Sunday 31 May 2015

Photos from Ystad

Sunday the 17th of May I decided to visit Ystad, a small little town in Southern Sweden where people usually go for vacation. It's an old town and a very beautiful place, but because pictures tell more than words, here are 25 pictures I took in Ystad. (I recommend that you click on one of the pictures for seeing them on the whole screen instead of these small versions beneath.)

Streets of Ystad. Photo © Cecilia Damström
Detail on a house. Photo © Cecilia Damström
A front door. Photo © Cecilia Damström
Cherry blossom. Photo © Cecilia Damström
A street in Ystad. Photo © Cecilia Damström
The Theatre of Ystad. Photo © Cecilia Damström
Photo © Cecilia Damström
A window in Ystad. Photo © Cecilia Damström
Streets are not quite straight in this town... Photo © Cecilia Damström
Nor are the windows... Photo © Cecilia Damström
A park in Ystad. Photo © Cecilia Damström
Opening times for a cafeteria in Ystad.
Photo © Cecilia Damström
Spring in Ystad. Photo © Cecilia Damström
Ystad. Photo © Cecilia Damström
Inside the main church. Photo © Cecilia Damström
One of the oldest houses in the city.
Photo © Cecilia Damström
The monastery of Ystad.
Photo © Cecilia Damström
The monastery of Ystad.
Photo © Cecilia Damström
A small street...
Photo © Cecilia Damström
A lovely café that unfortunately was closed. Photo © Cecilia Damström
A selfie on the main shopping street.
Photo © Cecilia Damström
It began to rain... Photo © Cecilia Damström
The trainstation of Ystad. Photo © Cecilia Damström

The view from the train window.
Almost like Mark Rothko's paintings.
Photo © Cecilia Damström

Wednesday 13 May 2015

Tongeneration Concert in Lund

Last week’s Sunday, on the 10th of May, we from Tongeneration, the composers of Malmö Academy of Music, had a concert at Lund’s Museum of Public Art. The concert was part of the Lund Biennale, a two day event of music in Lund, organized by Odeum.
The programme was:


1. Francesco Del Nero - Sc'ri (world premiere)
2. Jonatan Sersam - Medusa (world premiere)
4. Cecilia Damström - Piano Delirium Op.9 (Swedish premiere)
5. Jonatan Sersam - Röster (world premiere)
6. Ismael Palacio - Open space
7. Alfred Jimenez - Two excerpt teasers from his opera Clownen Jac (world premiere)

Musicians:

Albert Van Pham - Piano (2)
Niklas Sjölund - Piano (1)
Jonas Helander - Tenor (7)
Elisabeth Ekberg - soprano (7)
Jonatan Sersam - Piano (1, 7)
Cecilia Damström - Piano (4)
Ismael Palacio, Francesco Del Nero and Jonatan Sersam are the "Non-Existing Trio" (Prepared piano and amplified harmonica) (7)

Niklas Sjölund and Jonatan Sersam playing
Francesco del Nero's piece Sc´ri. Photo © Cecilia Damström

Albert Van Pham playing the world premiere of
Jonatan Sersam's piece Medusa.Photo © Cecilia Damström
 

Cecilia Damström playing the Swedish premiere
of her own piece Piano Delirium. Photo by Niklas Sjölund

Open space by Ismael Palacio​. Photo © Cecilia Damström

Tongeneration at the Lund Biennale, on Sunday the 10th of May
in the Museum of Public Art and Sketches.
Photo © Cecilia Damström
 

A taster from Alfred Jimenez opera "Clownen Jac".
Photo © Cecilia Damström

A taster from Alfred Jimenez opera "Clownen Jac". 
Photo © Cecilia Damström


I had planned that my song cycle would have had its Swedish premiere, but all my singer friends were too busy and my sister had a slight flu and couldn’t either sing, so I decided instead to give my solo piano piece Piano Delirium (from 2010) a Swedish premiere, and played it my self in the concert. I was very happy with how it went; I think I have maybe never played it so well in a concert before!

The concert had two more piano pieces, two pieces for tape, a trio (Open space) and two arias from Alfred Jimenez opera. There were about 30 people at the concert, which is about an average for a contemporary music concert. Everyone was happy with the concert, both we composers and musicians as well as organizers, and even the sun was shining in Lund!



All composers and performers on stage!
Tongeneration at the Lund Biennale, on Sunday the 10th of May
in the Museum of Public Art and Sketches.

Tuesday 12 May 2015

Examples of Brass Music

Tuesday 12th of May. Wrote yesterday  about 1 minute of music for my brass ensemble piece "Sirens". Now feeling stuck, so I’m listening to inspirational pieces, mainly brass music. Here is a list of what I’m listening to (recommendations by teachers and friends), hope you enjoy it as well!


Rautavaara: A Requiem in our time


Gunther Schuller: Symphony for Brass and Percussion Op.16


Hindemith: Music for Brass and Strings Op.50 Movements I & II


Hindemith: Music for Brass and Strings Op.50 Movements III & IV


Stravinsky: Ebony Concert


Stravinsky: Symphony for Wind Instruments


Takemitsu: Garden Rain


''
Moritz Eggert: Morphing


Moritz Eggert: in the box



Anders Hillborg: Brass Quintet


Lutoslawski: Mini Overture


Louis Andiressen: Hoketus



Louis Andriessen: Workers Union


Berio: Call



Varèse: Intégrales


Varèse: Ionisation



Monday 11 May 2015

Planning a New Composition for BIBA

Monday the 11th of May 2015 and at the moment I’m working on a commission for Blekinge International Brass Academy 2015, where I will be composer in residence together with two other composers from Malmö Academy of Music. I’m writing for an ensemble of 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, 1 bass trombone, 1 French horn and 1 tuba.

Last week I was in Würzburg in Germany, and outside the window where I lived the Red Cross had a big station of ambulances. At one point several ambulances left the station at the same time, and I must say that the quarters and small thirds at different pitches ringing at the same time where very beautiful. So I decided to write a piece integrating quarters and small thirds at different pitches as a main element in my new piece. It’s a bit ironic I notice now, because the festivals name is shortened BIBA and that is more or less the sound with which people imitate ambulances and fire trucks, “bii-baaa-bii-baa”!

I also think the Doppler Effect is very fascinating, that is to say the apparent change in the frequency of a wave cased by a relative motion between the source of the wave and the observer, so I’m planning on integrating “faked” Doppler Effects as well.



A third thing I think is super cool with brass instruments are the very low notes, and also so called pedal tones on trombones, French horn and tuba. They can sound like loud foghorns, exciting!

I’m also planning on splitting up the trumpets and the trombones on each side of the ensemble, so that the stereo effect and moving sensation of the Doppler Effect will be a bit more prominent.


All of this I’m writing without having written a note yet, so let’s see how I will succeed with actually realizing all my ideas into music! Deadline 10.6, hey ho let's go!