work comments
Wave-Movements was composed on commission from Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie and is dedicated to the conductor Daniel Raiskin.
Since childhood I’ve always loved water and wants to compose series of pieces refering to ocean, sea, lakes, ponds and so forth as a point of reference.
Wave motion is a physical phenomenon that involves a field or a disturbance of a medium propagating in space. It is music that is gradually transformed as the piece goes on. It is like watching a wave that washes over one, a stunning spectacle, and that reflects like a mirror. You can also experience great rapids and streams along the course of the work.
From a musical perspective, I have tried to give the work shape based on a harmonic idea where things encounter one another, are reflected and create disturbances in various ways. This leads to a more developmental kind of thinking in the compositional process. Out of this one can clearly distinguish three parts that overlap. The form has a freely ternary form structure of ABA.
1. Rhythmic, suggestive exhortation
2. Melodic, mystical middle section
3. Chorale, when the elements above are mixed together
The instrumentation used are based from the classical period of Mozart and Beethoven which includes double winds, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, percussion as glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba, cymbals, gong and strings. The sounds may give you the impression of the above mentioned composers but without quoting or imitating any piece in a post-modern way sending postcards from the past.
Benjamin Staern
Reviews on Wave Movements:
Görreshaus, Koblenz, Germany
Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie
Daniel Raiskin
[…] ”Seit Kindertagen liebt er das Wasser – das Meer, die Flüsse, die Seen. Deshalb spielt dieses Element auch in der Musik von Benjamin Staern (Jahrgang 1978) immer wieder ein Rolle. Und das gilts auch für sein ”Bells and Waves”, das er im vergangenen Jahr für das New European Ensemble komponierte. Um Wasser geht es ebensfalls in seinem Auftragswerk für die Rheinische Philharmonie, das beim ”Koblenzer Konsert” im Görreshaus uraufgeführt wurde: ”Wave-Movements” für Kammerorchester.
Staern, der in Malmö studierte und mit einer umfangreichen Liste an Werken für große und kleine Besetzungen sowie für elektroakustische Musik aufwarten kann, arbeitet auch in den ”Wave-Movements” zugänglich und tonmalerisch. Geht man von seiner Fähigkeit zur Synästhesie aus, also zur Sinneseindrücke, etwa Töne und Farben, verknüpfenden Wahrnehmung, dann ist dies ”blaue” Musik. Musik, die sich kontinuierlich und zunächst weitgehend horizontal entwickelt, zu sanften Xylofontönen im Hintergrund – spiegelnd, reflektierend, Wellengleichhalt, in ebenmäßigen Rhythmen (vielfältiges Schlagzeug ist bei Staern häufig ein Wichtiges Element). Die wird dann nachhaltig durchbrochen von die Vertikalen strebenden stürmischen Überlagerungen, von Steigerungen, aufgetürmten Wellenbergen gleich. Der Koblenzer Chefdirigent Daniel Raiskin vollzieht diese maritime Tongemälde mit seinem Orchester äußerst konzentriert und intensiv nach – wie so oft zeigt das Koblenzer Staatsorchester eine starke Leistung abseits des Standardrepertoires, und zwar bei einem Werk, das es richtig fordert. ” […] Lieselotte Sauer-Kaulbach, Rhein-Zeitung 31.05.11
Dalasinfoniettan
Tobias Ringborg
[…] ”Staern besitter den svåra konsten att skriva lyriskt atonalt utan att landa i sentimentalitet eller klichéer. Stämmorna flödade här dansant och naturligt genom Dalasinfoniettans lilla orkesterhav. Staern har i detta, mycket välkomponerade, verk varit tydligt inspirerad av havet och vågornas liv. I sina rytmiska stunder fördes tankarna till Debussys La mer, och det är ju ett gott värv.” […]
[…]”Staern possess the difficult art of writing lyrically atonal without landing in sentimentality or clichés. The parts flowed here danceable and naturally by Dalasinfoniettans small orchestral ocean. Staern has in this very well composed work been clearly inspired by the sea and the life of the waves. In their rhythmic moments transferred reminiscent of Debussy’s La mer, and that’s a good acquisition.” […]
Michael Ericsson, Dala Tidning March 31st 2014.
