Klangbiotoper
KLANGBIOTOPER – SONIC BIOTOPES
A dead whale with 30 plastic bags in it’s belly. A disoriented clownfish no longer being able to smell foe from protector. The joyful sound of sheep bells in the mountains is gradually fading away. Nature, with it’s species and biotopes, is changing.
A biotope is a living place for organisms, a place where species coexist in fragile constellations fully dependent on each other.
It all started being overwhelmed by the changes taking place in the biotopes around me and on our earth, my own and mankind’s lack of will to act. I wanted to loose myself into a dialogue with nature’s different places, plants and living creatures.
I tried to move my focus, from my point of view to biotopes’ and species’ point of view. Finding the divide between nature and me gradually ceased – from “that and me” to “you and I – us”.
In KLANGBIOTOPER music is the eye of a camera zooming in on details and separate species, then out into larger landscapes and biotypes and finally into new species, like a sonic expedition.
A biotope is a living place for organisms, a place where species coexist in fragile constellations fully dependent on each other.
It all started being overwhelmed by the changes taking place in the biotopes around me and on our earth, my own and mankind’s lack of will to act. I wanted to loose myself into a dialogue with nature’s different places, plants and living creatures.
I tried to move my focus, from my point of view to biotopes’ and species’ point of view. Finding the divide between nature and me gradually ceased – from “that and me” to “you and I – us”.
In KLANGBIOTOPER music is the eye of a camera zooming in on details and separate species, then out into larger landscapes and biotypes and finally into new species, like a sonic expedition.
Multivocals: Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer
Tuba: Lars Andreas Haug
Saxophones: Grzech Piotrowski
Percussion: Terje Isungset
Guest vocalist: Zakarias Nikolai Meyer Øverli (No. 9)
All arrangements by the musicians. Compositions: Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer, except no. 2, 4, 8 and 11.
Tuba: Lars Andreas Haug
Saxophones: Grzech Piotrowski
Percussion: Terje Isungset
Guest vocalist: Zakarias Nikolai Meyer Øverli (No. 9)
All arrangements by the musicians. Compositions: Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer, except no. 2, 4, 8 and 11.
Intervju med Ruth Wilhlmine Meyer om Klangbiotoper i Jazznytt vinter 2018
About the musicians
About the music and texts
About the album photo
About the musicians
RUTH WILHELMINE MEYER is a Norwegian performer and creator of vocal art. Her multi-vocal voice expression has it’s roots in the transformation of different ethnic vocal traditions as well as classical singing. Her wide vocal range of more than six octaves, combined with different sound colours, makes her attractive for stage performances as well as film music, sound installations and recordings. Her latest release on Ozella Music was the well-acclaimed CD together with the pianist Helge Lien: Sound portraits of Ibsen Characters. Many composers have written music for her. She also teaches singing at several music and theatre academies in Norway and abroad. www.wilhelmine.no
TERJE ISUNGSET is an accomplished and innovative Norwegian percussionist. Crafting his own instruments from Norwegian natural elements such as arctic birch, granite, slate, sheep bells and even ice, he is highly recommended to those sensible to the poetry and simplicity of sounds. “Timbres” and “colours” are central in Terje Isungset’s music and compositions. Isungset has been commissioned to compose music for Jazz Festivals, Dance Performances, Theatre, and Film, in addition to a various number of CDs. www.terjeisungset.no
LARS ANDREAS HAUG is a well reputable Norwegian composer, bandleader and sought tuba player with a broad variety of sounds on his instrument. His musical language is of large diversity and he also plays the trumpet, saxophones and valve trombone. He contributes on several musical cooperations with his energetic playfulness and musical overview as a musician and composer. He is known for his musical spontaneity and his groovy and beautiful sound. He has contributed to a wide range of recordings. He runs 7 different bands with the Lars Andreas Haug Band as the most central. www.larsandreas.no
GRZECH PIOTROWSKI is a Polish composer, saxophonist, record producer and arranger with a rich musical range and experience. He is an artist balancing on the edge of film music, classical, jazz, ethnic and open improvisation. He is the creator of the World Orchestra, with soloists from all over the world, combining ethnic sound with orchestral music and jazz improvisation. He is the owner of The Alchemist Records as well as the concert network Jazz in Poland. He is nominated three times for the Fryderyk. www.worldorchestra.com
TERJE ISUNGSET is an accomplished and innovative Norwegian percussionist. Crafting his own instruments from Norwegian natural elements such as arctic birch, granite, slate, sheep bells and even ice, he is highly recommended to those sensible to the poetry and simplicity of sounds. “Timbres” and “colours” are central in Terje Isungset’s music and compositions. Isungset has been commissioned to compose music for Jazz Festivals, Dance Performances, Theatre, and Film, in addition to a various number of CDs. www.terjeisungset.no
LARS ANDREAS HAUG is a well reputable Norwegian composer, bandleader and sought tuba player with a broad variety of sounds on his instrument. His musical language is of large diversity and he also plays the trumpet, saxophones and valve trombone. He contributes on several musical cooperations with his energetic playfulness and musical overview as a musician and composer. He is known for his musical spontaneity and his groovy and beautiful sound. He has contributed to a wide range of recordings. He runs 7 different bands with the Lars Andreas Haug Band as the most central. www.larsandreas.no
GRZECH PIOTROWSKI is a Polish composer, saxophonist, record producer and arranger with a rich musical range and experience. He is an artist balancing on the edge of film music, classical, jazz, ethnic and open improvisation. He is the creator of the World Orchestra, with soloists from all over the world, combining ethnic sound with orchestral music and jazz improvisation. He is the owner of The Alchemist Records as well as the concert network Jazz in Poland. He is nominated three times for the Fryderyk. www.worldorchestra.com
About the music and texts
1. Ormeggine
This first biotope is a certain area in the Ormeggine mountains, Vinje in Telemark. We have always heard the joyful sound of sheep bells in the mountains of Norway. These days there are fewer sheep farmers and fewer sounding sheep bells
2. Tvo duvor/ Two Doves
Based on a Norwegian folk song by the famous folksinger Agnes Buen Garnås.
