Benjamin Staern Music Samples

A midi simulation of my Symphony VI (2020), first movement using Garritan but the other movements with Vienna Symphonic Library. 
The Symphony is in four movements.

Symfoni VI (midi simulation)

Excerpts from 'Shifting Bodies', 'A Voice Within', 'Palpitations' and 'Lost in Tokyo'

Excerpts of my music

Yellow skies was composed in close collaboration with the flutist Terje Thiwång, to whom it is also dedicated.

The initiating process was from the start a solo piece for flute. But the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on the September 11th 2001 left an enormous impact and dreamt in a naive sense that you saw "a wounded place with yellow skies and red seas". The tape-part is based on recorded samples from the alto flute and normal flute. The work is divided in six parts and the harmony consists of six notes in two different modes.

Yellow skies was nominated as one of the Swedish representatives at the International Rostrum of Electroacoustic Music (IREM) in Rome 2004.

Yellow Skies

Rolf Gupta: Epitaph - gravskrift til minne om ofrene på Utøya (2023)
Ungdomssymfonikerne dir. Johannes Gustavsson
Konzerthaus Berlin 17.08.2023

Epitaph Konzerthaus Berlin

Uruppförande av minioperan Det svältande hjärtat av Benjamin Staern, text: Tor Lind

Denna miniopera handlar om en komplex relation mellan modern och barnet där mamman lider av borderline. Här får vi höra fyra scener samt en epilog. Barnet berättar hela sin upplevelse som en inre dialog med sig själv. 

Framfört av Magdalena Risberg, Janne Risberg och Sonanza
Grünewaldsalen, Konserthuset
24 november 2023.

Det Svältande Hjärtat uruppförande 24 Nov 23

Inspelat live 29 januari 2025 Sigtunastiftelsen, Sigtuna
Sofia Berg-Böhm, sång
Ylva Larsdotter, violin 1
Danial Shariati, violin 2 
Anna Rubinsztein, viola
Kristina Winiarski, cello

Brev till mitt barn – Ilse Weber 1945


Min kära pojke, nu har tre år gått
sen du helt ensam reste ut i världen.
Jag ser dig ännu för mig på stationen
i Prag, förgråten, hur du ber och lutar
ditt brunlockiga huvud ner mot mig
ur tåget: Snälla, låt mig vara kvar.
Att vi lät resan ske tycktes dig hårt,
du var så späd och bara åtta år.
Och när vi sen gick hemåt utan dig,
då var det som om hjärtat skulle brista.
Jag gråter ofta, ska du veta, men
är ändå glad att du inte är här.
Den okända som tagit sig an dig,
hon kommer säkert en gång in i himlen.

För varje andetag välsignar jag
henne som du inte kan älska nog.
Det är så dystert nu omkring oss här,
allt togs ifrån oss. Huset, hembygden,
och ingenting blev kvar, inte en vrå,
inte en enda sak som är oss kär.

Också din leksaksbana tog de, och
den lilla gunghästen som är din brors.
Och inte ens vårt namn fick vi ha kvar.
Som boskap drivs vi genom gränderna
med nummer kring vår hals — det gör inget
om jag bara fick bo ihop med pappa.
Din lillebror får inte heller vara
hos mig. Så ensam har jag aldrig varit.
Du är ju liten än, förstår nog knappast
hur många som kan trängas i ett rum.
Kropp tätt vid kropp, du bär den andres plåga
och lider av din egen ensamhet.

Min älskling, är du frisk och läser flitigt?
Nu sjunger väl ingen när du ska sova?
Ibland om natten känns det som om du
vore tillbaka här igen hos mig.
Tänk bara, när vi ses igen, då kommer
vi inte längre att förstå varandra.
I Sverige har du redan glömt din tyska
och jag, jag kan ju inte tala svenska.
Så märkligt, visst? Å, om det vore nu,
då vore du plötsligt min stora son.
Är tennsoldater än din favorit?

Nu bor jag i en riktig, stor kasern
med mörka murar och med dystra rum,
av sol och löv och träd syns ingenting.
Jag är sjuksköterska här för de små,
och det är fint att hjälpa och att lindra.
Om natten vakar jag ibland hos dem,
den lilla lampan lyser svagt i salen.
Jag sitter där och vaktar deras ro,
och varje barn är som en bit av dig.
Min tanke flyger bort till dig — ändå
är jag tacksam att du inte är här.
Livet tog mycket från mig som var vackert,
och lyckan med dig går jag miste om.
Jag bär det gärna, fastän det är hårt
för du besparas mycket fult och sorgligt.
Och gärna led jag tusen plågor, om
det bara räddade din barndoms lycka. —

Nu är det sent, jag måste gå och sova.
Å, kunde jag ett ögonblick få se dig!
Men jag kan inget göra, bara skriva
min längtan in i brev — som ligger kvar.

