What is a soundscape? What meaning can it have in music?

If we refer to Raymond Murray Schafer’s theory, we should identify the soundscape as an acoustic field, a place where the relationships of a natural environment, with places, animals and men, are studied. An absolutely not remote application of Schafer’s theory is to reach the explosion of sound detail: for example, we could have the possibility of collecting the peculiarities of a sound environment consisting of any acoustically rich place, better if completely dedicated to cultural contemplation, with musicians who are not uncompromising in respecting forms and times: in short, the equivalent of an abstract painting with multiple details to decipher.

SoundScapes #4

Finnish saxophonist Harri Sjöström has been calling Berlin home for nearly 40 years, and for over 10 of them, he has been organizing concerts at venues around the city, featuring a who-is-who of the city's rich improvisation scene and beyond, under the title "SoundScapes."

Starting in 2016, he extended the concept and held the first two SoundScapes Festivals in Helsinki, followed by one in Munich, and then, finally, in his adopted hometown. SoundScapes #4 was held over two mid-autumn nights in the restrained elegance of the Kuppelhalle in Berlin's Silent Green arts complex. The hall was originally a chapel for the 19th century crematorium that is now a park-like arts space tucked into the vibrant density of the city's Wedding district. Arrive at the complex from the tree-lined pedestrian street and one is struck by the solemn refinement. After entering through the arched entrance house, the Kuppelhalle is a straight shot over a well-manicured lawn. From there, one would typically proceed up a set of stairs and through large wooden doors into the stately octagonal chamber.

However, if one veers to the left on the approach...  more

credits

released February 4, 2025

Title:

SoundScapes #4 Festival Berlin 2023 / 31.10 – 01.11. 2023

CD1 7 Tracks: Total time: 69:42

1. Cheers for Good Times! - Olavi Louhivuori, Libero Mureddu, Frank Gratkowski, Philipp Wachsmann, John Edwards, Livia Schweizer 10:36

2. Noniin - Veli Kujala, Harri Sjöström, Liz Allbee, Els Vandeweyer 10:39

3. Chamberliners - Elena Margarita Kakaliagou, Liz Kosack, Tony Buck 09:37

4. One Day We'll Meet Again - Guilherme Rodrigues, Sebastiano Tramontana, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Andrea Centazzo, Sergio Armaroli, Elisabeth Harnik 10:41

5. One Flew Over - Liz Allbee, Liz Kosack, Sebastiano Tramontana 07:05

6. Flight Modes - Elisabeth Harnik, John Edwards, Tony Buck, Harri Sjöström, Els Vandeweyer, Philipp Wachsmann 11:08

7. Nomikäettei Guilherme Rodrigues, Elena Margarita Kakaliagou, Veli Kujala.09:54

CD 2 5 tracks Total time: 53:08

1. Born in Italy – Sergio Armaroli, Livia Schweizer, Libero Mureddu, Giancarlo Schiaffini 08:39

2. Shall We Dance? - Andrea Centazzo, Olavi Louhivuori, Frank Gratkowski 08:54

3. Q.M. #4 - Sebastiano Tramontana, Olavi Louhivuori, Philipp Wachsmann, John Edwards, Harri Sjöström 13:14

4. Mothers Delight - Andrea Centazzo, Tony Buck, Olavi Louhivuori 10:39

5. It’s an Ö-B-A-G-F - Elisabeth Harnik, Els Vandeweyer, Liz Kosack, Elena Margarita Kakaliagou, Livia Scweizer 11:39

CD 3 / 6 tracks Total time: 67:13

1. Treasures Beyond - Guilherme Rodrigues, Liz Allbee, Sergio Armaroli, Frank 9.08

2. Gratkowski, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Veli Kujala 09:10

3. If I had a Wish Libero Mureddu, Liz Allbee, John Edwards, Tony Buck 10:24

3 Tuuli - Frank Gratkowski, Sebastiano Tramontana, Veli Kujala, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Harri Sjöström, Philipp Wachsmann, Livia Schweizer, Guilherme Rodrgues 10:28

4 Irresistible Three - Andrea Centazzo, Elena Margarita Kakaliagou, Liz Kosack 09:49

5 Twoowt - Libero Mureddu, Sergio Armaroli, Els Vandeweyer, Elisabeth Harnik 11:18

6 Canzone di Tristano - Tutti Orchestra 16:03

Live concerts on 31st October - 1st November 2023 recorded at the Kuppelhalle, silent green Kulturquartier, Wedding, Berlin, Germany.

