Four Elements

Item details

• Description +

  • “Space is in the Art” said by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright and with the four elements, ancient man left a cosmos subject to the whims of Greek gods in favor of a world determined by a few primordial elements – air, earth, fire and water.
    
    Violinist Tobias Granmo and marimba artist and composer Daniel Berg held four academic seminars at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden with the elements in focus who all led to concerts with new music. For every seminar and concert Daniel composed a new piece for violin and marimba and worked closely to other arts.
    
    For the seminar round Air, Duo Granmo-Berg invited Brutus Östling, famous for the photos with birds of prey. The Ceramicist Sara Möller was the guest of seminar with Earth in focus and she created an exhibition where the works slowly crumbled to ash.
    
    Fire needed two artists, Johan Zetterquist and Karin Kent Grundberg, who both worked closely to the heat. In the seminar round Water, architect GertWingårdh talked about the influence of water on the creation of buildings and photographer Martin Almqvist inspired to new music when he showed his incredible pictures taken underwater in the Arctic Ocean!
    
    After composing, performing, and recording this new collection, Daniel gave the music to photographer Peter Christensson who made the cover for the booklet and Peter said:
    
    At the edges of a certain photographic film there are sometimes strange chemical reactions that appear graphic in an interesting way. If you look at them, expressive landscapes will appear. Color, shapes elements.As with some watercolor painting techniques you cannot control it, until you say, NOW IT IS, four elements.

• Instrumentation +

  • Violin and Marimba

• Watch+

  • Performed by Martin Almqvist & Daniel Berg
    
    

• 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)
    
    Violinist Tobias Granmo and marimbist Daniel Berg held four academic seminars in collaboration with other arts disciplines. For each seminar, Berg composed a new piece based around a primordial element. The result is “Four Elements” — air, earth, fire, and water. Each movement captures the character of its corresponding element quite well. This duet is beautifully composed and one that will surely be enjoyed by performers and audiences alike.

    The first movement, “Air,” is characterized by steady streams of sixteenth notes at a bright tempo. Both parts weave in and out of each other’s ranges like competing winds. The violin also has downward glissandi that sound like rushes of air.

    The next movement is “Earth.” In contrast to “Air,” it is slow, rhythmically steady yet sparse, and lower in each instrument’s register. It has a sort of marching, consistent quality to it.

    The piece continues with “Fire.” This movement sounds frantic and intense like a raging fire. The parts trade between constant sixteenth notes and a more lyrical melody. About halfway through, the music slows gradually and comes to a halt, as if the fire has gone out. However, it is reignited and stronger than ever, blazing toward a virtuosic finish.

    The final movement is “Water.” The music has an undulating quality. There is a flowing consistency that is reminiscent of a stream or river.

    I recommend this piece as a great addition to any university or professional recital. The natural pairing of marimba and strings is showcased well. Also, I appreciate the multi-movement aspect, as it allows for a large-scale work or a smaller addition by way of a single movement.

    —Justin Bunting

• Credits +

  • Artwork (Cover): Peter Christensson
    Photo (Duo Granmo-Berg): EwaStaxäng
    Photo (Daniel Berg): Alice Berg
    Front Cover: Nicola Lee 
    Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
    Copyright © Edition SVITZER
    www.editionsvitzer.com

Related publications

Bird of Prey

Arctic Nights