“Prayer fragment”, features my grandmother, Homa Khalilian, chanting a fragment of a tablet by ʻAbdu'l-Bahá in Farsi. I set her voice to music through a process of listening and improvisation– interacting with the sensation of tone in her voice while trying to use as little material as possible to present one possibility or path in the endless sea of possibilities for transformation in her voice. 

This recording is dedicated to my late father, Ramin Khalilian (1960-2021).

Text:

هوالابهی 
ای جانفشان یار بی نشان ! هزار عارفان در جستجوی او ولی محروم و مهجور از روی او اما تو یافتی و شناختی تو نرد خدمت باختی و کار خود ساختی و علم فوز و صلاح افراختی .
طرفه حکا یتی است و غریب بشارتی  آنان که جستند ،نیافتند . آنان که نشستند یافتند . استغفرالله! جستجویشان ،جستجوی سیراب بود نه تشنگان و طلبشان ، طلب عاقلان بود ، نه عاشقان،
عاقلان خوشه چین از سر لیلی غافلند این کرامت نیست جز مجنون خرمن سوز را عاشق نشسته به از عاقل متحرک
والبهاء علیک. ع ع

Unofficial Translation:

هوالبهی
O friend who selflessly gives his life! A thousand mystics are looking for him, but deprived and separated from him, but you found and came to know him and climbed the ladder of service and did your work, and achieved the knowledge of victory and goodness. 
It is an interesting tale, and a strange epic– those who sought it did not reach it, those who sat down found it, God forbidden! In their search they were quenched, not thirsty, their search was for the prudent and not the lovers. 
The wise men of good character are unaware of the secrets of Leyla, the only one that knows is Majnun, whose heart is burning. The lover sitting is better than the prudent moving.   
والبهاء علیک. ع ع

Prayer Fragment (fixed media)

live recording of the Swiss premiere on Nov 22, 2021 in Grosser Saal, Musik Akademie Basel

flute – Phoebe Bognár
bass clarinet - Ábel Fazekas
cello – Caspar Johannes Walter

Outside (2021) | for flute, bass clarinet, and cello

In this episode of Talking Experiments, host Jennifer Torrence chats to composer Catherine Lamb about her desire to create pieces that evoke a sense of collective intensity among musicians; about how, as a young composer, she found a sense of belonging through rational intonation; and about how she conceptualises listening and the perception of sound, and in particular the idea of sound as multi-dimensional shapes.

Catherine Lamb’s inter-spatia premieres at Borealis – a festival for experimental music on 18th March in Bergen, Norway, and then on the 20th March at MaerzMusik in Berlin, Germany.

Talking Experiments is hosted by Jennifer Torrence and produced by Borealis – a festival for experimental music

Talking Experiments with Catherine Lamb

performed by Abel Fazekas (organ) and Isaac Roth Blumfield (electronics) on September 9, 2022 at Martinskirche in Kassel, Germany as a part of BRANDNEU – Internationaler Orgelsommer 2022.

mixed by Isaac Roth Blumfield

deep life  |  for 31-tone organ and six-channel speaker cube (2022)

performed by Schallfeld Ensemble at the Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik on October 8th, 2022 in Bludenz, Austria

Flute - Elisa Azzarà
Bb / Bass Clarinet – Szilárd Benes
Soprano/Baritone Saxophone – Matej Bunderla
Accordion – Mirko Jevtović
Piano – Patrick Skrilecz
Percussion – Manuel Alcaraz Clemente
Violin – Lorenzo Derinni
Viola – Francesca Piccioni
Cello – Myriam García Fidalgo
Double Bass – Margarethe Maierhofer-Lischka
Conductor – Leonhard Garms
Sound engineer - Davide Gagliardi

recorded by Chris Swithinbank
mixed by Isaac Roth Blumfield

commissioned by the Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik with the support of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation􏰙􏰗 􏰎􏰓􏰍 􏰏􏰈􏰝􏰕􏰍􏰌􏰣􏰍􏰋 􏰤􏰊􏰠􏰍 􏰣􏰍􏰅􏰎􏰠􏰍􏰘􏰥􏰦􏰍􏰋 􏰧􏰝􏰖􏰅􏰨 􏰢􏰅􏰎􏰓 􏰎􏰓􏰍 􏰖􏰝􏰑􏰑􏰇􏰋􏰎 􏰇􏰡 􏰎􏰓􏰍 􏰩􏰋􏰌􏰖􏰎 􏰞􏰇􏰌 􏰐􏰅􏰍􏰘􏰍􏰌􏰖 􏰧􏰝􏰖􏰅􏰆 􏰪􏰇􏰝􏰌􏰕􏰊􏰎􏰅􏰇􏰌 􏰢􏰋􏰅􏰎􏰎􏰍􏰌 􏰡􏰇􏰋 􏰐􏰆􏰓􏰊􏰈􏰈􏰡􏰍􏰈􏰕 􏰩􏰌􏰖􏰍􏰘􏰙􏰈􏰎􏰓􏰍 􏰏􏰈􏰝􏰕􏰍􏰌􏰣􏰍􏰋 􏰤􏰊􏰠􏰍 􏰣􏰍􏰅􏰎􏰠􏰍􏰘􏰥􏰦􏰍􏰋 􏰧􏰝􏰖􏰅􏰨 􏰢􏰅􏰎􏰓 􏰎􏰓􏰍 􏰖􏰝􏰑􏰑􏰇􏰋􏰎 􏰇􏰡 􏰎􏰓􏰍 􏰩􏰋􏰌􏰖􏰎 􏰞􏰇􏰌 􏰐􏰅􏰍􏰘􏰍􏰌􏰖 􏰧􏰝􏰖􏰅􏰆 􏰪􏰇􏰝􏰌􏰕􏰊􏰎􏰅􏰇􏰌 􏰢􏰋􏰅􏰎􏰎􏰍􏰌 􏰡􏰇􏰋 􏰐􏰆􏰓􏰊􏰈􏰈􏰡􏰍􏰈􏰕 􏰩􏰌􏰖􏰍􏰘􏰙􏰈􏰍
Program note:

“End of summer, light between your eyes” deals with memory: not as something which flows easily and envelops you like a dream, but as a series of sensations, zoomed in, never able to regain the momentum or consistency of experience. 

