This recording is the report of a year’s pilgrimage. While the outer itinerary can be traced on a map of North America, central Europe and Scandinavia, the inner itinerary can only be mapped with music. Both of these trails took me, seemingly by chance, and seemingly by design, with hang and clarinet in tow, on a bright and cold day in February, 2009, into Emanuel Vigeland’s rather musical tomb, in Oslo, Norway.
Like his more famous brother, Gustav Vigeland, who created the renowned sculpture garden in Frogner Park, Oslo, Emanuel was also a sculptor. He was better known, however, for his paintings, frescos, and stained glass. He was also, as many musicians in Norway will gratefully testify, an inspired sound designer. In his gallery turned mausoleum he created a space where a pure tone will linger in the air for approximately 43 seconds. From the first note I played there, I was transfixed.
The astonishing Emanuel Vigeland Mausoleum is essentially a stone chamber, the size of a small church, with a half-cylindrical ceiling, and no windows at all. Once one’s eyes have become accustomed to the dim lighting, one sees walls and ceiling completely covered with frescos depicting human life in all of its stages, uncomplicated by clothing, furniture, or landscape. On the stone floor are life-size bronze sculptures of two women giving birth and of two little people being born, and there is only one small iron door, through which one must stoop to enter and exit the room. The effect is that of an initiation chamber. In the wall above this door are the ashes of Emanuel Vigeland, and the Latin inscription: Quicquid Deus creavit purum est. (Whatever God created is pure.) I believe Emanuel made his point.
Emanuel and his mausoleum are thus full participants in this recording. Numbers 1, 3, 6, 7, and portions of 9 were recorded there, in February, 2009, with four microphones placed around the space. In the atrium of the Mausoleum sat my brave musical and technical colleague Thomas von Sonnenberg, for hours and hours, freezing, together with his recording equipment, at minus 10 degrees Celsius. If you have the opportunity to listen to this CD with good quality headphones, or to sit between good speakers, you will experience something of what Emanuel Vigeland gave to the world by way of acoustical design.
This recording features the hang and the clarinet. The hang was invented and developed in Bern, Switzerland, by two other gifted sound designers, Felix Rohner and Sabina Schaerer. It was introduced in the year 2000, and continues to be shaped by hand, with small hammers and much love. Two different hangs were used in this recording: one with the tone circle A C D E F G A, and one with the tone circle A Bb C D E F A. Both have D as their central note. What can be said about the hang? It is a constant source of wonder and delight, and for the clarinet, a soul mate.
The title tune from "All Things are Impermanent" - together with a collection of photographs by myself and my friend and video advisor Jim Lemkin - is above. There are more audio tracks to your left. The first two are from the CD. The last two are further examples from the concert repertoire with hang. Just click on the file you would like to hear.
Sisters of Mercy (L.Cohen)
Song for Emanuel
Listen:
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Vizhnitzer Niggun
Variations - Hang (DRK) & Oboe (Pius Pfiffner) in concert in Moscia, Ticino, 2009
If you have trouble listening to the sound examples, download the free QuickTime Player below