Sound engireer: Alexis Baskind

Mixing & mastering: Alexis Baskind

Sound recording assistant: Roy Ely Lyons Carroll

Produced by Harri Sjöström & Maciej Karlowski in co-op.

Photos: Luciano Rossetti

Graphic design: SEMAFOR

Executive Producer: Maciej Karlowski

Festival concept and artistic director: Harri Sjöström

All music by the musicians on the tracks

Copyright is:

L. Allbee, (GEMA), S. Armaroli (SUISA), T. Buck (APRA), A. Centazzo, (ASCAP), J. Edwards (PRS), F. Gratkowski (GEMA), E. Harnik (AKM), E. Kakaliagou (GEMA), G. Schiaffini (SIAE), L. Schweizer (TEOSTO), L. Kosack (TONO), V. Kujala (TEOSTO), O. Louhivuori (TEOSTO), L. Mureddu (TEOSTO), G.Rodrigues, H. Sjöström (GEMA), S.Tramontana (GEMA), P. Wachsmann (PRS), E. Vandeweyer (GEMA)

Liz Allbee – quadraphonic trumpet

Sergio Armaroli - vibraphone

Tony Buck – drums & percussion

Andreas Centazzo – drums & percussion

John Edwards – double bass

Frank Gratkowski – alto saxophone, clarinet, bass / contrabass clarinet, flute

Elisabeth Harnik – grand piano

Elena Margarita Kakaliagou – frensh horn

Giancarlo Schiaffini- trombone

Livia Schweizer - flute

Liz Kosack – synthesizer

Veli Kujala- accoridio, microton accordion

Olavi Louhivuori – drums & percussion

Libero Mureddu – grand piano

Guilherme Rodrigues - cello

Harri Sjöström – soprano and sopranino saxophone

Sebastiano Tramontana - trombone

Philipp Wachsmann – violin & electronics

Els Vandeweyer - vibraphone

SoundScapes #4 Festival in Berlin was realized with funding by Musikfinds e.V.

Special thanks to: Libero Mureddu, Ossi Tuovinen, Ulrike Eichner, Andreas Wolf, Anna Wilkens, Lukas Balmer & silent green team

license

all rights reserved

SoundScapes #4

Finnish saxophonist Harri Sjöström has been calling Berlin home for nearly 40 years, and for over 10 of them, he has been organizing concerts at venues around the city, featuring a who-is-who of the city's rich improvisation scene and beyond, under the title "SoundScapes."

Starting in 2016, he extended the concept and held the first two SoundScapes Festivals in Helsinki, followed by one in Munich, and then, finally, in his adopted hometown. SoundScapes #4 was held over two mid-autumn nights in the restrained elegance of the Kuppelhalle in Berlin's Silent Green arts complex. The hall was originally a chapel for the 19th century crematorium that is now a park-like arts space tucked into the vibrant density of the city's Wedding district. Arrive at the complex from the tree-lined pedestrian street and one is struck by the solemn refinement. After entering through the arched entrance house, the Kuppelhalle is a straight shot over a well-manicured lawn. From there, one would typically proceed up a set of stairs and through large wooden doors into the stately octagonal chamber.

However, if one veers to the left on the approach towards the hall, separated partially from view by a row of trees and shrubbery, is a modern glass box entrance to a bar with its own egress into the chamber. This is where it begins. Gathered in the bar area is a mix of the concert goers and musicians, and to the right, a merchandise table to drool over. In fact, there is a great deal to salivate over when taking in the names on the list of the festival's 19 musicians gathered from Finland, Italy (two of them via Finland), Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Greece, Austria, Australia, Portugal and the USA. At the center of it all, of course, is Harri Sjöström, and although it is his festival, he does not refer to it as "Harri Sjöström presents...," rather, he crafts the magic from behind the scenes, curating a festival built on relationships and trust, knowing that the talent involved will allow something special to happen. In fact, after the second night of shows, a chance encounter with Sjöström outside the venue by the bike stand provided a good impression of just how hands-on he is with the event. In addition to conceiving, organizing, and playing, he was picking up a jogging stroller

in order to transport one of the vibraphones back to the person who had lent it for the evening.