Only the essence of the feeling, the strange details that remain after years, more present than the significant moments which always seem to disappear and reappear without reason, without a thread to hold them together. 

It deals with memory as distraction, as the inability to stay present in a moment, as a kind of zig-zag through realities both present and obscure; as something which binds together and something which is irredeemably isolating, which constantly presses on the ability to share anything at all.

End of summer, light between your eyes  |  for ensemble (2022)

https://youtu.be/knv6icxgUIE
https://youtu.be/ZcX9btuNOCQ
Yarn/Wire live at Tenri Cultural Institute, 4/16/23. 
Audio mix by Isaac Blumfield.

Felt

The Chain of the Spine [2017]
for violin, Paetzold contrabass recorder, cardboard, glass, and sine waves
Written for and performed by Faint Noise
Karin Hellqvist, violin [www.karinhellqvist.com]
Anna Petrini, Paetzold contrabass recorder [www.annapetrini.com]
Malin Bång, cardboard [www.malinbang.com]

In this piece, the instruments are highly individuated noise-producing bodies; autonomous and built of their own limited hoard of materials. The bodies are vertebrae, each with its own irregular, unwieldy, and irreconcilable shape. They are coextensive within a space, and form a vague suggestion of a larger archipelagic shape. Strange alignments emerge between the instruments, but these alignments occur over protracted, warped, smeared swaths of time. Each vertebrae links to another as in an inexorably tangled spine. 

More info here: www.timothy-mccormack.com/chainofthespine

Image: Jason Elewski, still from "Uns-Apparatus" (Dancers: Monica Thomas, Matthew McMunn)

The Chain of the Spine [2017]

mimaamaqim || for 3 violins, 2 violas, and 3 cellos

premiered july 27 in rolston recital hall, banff, alberta, CA

violins – camille poirier-lachance, mana ohashi, christopher otto
violas – martine thomas, eunice cheng
cellos - ethan sandman, daniel smith, alexa ciciretti

mimaamaqim || for 3 violins, 2 violas, and 3 cellos (2018)

夏雨言，南琶弹唱 | Xia Yuyan, nanpa/voice
张永韵，铃鼓、朗诵 | Zhang Yongyun, percussion/voice
蔡昀庭，歌词《相思》| Text by Autumn Tsai

September 2019, Beijing

Ebb and flow (2019)

for percussion trio

Instrumentation: three bass drums, each prepared with six electric bass strings, vibrators, aluminum foil, and coins

premiered and commissioned by line upon line percussion: Adam Bedell, Cullen Faulk, Matthew Teodori

Program note: 

The internet is ubiquitous but largely experienced as immaterial. Often it is experienced like a ghost or spirit; an invisible, ethereal animating force rapidly reshaping what we think of as reality.
While composing "Sunken Landscape: thread of light", I was struck by descriptions of the physical infrastructure that makes the internet function. I knew nothing about the fiber optic cables buried at the bottom of the ocean which allow the internet to function across continents. These extremely thin cables send patterns of light across oceans, transmitting data. They create a web of wires wrapping around the world, like a sunken land-bridge. Our experiences, conversations, hopes, dreams, and intimate secrets are transmitted from one continent to another through these thin threads of light; they bind the world together in this strange, beautiful, and terrifying way.

Sunken Landscape: thread of light | for percussion trio (2020)

Fredrik Rasten: acoustic guitar, voice

Svevning is a Norwegian word meaning levitation or flying, in the sense of flying without
effort – like when a bird is fully supported by the airstream, merely gliding.

Svevning also refers to interference or beating, the acoustic phenomenon that occurs when
two tonal sounds differ in pitch only slightly. When two tones are sustained with stability, their difference in frequency manifests sonically as a pulsating pattern of vibration. As the difference in frequency between the two tones increases, the speed, or frequency of the pulse increases correspondingly until a point or
area is reached where the difference is no longer heard as a pulse, but as a tone. This is
what is known as a difference tone.

I do not know how the two meanings of ‘svevning’ (in German, Schwebung) relate to each
other etymologically, but I find a latent poetry in their combined meanings and connotations.

Svevning is an extension of my earlier piece Limn. The music unfolds as an ever-changing continuum of chords, propelled by open strings and their harmonic nodes, slowly interwoven by retuning, patterns of plucking and occasional
voice.

Fredrik Rasten, July 2021, Berlin




all rights reserved 
credits
released October 5, 2021

Recorded by Fredrik Rasten at CityLAB Berlin on March 3 & 5, 2021.
Mixed by Sam Dunscombe.
Mastered by Giuseppe Ielasi.
Cover artwork and design by d’incise.
Thanks to Marcus Pal, Mareike Lee, Adam Asnan, CityLAB Berlin, Sam, Giuseppe and
d’incise.

Released on INSUB records

buy download or cd here:

fredrikrasten.bandcamp.com/album/svevning

Prayer Fragment (fixed media)

kiancomposer

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