Peter Söderberg - String Dialogues

String Dialogues is a collection of six duo recordings initiated by the renowned musician, composer, and improviser Peter Söderberg. Here, he investigates different tuning systems and the idea of hybrid instruments. Within various instrumental settings and informed by his musical co-partners and fellow improvisors Katt Hernandez, Stina Hellberg Agback, Mats Persson, Sten Sandell, My Hellgren and Vilhelm Bromander, he has sculpted an album highlighting complex timbres and intimate interplay. The album is released on CD and digitally and features an extensive booklet with Söderberg's reflections on the music.

Peter Söderberg – guitar, lute, oud, theorbo
performs in duo with:
Katt Hernandez – violin
Stina Hellberg Agback – harp
Mats Persson – clavichord
My Hellgren – cello
Sten Sandell – piano
Vilhelm Bromander – contrabass

Comments on the works by Peter Söderberg:

[1] Close – for Violin & Guitar

In this duo, the guitar employs a tuning that uses the same interval between all the strings; a fourth lowered by a sixth of a tone. Also the violin uses an unconventional tuning, with all the strings sounding a minor third lower than normal, thus being midway down to the tuning of a viola. The guitar part is based on what appears to be familiar pentatonic patterns, except for the slightly modified pitches. The violin part is basically left without any restrictions, and the flexible intonation of the instrument allows for adjusting to the microintervals produced on the guitar, but also for choosing a more independent approach to the framework. In this way, the instruments have a complementary function to each other, in the attempt to create a fusion of the two. But even if these instruments have fundamentally different characteristics, in the second part they blend in with each other with the aid of an e-bow on the guitar strings.

[2] Symbiosis – for Harp & Theorbo

Although the harp and theorbo have a common history as continuo instruments in the baroque period, they are rarely confronted with each other in new music. Here, the instruments approach each other through the diatonic tuning of the strings, a basic feature of the harp (as a whole) and the theorbo (on the low strings). Furthermore, both instruments employ the same playing technique, producing natural harmonics of fifths and octaves, in addition to open strings. This results in the desired fusion of the instruments, to the extent that it can make the listener uncertain about the source of the sound. However, the shared diatonic material – all naturals except for one sharp and one flat note – is slightly distorted by individual concert pitches, with the theorbo sounding a sixth of a tone below the harp. The resulting small deviations in pitch will repeatedly produce slow beating between neighboring tones, which becomes an essential component of this music.

[3] Distant – for Clavichord & Renaissance Lute

Here, two instruments with a similar background in the renaissance period are brought together. The historical connection is reinforced by use of the meantone temperament, which was dominant in the 16th century. This tuning system is based on pure major thirds, being considerably narrower than the same interval in the equal-tempered system mainly used today. The music explores the polyphonic possibilities of both instruments, where the number of voices is constantly varied, and short melodic fragments are repeated. Without using any direct reference to renaissance music in this performance, the meantone temperament inevitably reflects the tonality of the distant historical period when these instruments flourished. This duo is also notable for its restrained dynamics. Whereas the lute will often have a hard time making itself heard in the company of other instruments, here it needs to adjust to the even softer sound of the clavichord.

[4] Apart – for Piano & Guitar

As a rule, the piano and the guitar share the same notes of the chromatic scale. Here, they are separated by tuning to different concert pitches, a quarter tone apart. In this way two individual tonal systems are combined, where nothing is shared. At the same time, the instruments make use of similar phrasing and playing techniques – playing with one hand alone, for example – which brings them together. The split harmonic materials are initially treated as incompatible and, during the first part of the music, the piano and guitar are completely separated and only heard in extended solo passages. In this way, the quarter tone difference in pitch is largely obscured. Gradually, the instruments begin to overlap and eventually to perform as a proper duo. Only then, perhaps, does it become apparent that the instruments have different tone systems. The initial twelve tones per octave – in one instrument at a time – are expanded to a potential of twenty-four.

