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imed_0367-1 |1. Strings & Shadows (1993) 10m04s imed_0367-1.1 | 13930 | ISRC CAD500316500harp, and tape Listen (excerpt)
Composer: Åke Parmerud Performer: Sofia Asunción Claro, harp Commission: NOMUS, for harpist Sofia Asunción Claro Premiere: September 22, 1994, Sofia Asunción Claro • Stockholm Electronic Music Festival (Stockholm, Sweden) In Strings & Shadows the strings of the harp act like gates that open up and let out a variety of other instrumental, quasi-instrumental and, sometimes, vocal sounds that flows in a constant stream of transformations. These timbral ‘shadows’ are complemented with mirroring of the harp using a variety of synthezeised string sounds. There is however also another kind of musical shadow present: a short melodic fragment from Herbert Stothart’s (1885-1949) filmscore of Queen Christina (1933) — a film by Rouben Mamoulian (1897-1987) with Greta Garbo (1905-1990) — can be heard in a slightly distorted mirror-image of the harp in the middle section of the piece (5:10-5:18 and 7:18-7:26). In fact the whole melodic development of the harp part has been to a large extent derived from this melodic theme. The poetic vision of the piece is an image of an old dying actress, drawn into a last flowing sequence of dance through the shadows of her past, while death slowly appears as her partner in the last pas de deux.
Strings & Shadows was realized in 1993 at the composer’s studio and premiered on September 22nd, 1994 at the Stockholm Electronic Music Festival. It was commissioned by Nordiska Musikkommittén (NOMUS) for harpist Sofia Asunción Claro. Strings & Shadows received a Distinction at the Prix Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria, 1994). Strings & Shadows was first recorded by Sofia Asunción Claro for the 1996 Centaur CD Music for Harp and Tape (CRC 2284); the recording was realized by Klaus Pedersen from November 27th to December 2nd, 1994 and January 16th to 20th, 1995 at the DIEM (Aarhus, Denmark) and mixed at the composer’s studio. 2. Stringquartett (1988) 11m46s imed_0367-1.2 | 13931 | ISRC CAD500316510 Listen (excerpt)
Composer: Åke Parmerud Commission: Sveriges Radio Premiere: June 4, 1989, Skinnskatteberg Festival (Skinnskatteberg, Sweden) The basic structure of Stringquartett (Stråkkvartett; String quartet) is derived from the number 4. Four players, four types of playing techniques, four layers of velocity, four temperaments, etc. As one of the instrumental combinations that has proven to be a real ‘survivor’ through music history, the string quartet has fascinated me since a long time. Overwhelmed by the number of compositions created for some 300 years I realized that there was little or nothing I could do to create anything even remotely resembeling true ‘originality’ in the sense of bringing new ideas to the form. However, moving the whole concept to another platform gave me the inspiration needed to unfold some visions of how to treat the formal and aural aspects of this specific string combination. Today Stringquartett, as a tape composition, may be regarded as a bit ‘crude,’ based as it is on a sampling technology which at the time was state of the art, but today may be wiewed as ‘antique.’ The structure and energy of the piece still gives it an edge that I like and the conceptual side of transforming the purety of one form into an equal counterpart, renders the piece a quality that last beyond the facts of its ‘instrumental’ shortcomings. The late Swedish poet/author Erik Bäckman allowed me to appear in one of his books as “the composer who kept a string quartet in his pocket.”
Stringquartett was realized in 1988 at the composer’s studio and premiered on June 4th, 1989 at the Skinnskatteberg Festival. It was commissioned by Sveriges Radio — the Swedish radio. Stringquartett received an Honorary Mention at the Prix Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria, 1990). 3. Renaissance (1994) 12m24s imed_0367-1.3 | 13932 | ISRC CAD500316520 Listen (excerpt)
Composer: Åke Parmerud Commission: Ina-GRM Premiere: January 31, 1995, Salle Olivier Messiaen — Maison de Radio France (Paris, France) Having lived and worked with electronic instruments over a period of twenty years, my attention was lately drawn to the tendency of retrospect interest in old analog synthesizers. These instruments represent to me not only a different quality of sound but also a different mode of composing. This in turn deeply affects the musical structures coming out as the final result. Digital systems have a greater flexibility in terms of time and spectral control on a point to point basis. Analog systems on the other hand offers a way to create complex structures with a direct physical control coupled with a unique ‘raw’ quality of sound lacking in digital instruments. Composing with ‘old’ analog systems is a rare phenomenon in todays world of computers, harddisc recorders and digital synthesizers. With increasingly few exceptions, analog synthesizers are more often missing than present in modern electroacoustic workspaces. The transition from analog to digital systems as the main composing tool in electroacoustic studios has taken about ten years. The development of medevial instruments to their modern counterparts took several centuries. I have felt an urge to work with ‘old’ instruments for some time — the last time I worked with analog systems was in 1986, more than ten years ago — and the invitation from the Groupe de recherches musicales (GRM, Paris) to make a piece gave me the opportunity to explore a renaissance of the analog in the digital domain. The piece is based on sounds from a Serge modular synthesizer and some additional sounds from renaissance instruments like drums, lute, krumhorns and viola da gamba. My intention has been to create a virtual meeting between the sounds, composing methods and aestethics of the analog and digital worlds, painted on a remote canvas of medevial timbres and rythms.
