Midsommar(so)natten

by Tomi Räisänen

for violin & cello

Description

The Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman understood how simple
musical elements can create a profound impact. For instance, he often
used the ticking and clanging sounds of old mechanical clocks, which
feature prominently in many of his films. In 'Cries and Whispers'
(Viskningar och rop, 1972), these sounds help evoke an atmosphere of
impending death.

In my work, I also wanted to incorporate the
sound of a clock, represented by the triangle. Another sound that
resonates throughout many of Bergman's films is the tam-tam. In 'Scenes
from a Marriage' (Scener ur ett äktenskap, 1973), the only musical
element is a boat's foghorn signal, which appears at the end, just
before Marianne awakens from her nightmare. This foghorn sound also
appears in 'Persona' (1966) when Elisabet visits Alma's room in the
middle of the night. I sought to reference this moment in my work, with
the only bowed sounds of the piece played alongside spoken quotes from
the film.

Like Bergman, I aimed to use limited elements to create
something powerful. As a result, I decided that the string players would
primarily employ col legno and pizzicato techniques to achieve a
unified, simple, and delicate sound texture. TR, 2010

Instrumentation

vln, vlc, perc/tape lib

Category

Chamber Works

Premiere

Karin Hellqvist, violin, Adina Sabin, Cello, June 29, 2010, Fårö, Gotland, Sweden

Commisioned by / dedications

Commissioned by Karin Hellqvist & Adina Sabin

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Archive number

MF36123

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