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MALIN BÅNG · WORKS FOR ORCHESTRA Before I start composing, I imagine the orchestra as a huge performance space in which the many musicians are spread out, ready to perform any kind of musical action. The communicative role of each instrument is a vital source of inspiration for me, and completely disparate concepts come to life when I reflect on the dynamic relationship between the individual and the collective in such a large group of people. In order to explore the orchestra from within, I want all sounds to be produced solely by its members, with no need for external input. With this goal in mind I have developed an expanded concept of the role of the musician. Should I be looking for a sound that falls outside the orchestra's palette, I might introduce an acoustic object into the orchestration, also handled with detailed precision. When you compose for an orchestra, you develop a specific relationship with the orchestra as a musical space, with all its unique sonic perspectives. I strive to explore the contrasts within this sonic space - to experience the close proximity of a detailed sound and its resolutions with spatial, timbral structures. The possible spatial movement of a sound is also an important aspect linked to this research – how can a sound slowly emerge from a faint horizon and gradually become almost painfully close and clear? Movement is the central element of all pieces, and the flow of movement creates the formal framework of the music. The idealistic movement Splinters of ebullient rebellion develops very gradually, from the click of a typewriter to a wave of anarchy involving the entire orchestra. In riposte and avgår, pågår there are layers of urban movement in which the counterpoint of vehicles and people's activities is constantly shifting. And in irimi perspective is narrowed so much that it becomes an observation of body movements and the extreme focus and energy characteristic of martial arts techniques. All of the pieces on this CD are concert recordings, in most cases the world premiere, and they carry within them the excitement, energy and focus of that unique moment when music meets an audience for the first time. My heartfelt and heartfelt thanks go to the participating orchestras, conductors and soloists for their energetic dedication, their detailed precision and their beautiful and imaginative interpretations! avgår, pågår (2014) In March 2014 I visited my hometown Gothenburg, which I had left a long time ago, for a few days. I wanted to take a sound walk through the city - to listen to what the atmosphere and character of the city sound like today without any visual input. I made field recordings in noisy Valand with its many trams and at Brunnsparken with its constant chaotic counterpoint of people, birds and traffic announcements. I took a trip on the Älvsnabben harbor ferry and was sucked into the roar of the braking engines alternating with the cool lapping of the sea. I visited Gothenburg Cathedral, where the footsteps on the gravel paths mingled with the slow glissandi of the trams. The urban lifestyle and urban sounds have been an important source of inspiration for my compositions over the past few years. Each city has its own specific sonic personality that its residents continuously create through their daily lives. Music has become a kind of diary for me, in which I portray the city I currently live in and a way to honor the sounds that accompany our daily lives. riposte (2015) riposte was created on the occasion of the festival for Helmut Lachenmann's 80th birthday in November 2015 in Stuttgart. I met Helmut Lachenmann for the first time in his hometown of Stuttgart. I asked him to show me some interesting places in the city that I wanted to use as a starting point for a new composition. We drove uphill and downhill through the heavy traffic of Stuttgart and he generously showed me all the houses and places that were important to him growing up here with his family. It quickly became clear to me that from all these places I had to choose the one that posed the greatest challenge but was the most fascinating from a musical point of view: the Wagenburg tunnel. This tunnel connects the city center of Stuttgart with the eastern parts of the city and is now used by countless cars, trucks and buses. Rather than documenting the history of the tunnel, the form of the piece portrays both the sonic nature of the tunnel today and how I experienced it myself. Walking through the Wagenburg Tunnel, time feels extremely present and purposeful, like an inevitable and powerful force pulling you forward. A whole spectrum of light, airy timbres and pulsating dark noises flows through this room at top speed. The role of the double bass and percussion soloists is to explore the tunnel and its surroundings. The orchestra represents the tunnel itself and initially does what a tunnel typically does, casting shadows on the soloists and echoing them. Gradually, the tunnel slips into a more active role and begins to provoke the invaders with quick and sometimes harsh confrontations. The objects used by the percussionist are "portable tunnels": metal and plastic tubes typically used for drainage during construction work. Splinters of ebullient rebellion (2017 / 2018) while i at Splinters of ebullient rebellion worked, the political circumstances in which we are currently living had manifested themselves in increasingly violent ways. However, politicians and global market forces are not the only things influencing the development of society today. Innovative methods and opinions of "ordinary" individuals that have a lasting influence on political discourse are increasing every day. Modest but bold initiatives snowball through social media and have become a natural part of newscasts. We observe how this new cornerstone of idealism seeks to refocus attention from simplified, one-dimensional explanations to contexts in which the full spectrum of intricate detail becomes visible and the myriad voices that surround us are present. For me, the orchestra is a dynamic platform from which to explore the relationship between the individual and the collective, or the highly sensitive communication between an institution and its members. The orchestral structure consists of two rugged, mechanical, opposing blocks that are gradually transformed by various influencers that force the blocks to interact and intertwine. One of these influencers consists of fragments of more or less topical songs that have become symbols of democracy and human rights, a unifying force in the fight against the various forms of discrimination around the world. The second influencing factor is the voices of the orchestra members, which represent individual initiatives and emerge from afar in the form of a collective cloud of sound. The third factor is the typewriter; to me it is the ultimate symbol of committed writing of carefully considered lyrics, used by courageous people in silent opposition. Something that makes me enthusiastic is the fact that today anyone can choose their own "typewriter" and use the power of the word to unleash a wave of support to preserve and strengthen democracy. irimi (2012) irimi, a composition for the Klangforum Wien, focuses on the interplay of different body movements and the sound of the surfaces of the instruments. Most instruments are made of wood and metal, but the rich sonic possibilities of these materials themselves are rarely explored. The instrumental material is expanded in the same way as drums are used to create different timbres by brushing, beating, rubbing or stroking with a bow. The precision and organic flow of body movements in the Japanese martial art of aikidō have influenced both the movement of gestures through the ensemble and the methods used to create the instrumental sound. The active stillness and focused energy combine with explosive bursts of controlled movement to create a series of contrasting dialogues that explore wood and metal timbres. Malin Bang program: Malin Bang (* 1974) [01] avgår, pågår for symphony orchestra (2014) * 10:24 WDR Symphony Orchestra [02] riposte for amplified double bass and amplified objects with symphony orchestra (2015) * 16:01 Uli Fussenegger, double bass [03] Splinters of ebullient rebellion for symphony orchestra (2017/2018) 19:52 SWR Symphonieorchester Recording of the premiere, Donaueschinger Musiktage [04] irimi for Sinfonietta (2012) * 15:55 Sound Forum Vienna Recording of the premiere, impuls Festival, Graz Total playing time: 62:21 live recordings Awards & Mentions: The panel of the Swedish Radio program “Musikrevyn” praises the recording “Malin Bång – Works for Orchestra” with the highest score possible: “Art Music of the Year” |