr Ensemble): The Musica su più dimensioni Festival
Reggio Emilia: The Di Nuovo Musica Festival
Rome, June 17, 2000 (Gino Sgroi/Zephyr Ensemble)
1993 | VINK | picc , cl , vc , pno 3’
comment
On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of my home town, Njardvik, there was a concert wholly dedicated to my music. As a homage I wrote this short festive piece.
For performers: This is not one of my more serious works, although it is seriously fabricated. Occasional piece, quite easy to play.
Main performances
Premiered in Njardvik on August 16 1992 (Nardeau, Ingolfsson, Kornblueh, Birgisson)
1999 | HZH: STRING QUARTET N.1 | (BMG Ricordi) string quartet 16’
comment
The idea at the basis of my first string quartet is that of a landscape which transforms into words, which on their turn transform into verse, and eventually, pure rhythm. The rhythm can then flow into a new landscape and the process can begin over again. In music, the above terms - landscape, speech and verse - easily translate into timbre, harmony and rhythm. The transition between these three aspects of a single material has interested me for quite some time. During my work on the quartet they were symbolized by the German terms Haut, Zunge, Herz, which then became part of the title: HZH. The piece was commissioned by the Musik-Biennale Berlin for the Arditti quartet and premiered in March 1999.
main performances
Konserthaus Berlin, March, 1999 (The Arditti Quartet): Berlin Biennale
NMH, Oslo, October 2001 (same): The Ultima Festival
Otto Braun Saal, Berlin, November 23, 2002 (same): Magma 2002