As for the musicians, they did not bring established projects or even their own music, rather they brought themselves and the impulse to create freely. Expressed by his fine sense for unconventional and risky constellations, Sjöström succeeded in composing some extraordinary

groupings, from trios to octets – surly painstaking in detail -, and gave each 15-minutes to develop their set, live, from the middle of the stately hall. Listeners of improvised music know that sometimes 15-minutes alone is needed for a group to get its bearings, so the time pressure

forced an immediacy and instinct to every encounter. Now, I'm relying much on memory of the event and of a review that I fortunately wrote for a German jazz magazine, but starting things off, percussionist Olavi Louhivuori, pianist Libero Mureddu, woodwindist Frank Gratkowski, violinist Philipp Wachsmann, bassist John Edwards and flutist Livia Schweizer, under the name of "Cheers for Good Times!," swiftly

developed a captivating rapport, their sounds blending into a cohesive and vibrant whole. After a very quick change over, the quartet of microtonal accordionist Veli Kujala, trumpeter Liz Allbee, vibraphonist Els Vandeweyer and Harri Sjöström followed, delivering a luminous

piece filled with bright arpeggios and shimmering tones. Next, the trio of percussionist Tony Buck, french hornist Elena Margarita Kakaliagou, and keyboardist Liz Kosack crafted an atmospheric musical panorama, layering liquid-like electronics, airy brass, and intricate percussion. While each of the nine sets that night was compelling, one particular sextet—with pianist Elisabeth Harnik, Edwards, Buck, Sjöström, Vandeweyer, and Wachsmann—stood out, building a gripping fifteen minutes rife with tension and rhythmic drive.

On the second night, the mood felt - at the moment - more subdued and atmospheric than the previous evening. Trombonist Sebastiano Tramontana, drummers Olavi Louhivuori and Andrea Centazzo, along with Wachsmann, Edwards and Sjöström kicked off the night by

unfolding pieces of improvised New Music pointillism. Then Buck, Louhivuori and Centazzo, going by the name of "Mother's Delight," crafted a subtly layered percussive piece which built to a hypnotic peak. The set by an octet featuring trombonist Giancarlo Schiaffini, cellist

Guilherme Rodrigues, vibraphonist Sergio Armaroli, along with Gratkowski, Tramontana, Kujala, Sjöström, Wachsmann and Schweizer exemplified the understatedness of the second night with a merry-go-round of tonalities. They undulated, buzzed, swooped and droned and

with a surprising sentimental turn at the end. Centazzo then introduced the idea of "blowing bubbles" as a form of improvisation, closing the set with a sudden sample of a soul tune. The final set of the evening featured the quartet "TWOOWT," comprised of Armaroli, Mureddu,

Vandeweyer, and Harnik, whose performance unfolded like a sonic tapestry of extended techniques. The piece pulsed with rhythmic energy, powered by the percussive interplay between two vibraphones and two pianos, creating a richly layered soundscape that left a lasting impression. The event came to a close with a tutti in which all 19 musicians performed a collective remembrance of the then recently passed cellist Tristan Honsinger.

I recall walking out into the mild mid-autumn night with - as best I can describe - a generally "warm" feeling about the whole event. While I have had the chance to attend other SoundScapes events from time to time since they have always somehow still carried a bit of an afterglow from these memories. Hearing the festival's music again - the audio tracks in their mastered form - exactly one year later, has revealed to me, I think, why these feelings have lingered. One can hear the deep respect that the musicians have for each other, their thoughtful, tacit negotiations, and the musical chance-taking that they took, making each of the 18 short sets over the course of the two evenings uniquely enjoyable.

If you were there, this collection serves certainly as a nice memento, as a way to hold those subconscious impressions in your hand, but it also is much more, as re-listening reveals details that both belie and confirm the recollections. If you were not there, this collection acts as an earwitness to the beguiling impact of musical improvisation, the power of instant composition, and the structuring of the intangible. Truly SoundScapes is worthy of visiting, again and again.

Paul Acquaro October 31, 2024

Photo by ©Luciano Rossetti

PORTFOLIO by Luciano Rossetti

Sergio Armaroli - Elisabeth Harnik

Sergio Armaroli - Giancarlo Schiaffini - Sebi Tramontana

Soundscapes #4 Berlin

Harri Sjöström - Sergio Armaroli

Sergio Armaroli - Giancarlo Schiaffini - Andrea Centazzo

Harri Sjöström - Sergio Armaroli

PROGRAMM

REVIEW

SOUNDSCAPES

DOME HALL IN SILENT GREEN

BERLIN

The Finnish soprano saxophonist Harri Sjö-

ström has been at home in Berlin for almost forty years.

