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- Hi Christian, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Tank you! All good here. Just had a small time off for easter and now I’m ready to dive all in again
- You’ve worked across such a wide range of projects—from bands to orchestras to film scoring—how have those experiences shaped the sound of your new album Find And You Will Seek?
It has shaped the album in a lot of ways, but 2 main ways comes to mind: After years of making loads of arrangements for bands and orchestras I find that I think a lot about the full arrangement of a track from the very beginning of composing, and maybe think a bit more holistically about a tune in that sense. Also from recording my own cues in filmscoring, I got a more basic sense of production that definitely help me realise my sound on this album.
- “BirdSuite II – Praesentia” is quite cinematic and meditative—what was the initial spark behind this composition?
This might be super nerdy, but I wanted to create something that really flowed like a river and sometimes making music with normal pulses like 3 or 4 can subdivide the music a bit too clearly for me, so the spark was actually the first piano motive that is in 5 and that made the whole track in 5 – and somehow that sounds really floaty to me.
- You reinterpret Descartes’ idea into “I listen, therefore I am.” How does that philosophy influence the way you approach music and creativity?
Great question. I always try to put myself in a listening role when I compose. I try not to think to much about a piece of music or the choices I make – I more just explore and improvise and record and THEN listen back at everything and decide which ideas I like and which I don’t like. In other words: I try to judge my own ideas only while listening and not while thinking about them.
- The use of the Keybird piano gives the track a very intimate texture—what drew you to that instrument specifically for this piece?
I have been drawn towards the keybird for years. Mainly cause I have a dream, as many of my fellow pianists, to be able to carry my own instrument around, tuning it myself and get a personal relationship to it. I bought the keybird a couple of years ago – but it didn’t became the touring friend I hoped for and have stayed in my bedroom since. But I LOVE it. When inspiration hits you in the late hours and you can tune it yourself cause it only has 1 string pr note and that makes it simple to tune. And it sounds so soft the neighbours don’t complain – I feel so lucky. BirdSuite II – Praesentia started as an improvisation on the keybird late at night also.
- Working with Ensemble Hermes adds a rich a great depth to the album —how did that collaboration evolve during the recording process?
Oh this Ensemble is the best. I have worked with them for 3-4 years writing arrangements and small pieces and it always feel like working with a close band. They are completely indie-chamber ensemble that organise everything themself and they put so much energy into creating unique concert-formats and curate very exiting programmes. After one show they actually asked me if we should make a record together and my heart jumped. It is because of them that I got the inspiration to compose the music for “find and you will seek”.
- Your work in film and television scoring is evident in the atmosphere of this track—do you approach standalone music differently than scoring for visual media?
Yes. In film and television the music co-exist together with sound-design and dialogue. And that sets some limit to how complex a sound world can be at a given time in a scene. As much as I sometimes hate it: there is a limit to our perception, and having a loud sound design, while there is a dialogue/voice-over + you compose some complex music – then the result might be just noise. So my approach to standalone music is much more detail-oriented and multi-layered than for television. The only and lovely exception is when a director wants a piece of music with no dialogue and minimal sound design – omg this is the best. Cause then you can create some outstanding and complex filmmusic – really making the music glue to the picture as its main companion.
- “BirdSuite II – Praesentia” is part of a larger three-part suite—how do the pieces connect, both musically and thematically?
They connect mainly in the unique sound world they exist in. They are all made out of improvisations on a clothe dampen keybird piano with multiple layers of chamber string recordings on top of that, that weaves in and out of the piano. This multi-layers string technique gives this 3-part suite a more orchestral sound that contrasts the very intimate piano in a fascinating way for me. I like that a “musical theme” can easily be a unique sound or a unique recording technique rather than a melody or a bassline. Sometimes we forget that one of the most important aspects of music is how it sounds.
- Artists like Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm are often associated with this modern neo-classical space—where do you see your music fitting within that landscape?
I think my music has a leg in the neo-classical realm and I also feel closely connected to Caroline Shaw and Jonny Greenwood.
- There’s a strong sense of presence and stillness in your music—how do you create space for reflection while still keeping the listener engaged?
Details. I try to put so many small details into my music as I possible can – even if the track is very simple. Listen to it over and over again and feel if a detail is adding to the sense of presence or taking from it. I add small variations in phrasing, small harmonic and abstract textures from extended playing techniques on the string instruments and being very careful about dynamics – I hope it all adds much color to even my simple tracks. Sometimes I also try to play as soft as possible cause it requires so much concentration and muscle controle that it also adds some edge to my presence when playing.
- With Find And You Will Seek arriving in May, what do you hope listeners feel or discover when they immerse themselves in the album?
I hope they discover something new – here some sounds they haven’t heard before – feel something they discover for the first time that inspires them to go seek even more new experience. Find And You Will Seek.
