“If music be the food of love, play on,
Give me excess of it; that surfeiting,
The appetite may sicken, and so die”
William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night
Music. It could be considered one of the pillars of our life. It influences almost everything. Our language, with its phonetics, our emotions which are influenced by vibrations and set our mood, our reality which is, theorically, made of vibrating strings. Music has been used by different artists to represent our society and its aspects. Music gives voice to the outcasts, the idealists, the dreamersa and the lovers. It's for everyone and it goes beyond race, social and economic status and political ideas. It's inspiring and life changing. It's like oxygen, which makes us breath and keep us breathing when we feel under pressure.
"Music for me is like oxygen. Must have it to survive. For me the ability to write music is almost existential even though I'm not getting any big money out of it (yet!) it's a must do. It's a way of expression when words are not enough"
This words come from a Swedish composer from Vänersborg. He's Karl Edh who isn't just a composer but he's also a guitar and piano teacher, in the same University which made him grow up into who is today. An artist who started his musical journey early in his life:
"It began in the age of 8 when I got introduced to playing Trumpet at the local music school. I found it fun and interesting to play. A couple of years later a friend introduced me to hard rock music. I was totally floored by the sound of it and from there on, I was going to be rock guitarist! I started learning to play by listening to different hard rock songs and to play them the way they did. One band in particular was constantly in my ears, Deep Purple. Their guitarist Ritchie Blackmore was, and still is a great influence when it comes to guitar playing and songwriting. Later on my interest of writing orchestral music grew stronger allthough hard rock music will always have a place in my heart"
And Deep Purple aren't the only band who influenced him profoundly. There're also Patrick Zelinski, wich he's been working with several times, Edward Grieg, Lars-Erik Larsson, Tony Iommi and Ronnie James Dio. Nevertheless his music tastes focus more on composers like John Williams, Danny Elfman and John Powell, who had a relevant role in his formation and represent a great source of inspiration. He felt in love with the Flying Theme of the movie Hook, The Spider-Man Theme by Elfman and the How To Train Your Dragon score by Powell.
Such musical tastes explain why he likes a lot movies and series of the likes of Seven, Lord of the Rings, Schindlers List, Mindhunter, Harlots and Trust.
Most of his ideas are generated by his surroundings and everyday life:
"I get inspiration from everything, the every day life, a walk in the woods, a trip.
But mostly I get inspiration from listening to other composers. It's the best way to improve your composing skills"
Which have a role in his creative process, which I would define intuitive and open:
"When I'm writing music it often starts with a melodic idea that pops up in my head. I then sit by the piano and work with that melody to see what can be made. Next step is to start orchestrate (which is the funniest part) and to decide where the musical direction's is going to be. During the process I listen very thouroghly to every part of the score to see what works or not"
Today we're going to analyze ten of his best works to understand his art and his style.
The River Mysticae is a tender and wonderful track which describes perfectly nature and its beauty. It's mostly made of an harp's light sound. I like how it pick it up pace after the first half with the implementation of archs, violins. There're voices scattered throughout this piece which are kept in the background but help us get deep into the world created by this composition.
The next one is Cthulhu, apiece which homages a renowned Lovecraftian monster, the most fascinating in my opinion. It starts quiet and calm and it keeps this style till the tone shift and becomes more grandious. I've expected something more threatning but it sounds more like the build up of an incoming terror, which is portrayed as mysterious and magical. I think that this track would fit well in a Tim Burton movie.
Hymn for a Bagpiper evokes Scottish or Nordic sceneries like mountains, moors and rivers. Nature, as always, is the first thing which comes to mind. Soft emerald grass and gentle wind breeze permeate the atmosphere created by this piece. Once the drums starts, it evolves into a march, an hymn as the title says, which makes me think about Highlander.
Dystopia starts slowly, with a different kind of style. It's more futuristic. After a piano solo prologue it evolves into something more epic. The pace is consistent and the track focuses on creating a sensation of amazement.
The following is Elves of Starlight which has a quiet and dreamy style. It's particularly soothing and the chorus makes for a stunning experience. It's short but effective.
Above the Clouds is an upbeat track with a fast and dynamic pace which evokes a flying sensation. It seems like a Harry Potter score from one of the first iterations. It's an hopeful and uplifting composition. Sometimes it's a bit repetitive and cheesy but it works.
Next is Sanitatem. It is a slow piece which uses a rising tone to evoke sunrise or space. It's a piece which would fit well in a BBC Documentary, one about nature and stuff like that.
The Waterfalls of Eleon is one of the best. It's good at developing watery sensations about waterfalls. I imagine them huge, with water falling in a blue lake near an Elvish City. This track seems fit for The Lord of The Rings universe, especially for Rivendell.
Tian Shan is another awesome piece, which is heavily influenced by chinese music. Tian Shan is a chinese mountain range and this piece seems like an ode to it and its country. Sometimes it uses familiar tones, which could be find in every soundtrack relative to the Chinese culture, but nonetheless is pretty well done and I appreciate it a lot.
The last one is Inside Gravity. It's mostly made of electronic sounds but traditional instruments have a relevant role too. It's another inspiring track and it's pretty effective. I like how the piano has been used here and the general style of this composition. I find it a bit too short because it sounds more like a prologue than an actual act.
Karl Edh has a lot of talent and a lot of good ideas. I think that his style could speak to a broad audience and get more people interested in classical and soundtrack music.
He has a clear goal:
"Well, to work full time as a composer for film and media is the ultimate dream. Not there yet but hopefully soon. I hope"
And in his future there're live performances:
"I will continue to write music in different styles and to develop myself. I've been in contact with a conductor of a symphony orchestra who's interested in performing some of my music live! Very exciting"
Check him out and witness his inspiring and uplifting works. I hope that you'll be impressed like me.
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