Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
The performance of The Border Woods by Frode Haltli and Emilia Amper was absolutely
stunning. I love performances that defy my expectations and push my comprehension of music
and this piece did both. I went into this performance having only heard music by Emilia Amper,
a Swedish nyckelharpist, so as one would assume, I was expecting the night to be filled with
music from the Swedish folk tradition. In a way, what I expected did occur, just in an
unassuming manor. Frode Haltli is a Swedish-born composer and accordionist and the music
performed that evening was of one of his recent pieces, The Border Woods. This piece fuses
sonic textures and contemporary techniques with music in the traditional style of Swedish folk
music. The ensemble was comprised of Frode Haltli on accordion and microtonal accordion,
Emilia Amper on nyckelharpa and microtonal nyckelharpa, and two percussionists. The piece
began with the two percussionists rolling on various suspended cymbals, establishing the
atmosphere for the rest of the piece to come. Due to the acoustic properties of the hall and the
mixture of different resonant frequencies from the cymbals, the space was filled with an
oscillating mush of overtones. The sonorities created almost acted like a fog, possibly
referencing the fog looming over this mythical Border Woods. The intimacy drew everyones
attention to the stage and Frode was the first to break the silence with a sigh from his accordion.
After a few sighs, Emilia entered with the main theme on the nyckelharpa, a melody that was
composed to mimic the tradition Swedish style. After the exposition, there was a long duet
section, with random interruptions from the two percussionists who were now playing marimba
and vibraphone. During a discussion between Frode, my friend John McColley, and I after the
show, it was disclosed that the duet section was made up of many little fragments of melodies
that were strung together by improvised passages performed by Emilia and Frode. The piece
Brice Jackson
continued to bounce back and forth between the two main compositional ideas, atmospheres and
traditional music of Swedish culture, including certain modes from Arabic music as well.
Towards the end of the piece, Emilia and Frode both switched to the microtonal version of their
instruments, while the percussionists played on crystal wine glasses in harmony, and played
through a section of solo improvisations. They started playing in polyphony and eventually came
together and were joined by the two percussionist to finish out the piece in a dance like folk
melody.
was under the impression that I was going to be enjoying an evening of pure Scandinavian folk
music. I was more than happy with what I experienced. From the minute it started, I was truly
captivated. The audience was generally silent, aside from a few coughs here and there, but the
performers were full of energy. They all embodied the emotions that were occurring in every
moment of the music. The performers seemed to be acting more like cultural musicians in a
contemporary context. There was a sense of what I like to call a collective ear. They were all
listening to each other and reacting accordingly rather than focusing on what was written or
supposed to happen. As weve discussed in class, the term global music brings to mind only a
certain type of cultural music, whether it be from Africa, India of the Middle East, but global
music is rarely discussed as still being a part of the growing contemporary musical world. This
piece shows that cultural music can be seamlessly integrated into contemporary music to create
beautiful art. The piece also represents how connected we are on a global sense these days. The
modes, scales, and styles may have been primarily derived from Swedish music, but there were a
number on instances throughout the piece where other cultures musical ideas were implemented.
Brice Jackson
The fact that these didnt sound foreign to the piece is a testament to the composer, the
performers, and to the immediate connection we all have to the rest of the world today.