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(click for hi-res)
Curriculum Vitae
tobias@beachhousemusic.com
Jespersgatan 22
21445 Malmö
Phone: +46(0736370377
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Crimson Skies
’Crimson skies’ reflects the vivid dynamism of the magnificent Aurora Borealis - Northern Lights - a light phenomenon which can be regularly seen from the northern tip of my country, and which inspired Aurora Orchestra’s name. The work has almost a hidden programme, but without the literal realism implied by the label ‘tone poem’. The following synopsis relates to the piece’s journey:
A sudden narrow opening in the dark sky, a ray of crimson light; a transition takes place gradually as the light’s intensity grows: a change in the atmosphere - a “black hole” without visual energy takes form; everything is absolutely still; the journey towards the “play of light” now begins in earnest; what we have been waiting for is revealed only for a fleeting instant and as the process once started, it ends. The skies are darkened.
The main musical ideas come from one chord progression. The minor third acts as a thread of DNA throughout the work, adding its specific qualities and colours to the harmonies. The harmonies constantly evolve, mirroring the light’s transition in the sky.
As one Swedish author once said about the Aurora Borealis: “No pencil can draw it, no colours can paint it and no words can describe it in all its magnificence”.
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Crimson Seas
Crimson Seas was commissioned by Gävle Symphony Orchestra as the first commissions as part of my engagement as Composer-in-Residence. The text of Atlantis, taken from New Poems, is written by Swedish poet Gustaf Fröding (1860–1911) translated into English by C.D. Locock in 1925. The piece is written for the Swedish alto Anna Larsson, and was premiered in March 2007 together with Gävle Symphony Orchestra with conductor Robin Ticcati.
The choice of text was by no means an easy one. I wanted a text about the sea, not only for the specific theme of the premiere performance, but also as the sea has always been a great source of inspiration to me, having grown up close to it. The title Crimson Seas could be interpreted in several ways. While searching for texts I drifted between subjects and themes such as great sea battles in modern history, Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Titanic, Moby Dick and Sea Tales from the West Indies; I eventually came ashore with Fröding’s Dreamlands Atlantis. Crimson refers to the “sea of blood” at sunset: the death of Atlantis. However, as always, it is up to the listener to decide his or her own final image.
Superimposed minor and major triads in 1st or 3rd inversions constitute the bulk of the musical material and a kind of polytonality and modality is created that takes its origin in the basic chordal building blocks of harmony without following traditional harmonic patterns. A traditional minor chord, for instance, is given a new perspective by balancing itself alongside one or more additional triads. In addition, at one point in the piece I use marimba, vibraphone, timpani and harp to accompany the singer in a modal and almost "antique" way.
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Kaléidoscope
I. Réflexion – Fauxbourdon
II. Ombres
III. Résonance
I Kaléidoscope har jag hämtat inspiration från en mängd håll. Min utgångspunkt var från början att skriva ett stycke med tillbakablick på vad jag tidigare hade skrivit. En slags sammanfattning av mitt komponerande fram till nu. Jag funderade mycket på vilka kompositörer som påverkat och inspirerat mig i mitt eget arbete och detta ledde till att jag skrev ner tio kompositörer som har varit väldigt betydelsefulla för mig. Jag skrev också ner specifika verk som dessa tio skrivit och gjorde därefter en snabbanalys över varför verken tilltalade mig så mycket. Gemensamt för alla dessa stycken var ofta att var och ett av dem hade ett noga vägt och samlat uttryck. Troget och begränsat i sina idéer, något som är lätt att formulera i ord men som alltid är svårare att genomföra i praktiken.
Stycket var först tänk i fem satser men blev tillslut till tre. I Réflexion, den inledande delen som sedan övergår till Fauxbourdon, sätter jag det kontemplativa och inåtblickande i centrum. Harmoniken är stillastående men variationen finner man i klangfärgsförändringar, motiviskt byggande och dynamik. Den här delen övergår till Fauxbourdon (falsk bordun) som syftar på en kompositionsprincip som användes under renässansen. Enkelt uttryckt så går Fauxbourdon ut på att parallellföra sextackord och på så vis får man en enkel trestämmighet. I Fauxbourdon så använder jag just denna trestämmiga kompositionprincip genom att lägga trestämmighet lager på lager, modus mot modus.
