In the upper “layer”: two voices, two trumpets and two trombones. They can be heard far and wide.
In the lower “layer”: the sounds of a bassoon, a contrabassoon, a cello and a double bass, along with a piano, a harp and percussion instruments.
– Who’s that calling?
The female voices sing herding calls, using an ancient technique meant to be audible across long distances, to call their cows and goats and ward off wolves and bears. They also use these calls to communicate with other herders, far across the woods and mountains.
– Who’s that calling? What is her calling all about?
In this piece, traditional herding calls from the long, narrow country of Sweden mix with more or less dissonant sounds from the inner world of the composer.
Quem chama? Who’ s that calling? was composed for a performance at the contemporary, imaginative Casa da Música in Porto, Portugal.
The premiere will be performed by Remix Ensemble in collaboration with two Swedish folk singers, Marie Axelsson and Johanna Bölja Hertzberg.
– Karin Rehnqvist, December 2008