REAKTION! Ensemble
February 17, 2023
About Reaktion! Ensemble
REAKTION! Ensemble is Connect Festivals own in-house ensemble. It is specifically put together with a new constellation for each year’s festival and is comprised by students from Malmö Academy of Music. This year, REAKTION! Ensemble consists of:
Alice Akhlaghi – Mezzo-soprano
Alvi Joensen – Guitar, Mandolin
Amanda Salonen Ripa – Flutes
Christoffer Breman – Percussion
Astrid Hemmingsson – French Horn
Joel Axell – Cello
Venue:
S:t Petri Church
Fiskehamnsgatan 3
211 18 MALMÖ
Concert starts 17:00
FREE ADMISSION
Programme
At Distance – Emanuele Maria Fiammetti
“At Distance” is a musical composition that explores the theme of distance and its effect on the human experience. It uses evocative lyrics to create a sense of longing and yearning for connection. The song reflects on the relationship between man and the natural world, and the struggle to transcend the ego, the sorrow for the future, and the burden of modern human beings. The use of harmonic material aims to deceive the listeners, playing on the paradoxical borders between the feelings of tonality and atonality, adding to the sense of longing and yearning.
晩御飯 (Ban-Gohan) – Arvid Olson
晩御飯, “Ban-Gohan”, meaning ”dinner” or ”evening meal” in Japanese, is a short piece in which I apply the fundamentals of traditional Japanese melody writing I’ve learnt while studying in Japan. The piece doesn’t follow traditional techniques throughout, but use them heavily in conjunction with my own ideas and sense of form. It connects to this year’s theme ”paradoxes” through being old traditional techniques, that I approach as something new for me. In so the techniques become both old and new at the same time. The melodies might seem old to a new audience, but to someone who is used to these kind of melodies, implementation of them might be perceived as something new. – Arvid Olson
Silence in Niflheimr – Erik Waldemar Sköld
In the piece “Silence in Niflheimr” for bass flute, horn, guitar and cello, Sköld tries to portray an atmosphere of anxiety, stress and emptiness in a cold and dark environment. The world depicted in this work is inspired by the mythological realm of Niflheimr, a land ruled by the norse goddess Hel.
Miniature nr. 9 – Erik Waldemar Sköld
The piece Miniature No. 9 for Flute and Guitar is part of a series of shorter works in various settings that Sköld started working on already as a teenager. Like many of his other works, Miniature No. 9 is inspired by the Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu.
Antithesis (2015)– Daniel Möllås
“Antithesis” is based upon the idea of contrasts and synergy. There are two contrasting materials in this piece; each one being developed in its own direction and at a few points they collide into each other and forms a new expression. It is a brief reflection on two voices, creating a relationship throughout the passage of time forward, and in theory – backwards.
Umi no Kemono (2021)– Arvid Olson
This is a piece adapted to REAKTION! Ensemble that I wrote as a part of a course called “Comprovisation” which was about combining composition and improvisation. The piece makes use of loops and box-notation as well as a set of “game-rules” that determines the form. The players are free to choose what they play within set boundaries, but have to constantly listen and adapt to each other based on the “rules”. 海の獣 “Umi no Kemono” means roughly “Beast of the Sea” and is inspired by music by Joe Hisaishi written for water (Ponyo, Kaijuu no Kodomo, Water Traveler – Melodyphony).
Paradoxes and Oxymorons – Alvi Joensen
A poem can move the emotions in us, but can it move us literally? Does a poem have more power when put to music? With these questions in mind, I have explored the boundaries of each and every word in the poems through music. I have given the words an extra paradoxical dimension, but how many dimensions are there? This question I leave up to you.
COMPOSERS
Emanuele Maria Fiammetti is a highly accomplished musician with a background in composition and cello performance. He graduated with full marks in Composition (M.Mus.) from the “G. Verdi” Conservatory of Milan, where he studied under Maestros Paolo Tortiglione and Elisabetta Brusa. In 2020, he was awarded the “Premio del Conservatorio” scholarship for being selected as one of the top students of the conservatory. He also holds a degree in Cello Performance (B.Mus.) from the Conservatory of Milan, where he studied under Maestros Graziano Beluffi and honed his skills with cellists Fausto Solci, and Craig Leffer of the Abilene Philharmonic. Emanuele has extensive performance experience, having played in many of Italy’s major concert halls and theaters in both chamber and orchestral groups. He is currently pursuing a Composition Diploma at Lund University in Malmö, Sweden, under the tutelage of Bent Sørensen.
Arvid Olson started taking piano lessons at the age of 6, exploring both the classical and jazz-repertoires. With the keys at his fingers he developed an interest for composition and exploration of music theory. He continued his studies at Hvitfeldtska Highschool’s Music (Gifted Education) program, later Åsa Folkhögskola’s program for touring musicians and then he acquired a bachelors degree in composition at Malmö Academy of Music.
With a big interest in a wide range of genres, among these a certain fascination for Japanese culture and music, Arvid decided to study one semester at Yamanashi Gakuin University after his bachelors. While in Japan, he studied with teachers such as Dr. Mike Blow, Dr. Darren Ashmore and Akikazu Nakamura-Sensei, under whom he is currently studying Shakuhachi and Japanese traditional music.
Arvid is currently doing his masters in composition at Malmö Academy of Music with teachers such as Bent Sørensen, Rolf Martinsson, Staffan Storm, and Björn-Tryggve Johansson.
Erik Valdemar Sköld (b. 1991) is originally from Norrköping, Östergötland but has been living in Malmö since 2015. He is currently very influenced by the composers Toru Takemitsu and Giacinto Scelsi, and the musical language he has developed can be described as a mixture between impressionism and proto-spectralism, with overlapping lines and textures being central components in his pieces.
Daniel Möllås (1993) is a Swedish composer and arranger, based in Malmö. He has studied composition at the Bachelor, Master and Diploma program at Malmö Academy of Music, as well as at the music teacher training program. Through the years Möllås has worked with several ensembles, orchestras, and soloists; such as Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Helsingborg SO, Norrköping SO, Jönköping Sinfonietta, Musica Vitae, the Swedish Wind Ensemble and more. He is also one of the set piece composers for the European Brass Band Championships 2023, taking place in Malmö in May this year.
Alvi Joensen is a guitarist and composer with a fascination for the unknown, the macabre and humour. As a performer he commissions new pieces in different constellations and plays pieces on the verge of oblivion. As a composer he balances on the edge between tonality and atonality, constantly seeking new sounds, timbres and expressions.
Producers:
Arvid Olson
Alvi Joensen