[…] ”Wave Movements är skrivet 2011 och hade Sverigepremiär i fredags i Gagnef. Staerns stora intresse för vatten i olika former har påverkat honom att börja skriva flera verk med vatten som tema. Stycket börjar i ljusa klangfärgen i blåsarnas högre läge och med pizzicato i stråket.
Upprepande rörelser inom ett litet tonomfång i stråkstämmor och träblås, avbryts av en trumpet-signal med jämna mellanrum. Musiken tilltar och avtar, klangen färgas ibland av en marimbas toner. Klangfärgerna ändras allt eftersom till mer murriga och komplexa nyanser.
Musiken växer i styrka mer och mer, färgerna blir grällare i ett klimax, därefter uppstår ett lugn och flöjt och violin börjar härma varandras slingor om två toner i olika rytmer. Träblåsarnas uppåtgående skalor kompletteras med sordinerade trumpeter och horn.
Melodiösa stråkpartier i skira färger med piccola-flöjt och marimba. Snart växer rörelserna igen och pukor, bas, cello färgar klangbilden mörk, varnande signaler i trumpet och snabba växlande sekvenser i violastämman, crescendo efter crescendo och helt plötsligt tar det slut! Dalasinfoniettan är verkligen på tårna stycket igenom och Tobias Ringborg fyller musiken med energi.”
”Staerns great interest in water in various forms have influenced him to start writing several works with water as a theme. The work opens with bright timbres of the bladder do the greater position and with pizzicato in the strings,
Repeating movements over a small gamut in string parts and woodwind, interrupted by a trumpet signal periodically. The music waxes and wanes , sometimes the sound is colored by a marimbas tones. The colors change as the more drab and complex nuances.
The music grows in strength more and more, the colors become contentious switch to a climax, then arises a calm and flute and violin begins to mimic each other’s loops of two tones of different rhythms. Woodwinds Årnäs upward scales complemented by muted trumpets and horns. Melodic string sections in delicate colors with piccolo – flute and marimba . Soon the growing movements again and timpani , bass, cello colors the tone picture dark, cautionary signals in trumpet and fast-changing sequences in viola meeting, crescendo after crescendo and suddenly it ends ! Dalasinfoniettan is really on his toes paragraph through and Tobias Ringborg fills your music with energy.” […]
Anne Pettersson, Dala-Demokraten March 31st 2014.
Pori
Pori Sinfonietta, Ville Matvejeff
”The performance rang clear, and dynamic effects were fine. Wave Movements was easy to imagine when the instrumental grateful work went on.…Staerns work was really interesting music and well prepared!”
Satakunnan Kansa June 12 2015
Centennial Concert Hall
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Raiskin
”Benjamin Staern’s ”Wave Movements,” (2011) bristled with energy including abruptly shifting metres and sudden outbursts of brass, as well as fire-and-fury solo passages by principal timpanist Mike Kemp.”
Winnipeg Free Press February 1 2020
other perfomances made
2014
March 28 2014
Gagnefs kyrka, Gagnef SWEDISH PREMIÉRE!
March 29 2014
Kristinehallen, Falun
Dalasinfoniettan
Tobias Ringborg
2015
June 11 2015
Keski-Porin Kirkko, Pori, Finland FINNISH PREMIÈRE!
Pori Sinfonietta
Ville Matvejeff
2017
April 2nd 2017
Konserthuset Spira, Jönköping
Jönköping Sinfonietta
Samuli Örnströmer
October 19th 2017
Konserthuset, Örebro
Svenska Kammarorkestern (”Swedish Chamber Orchestra”)
Daniel Raiskin
2020
January 31st 2020
Centennial Concert Hall
Winnipeg, Ontario, Canada CANADIAN PREMIERE!
Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
Daniel Raiskin
2022
April 8 2022
Konserthuset, Stockholm STOCKHOLM PREMIERE!
Gävle Symphony Orchestra
Emil Eliasson
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