This piece was commissioned by FRONTSIDE – Gothenburg International Chamber Music Festival with the financial support from the Swedish Arts Council, and premiered at FRONTSIDE, at the lower deck of the ship M/S Kungsö, January 15th, 2023. In the piece, I am using two sound sources as both the only audio source material and the main gestural controller: * The sound of my breathing. (Breath) * The sounds of playing a 100 years old broken 64-string zither, untuned by time.
So every sound I make is both a source material, captured by various sound engines to be used as audio for the piece, and at the same time the contours of the sound is used to control the very same sound engines. So I cannot feed new sounds into the engines without also “playing” them with the same sounds. I call this kind of musical double-bind “entangled musicianship”, where each action by the musician binds them for future implications of their current actions, as every action has multiple consequences, now and in the future.
Hence the piece unfolds as a braid over time – entangled musicianship. This modus of playing has become a natural continuation of our multi-year research project “systemic improvisation”, where we investigated modes and qualities of musicianship within complex feedback systems between human and machine agents. In the piece I use granular synthesis, reel-tape emulations, and real-time additive spectral analysis, chaotic pattern generators from iterated folding functions controlling different replay mechanisms, and multi-band envelope following used for gestural control. Implemented in a modular synthesis system. And an ancient 64-string untuned chord zither, played by hand.
Throughout the piece I maintain a breathing frequency of 2,5-3 breaths per minute. In the beginning and end the actual breathing sounds are heard, but in the middle sections we only hear their implications, resulting in an organic, slowly oscillating texture. The piece was performed four times, three of which were recorded. It was a headphone concert (audience had individual headphones, as did I) for ca 10 people, in the belly of a passenger ferry, as part of a complex chamber concert circle. You can hear the audio from the river and the engine of the boat in the beginning and end of the piece.
Frontside Chamber Music Association has existed since 2019 and is largely driven by volunteer efforts, but we are highly dependent on additional financial sponsors and fundings. All contributions are used to engage fantastic musicians, rents of venues and all other things that make the festival a magical experience.
If you are interested in chamber music that goes beyond the ordinary, you should become a member! As a member, you are invited to the association’s annual meeting and participate in electing the board. You can also suggest activities for the association, thereby influencing future festivals and other events we organize. You also have the opportunity to volunteer during the festival, allowing you to enjoy wonderful chamber music without paying an entrance fee.
How do I become a member and support Frontside? Submit your information in the form below and pay the membership fee, and we will register you as a member immediately. Please also indicate which chamber music you love the most. Together with your personal information, this helps us better understand who our members are. How we handle your information can be read under the GDPR section.
You renew your membership every fall term – we’ll remind you! Alternatively, you can purchase a lifetime membership and thus become a permanent member with a one-time fee.
If you join as a new member in the spring, your payment also covers the following year’s membership.
How do I do it and what does it cost? You can pay the membership fee to Bankgiro 5318-7969 or via Swish 123 356 63 95. Always include your name and, if paying via bankgiro, your mobile number.
Welcome as a member!
For requests, feedback, and additional information, fill in your message in the form at the bottom or send an email to info@frontside-festival.se
The General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR, came into force within the EU on May 25, 2018.
How does Frontside handle its membership register? In our membership register, we store your name, address details, email address, phone number, and birth year. If you leave the association, we will retain your information for a maximum of seven (7) years before deleting it.
Who has access to my information? We register your details digitally in our membership register. Only you (first party) and individuals with trusted roles in the association (second party) have access to your information. No information is shared with third parties.
You can request to see what information we have collected about you at any time.
Validity? By becoming a member of the association, you enter into an agreement regarding which information about you can be stored with us and who has access to this information, as described above. This agreement is valid indefinitely, as long as you are a member of the Frontside Chamber Music Association.
Do I have the right to have my information deleted? According to GDPR, you have the right to have your information deleted, but you will also lose your membership in the association. To request this, send an email to info@frontside-festival.se and ask for your stored information to be deleted.
