Frontside

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Description +
- Many years ago, I wrote a piece called KNOCK ON WOOD for clarinet (or violin) and marimba where I was inspired by National Romanticism like music from Wilhelm Stenhammar and Johannes Brahms. The harmonies I choose breathe perhaps a more French expression than national romanticism? Jazz dyeing’s in the chords shines most clearly in the middle of the piece where the marimba blossoms out into a dance. But certainly, it sounds national romanticism ...knock on wood...
  
  I’ve been asked many times to write something similar as KNOCK ON WOOD and finally I got the idea! Together with clarinet player Karin Dormbusch and violin player Tobias Granmo I formed the chamber music festival FRONTSIDE some years ago. As a trio, we were asked for touring in the countryside with a mission to find new listeners for classical music. For that tour I got the idea for a piece with strong energy, romantic harmonies and the joy of playing chamber music - a FRONTSIDE for violin, clarinet, and marimba!
Instrumentation +
- Violin
  Clarinet
  Marimba
About the composer +
- Daniel Berg is a Swedish composer, musician, and professor in classical percussion at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and at the Academy of music and drama in Gothenburg.
  
  In his passion to promote the marimba as a solo- and chamber music instrument, Daniel has worked intimately with a number of composers who have written original music for the instrument. This includes more than 300 world premier for solo and chamber works. Daniel Berg is a marimba artist of Bergerault and Elite Mallets.
  
  As a composer Daniel has written a lot for solo marimba like Mistral (for Michael Burritt), Phoenix (for Robert van Sice) and Yán Jiâng (for the Taiwan World Percussion Competition). His music for percussion ensemble have been appreciated and often performed like Kroumata (for sextet) and Arctic Nights (for quintet) - all published by Edition Svitzer.
Reviews +
- Review (Percussive Notes, February 2025)
  
  This composition is a true gem! In line with many of Daniel Berg’s compositions, this piece features expert percussion writing that is creative yet challenging. The small trio is perfectly orchestrated to serve as a showpiece for a touring university or professional ensemble looking to play something short and audience friendly.
  
  At just under four minutes, “Frontside” picks up where Berg’s “Knock on Wood” leaves off, leveraging romantic-style textures with jazz-influenced flourishes with the marimba, this time partnered with clarinet and violin. Each of the trio members alternate turns, opening the piece with a flourish and subsequently being featured in a more soloistic setting.
  
  The marimba writing is idiomatic and lays well on a low-F marimba, but with minimal alterations, it could be played on a low-A instrument. The same oscillating textures and fast chromatic arpeggiations that make this piece perfect for a keyboard instrument may pose challenges for the other performers. There are markings that invite the need for interpretation by the performers, most notably with the long phrases and few natural or notated breath marks in the clarinet part.
  
  “Frontside” is perfect for an advanced university or professional ensemble looking to program a short, fun, and audience-friendly piece to begin or end a program. The engraving is clean and easy to read, and the piece comes with a score and parts.
  
  —Quintin Mallette
Credits +
- Artwork (photo): Bengt Berglund
  Photo (Daniel Berg): Jon Liinason
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright © Edition SVITZER
  www.editionsvitzer.com

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