[5] Continuum – for Cello & Oud

The combination of cello and oud can be seen as a meeting between different traditions, both historically and geographically. The tonality, or rather the lack of one, is based on the flexible intonation enabled on both instruments, manifested above all by an extended use of glissandi. Whereas the other duos use a limited source of harmonic material, here the instruments reside within a continuum of boundless frequencies. A certain tonal centre is nonetheless suggested by the consistent tuning of the instruments; the rising fifths on the open cello strings are paralleled by descending fourths on the oud with the same tones (C-G- D-A). The pizzicato playing on the cello creates a close relation with the Arabic lute, while the sections played with the bow expose a widened sound spectrum. A keyword here is instability and not until the last minute, does the music finally seem to reach an equilibrium.

[6] Sustain – for Contrabass & Theorbo

Both components of this duo are normally identified as typically low instruments. In this case, however, they stay in their upper regions, using the overtone series of the open strings. The low strings of the theorbo are activated by a hand-held fan, continuously scanning different touch points along the strings. In this way, the instrument is given a new identity with virtually no connection to traditional playing. The contrabass too is played in an unorthodox way, dominated by very high bowed harmonics that tend to be unstable in pitch. In contrast to the other duos, the natural decay of the vibrating string is here effectively avoided. Instead, a continuous modulation of the sound is produced, including a high degree of noise that is not present in the other duos. In this music, the listener will once again have a hard time knowing which instrument the sound is being produced on.

Essay on String Dialogues by Peter Söderberg:

Instruments and Players
The music on this CD is all in the same format – two players at a time. The duo represents the most reduced setup for making music together. It also offers the most direct way of musical communication, and a transparency in sound easily lost with additional players. The choice of instruments and players was conditioned by my own plucked string instruments. I wanted the sound of the vibrating string to have a steady presence in all the music. This resulted in a variety of duos with plucked, bowed and keyboard instruments. I worked out ideas and limitations that served as a framework for the music of each duo. Except for some tone materials tied to a strict tuning system, the concepts that I presented were not very detailed, let alone written down in a score. While some ideas were developed for a single duo, others were more general and leave an imprint in all the music on this recording. The players I asked to join me are all expert improvisers and each of them had a profound influence on the outcome of the music. In my own practice, I have tried to keep composed and improvised music apart, as they often seem to present very different, and sometimes contradictory conditions for making music. For this record, however, the music was made from a standpoint somewhere in between these.

Tuning
A general idea for the duo constellations was to explore different tunings and temperaments, taking into account the possibilities and traditions of each instrument. This interest in tuning systems has for a long time been important in my work with improvised music and new compositions, but also in the performance of early music. The intention in the duo project was to not impose a particular tuning on the music, which could have been played in the same way with a different tuning, but rather to let the tuning itself be an immanent part of it. For example, in duos with individual concert pitches close to each other, the use of consonant intervals was important to highlight the consequences of the tuning.
Even if some of the results of experimentation with microtonality, made already in the early 20th century, have become an integral part of composition in recent times, the dominating equal-tempered system still needs to be challenged; different temperaments not only have consequences for the harmonic material, but also how the instruments sound and resonate, in themselves and in combination with other instruments.

Hybrid
What are the consequences when musicians attempt to let their instruments become integrated parts of an imaginary hybrid instrument? Issues about individuality, idiomatic playing, and restricted improvisation arise from this question. The concept of having instruments play in a similar or even identical way is not uncommon, one need only to think of the string section of an orchestra. In the duo format, however, this may seem an idiosyncratic approach, not the least when improvising, where each player will add his or her personal mark on the music. However, to approach each other in performance does not simply imply the use of imitation and balancing in the performance, but rather to build an instrument with many contrasting features – like the different ranks, distributed on multiple manuals, of a large organ. I was tempted to find out if music of a different kind would arise from this condition. Helmut Lachenmann has formulated an inspiring motto: Composing means building an instrument. Consequently, the listener will sometimes be confronted with an uncertainty regarding the source of the sound; is this coming from the harp or the theorbo, from the cello or the oud? This confusion or ambiguity in the perception is something I find intriguing; the sound is given an abstract quality when its source is not revealed directly.

