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Improvisations Mattias Wager: Organ Anders Åstrand: Percussion If you are wondering what prompted an organist and a percusion/marimba/vibraphone player to journey to Iceland to make a recording with improvised music and a special arrangement of Maurice Ravel´s Bolero, then perhaps the word inspiration could be the most succinct answer. It is this which gives rise to the expression "inspired performance" which can certainly be applied to this CD. A number of contributing factors have combined to create the ambience in this recording of what is in effect a musical journey through or over the magnificent Icelandic nature, particularly the gigantic Vatnajökull glacier which covers a number of volcanoes, and from which this CD derives its title, the cover picture was taken during a volcanic eruption in 1996. Further sources of inspiration were derived not only from the outstanding beauty of the Hallgrims Church with its wonderful acoustics, but also the superb Klaus Flugel organ which was completed in 1992. Small wonder that Mattias and Anders were able to give the "inspired performances" heard in this recording where their outstanding musicianship has been set free to explore the myriad possibilities which are an intrinsic part of performing improvised music. In 1995 Mattias Wager won the two most prestigious international competitions for organ music in England and France. At St. Albans in England the first prize for "inter- pretations" was succeeded by winning the Grand Prix d´Improvisation "Pierre Cochereau" in Paris, France.Anders Åstrand has played at regular intervals over the last 14 years with the world famous Swedish percussion en- semble Kroumata. As a well as playing a great deal of jazz, he leads his own free form jazz/rock-fusion group "Like One". |
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