Brev till mitt barn bygger på Ilse Webers poetiska brev till sitt barn under Förintelsen. Hon skrev dessa under sin tid i fångenskap i koncentrationslägret Theresienstadt (Terezín). När jag började komponera verket beslutade jag att göra en musikalisk tolkning som förstärker den innerliga sorgen och kärleken i Webers ord. Tonspråket kombinerar en modernistisk sensibilitet med ett djupt känslomässigt uttryck, där harmoniska spänningar och lyriska linjer skapar en intensiv upplevelse för lyssnaren. Genom att använda en mångfacetterad klangpalett och dynamiska kontraster gestaltar musiken både det ömsinta och det förtvivlade i texten – en blandning av klezmer och klassisk musik. Musiken rör sig mellan sköra, nästan viskande fraser och dramatiska utbrott, vilket speglar den desperation och hoppfullhet som samexisterar i Webers poesi. Det är också värt att notera hur sångstämman hanteras – den ges en central roll och vävs samman med kvartetten på ett sätt som förstärker textens innebörd. På så sätt bibehålls en känsla av intimitet, vilket gör att lyssnaren kommer nära berättelsen och dess tragiska bakgrund. Brev till mitt barn är indelad i fem satser utifrån diktens verser. Här ryms vemod, saknad, längtan efter att återse varandra, ensamhet och uppgivenhet inför döden.

Benjamin Staern – Brev till mitt barn

Since childhood I've always loved water and wants to compose series of pieces refering to ocean, sea, lakes, ponds and so forth as a point of reference.
Wave motion is a physical phenomenon that involves a field or a disturbance of a medium propagating in space. It is music that is gradually transformed as the piece goes on. It is like watching a wave that washes over one, a stunning spectacle, and that reflects like a mirror. You can also experience great rapids and streams along the course of the work.
 
From a musical perspective, I have tried to give the work shape based on a harmonic idea where things encounter one another, are reflected and create disturbances in various ways. This leads to a more developmental kind of thinking in the compositional process. Out of this one can clearly distinguish three parts that overlap. The form has a freely ternary form structure of ABA.
 
1. Rhythmic, suggestive exhortation
2. Melodic, mystical middle section
3. Chorale, when the elements above are mixed together
 
The instrumentation used are based from the classical period of Mozart and Beethoven which includes double winds, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani,percussion as glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba, cymbals, gong and strings. The sounds may give you the impression of the above mentioned composers but without quoting or imitating any piece in a post-modern way sending postcards from the past.
 
Wave-Movements was composed on commission from Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie and is dedicated to the conductor Daniel Raiskin.
 
Benjamin Staern

Wave - Movements Newmix

Since childhood I've always loved water and wants to compose series of pieces refering to ocean, sea, lakes, ponds and so forth as a point of reference.

Wave motion is a physical phenomenon that involves a field or a disturbance of a medium propagating in space. It is music that is gradually transformed as the piece goes on. It is like watching a wave that washes over one, a stunning spectacle, and that reflects like a mirror. You can also experience great rapids and streams along the course of the work.

 

From a musical perspective, I have tried to give the work shape based on a harmonic idea where things encounter one another, are reflected and create disturbances in various ways. This leads to a more developmental kind of thinking in the compositional process. Out of this one can clearly distinguish three parts that overlap. The form has a freely ternary form structure of ABA.

 

1. Rhythmic, suggestive exhortation

2. Melodic, mystical middle section

3. Chorale, when the elements above are mixed together

 

The instrumentation used are based from the classical period of Mozart and Beethoven which includes double winds, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani,percussion as glockenspiel, vibraphone, marimba, cymbals, gong and strings. The sounds may give you the impression of the above mentioned composers but without quoting or imitating any piece in a post-modern way sending postcards from the past.

 

Wave-Movements was composed on commission from Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie and is dedicated to the conductor Daniel Raiskin.

 

Published by Gehrmans Musikförlag AB, Stockholm

Excerpt Live from the world premiere performance at Görreshaus in Koblenz May 30th 2011
by permssion from Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie


Wave Movements - Excerpt Live World Premiere Staatsorch.Rhein.Phil./Daniel Raiskin

The title refers to crisis situations, for example in Kosovo during the years of 1998-1999. The first introductory measures express the threat of war in that region. The music is inspired by the shocking warfootage from newsbroadcasts on television and in daily newspapers. You can imagine yourself experiencing the warfare in your own country, the terror and being forced to escape. In the background underlies also folk-musical structures i.e african clave-rhythms (4:3 polyrhythm) as a connection with the crisis in the Kongo-Kinshasa region in which went on at the same time as in Kosovo.
This work was composed to the annual project called "The Composers of Tomorrow 2000"between the Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra and the Academy of Music in Malmö. It was judged as "best orchestral work" by the musicians of the orchestra and was performed later on the Young Soloists Concert in the Concert Hall in Helsingborg.
Other important performances could be mentioned like the Young Nordic Music Festival (UNM) in Reykjavik, Iceland and Stockholm New Music 2003.
The Threat of War has been nominated by the Swedish Music Publishers Association (SMFF) Award in the category "The most significant contemporary music work of the year" in 2005.