3. Klovnefiskens desorientering/ The Disorientation of the Clownfish
A description of what’s going on in the sensory organ of the clownfish when the water is getting too acid; the foe starts to smell good, the protector smells bad Inspired by the poem: Don’t blame the little clownfish, nor on the blue saphire devil. A report from the death of the coral reefs. By Inger Elisabeth Hansen from the collection of poems: To recycle the longing, runoff takes place. (Aschehoug, 2015)
4. Sju vindar/ Seven Winds
Text: Olav H. Hauge Melody: Jan Garbarek. In oral tradition from Agnes Buen Garnås
SJU VINDAR Sju vindar, sju vindar sulla og song. Sju vindar, sju vindar Fann himmelen trong.
Sju vindar, sju vindar møttest i kast. Då vart det runddans, Då rauk det kvast!
Sju vindar, sju vindar Skilde lag. Og alle vindar Søv i dag.
Text: Olav H Hauge From ”Seint rodnar skog i djuvet/ Slowly the Woods Redden in the Gorge” 1956
5. Valbekkskogen / The Valbekk Forrest
A forrest at Ringkollen, near Oslo.
6. Dagpåfugløyelarvens betraktninger/ The Considerations of the Peacock Butterfly Larvae
7. Sut/ Sorrow
8. Å den svalande vind/ The Soothing Wind, Johan Austbø/
Norwegian folk tune
Å den svalande vind stryk om heiane inn friskar upp i mi sorgtunge hug å den svalar vel godt, men det hjelper ikkje stort denne sorgi hev falle meg so tung
9. Gåsenebbhvalens lament/ The Lamentation of the Goose Beaked Whale
February 2nd 2017 a Goose backed whale stranded on Sotra, an island on the west coast of Norway, in it´s belly there were 30 plastic bags from all over the world.
10. Ekko / Echo
11. Det var en gang/ Once Upon a Time
This first biotope is a certain area in the Ormeggine mountains, Vinje in Telemark. We have always heard the joyful sound of sheep bells in the mountains of Norway. These days there are fewer sheep farmers and fewer sounding sheep bells
2. Tvo duvor/ Two Doves
Based on a Norwegian folk song by the famous folksinger Agnes Buen Garnås.
3. Klovnefiskens desorientering/ The Disorientation of the Clownfish
A description of what’s going on in the sensory organ of the clownfish when the water is getting too acid; the foe starts to smell good, the protector smells bad Inspired by the poem: Don’t blame the little clownfish, nor on the blue saphire devil. A report from the death of the coral reefs. By Inger Elisabeth Hansen from the collection of poems: To recycle the longing, runoff takes place. (Aschehoug, 2015)
4. Sju vindar/ Seven Winds
Text: Olav H. Hauge Melody: Jan Garbarek. In oral tradition from Agnes Buen Garnås
SJU VINDAR Sju vindar, sju vindar sulla og song. Sju vindar, sju vindar Fann himmelen trong.
Sju vindar, sju vindar møttest i kast. Då vart det runddans, Då rauk det kvast!
Sju vindar, sju vindar Skilde lag. Og alle vindar Søv i dag.
Text: Olav H Hauge From ”Seint rodnar skog i djuvet/ Slowly the Woods Redden in the Gorge” 1956
5. Valbekkskogen / The Valbekk Forrest
A forrest at Ringkollen, near Oslo.
6. Dagpåfugløyelarvens betraktninger/ The Considerations of the Peacock Butterfly Larvae
7. Sut/ Sorrow
8. Å den svalande vind/ The Soothing Wind, Johan Austbø/
Norwegian folk tune
Å den svalande vind stryk om heiane inn friskar upp i mi sorgtunge hug å den svalar vel godt, men det hjelper ikkje stort denne sorgi hev falle meg so tung
9. Gåsenebbhvalens lament/ The Lamentation of the Goose Beaked Whale
February 2nd 2017 a Goose backed whale stranded on Sotra, an island on the west coast of Norway, in it´s belly there were 30 plastic bags from all over the world.
10. Ekko / Echo
11. Det var en gang/ Once Upon a Time
About the album photo
Fu Liang is a professional underwater photographer living in Beijing China. He was recently awarded the gold medal in DEEP Indonesia International Underwater Photo Competition. Born in an inland city in China, Liang dreamed of having the chance to get into the ocean when he was a child. He started scuba diving and taking photographs in 2007 and fell in love with the ocean ever since. As a professional underwater photographer, Liang hopes his photos can show the natural beauty of underwater critters and encourage more people to participate in ocean protection.
Fu Liang’s Facebook page
The spider squat lobster is a very small and unique shellfish. The tiny lobster’s body can only grow up to 1cm, and it’s legs up to approximately 3 cm. The legs are very thin and covered with red and white spots.
When I found this spider squat lobster, I was attracted to its eyes curiously looking at the outside world, and I could see and feel he was attracted to me. FU LIANG
Fu Liang’s Facebook page
The spider squat lobster is a very small and unique shellfish. The tiny lobster’s body can only grow up to 1cm, and it’s legs up to approximately 3 cm. The legs are very thin and covered with red and white spots.
When I found this spider squat lobster, I was attracted to its eyes curiously looking at the outside world, and I could see and feel he was attracted to me. FU LIANG