Renaissance was realized in 1994 at the composer’s studio and premiered on January 31st, 1995 in the Salle Olivier Messiaen of the Maison de Radio France (Paris, France). It was commissioned by the Ina-GRM. Renaissance received a Honorary Mention at Prix Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria, 1997). 4. Retur (1992-93) 10m35s imed_0367-1.4 | 13933 | ISRC CAD500316530saxophone quartet, and tape Listen (excerpt)
Composer: Åke Parmerud Performer: Stockholms Saxofonkvartett, saxophone quartet Commission: Svenka Rikskonserter, for the Stockholms Saxofonkvartett Premiere: March 23, 1993, Stockholms Saxofonkvartett • Stockholm New Music Festival (Stockholm, Sweden) The melodic and harmonic structure of Retur (Return) is based on some transcribed phrases from a saxophone solo by the legendary American musician Charlie Parker (1920-1955). As one composition in a series of pieces concerned with my relation to music historical artefacts — Alias (1990) and Renaissance (1994) are two other examples from the same series — Retur is a kind of musical letter, written on the paper of time and actually adressed to the sender of the original creation (Parker). The title is Swedish for “return” but also bears connotations to the game of tennis as the basic first stroke delivered by the player who will receive the serve. For me, various forms of art creation as I perceive and contemplate it, functions as a kind of non-aural conversation unbound by time and space, establishing intellectual, sentimental and aeshetic overlappings in the minds of artists. If Charlie Parker had been alive today I would surely have sent him a copy of the piece. Would he have liked it? I am not sure, but then the object of a conversation is not in the first place to agree but rather to listen and possibly exchange ideas, mainly as a token of respect.
Retur was realized in 1992-93 at the composer’s studio for the Stockholm Saxophone Quartet (Stockholms Saxofonkvartett: Sven Westerberg, Jörgen Pettersson, Leif Karlborg, Per Hedlund) who premiered the work on March 23rd, 1993 at the Stockholm New Music Festival. The work was later performed on June 5th, 1993 at the Skinnskatteberg Festival. It was commissioned by Svenska Rikskonserter, the Swedish National Concert Institute. Retur was first recorded by the Stockholm Saxophone Quartet for the Caprice CD Links (CAP 21517) released in 1997; the recording was realized on September 11, 1995 at the OAL studio in Sollentunaby (Sweden) with Anders Hellgren, recording engineer, and Bo Rydberg, recording producer and mixed at the composer’s studio. 5. Les flûtes en feu (1999) 10m39s imed_0367-1.5 | 13934 | ISRC CAD500316540 Listen (excerpt)
Composer: Åke Parmerud Commission: GMEB Premiere: June 14, 2000, Festival Synthèse (Bourges, Cher, France) Les flûtes en feu (Flutes on Fire) is based on the concept of the composer as an alchemist. With the use of computers and modern studio facilities, the composer of acousmatic music or sonic art, is able to treat the acoustic material as if it was a substance with a constantly redefinable morphology. In the piece the basic sonic ‘substance’ is some simple sounds of flutes. They are transformed and recomposed in various ways as to give a glimpse of their virtual potential. As the piece evolves, the relatively simple structures reveals new and sometimes surprising sides of their original gestures. There is also another element reccuring throughout the composition. A short metallic sound, reminiscent of the sledge hitting the anvil, signals the presence of a force that is about to change the shape of things. Finally, in the end of the piece, the sound of fire, representing the catalyzing process of the four elements present as the basis of all alchemy, breifly enters the sonic stage to confirm the process that has been taking place. As in many other instances where the ambitions of art touches upon the old idea of metamorphosis, working with this piece definitely made me realize that “all that glitters ain’t gold.” However, as usual when working closely with some sound material, my relation to the flute as a source of sound and as an instrument in general got a lot deeper, witch in itself is a golden experience.
Les flûtes en feu was realized in 1999 in the Charybde studio of the Institut international de musique électroacoustique de Bourges (IMEB, France) and at the composer’s studio and premiered on June 14th, 2000 during the Synthèse festival (Bourges, France). Les flûtes en feu was awarded the First Prize ex æquo at the 1st Biennial Acousmatic Composition Competition, Métamorphoses 2000 (Brussels, Belgium) and was first recorded in 2000 on the Métamorphoses 2000 CD (MR 2000). 6. Repulse (1986) 10m10s imed_0367-1.6 | 13935 | ISRC CAD500316550 Listen (excerpt)
Composer: Åke Parmerud Premiere: September 3, 1986, Berwaldhallen (Stockholm, Sweden) Repulse (Repulsion) was composed with the material that became ‘outcast’ in the process of creating Isola, a mixed work for chamber orchestra and tape commissioned by Asko Ensemble from The Netherlands. Large parts of Repulse were concieved as a complementary layer to Isola, but somewhere along the compositional process things went very, very wrong… The layers clashed, invariably argueing, fighting and generally misbehaving in relation to each other. Helplessly watching the approaching disaster, I saw no other way than to cut all links and set each layer to live its own respective life. Thus expelled from the process, Repulse later became a ‘pure’ tape composition, free of all agonizing terrors imposed by the demanding presence of the instrumental paths of composing. Repulse can be regarded as the first piece in which I explored multiple layering of textural processes. Up to five simultaneous layers of sound from time to time creates a dense sound image, although transparent at all times due to techniques such as spatial simulation, frequency displacement and clear texture identity.
Repulse was realized in 1986 at the composer’s studio and premiered on September 3rd, 1986 at Berwald Hall (Stockholm, Sweden). Repulse received the First Prize at the 15th Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition (France, 1986). electrocd.com Åke Parmerud: Jeu d’ombres (CD): track detail |
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