String
String instruments obviously differ from one another in many aspects, but they all share one inherent feature – the natural fading of a vibrating string. Once set in vibration, the string will have its own discrete decay, depending on the physical attributes of the string and the instrument. This natural fading takes place if it is not being manipulated – made shorter or longer – by the intervention of the string player, using tools such as dampers, preparation, bow, sustain pedal and others. As Morton Feldman observed, we mainly tend to hear the attack of a sound, such as a piano string set in vibration, and pay less attention to the decay of the sound after the attack. Eventually, when the string is ceasing to vibrate, the uncertain border between sound and silence is reached. In fact, as soon as a string is set in motion, its disappearance is already anticipated, as the instantly decreasing volume can be perceived as a motion away from the listener. Here is something elusive, fragile and transient that constitutes the nature of stringed instruments.

Dialogue
Performing music as a duo reflects the most direct way of communicating – the dialogue. The focus of the player can undividedly be directed at the sole partner in performance, and this intimacy is exclusive to the duo format. But there is also a limitation in the two-way communication that offers no alternative. In comparison, the trio format already allows for a drastic expansion of possibilities – three solos, three duos, trio – for variation and flexibility. On the other hand, the duo is fundamentally different from a solo performance, which is characterized, rather, by its lack of any communication with other players. The idea of having the instruments approach each other deals with creating a common musical vocabulary – with its ambiguities and contradictions – that needs to be negotiated anew in each musical conversation. Every musician adds his or her own distinct stamp on the music, within the boundaries suggested beforehand. Another setup of instrumentalists using the same framework would inevitably result in very different pieces of music.

Biographies:

Peter Söderberg (b. 1957) has a background as a guitarist in jazz and free improvisation. In recent years he has mainly performed on the lute, including new and historical repertoire. Many composers have written solo works for Peter, a selection of which is included on the CD Liuto con forza (Phono Suecia). Since 2008, he has performed new music for baroque instruments with ensemble Lipparella. In the duo with Erik Peters, the combination of acoustic instruments and live electronics is explored.

Katt Hernandez (b. 1974) is a composer, improviser, artistic researcher and violinist, from Ann Arbor, Michigan. In addition to her solo violin work, she has worked with a host of musicians and others in Europe's improvised, electronic, and experimental music and sound art scenes. She also works extensively with microtonality, drawn from studies of many different traditions.

Stina Hellberg Agback (b. 1985) has been performing as an improvising harpist since 2006. She studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Berklee College of Music and Trinity College of Music. Stina is mainly active in jazz, free improvisation and chamber music, but also in other genres. Among her groups are the quartet with Jonas Isaksson and the duo with Eva Lindal. Stina has also been involved in several intermedia projects.

Mats Persson (b. 1943) studied piano with Aloys Kontarsky in Köln, where also the piano duo with Kristine Scholz was formed. Mats has given first performances of numerous solo and duo piano works. He is also an acclaimed interpreter of the music of Cage, Feldman and Wolff. As a composer Mats has mainly written keyboard and chamber music. He has a strong interest in the early keyboard repertoire and performing on the clavichord.

My Hellgren (b. 1977) is a cellist, mostly active in the scene of contemporary music. Often she works close together with composers and she has premiered several solo and chamber music pieces. Hellgren is part of ensembles GAHLMM, Curious Chamber Players and Mimitabu. In 2022 she released the Hellgren/Söderberg duo album Plucked and Bowed, published by FRIM Records.

Sten Sandell (b. 1958) is a pianist with international reputation, performing with many of the foremost improvisers. His instruments also include organ, clavichord, voice and electronics. Sten’s music is often accompanied by his texts and visual art works, and he has composed works for theatre, film and radio drama. In addition to his extensive discography there are book and video publications.

Vilhelm Bromander (b. 1988) is a Stockholm-based bass player and composer. He is active on the scenes for jazz and improvised music and has also studied North Indian Dhrupad music as well as just intonation practices. He runs the Aurora ensemble, plays bass in CB3 and in duo with Fredrik Rasten, and leads his own 13-piece ensemble. Vilhelm has also a strong profile as a solo performer on the bass.