Berlin for almost forty years: for more than ten

JAZZ PODIUM 12/23|1/24 89

LIVE

he has been organizing concerts at various venues

the city with the who's who of its rich improvisation scene and beyond.

improv scene and beyond.

The first two “SoundScapes” festivals

vals were held in Helsinki, followed by Munich

Munich and now for the first time in Berlin.

The festival took place over two evenings in the

impressive domed hall of the Berlin art complex

Berlin art complex Silent Green and featured a line-up

a line-up of 19 musicians from Finland,

Italy, Germany, Great Britain and the

the USA. The musicians did not bring any established

established projects or even their own music

music, but themselves and the impulse

to create freely improvised instant compositions.

compositions. Sjöström had divided them into groups ranging from

groups ranging from trios to octets. Each

group had 15 minutes to perform their set

live in the middle of the stately hall.

hall. Anyone who listens to improvised music

know that a group sometimes needs 15 minutes

15 minutes to find their feet; the time pressure

the time pressure lent immediacy and instinctiveness to every encounter.

and instinctiveness to every encounter.

At the beginning of the event, drummer

percussionist Olavi Louhivuori, pianist Libero Mureddu

Libero Mureddu, woodwind player Frank Grat-

kowski, violinist Philipp Wachsmann,

bassist John Edwards and flautist Livia Schweizer

Livia Schweizer quickly established a connection,

when the sounds of each individual member

members developed into a coherent whole.

developed into a coherent whole. After a very quick

change was followed by the quartet consisting of the

microtonal accordionist Veli Kujala,

trumpeter Liz Allbee, vibraphonist Els Vandeweyer and

Els Vandeweyer and Sjöström with an equally

equally captivating piece full of bright arpeggios

peggios and shimmering tones. Next up

the trio consisting of percussionist Tony Buck

drummer Tony Buck, horn player Elena Margarita

Kakaliagou and keyboard player Liz Kosack

Kosack explored a sonically structured space

full of fluid electronics, breathy brass

brass and multi-layered percussion.

During each of the nine sets of the first

captivating evening, the sextet with pianist

pianist Elisabeth Harnik, Edwards,

Buck, Sjöström, Vandeweyer and Wachs

man, who played a whole quarter of an hour

full of tension and rhythmic movement.

and rhythmic movement. - On the second evening, the

atmosphere was somewhat different. The first series

of sets was more subdued and moodier.

fuller. Trombonist Sebastiano Tramonta-

na, together with Louhivuori,

Wachsmann, Edwards and Sjöström developed a

structured and contoured set withl

characteristics of New Music. Buck,

Louhivuori and the percussionist and electro

ronist Andrea Centazzo created a fascinating and

fascinating and multi-layered percussive piece.

piece. The octet with trombonist

Giancarlo Schiaffini, the cellist Guilher-

me Rodrigues, Gratkowski, Tramontana,

Kujala, Sjöström, Wachsmann and Schwei-

zer illustrated the subtlety of the second

evening with a carousel of sound colors.

colors. The sounds undulated, whirred, buzzed

and roared, and the end was surprisingly

s c h e n d sentimental. Next, Centazzo introduced the concept of

Centazzo introduced the concept of soap blowing into

improvisation and ended the set with the abrupt

with the abrupt sample of a soul melody.

the. The last piece of the evening was a

quartet with vibraphonist Sergio Armaroli, Mereddu

Armaroli, Mereddu, Vandeweyer and Harnik.

This double duo was imbued with extended

techniques and was essentially characterized

essentially characterized by the percussive use

of the two vibraphones and the two cla

the percussive use of the two vibraphones and the two pianos. The event ended with a tutti

with a tutti in which all 19 musicians performed a

a joint commemoration of the recently

recently deceased cellist Tristan Honsinger

who recently passed away. Even after stepping out into the balmy

the balmy autumn night, past the enticing

past the enticing collection of the No Man's

Land pop-up record store, the feelings of this

feelings of this intimate shared musical

experience lingered for a long time.

PAUL ACQUARO

A collection of photos from Soundscapes #4 in Berlin from October 31 to November 1 featuring Sergio Armaroli