
The new book OM KLOCKRENT tells how a wild idea became real: to play a composed concert at Gotland’s more than 200 church bells.
On a June day, June 8, 2013, 250 Gotlanders showed that even a small place can have a big voice. A Very Large Concert resounded around the world and drilled deep into people’s minds.
The magnificent sound experience in time and space accompanies the book. The book includes a USB memory with audio recordings and slide shows.
The brainstormers
The idea for A Very Big Concert was hatched one evening in 2011 by Eva Sjöstrand and Owe Ronström in Visby, Gotland.
The sound from the Gotland churches has spread around the world and been awarded, including one of the international radio stations’ Prix Italia 2014.
The composers
Composer Karin Rehnqvist agreed to compose with all of Gotland’s church bells. It was a 20-minute work in three movements. The interlude, when the chime of Visby Cathedral sounds, was composed by the then cathedral organist Claes Holmqvist.
At the end of the third movement, you hear perhaps the strongest – the crescendo with all the bells at once.
Great technology challenge
Many others made great contributions, not least the technicians from Swedish Radio.
The book shows pictures of a control room with all the cables, monitors and other equipment required for the project.
The concert was broadcast live on Swedish Radio P2 and via the internet all over the world.
It was then supplemented with a slide show, which was shown at Donner’s place during Gotland Art Week 2015. The slide show is made by Christer Jonsson, with photos by Christer and Bengt af Geijerstam.
The book Om klockrent is published by the publishing company eddy.se, based in Visby.
