Suite for Flute and Marimba

Item details

• Description +

  • The Suite in five movements is composed for the Spanish/Swedish Elier Duo (Esther Dorado Suela, flute and Elias Gustafsson, marimba).
    
    I. Stress Deluxe
    In my 1890 apartment, there's a tiled stove that has stood there since the house was first built. Legend has it that it hadn’t been used for 50 years, so I decided to try and restore it. The chimney sweep was optimistic — “shouldn’t be a problem” — but we needed to seal the flue all the way up to the roof, 18 meters above. Naturally, one problem led to another, including having to drill through the chimney stacks of four other apartments. Meanwhile, I sat in my study, working on the first movement — Stress Deluxe!
    
    II. Aetheris (for solo flute)
    The Latin word Aether refers to the clearest and most ethereal layer of the sky — that which lies beyond the four classical elements. In ancient cosmology, aether was considered the fifth element: a divine substance that filled the space above the moon, associated with light, purity, and the celestial realm.
    
    III. Conversation
    No comments…
    
    IV. Hymn (for solo marimba)
    I often return to the music of Tōru Takemitsu. In his Rain Tree for three percussionists, he uses a set of nine tones for his chords in the vibraphone part. Interestingly, I discovered the same number of tones hidden within the names Esther Dorado and Elias Gustafsson. These nine tones form the harmonic foundation of this hymn for marimba: Eb (Es), B (H), D, A, C (Do), E, Ab (As), G, and F.
    
    V. Bliss Ride
    Putting the feeling of pure happiness into words is anything but easy. When I was 18, I happened — quite by chance — to get the opportunity to fly a small propeller plane. It was an unforgettable experience, quite literally like floating on clouds. I often feel deeply grateful when I reflect on the fact that I get to work with music — and just as joyful when I think about how my old tiled stove is now fully functional again.

• Instrumentation +

  • Flute and Marimba (5.0)
    w/ mallets and ping pong balls

• 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.

• Credits +

  • Enamel painting: Bengt Berglund
    Photo (Daniel Berg): Roschkov Media Film
    Front Cover: Nicola Lee
    Printed in Copenhagen, Denmark
    Copyright © Edition SVITZER
    www.editionsvitzer.com

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