Echoes off Cliffs – a symphony in rural surroundings
for accordion, electroacoustics and six speakers (2021)

The time of the Earth
The time of the Cliff
The time of Man
Entwining
Echoes
Martin Lohse

Performing in the cliffs of Bornholm with a work written specifically for the island’s magical rural landscapes is an idea I have had since I was quite young. The raw granite walls own an alluring power that seems to call for some kind of musical reverberation. I have often felt how a solemn, almost sacred atmosphere will inhabit the many rock quarries that are scattered across the landscape of Bornholm, almost like small open cathedrals adorned with the changing aspects of natural beauty, as the seasons follow each other in the cycle of the year. A special atmosphere that, for me, is comparable to some of the world’s largest concert halls – calling for a musical sound experience where time passes slowly.

Composer Martin Lohse and I have explored the accordion in countless constellations and in CD releases: as a solo instrument, in chamber music and as a front figure before an entire symphony orchestra. Martin Lohse has a deep interest in nature and its geological processes, and this is expressed in many of his works. We therefore felt that it was an obvious idea to try and combine his special insight into both sound and nature in a newly written work that draws on our shared experiences throughout a long collaboration and friendship.

His works are based on an understanding of time that fits perfectly with the timeless Bornholm rock landscape that inspired the work presented in this release.
Bjarke Mogensen

A composer with nature in his blood
“Precisely this particular interest of mine in nature and its power, more specifically: geology, and how it could be instrumental in a novel interplay with music, was the starting point for Echoes off Cliffs and its structure,” explains composer Martin Lohse:
“For years I have had a strong interest in geology, and this can be clearly felt in Echoes off Cliffs. The music is reflected in itself and in the cliffs, and several layers of time arise that intertwine with each other. In this work, Earth’s slow, almost unchanging time meets human time in the form of small accordion interludes that gradually develop into a melody of their own.”

Sort sol / Black Sun: Starling murmurations – fast moving patterns in the sky (2016)
for guitar and accordion

Commissioned by and dedicated to Mikkel Egelund Nielsen and Bjarke Mogensen. Sort sol (Black sun) is a natural phenomenon which occurs in the southwestern part of Denmark during spring and autumn, when large flocks of starlings, called murmurations, create fantastic sweeping masses that move in ever-changing patterns across the sky and block the light of the sun.
Sort sol was premiered at the Bornholm Music Festival 50th Anniversary season in Aa Kirke, 2018.

Echoes off Cliffs (2021)
Martin Lohse (b.1971)
For accordion, electroacoustics and six speakers
1.  I
2.  II
3.  III
4.  IV
5.  V
6.  VI
7.  VII
8.  VIII
9.  IX
10.  X
11.  XI
12.  XII
13.  XIII
14.  XIV
15.  XV
16.  XVI
17.  XVII
18.  Sort sol / Black Sun: Starling murmurations – fast moving patterns in the sky (2016) for guitar and accordion