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I am again gathered with GAHLMM. This time in Göthenburg to premiere Nigredo Bloom at the Geiger Festival. Fascinating to revisit this score and reconnect with these musicians, who now knowing its demands have much more confidence and a kind of collective ownership of the processes involved and potential outcomes. Although I had fed back with my concern over Gate 4, Conjunction, when we suddenly have the surprise and radiance of opposites co-existing and a unison melody bursts, I am pretty happy about the outcomes of the rest. Now in rehearsal, 7 months since we first workshopped, I am more of the witness. Allowed to direct and feedback of course, but more here to listen and give space to how and what they want to do with it as individuals as well as the ensemble. Yes, I know much more of their individual styles, but there is still much learning and discovery in how much more everyone has to give. And the more we subliminally push and discover each others possibilities, so the music evolves.
With Henrik also having rebuilt his rig and sound engineer Linus Andersson building and mixing the best amplification and monitoring system, with subs, for the space, things are sounding good. The full house seems to think so too. Post performance, there are even grinning compliments such as, ” ..this is the maddest thing we have ever heard here.”
Henrik Olsson: paper shredder, glass tubes and bowls, mulching, fluids, rice, ‘ Toad’s blood’, metal tray, ice; aka The Alchemist
Mattias Petersson: live sampling and electronics
Lisa Ullén: piano and treatments
Anna Svensdotter: flutes and bird whistles
My Hellgren: cello
George Kentros: violin
With many thanks to GAHLMM for their skill and commitment,
to Linus Andersson for his ears and action,
and to GEIGER AprilFest 2026 for their invitation and kind support.