Fusion & La Buena Vida

Item details

Description +
- Preface
  
  Fusion
  For many years I have, together with Christer Brodén, ordered new music for guitar and marimba. From the many fine pieces we have received from composers, I find that it is often the case that one of the instruments has a solo part that is accompanied by the other instrument. In Fusion, I have therefore written two parts that seem to be on equal terms. The finger technique on guitar and playing with four mallets on marimba also have their similarities and therefore the two parts are very similar to each other.
  
  I wanted to write a virtuoso piece that express the joy of playing and borrowed trait from progressive jazz. The guitar and the marimba are thus united in this Fusion.
  
  La Buena Vida
  I wanted to write a work where the rhythm is in focus and the harmony, so to speak, plays the second violin. With a portion of great humor, I have chosen to vary the time signature (towards the end, the instruments play different time signature at the same time) and let the guitar both dance and play a chamber musical "cat and rat game" with the marimba. When I would then set harmonics to these rhythms, I have used 12-tone technique, full-tone scales and one of the few chords I can play on guitar myself.
  
  With Christer Brodén, I not only share the passion for music but also the joy of life and a great interest for food and beverage. That's why our collaboration is gilded with most from The Good Life - La Buena Vida!
Instrumentation +
- Guitar and marimba
Watch+
- Performed by Christer Brodén (Classical Guitar) and Daniel Berg (Marimba)
  
  Performed by Emil Miranda Holmgren (Classical Guitar) and Sonja Bahlenberg (Marimba)
  
  Performed by Christer Brodén (Classical Guitar) and Daniel Berg (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)
  
  These two pieces by percussionist Daniel Berg were written for himself and guitarist Christer Brodén in an effort to compose music of equal difficulty for the two players. In both pieces, the marimba part is approachable by an advanced undergraduate-level student. Both use four mallets, with techniques including double and quadruple stops and many single lines at fast tempi (meaning sticking will need to be worked out).
  
  “Fusion” is inspired by progressive jazz and is reminiscent of the music of Pat Metheny. It begins and ends with repeated patterns, often in a swirling texture. Berg uses different meters, including 5/8, 4/4, 12/8, and 20/16, which keep the performers and listeners on their toes with an off-kilter groove. The middle section uses marimba dead strokes in accompaniment to the guitar melody. There is also a unique aleatoric section in the middle calling for the guitarist to play harmonics and the marimbist a tremolo effect between the bars with the mallet shafts.
  
  “La Buena Vida” is full of energy, starting with fast-moving quadruple stops in both parts. Berg writes in the program note that he wanted to focus on rhythm, with harmony playing the “second violin” part. There is a sense that the guitar and marimba are competing, particularly in the B section with its playful hocket rhythms dancing around each other. This may be the “cat and rat” game that Berg refers to in his program note. Like “Fusion,” there is an element of freedom to “La Buena Vida” in that the performers can choose their dynamics and vary the playing techniques and character during specific sections. There is also hemiola between the two players near the end, making obvious the different meters implied between the parts throughout much of the piece.
  
  I recommend both works for performance. They are fun and engaging and will challenge the performers.
  
  —Joseph Van Hassel
Credits +
- Art work (photo): Bengt Berglund
  Photo (Daniel Berg & Christer Brodén): Per Högberg
  Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
  Copyright © Edition SVITZER
  www.editionsvitzer.com

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