We've tried to feature as many different varieties of music genres as possible in the last week, and we're delighted to include this composition by 'Klangriket', which I warmed to as soon as I heard it. Firstly, as an introduction, Klangriket is the Swedish musician Fabian Rosenberg who works with a variety of different artistic media, performing as a 'solo' musician under the name 'Klangriket', but also active with other Swedish projects including 'Moni Kira', whom we promise to come back to at some point.
His latest release under the moniker Klangriket is part of a collaborative compilation of 'Sketches', which was conceived by American composer Harrison Mountan. The idea behind each 'sketch' is that the composer writes a piece of music, with the ideas still fresh in their mind, almost improvised, so that the listener gets a view of a piece of music in its earliest embryonic stage. This fascinates me, as in the past I've always loved hearing the snatches of melodies that composers such as Brahms wrote in the early stages of a symphonic composition.
'For they who had to go' was written in tribute to those who died in the terror acts in Stockholm earlier this year, as the music was written around then. After initially listening to this through my Ipad and liking it, I've realised that the only way you really get to appreciate it if is you play the piece through your finest speakers or headphones and as loud as sensibly possible (no lawsuits please), so that you can really appreciate the nuance of every note. It opens with the quietest of sounds, before fragments of melodies are added, and the sustained notes are delivered in such a way that thoughts are left drifting though the air, with a feeling that it's not just the delivery of notes which are important, but the glimpses of silence too, especially as the track slows down to a conclusion. It is a really special and moving 2 minute composition.
Take a listen to 'For they who had to go'
I have listened to Sketches in its entirety and it is really worth listening to, with 'Klangriket' contributing 2 related pieces of music. For more details about the project please visit the link below: