Stockholm composer Magnus Granberg's first visit to Japan was to perform at the 2019 Ftarri Festival, adapting his extended and subtle work "Come Down to Earth Where Sorrow Dwelleth", originally composed for the Boston ensemble Ordinary Affects, here reworked for sho, koto, prepared piano and electronics performed by Ko Ishikawa, Miki Maruta and Toshimaru Nakamura.
Format: CD Condition: New Released: 2020 Country: Japan Packaging: Cardstock Sleeve, sealed Recorded at Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Connecticut, on April 7th, 2019, by Luke Damrosch.
1. Come Down to Earth Where Sorrow Dwelleth 01:15:28
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descriptions, reviews, &c.
"November 9, 2019 was first day of Ftarri Festival 2019 Week One, held at Sonorium, Tokyo. The closing group that day was a quartet headed by Magnus Granberg (who had come to Japan for the first time). The other members were Toshimaru Nakamura, Ko Ishikawa and Miki Maruta. The ensemble played one work, Granberg's composition "Come Down to Earth Where Sorrow Dwelleth," in a performance of about 50 minutes.
Magnus Granberg is a composer/musician based in Stockholm, Sweden. Since 2005, through his own ensemble Skogen and other experimental music groups including Ordinary Affects, Ensemble Grizzana and Insub Meta Orchestra, he has been presenting high-quality works demonstrating new compositional possibilities. Granberg's works have been released on various labels including the UK's Another Timbre. His recent activities have received a great deal of attention.
Granberg originally composed "Come Down to Earth Where Sorrow Dwelleth" in spring 2019 for the Boston-based experimental music ensemble Ordinary Affects. For the performance of this piece at Ftarri Festival, he created a revised version for sho, koto, prepared piano and electronics, and made his first trip to Japan in November 2019. On November 8, just before the festival, the four musicians met at the studio GOK Sound in Kichijoji, Tokyo, for a rehearsal and recording. This CD documents that studio recording of a 52-minute performance by Ko Ishikawa (sho), Miki Maruta (20-string koto), Granberg (prepared piano) and Toshimaru Nakamura (no-input mixing board). (At Ftarri Festival, Granberg used a piano without preparations.)
Throughout the work there's a gravity and mystical quality to the sound and the uniqueness of Magnus Granberg's artistry is amply displayed. It's interesting to compare this performance with the original version (released on Meenna in July 2020 [meenna-970]), which was performed by Ordinary Affects on violin, cello, electric guitar, vibraphone and prepared piano."-Meena