Ombres – skuggor, som jag döpt den andra satsen till, är en bearbetning/instumentation av ett av mina tidigare stycken (i original för fyra marimbor). Satsen startar med en vandring från ackord till ackord som så småningom övergår till något som kan liknas med en koral.
I sista satsen, Résonance, möts de tidigare uttrycken i en öppen och sammanfattande avslutning. Harmoniken och sextackorden från första satsen och instrumentationen från andra satsen bildar slutet på stycket.
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Arena - Solo Version
This solo percussion piece is extracted from Tobias Broström's Arena - Percussion Concerto No. 1, which was written for the Swedish percussionist Johan Bridger. The piece does not include the complete solo percussion part and has, in some aspects, been rewritten to work as a solo. The name Arena derives from the fact that during a performance of the concerto version, the soloist walks between percussion set-ups located at various positions on stage. In the concerto version, three set-ups are used: at the back centre of the stage is the large multi-percussion set-up (this is the one used in the solo version, which includes 26 pitchless instruments); in the front to the right of the conductor is a small set-up consisting of belltree, dubaci, waterphone etc.; and to the left of the conductor is a five octave marimba. Arena – Percussion Concerto No.1 begins and ends its 27-minute journey at the set-up at the back of the stage. The duration of the solo version is approx. 10-12 minutes. Arena - Solo Version was premiered by Johan Bridger at Kulturhuset in Stockholm on 18 November, 2004.
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6&8
6&8 borrows most of its material from West African drum traditions, in particular from Gambia. In 2001 I spent three weeks in the small village Tumani Tenda, and at the organized village-camp I had the opportunity to meet representatives from four distinct West African/Gambian musical cultures: Mandinka (cora, ballafon), Wollof (drums/singing), Susu (djembeh, dundun-bah, singing and dance), and Fula (flute, callabash, riti, and acrobatics).
Susu and Wollof, which both share a strong tradition in drumming, were my primary inspirations. Susu is originally from Guinea Conacry and is closely related to Mandinka. All of these once disparate cultures are now found all over West Africa due to the circulatory effects of war, tourism, trade and nomadism. Susu was refined under the administration of president Sechko Touray in Guinea Conacry when music schools for all children were established.
The rhythms in 6&8 are traditional beats and breaks (particularly in the style of Susu), here developed and modernized. Call and reply, for instance, is characteristic of Wollof - originally a way of communication, they are the messengers and storytellers. In 6&8 the bass drum imitates the DunDun-Bah (the Susu bass drum) and the hi-hat acts as a simplified clave usually played on a bell that is connected to the DunDun-Bah.
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Twilight (marimba duo/quartet)
In Twilight , Broström focuses on basic ideas of chords and colors transforming, for example in the opening phrase, as chords are passed off from duo to duo. “Twilight” is defined as “the light from the sky between full night and sunrise or between sunset and full night” or simply as ”an intermediate state that is not clearly defined.”
Twilight was composed in the summer of 2001 when Broström, at age 22, was touring with his duo partner Anders Hassgård. Originally written as a duet, it was later re-scored for marimba quartet. At that time in Broström's career, an inner eye for studying composition full time had started to take shape, after already having spent close to 3 years of percussion studies at the Malmö Academy of Music.
“The piece attempts the impossible task of making long sustained notes on the
marimba... The most important thing when performing this piece is to make all the chords blend. One thing that contributed to writing Twilight was that I felt a need to write something more quiet, not just ‘beaty stuff.'”
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Scene for Vibraphone
Duration 05:30
Scene for Vibraphone is a solo with cymbal, wind chimes and two java gongs providing the decorative textures. The piece is composed from an almost modal point of view with the note f as a central reference. Suggestive, free-tonal and narrative in character.