Excerpt live from a performance with Norrköping SO and Stefan Solyom conducting on November 27th 2004
Published by Gehrmans Musikförlag AB, Stockholm.

The threat of war - Excerpt live Norrköping SO/Stefan Solyom Nov 2004

Live recording from the world premiere 16 February 2012
Karin Dornbusch, clarinets
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra
Stefan Solyom, conductor

Worried Souls 1. Introduction Excerpt

Live recording from the world premiere 16 February 2012 
Karin Dornbusch, clarinets 
Norrköping Symphony Orchestra 
Stefan Solyom, conductor

Worried Souls. 2. Rhapsody Excerpt

Worried Souls. 3. Meditation Excerpt

Fluxus (means “to flow” in Latin).

It represents different kinds of flows that occur during the course of the piece. In this case it concerns with two elements: harmonic and rhythmic states.
You can easily divide this work into three sections:


1. Floating, harmonic

2. Rhythmical, dancing

3. Merging of these above-mentioned elements.


The listener is free to find out what exists in these sections.


Fluxus was commissioned to the Kumla Organ Festival 2008 and is dedicated to organist
Hans Fagius

Published by Gehrmans Musikförlag, Stockholm AB

Fluxus

Identitetshandlingar i C-dur (performed by Norrköping symphony orchestra)

Inför Linné-jubileumet komponerades sångcykeln ¨ Jordens drömmar gröna¨ (2006) till sju dikter av Torsten Pettersson ur diktsamlingen ¨Jag ser en stjärna¨ som handlar om Linnés liv och vandringar.
John Erik Eleby, bar., Uppsala Kammarorkester, dir. Paul Mägi. 
On the occassion of Linnaeus bicentary anniversary I composed this song-cycle  ¨Green Earth Dreams¨ (2006) to seven poems by Torsten Pettersson from poetry ¨ I see a star ¨ which is about Linnaeus' lives and walks.
John Erik Eleby, bar., Uppsala Chamber Orchestra, cond. Paul Mägi. 

Jordens drömmar gröna

Belgrade Philharmonic Hall

ARATOS TRIO:
KATARINA POPOVIĆ, violin
MIHAILO SAMORAN, clarinet
VANJA ŠĆEPANOVIĆ, piano

October 27th, 2020

Stanko Simić - BUTTERFLY DREAM, trio for violin, clarinet and piano

Benjamin Staern (b. 1978) started his musical experience with studies in cello, piano and percussion in his youth. Studies in musicology at Lund University and subsequently studied composition at the Malmö Academy of Music during 1998-2005 with Rolf Martinsson, Hans Gefors and Luca Francesconi, and made an early breakthrough, while still a student at the Malmö Academy of Music, with the symphonic work The Threat of War (1999). 

From this point on, Staern has developed a deeply personal style with an output including orchestral and chamber works, solo pieces and electroacoustic music. An interesting aspect of his work as a composer is his unusual ability to associate tones and timbres with different colours and tints. This is a variant of a phenomenon called synaesthesia which is fundamental in his perception and the creation of his music, and which is reflected in his sound world as well as in many of his work titles (Yellow Skies, Colour Wandering etc.) 

Today Staern receives commissions on a regular basis. Looking into the near future, he is commissioned to write a major work for Malmö Symphony Orchestra and song cycle for alto Anna Larsson and Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra. From September 2010 he is composer-in-residence with New European Ensemble for them he composed works from this collaboration such as Tranströmersånger (selected poems from the Sad Gondola - collection by Nobel-prize author and poet Tomas Tranströmer) and Bells and Waves (Chamber Symphony), winner of the SMFF Award 2011 in the category ”most important work in chamber music/smaller ensemble”.

Works by Benjamin Staern is today performed not only by all the major Swedish orchestras but also internationally by orchestras such as the MDR Sinfonieorchester, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, Iceland Symphony Orchestra, Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Staern has collaborated with ensembles including New European Ensemble, Sonanza Chamber Ensemble, Ensemble Aspekte and Stockholm Chamber Brass. Soloists include Håkan Hardenberger, Anna Larsson, Johannes Möller, Karin Dornbusch, Carina Vinke, Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, Philippe Cassard and conductors Michael Christie, Daniel Raiskin, Christian Karlsen, Mats Rondin, Mika Eichenholz and Stefan Solyom.

Yellow Skies

Benjamin Staern Composer

Related tracks