Magnus Granberg: Holde Traume, kehret wieder!

When Swedish musician and composer Magnus Granberg's first album on Another Timbre, Ist Gefallen In Den Schnee, was released in 2012, it was credited to Skogen, the nine-(or seven-or ten-) member ensemble in which he played piano (prepared or not) and/or clarinet. It was not until his fifth release on the label, How Deep is the Ocean, How High is the Sky (2015) that Granberg was credited by name. As those album titles suggest, Granberg has often been inspired by other composers' works, although he has never plagiarized others' work.

In recent years, Granberg has increasingly developed the habit of recording his compositions with different ensembles often playing completely different instruments. So, in April and November 2019, in Connecticut and Tokyo respectively, for two separate albums on the Japanese Mmeena label, he recorded two versions of his composition "Come Down to Earth Where Sorrow Dwelleth," the first played by the American violin-cello-guitar-vibes quartet Ordinary Affects plus Granberg himself on prepared piano, the second by a Japanese trio playing sho, 20-string koto and no-input mixing board again plus Granberg on prepared piano. Both versions were highly praised on release. In October 2020 in Stockholm, Granberg recorded a quartet version of "How Lonely Sits the City," played on cello, harp, prepared piano and violin, for Mmeena and, in June 2021, also in Stockholm, he recorded a version of the same piece played by a seven-member Skogen, for Another Timbre.

All of that is relevant to the album Holde Träme, kehret wieder! (sweet dreams return), a double CD with the first disc featuring a quartet version of the title piece played by the quartet Nattens inbrott, including violin, double bass, percussion, and Granberg on prepared piano, the second disc a septet version played by a seven-member Skogen including Granberg; both versions were recorded at Atlantis in Stockholm in November 2021. Granberg on prepared piano and Erik Carlsson on percussion are the only players to feature in both versions.

As is customary with Granberg compositions, he does not tell musicians exactly when to play particular parts but leaves it to their discretion when they play them. The result is music that sounds as if it contains elements of considerate improvisation. Both versions are played at a relaxed pace and evolve gently and slowly with no shocks or surprises along the way. The soundscape is relatively uncrowded throughout, meaning that the contributions from all the players can be clearly heard and savored. For instance, notes on the piano are usually struck once and allowed to decay away slowly so that they can be savored without interference from other instruments. This is as true of the septet version as it is of the quartet; in the septet version, it sounds as if the players have been considerate not to drown one another out or mask each other's playing. The end result is that the two versions can be played back-to-back and heard as equals, irrespective of which is played first. Altogether, this beautiful music is well up to the high standards that Granberg has attained and maintained throughout his recording history.