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Arena - Percussion Concerto No. 1
Written in 2004 with an inner eye on the percussion soloist and Swedish Soloist Prize winner Johan Bridger, to whom the piece was dedicated and who eventually gave its original première during a concert with Malmö Symphony Orchestra and conductor Christoph König on 6 May 2004. The concerto comprises two movements, each of which is divided up into clerarly distinct sections. Broström uses a large array of percussion instruments placed in three separate stations, and it is when the soloist moves from one station to the other that the image is evoked of the arena that has lent the work its name. In that each station possesses its own arrangement of instruments, the different sections of the concerto have their own unique sound. The first movement opens as a burst of extreme violence, with the soloist`s percussion rig placed at the back, raised between the orchestral percussion section and the timpani. The thematic material is thus presented and the movement gradually comes to an end stage-front in the second station, which includes a waterphone, a brass instrument comprising rods of different lenghts that are played with a bow. A lengthy section of the second movement`s opening is dominated by the third station`s marimba (which is placed on the other side of the podium`s front), played with great virtuosity before the soloist returns to the percussion combo of the first station, ushered there by additional percussionists in an explosion of pyrotechnics. The solo percussionist emerges from the orchestra`s percussion section to eventually take over and launch into the solo cadence.
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Nordic Peace
Duration 09:30
Nordic Peace is a percussion quartet that lends ideas from a taken fill in. One of the set-ups calls for a drum set without toms. The others set-ups uses toms, bongos, timbales, kickdr. cow bells, wood blocks, opera gongs and shaker among other things. Traditional drum set ideas seen from a different piont of view.
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Phantasmagoria
Duration 8-9 min.
Phantasmagoria is a technical demanding marimba piece in one movement . The framework consists of a coulple of motifs/objects with variation, sometimes grasping persistently. The conclusion is left with a question mark. The title could be described as "a constantly changing medley of real or imagined images, as in a dream".
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Octal Arch
Written for Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra during january - march 2005. Performed at a collaboration project with Malmö Academy of Music and HSO. The piece was also picked out by the orchestra to be performed a second time during the regular season in feb. 2006. The basic material in Octal Arch is a eight note modi used through out the whole piece. Structures based on work with rythmic patterns, a series of chords - almost working as an overall "ghost structure", and melodic motifs are beeing used. The piece has two exeptions concerning the eight note modi. In the middle of the piece when adding the rest of the four notes in the common chromatic scale ( at the "top of the arch" ) and in the very end. The chords from the modi suddenly tends to change colours regarding to that. Duration 10 min.
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Faces ( solo mar/vib, 4 perc. and piano )
Duration 23:00 approx.
Faces could be discribed as a concerto for marimba/vibraphone without the soloists traditional role as in a classical style concerto. The piece concists of seven fairly short movements. Each one with an own character.
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2/11/2008
Tobias Broström's portray CD "Arena" has now been released on the record label C-Y Contemporary. Malmö Percussion Edition are playing. Order online at www.beachhousemusic.com/crew/tobias.php
22/9/2008
Swedish Music Publishing Association has nominated Tobias Broström's orchestral piece Transit Underground as one of four pieces in the art music category (large ensemble/opera).
3/9/2008
A portrait CD of music composed for percussion ensemble/solo will be released on the recordlabel C-Y in Sept/Oct. 2008. Malmö Percussion Edition are performing. The CD includes the pieces Arena - Solo Version, Phantasmagoria, 6&8, Twilight, Nordic Peace, Bridging the World and Faces.
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7/12/2008
Today Spanish percussion ensemble Esclats will play Broström´s Nordic Peace at the Hochschule für Music of Nuremberg.
12/2/2009
Tonight Mats Rondin conductes Gävle SO in the premiere of Tobias Broström´s newly written piece for the Canadian Violonist Karen Gomyo.
The concert is titled "Music through four centuries" highlighting music written in the 21:st century.
Programme:
Andrea Sarto; Enbrayage,
Benjamin Staern; Threat of War,
Tobias Broström; New piece for Violin and Orchestra,
Marie Samuelsson; Lufttrumma III,
Henri Dutilleux; Sur le même Accord, violinkonsert.
26/3/2009
On Thursday the 26:th of March Gävle Symphony Orchestra performs Transit Underground with the pricipal conductor Robin Ticciati. On the day after the orchestra visits Gothenburg Concert hall for a guest appearance.
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The Alchemist
The sound of Duo Friberg
Tobias Broström, Arena
Bridging the World
Arena - Solo Version
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